LOUSSAPATZ - The Dawn 1004-2013-10-19‏

32-ՐԴ ՏԱՐԻ, ԹԻՒ 1004 ՇԱԲԱԹ, 19 ՀՈԿՏԵՄԲԵՐ

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ՀԱՃՆՈՅ ՀԵՐՈՍԱՄԱՐՏԻ 93-ՐԴ ԱՄԵԱԿ

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CATHOLICOSES CALL ON TURKEY TO RETURN ARMENIAN CHURCHES

Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia Aram I have called upon Turkey to return Armenian churches and Armenian property.

In their statement, Catholicoses say that along with their personal possessions in Western Armenia and Cilicia, which were under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, as well as in oth- er regions of Turkey, the Armenians also lost church proper- ty such as churches, monasteries, religious, educational and humanitarian centers, and items of great cultural and reli- gious value.

“The Turkish state declared all possessions of the Ar- menians subjected to genocide and forcibly deported to be its own property as abandoned property. 98 years after the Gen-

ocide was committed, the modern state of Turkey as the legal successor of the Ottoman Empire not only denies the genocide that was organized and committed against our ancestors, but also continues its ant-Armenian policy, with- holding Armenian cultural and religious values such as churches and church property.

We call on Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide, compensate the Armenian people for their losses and violated human and national rights, and immediately return Armenian churches, monasteries, church property and spiritual and cultural values to the Armenian people as the legal successor,” the statement reads.

ZORI BALAYAN URGES PUTIN TO “ANNEX” KARABAKH ON BASIS OF RUSSO-PERSIAN PEACE TREATY

YEREVAN -- Karabakh-born writer and columnist, Zori Balayan, caused a storm in Yerevan this week when he publicized an extensive open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin implicitly urging Moscow to lay claim to the the territory. Balayan argued that Karabakh as well as much of modern-day Azerbaijan was incorporated into the Russian Empire in the early 19th century in accordance with a Russian-Persian treaty which he said still has a legal force.

“There is no Karabakh problem, there is a Russian problem,” wrote the man who played a major role in the 1988 movement for Karabakh’s unification with Armenia.

In his letter to President Putin Balayan brings numerous arguments in favor of a fact that the Karabakh conflict is not Armenia’s issue, but rather Russia’s, hence Russia is the one to solve it by recognizing the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh like it was done in Gulistan. This year marks the 200th anniversary of the Gulistan Agreement signed in 1813, at the end of Russian-Persian war won by Russia. According to the agreement, a great number of areas went from Persia (modern day Iran) to Russia, including the Karabakh khanate.

Balayan, who has long had warm ties with President Serzh Sarkisian and his predecessor Robert Kocharian, came under fire from mostly opposition politicians, public figures and media commentators in both Armenia and Karabakh. They accused him of favoring Karabakh’s incorporation into Russia more than two decades after its de facto secession from Azerbaijan.

Some of these critics also see a connection between Balayan’s long letter and Sarkisian’s controversial deci- sion to join a Russian-led customs union, which they believe jeopardizes Armenia’s national independence.

Ethnographer Hranush Kharatyan writes in Lragir.am that Balayan has simply been trapped.

“So here is Zori Balayan, who is ‘actively’ concerned with the ‘future of his homeland’. Realizing that the RA authorities have irreversibly lost the future of both Armenia and Artsakh [Karabakh], for as long as they are in power, Zori Balayan, allegedly, on their behalf sent a petition to the ‘Russian king’ suggesting that ‘Russia’s bor- ders’ are restored as soon as possible. Balayan, it appears, knows something about the history of Russia that the current king of Russia doesn’t, and he is rushing to remind the worthy heir of Ekaterina, Peter and Alexander I...that Armenia and Russia ... are not Armenia and Russia. They are Russia,” writes Kharatyan.

Balayan disputed his critics’ claims that he wants Karabakh to again become part of Russia. “Where did I write that Karabakh must be part of Russia?” he said.

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MP ZARUHI POSTANJIAN SEEKS POLICE PROTECTION AFTER HIGH-PROFILE DEATH THREAT

YEREV AN -- Opposition lawmaker Zaruhi Postanjian has asked Chief of Armenian Police Vladimir Gasparian to ensure her and her family’s security in the wake of death threats issued by a senior government member affiliated with the ruling party.

In an interview with Yerkir.am last Thursday Deputy Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Khachik Asrian lashed out at Postanjian over the question about President Serzh Sarkisian’s ‘gambling habit’ that she posed to the Armenian head of state at the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly session in Strasbourg last week, calling the member of the opposition Heritage party a “vole-mouse from a Turkish garden”. The member of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) known for his nationalist stance further called for “burning Postanjian at the stake”.

Earlier, the youth wing of the HHK had reportedly threatened to jeer Postanjian and pelt her with eggs and to- matoes on her return to Yerevan from Strasbourg last weekend. They were apparently discouraged from staging such an action after President Serzh Sarkisian made clear through his spokesman that he believed his young loyal- ists should not do such a thing.

Instead, Postanjian received a hero’s welcome from her fellow party members and supporters at the Zvartnots airport last Saturday. In her remarks to the media then Postanjian said that she had been prepared even for ‘egg- pelting’ as she believed she had done the right thing by challenging Sarkisian on a matter that “80 percent of Arme- nians are concerned about”.

After the statement by the senior government official, however, the oppositionist said that she was worried that Asrian or one of his loyalists could actually act upon the threat and cause harm to her or her family.

“I do not rule out that using the statement of this figure some third party may try to attack me or members of my family,” the mother of four wrote in her request to the police.

Asrian, meanwhile, made a clarifying statement on Friday, saying that his call for burning Postanjian at the stake was just a figure of speech.

“I did not mean burning Zaruhi Postanjian’s physical body, I meant it for her actions, for this phenomenon,” Asrian suggested.

Leading human rights activists in Armenia, however, did not appear to be satisfied with this explanation. One of them, former ombudswoman Larisa Alaverdian, stressed that no one, especially a high-ranking state official, has the right to make such threats. She said that under Armenian laws such statements can easily be qualified as a crime.

ARMENIAN OPPOSITIONIST FREED IN GENERAL AMNESTY

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YEREVAN -- An appeals court in Yerevan has ordered the release of prominent opposition youth activist Tigran Arakelian, an activist from the opposition Armenian National Congress party, more than two years after be- ing arrested on charges which he and his supporters consider politically motivated.

The court ruled on October 14 that some parts of the charges against Arakelian must be dropped and his six- year prison sentence reduced to three years.

The court also ruled that Arakelian must be freed under the national amnesty announced recently by the gov- ernment to mark the 22nd anniversary of Armenia's independence.

The partial acquittal made Arakelian eligible for a general amnesty that was declared by the Armenian authori- ties earlier this month. The amnesty was also applied to Artak Karapetian, one of three other HAK activists who clashed, together with Arakelian, with police officers in downtown Yerevan in August 2011 under disputed circum- stances.

Arakelian's lawyers said after the ruling that they will appeal the decision -- demanding Arakelian's full exon- eration.

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Arakelian was arrested in August 2011 and later sentenced on charges of assaulting police. He insists the case against him is politically motivated.

“They caught me illegally and they freed me illegally,” he told journalists after receiving a hero’s welcome from scores of supporters that again packed the courtroom. He said he should have been acquitted altogether.

LEGAL ACTION PLANNED AGAINST ARMENIAN ENTRY INTO RUSSIAN BLOC

YEREVAN -- Civil rights campaigners critical of the Armenian government said on Monday that they are planning to challenge in court President Serzh Sarkisian’s controversial decision to join a Russian-led customs un- ion.

They claimed that the decision is unconstitutional because it was made secretly and violates Armenia’s nation- al independence and sovereignty.

One of the activists, Artur Sakunts, said the lawsuit to be filed with the Administrative Court will emphasize that Sarkisian did not consult the public or even the parliament before unexpectedly announcing on September 3 what was a serious change in Armenian foreign policy. Sakunts said this breached the principle of government ac- countability and transparency enshrined in the Armenian constitution.

“Also, membership in the customs union contradicts Article 1 of Armenia’s constitution,” Sakunts told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). The outspoken activist, who leads a human rights group based in the northern city of Vanadzor, pointed to the supranational powers of the union’s governing body, the Moscow-based Eurasian Economic Commission. “Russia can impose any decision on any member state at any moment,” he claimed.

“The customs union is an equivalent of the Soviet Union. It’s a forced union,” said Artak Zeynalian, another civic activist planning the legal action.

The Armenian authorities are certain to shrug off the initiative. They have repeatedly insisted that joining the customs union will not compromise the country’s sovereignty. Officials in Yerevan have also said that the National Assembly will have a chance to debate the Armenian membership at a later stage in the accession process.

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WORLD BANK: EMERGING FINANCIAL RISKS CURB ARMENIA’S ECONOMIC RECOVERY

PanARMENIAN.Net - Economic growth in the Emerging Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region suffered during the global financial and Eurozone crises but has started to rebound, with projected modest growth rates of 2.2. percent in 2013 and 3.1 percent in 2014, World Bank officials said at a press briefing during the 2013 World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings. However, com- pared to other regions in the world, the ECA region has had the slowest recov- ery of growth and remains vulnerable to risks in a dynamic global economy, WB Yerevan Office press service said.

“Today we have both good news and bad news”, said Laura Tuck, World Bank Vice-President for the Europe and Central Asia region. “The good news is that the risk of a crisis in the Euro Area has receded and Europe is slowly coming out of recession, which is having a ripple effect on the Emerging Europe and Central Asia region. The bad news is that new financial risks, including from the United States, are

emerging, hindering the already timid recovery.” There are signs of a rebound, especially in Central and Southeastern Europe (CSEE), which will materialize in

stronger growth in 2014, when growth is expected to double from its anemic pace in 2012 and 2013. Growth in the CSEE countries was only 0.8 percent in 2012, and is projected to be 0.9 percent in 2013. For 2014, it is expected to accelerate to 2.0 percent of GDP.

On the other hand, the economies of Turkey and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), which are less dependent on the Euro Area, have seen stronger growth (4.4 percent average annual growth for the period

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2009-2012, compared to 1.9 percent in CSEE). For 2013, growth for the CIS economies is projected to reach 2.4 percent of GDP, despite a slowdown of the Russian economy to 1.8 percent. Turkey’s economy is projected to grow by 3.6 percent this year. For 2014, the Bank projects 3.5 percent growth for CIS economies (3.1 percent for Russia) and 3.5 percent for Turkey.

Still, emerging financial risks, including those from the United States, are hindering the recovery in the ECA region. After the US Federal Reserve’s suggestion of tapering off in May of this year, capital flows into Emerging Europe and Central Asia dried up, yields moved up, stock markets fell sharply, and currencies weakened. These factors affected those ECA countries with large current account deficits that are vulnerable to inflows, including countries of the Western Balkans, Armenia, and Belarus.

“The tough reality is that the central problems in the economies of Emerging Europe and Central Asia are of structural nature and require domestic, structural solutions,” added Laura Tuck. “Governments in the region need to take action on key challenges such as creating new jobs, addressing issue related to the aging population, and man- aging their natural resources.”

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YOUNG VOLUNTEERS GIVE YEREVAN'S STATUES A GOOD CLEANING

Hetq.am -- Young volunteers from various Yerevan schools and colleges have been out cleaning statues in the Armenian capital with the help of local fire brigades and their water trucks.

The list of statues getting a shine before the start of celebrations marking Yerevan’s 2795th birthday is exten- sive – Avetik Isahakyan, Vahan terian, Alexander Tamanyan, Sayat Nova, Aram Khachatryan, Martiros Sarian, Hovhannes Toumanyan and Andrei Sakharov.

Larger monuments like Davit of Sassoun, Vardan Mamikonian and Hayk Nahapet has also been given a good scrubbing.

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FULLER CENTER FOR HOUSING ARMENIA TO BUILD 100 HOMES IN HONOR OF 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

YEREVAN — The Fuller Center for Housing Armenia (FCHA) announced that it will build and renovate 100 homes between now and December 2015 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The project, called “Hon- oring 100 Years by Saving 100 Families,” will be driven by charitable contributions to give low-income and homeless fami- lies a safe and decent home, while emphasizing the importance of families remaining in Armenia on a permanent basis.

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Armenians worldwide are welcomed to support this project and honor the memories of their loved ones who were martyrs or survivors of the Armenian Genocide. A donation of $10,500 will sponsor a single, completed home. The beneficiary family will receive a personalized, commemora- tive plaque inscribed with the donor’s choice of message or dedication. When a donation is less than a single home sponsorship, FCHA will combine the contributions it receives with other gifts and assign a beneficiary family when $10,500 has been collected. All donors will receive a profile of the beneficiary family with photos showing their current living conditions. When construction is completed, all donors will receive a certificate from FCHA and photos of the new house.

“We are reaching out to our compatriots around the world to partner with us on this new campaign. We hope that families in the Diaspora will come together and support the construction of homes in the names of their loved ones. Our objective is to commemorate the Armenian Genocide in a respectful and positive way by addressing the needs of Armenia’s most vulnerable population, namely our homeless,” stated Ashot Yeghiazaryan, president of the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia.

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“Since 2000, the FCHA team has been working in Armenia to eliminate poverty housing; so far we have as- sisted over 650 families. However, the housing need in Armenia is still high. Over 64,000 families (about 8% of population) need to either build or renovate their homes. We have seen that helping one family at a time is making a difference for a lifetime, and impacting more than one generation. We have established the campaign, ‘Honoring 100 Years by Saving 100 Families,’ to allow us to share our love and dedication with more people who need simple and affordable housing,” Yeghiazaryan concluded.

In June 2013, the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia celebrated its 5th anniversary. On this occasion, many longtime and new partners participated in the construction of homes, including Armenia Marriott Hotel Yerevan, KPMG, U.S. Embassy, Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), and Christian Youth Mission for Armenia (CYMA).

The Fuller Center for Housing Armenia is a non-government, charitable organization that supports community development in the Republic of Armenia by assisting in building and renovating simple, decent and affordable homes, as well as advocating the right to decent shelter as a matter of conscience and action. FCHA provides long- term, interest-free loans to low-income families. The monthly repayments flow into a Revolving Fund, which is used to help more families make the transition out of poverty housing. This system provides a financial structure for sustainable community development.

To Honor 100 Years by Saving 100 Families, please send donations to The Fuller Center for Housing, Inc., PO Box 523, Americus, Georgia 31709. Please write “Armenia-100” in the memo line of your check. To donate online, please visit http://weblink.donorperfect.com/FCH_Armenia100. If a donor or group of donors wishes to sponsor a single, completed home at $10,500, please email FCHA at fcarmenia@fullercenterarmenia.org to provide your message or dedication for the plaque for the beneficiary family.

For more information and to learn about summer volunteer opportunities with our 2014 Global Builders pro- gram, please visit www.fullercenterarmenia.org or email volunteer@fullercenterarmenia.org.

FIFA WORLD CUP QUALIFYING: ITALY-ARMENIA 2-2 , ARMENIA-BULGARIA 2-1

Italy twice came from behind to draw 2-2 with Armenia this evening, with Mario Balotelli grabbing his side’s equalizer late in the second half.

Armenia needed a win to keep alive their slim hopes of making the play-offs, though Denmark’s de- feat of Malta was to make that academic, and did eve- rything they could to secure victory against Cesare Prandelli’s men

The visitors took the lead early on after Alberto Aquilani needlessly gave away possession, which al- lowed Yura Movsisyan to steal in and rifle the ball past the Italian goalkeeper.

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Italy hit back in the 27th minute through Alessandro Florenzi, who headed home Lorenzo Insigne’s cross from close range after Daniel Osvaldo robbed possession high up the pitch.

However, following the break, Armenia put themselves back in front thanks to great work from Henrikh Mkhitaryan whose flick hit the bar and bounced over the line.

Substitute Balotelli collected Andrea Pirlo’s ball to smash home in 77th minute and earn Italy a draw. On Friday October 11, Armenia won a dramatic 2-1 victory over nine-man Bulgaria in Yerevan. The hosts took the lead just before half-time, Aras Ozbiliz despatching a free-kick into the top corner after

Bulgaria defender Nikolay Bodurov had been sent off for a foul on him. Ivelin Popov got Bulgaria back on level terms with a free-kick of his own just after the hour, but the visitors’

cause was hindered by the dismissal of midfielder Svetoslav Dyakov moments later and Yura Movsisyan pressed home Armenia’s numerical advantage by netting an 87th-minute winner.

In Group B, Italy have already booked their spot at Brazil 2014, with 22 points, Denmark has 16 points, Czech Republic – 15, Bulgaria – 13, Armenia – 13 and Malta – 3.

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ARMENIAN DIRECTOR PRODUCING ANTI-SUICIDE FILM

Tert.am -- With sums collected from ordinary people, the film director Arshak Zakaryan has started working on a new film aimed at preventing suicides.

“One can hear every day that someone has thrown himself or herself down from a balcony or bridge. This is an undesirable phenomenon for a small republic as this,” he told reporters on Saturday, expressing concerns over the increasing rate of suicides.

The director said that the idea to produce the film entitled “The Useless” is not absolutely motivated by a personal bias to earn money or gain recognition.

“If at least one person watching the film backs away from such an intention, we’ll consider that we have done our job because the life of an Armenian is priceless for us. This film has been produced entirely thanks to contribu- tions by ordinary people. The poorest people even have given a little money for the film. A provincial teacher asked us to wait till the salary day, then took a transport and brought some money. For me, it is more pricy than the sum an oligarch might give,” he added.

Speaking of the film’s plot, Zakaryan said their purpose is to explain the audience that there is absolutely no useless person around the globe.

“If God has given you life, then you have something to do. Anyone can turn into a hero from a useless crea- ture. Our nation is the size of a town, so we must reduce this phenomenon,” he noted.

The director added that he will complete the movie after selling his car and having the necessary amount.

NKR PRESIDENT SPEAKS IN EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, REITERATES WILLINGNESS TO DEVELOP RELATIONS WITH EUROPE

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Armradio.am -- On 15 October President Sahakyan participated in the second session of the 3rd Conference of the European Armenians held at the European Parliament and delivered a speech there, Central Information De- partment Of The Office Of The Artsakh Republic President reported.

Bako Sahakyan touched upon issues related to state building process in Artsakh, the country’s foreign policy, the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict settlement and regional trends.

According to the President, cooperation with European Parliament is highly demanded both for the European Armenian organizations and Artsakh.

Bako Sahakyan stressed that the official Stepanakert is genuinely interested in the development and strength- ening of relations with Europe considering European countries as friendly states.

Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church’s Great House of Cilicia Aram I, Chairman of the Armenian National Assembly Hovik Abrahamyan, NKR Deputy prime Minister Arthur Aghabekyan, NKR Foreign Minister Karen Mirzoyan, members of the European Parliament and other officials partook in the event.

KARABAKH PRESIDENT MEETS WITH ARMENIAN COMMUNITY IN FRANCE

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STEPANAKERT, NEWS.am – In Paris, Nagorno-Karabakh Repub- lic (NKR), or Artsakh, President Bako Sahakyan on Saturday met with a group of members of the “Support to Karabakh” association, led by Tamara Kotcharian-Petrossian.

The implementation of several joint projects was discussed during the meeting.

President Sahakyan evaluated the activities of the organization from the political and ethical viewpoints.

Also, the President handed Claude Mutafian and Dikran Kou- youmdjian, authors of the book Artsakh: Garden of Armenian Arts and Traditions, the “Gratitude” medal and gave a high evaluation to this work, in scholar and cultural terms.

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NKR Deputy PM Artur Aghabekyan, FM Karen Mirzoyan, David Babayan, Head of the Central Information Department of the office of the NKR President, and Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Permanent Representative to France Hovhannes Gevorgyan also attended the talk.

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JUSTICE DEPT. RECORDS REVEAL:

AZERBAIJAN PAYS MILLIONS TO U.S. FIRMS

By Harut Sassounian Publisher, The California Courier

Awash in billions of petrodollars, but lacking a moral compass, Azerbaijan has been busy handing out loads of money to anyone who is willing to heed its propaganda.

Baku's bribery scheme, known worldwide as "caviar diplomacy," has now ensnared Washington's movers and shakers. Apparently, there is no shortage of Americans who are eager to sell their souls for a fistful of dollars. As a novice in the field of lobbying, Azerbaijan has quickly learned the tricks of the trade from its 'elder brother' Turkey, a well-versed master of political deception.

The website of the U.S. Dept. of Justice lists the names and amounts paid by various Azeri entities to 11 American firms:

-- Azerbaijan's Embassy in Washington pays $35,000 per month to Patton Boggs "for advice and assistance on U.S.-Azerbaijan bilateral relations"; $18,250 per month to Melwood Communications to assist in "media relations and communications strategy"; $20,000 per month to the DCI Group for "public relations and media outreach, and building relationships with think tanks"; and $45,000 per month to The Podesta Group to carry out public relations.

-- The Livingston Group, named after former House Speaker Bob Livingston, who left public office in dis- grace, has so far received close to $2 million for lobbying on behalf of Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry.

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-- The International Bank of Azerbaijan pays Jefferson Waterman International (JWI) $25,000 per month "to develop relations with American institutions" and "media relations strategy." JWI receives another $25,000 per month from "The Presidency of Azerbaijan" for counseling on media strategy. Azerbaijan's Ministry of Finance owns 51% of the shares of the International Bank of Azerbaijan.

-- The Azerbaijan America Alliance has so far paid Fabiani & Company $2.4 million "for planning and execut- ing strategies to encourage research and advocacy about the Azeri people, country, culture and international rela- tions." A recent gala dinner in Washington, hosted by the Azerbaijan America Alliance, was attended by 700 guests, including Obama administration officials, members of congress, and foreign diplomats. Notorious congres- sional opponents of Armenian issues attended the banquet, including Senators Saxby Chambliss and Richard Burr, House Speaker John Boehner and former Cong. Dan Burton.

-- Roberti White LLC is paid $20,834 per month by SOCAR USA, the American subsidiary of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan, to explore business opportunities in the United States.

-- Since money is no object, even the Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles can afford to hire its own public relations firm. Over the years, it has engaged the services of Sitrick and Company ($50,000 per year); The Toolshed Group LLC ($35,000), founded by Jason Katz, former Director of Public Affairs for the American Jewish Committee; and The Potomac Square Group (amount undisclosed) "to provide media outreach...and interac- tion with editors."

Now comes yet another ex-congressman who is chasing Azerbaijan's Almighty Dollar! Former New York Cong. Michael McMahon is handling public affairs/government relations for the so-called "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus," a territory recognized only by its occupying power -- Turkey! McMahon, who served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee until his defeat in 2010, is leading the lobbying effort on behalf of Herrick, Fein- stein LLP of New York which won a $200,000 per year contract to arrange congressional visits to occupied North- ern Cyprus and improve its public image in the media. McMahon also handled the development and construction of Turkey's expanded Consulate in New York City.

It is, therefore, not surprising that McMahon's name surfaced last week, trying to legitimize Pres. Ilham Aliyev's falsified re-election in which he gained 85% of the vote, while his nine opponents collectively received the remaining 15%!

While international observers criticized Aliyev’s re-election as "unfair and rife with fraud," The New York Times quoted McMahon as stating that the vote was "honest, fair and really efficient. There were much shorter

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lines than in America, and no hanging chads," a reference to the disputed ballots in Florida during the 2000 U.S. presidential race.

Shockingly, The N.Y. Times fell victim to McMahon's ploy, deciding to title its article on the fraudulent vote as "Observers Differ on Fairness of Election in Azerbaijan." The Times thus equated one man's pro-Azeri propa- ganda with the overwhelming evidence of widespread fraud confirmed by respectable international observers, such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Fortunately, The Times pointed out that "the split in assessments seemed to reflect an aggressive lobbying effort by the Aliyev government to portray the elec- tion as fair.”

Armenian-Americans cannot compete with Azerbaijan’s lavish handouts. They don’t have to. Since the truth is on their side, they do not need to spend millions on lobbying to present the facts as they are!

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TURKISH FM CONCERNED BY CONSTRUCTION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MONUMENT IN SWITZERLAND

YEREVAN, NEWS.am – On the day of the fourth anniversary of the signing of the Armenian-Turkish protocols in Zurich, Swit- zerland, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Thursday met with his Swiss counterpart in Bern.

During the talk, the Turkish FM reflected on the monument devoted to the victims of the Armenian Genocide, which is under construction in Geneva, Switzerland, reports Dogan news agency of Turkey.

Davutoglu informed that Turkey is concerned by the construc- tion of such monument ahead of 2015; that is, the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

To note, during the meeting Ahmet Davutoglu proved yet again that Turkey is not a reliable partner. He stated that the Arme- nian-Turkish protocols will be ratified solely after the settlement of the Karabakh conflict, even though the proto-

cols were signed without preconditions.

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TURKEY’S MINORITIES SKEPTICAL ABOUT OFFER TO JOIN POLICE

PanARMENIAN.Net -- Turkey’s minority communities are skeptic at the Police Department’s recent Twitter call for minority youth to apply to join the force, saying authorities must take more measures to prove their sincerity, according to the Hürriyet Daily News.

The directorate wrote on its Twitter account that all Turkish citizens could be- come police officers regardless of their religion, race, or sect in response to Syriac Or- thodox Church Metropolitan Patriarchal Vicar Mor Filüksinos Yusuf Çetin’s interview with a Turkish daily.

Istanbul-based Armenian-Turkish weekly Agos columnist Zakarya Mildanoğlu voiced skepticism over the offer, saying more would be needed to prove their sincerity over the issue.

“This proposal is a positive development. But this issue cannot be solved with just a call. They must show their sincerity,” Mildanoğlu told the HDN.

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He also said he wondered how the background and identity checks would be done for minorities if they ap- plied for a police posting. While noting that there were obstacles for minorities in Turkey to become pilots, prose- cutors, judges, deputies or commissioned officer, Mildanoğlu said the call was still significant.

“Even if this call is not realized immediately, it will certainly smooth the hate speech and increase the percep- tion of [equal] citizenship. This is not an easy process. Despite living together, there is rupture of 100 years,” said Mildanoğlu referring to the Armenian Genocide.

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Sabo Boyacı, the founder of the suryaniler.com [syriacs.com] said the offer was important, but also voiced concern over the realization of the project.

“The call is important, but what about its content? I’d like to ask whether they are ready to make it a reality,” said Boyacı.

“Although there are no legal obstacles before us becoming police, unwritten laws stand before us like the sword of Damocles. When will these unwritten laws be abolished,” Boyacı added.

He also said it would not be easy for the Syriac community’s young members to reply positively to the offer after having not been accepted for over 100 years.

But Yeni Yüzyıl University’s Health Sciences dean, Professor Ersi Abacı-Kalfaoğlu, said on behalf of the Greek minority community living in Turkey that the minority communities must do some soul-searching over the issue.

“I had encountered no obstacle during my profession. We must do self-criticism over why we have not applied to be police officers,” she said.

EACH MONTH BRINGS YET FURTHER PROOF OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE - ROBERT FISK

NEWS.am -- A new book presenting another proof of the historic fact of the Armenian Genocide has been published.

“The memoirs of Alec Glen, a British army doctor of the 1914-18 war – written privately for his sons, but pub- lished by his family – which record the further agony of the Arme- nians,” journalist Robert Fisk writes in his article published by The

Independent. Robert Fisk recalls that Turkey is preparing to smother the

100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Em- pire by holding celebrations of their victory at Canakkale (Gallipo- li).

“But each month brings yet further proof – in the testimony of Westerners – of what Turkey still officially denies: that the geno- cide of the Armenians was a fact of history,” Fisk says.

The book entitled In the Front Line: A Doctor in War and Peace includes the facts about several thousand Armenian refu- gees.

“It was an amazing and tragic sight ... now and then we passed at a roadside a dying person, or one already dead and half-eaten by dogs and jackals... we lifted some of the younger ones who might recover on to the mules and carried them forward to the next village,” Glen writes.

“Salisbury Craig [a fellow British doctor] told me later that he attended an old refugee in the road who, before he died, gave him a leather belt full of sovereigns, which he asked him to spend to help the refugees.”

TANER AKÇAM RECEIVES MESA’S ALBERT HOURANI BOOK AWARD

NEW ORLEANS — The Middle East Studies Association (MESA) has recognized Taner Akçam’s book titled “The Young Turks’ Crime Against Humanity: The Armenian Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing in the Ottoman Em- pire” the best book of 2013.

During the award ceremony MESA commission announced: “This is the strongest historical thesis dedicated to the Armenian Genocide ever and this is a very influential scientific work.”

The Middle East Studies Association is a private, non-profit, non-political learned society that brings together scholars, educators and those interested in the study of the region from all over the world.

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As part of its goal to advance learning, facilitate communication and promote cooperation, MESA sponsors an annual meeting that is a leading international forum for scholarship, intellectual exchange and pedagogical innovation. It is responsible for the International Journal of Middle East Studies.

Taner Akçam was born in Ardahan, Turkey, October 23, 1953. He is a German historian and sociologist. He is one of the first Turkish academics to acknowledge and openly discuss the Armenian Geno- cide, and is recognized as a “leading international authority” on the subject.

In August 1988 Akçam began work as a research scientist at the Hamburg Foundation for the Advancement of Research and Culture. He received his PhD from the University of Hanover with a disserta- tion titled, Turkish Nationalism and the Armenian Genocide: On the

Background of the Military Tribunals in Istanbul between 1919 and 1922. Akçam is a former student of fellow genocide scholar, Vahakn Dadrian. In 1997, a Dutch documentary titled “Een Muur van Stilte” (A Wall of Silence), written and directed by Dorothée Forma of the Humanist Broadcasting Foundation (Dutch: Humanistische Omroep Stichting), was made about their “academic relationship.”

Akçam was Visiting Associate Professor of History at the University of Minnesota, United States before join- ing Clark University’s Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies.

ARMENIAN LIFE RETURNS TO DIYARBAKIR By: Vicken Sheterian -- Translated from Al-Hayat (Pan Arab)

It was on a hot Sunday in the summer when I visited St. Giragos Church, located within the historic walls of the city of Diyar- bakir. A small crowd gathered inside the build- ing, which had recently been renovated. That morning, I not only got the chance to meet new people, but was also acquainted with new ways of self-identifying.

I met Ramzi Demir, a construction- equipment vendor and Kurdish Muslim who is well aware of his Armenian roots. I also met Chetin Yilmaz, an ethnic Turk from the city of Gallipoli. Yilmaz was sent to the southeast of the country to teach Turkish “to help Kurds be good Turkish citizens. However, they opted for the Christian religion instead,” as he put it.

A group of young people visiting the church included Nisreen and Habon, who de- cided to come after they discovered their Ar- menian origins. I also met Armin Demerjian, the deacon of the Church of St. Giragos. He was once called Abdur Rahim Zorusselan, be-

fore he returned to his original religion. Armin welcomed me with a joyful grin and told me in Armenian, “Wel- come, my little brother!”

Demerjian is in his mid 50s. He was born in the town of Liga, north of Diyarbakir, from where his ancestors hail. His family was exterminated during the massacres of 1915, but a five-year-old child named Hocep survived, saved by influential Turkish tribal leader in the region, Haji Zubair.

St. Giragos Church, located within the historic walls of the city of Diyarbakir, has been renovated. (photo by armradio.am)

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When Hocep grew up, his name was changed to Abdullah. He converted to Islam and married the daughter of Haji Zubair. He became a famous baker in the town of Liga. Everyone saw him as a good Armenian man.

I walked with Armin around the church. The building, which was meticulously built seven centuries ago, has been renovated, adding a touch of beauty to the impoverished neighborhood. We went to a hall where the walls were decorated with photographs of the Armenian way of life in Diyarbakir before the great massacre. There hung a photo of two Armenian schools, one for boys and one for girls, and a photo of the newspaper Independent Tigris with pictures of craftsmen, coppersmiths, jewelry makers, weavers and a brass band. There was also an old postcard in French portraying the Armenian neighborhood and the high church bell towers. The black-and-white photo- graphs created a sad memorial, not only because they brought back memories of the past, but because they remind us that an entire way of life has been wiped away.

There was once a large Armenian community in Diyarbakir. Most of its members were craftsmen and traders. In 1915, when the Committee of Union and Progress, the powerful party that pushed the Ottoman Empire to fight in the First World War, decided to get rid of the Armenians living in the empire. Approximately 120,000 Armenians in the province were sent outside the city walls and massacred. The survivors, mostly women and orphans, went to camps in the Syrian desert. In the 1920s and 1930s, the Armenians living in villages and towns in the province moved to Diyarbakir to form a new, small community. More left the villages after the war broke out in the south- east of the country between the Kurdistan Workers Party and the Turkish army. Today, a descendant of the survi- vors is forming a new Armenian community in this historic city.

When I started to take pictures, Armin grabbed an Armenian-language instruction book and held it to his chest in front of the camera.

Armin's son, Hassan Zor Aslan, recently finished his university education and wants to become a teacher. He is fluent in English and Turkish, and his mother tongue is Kurdish. When coffee was served, Hassan did not take a cup. It was Ramadan, and Hassan was fasting. While his father was forced to rediscover his Armenian past and deep Christian roots, Hassan, 21, found his path through Islam.

“We are Muslims, but we know that we are Armenians,” he told me. In 2006, when the students of Diyarbakir revolted against the Turkish police and the army there, Hassan was sent to his uncle's house in the town of Bursa in western Turkey to continue his education away from the trouble.

Hassan continued, “I faced an identity crisis there. There, I decided to be a Muslim.” It was there that he also decided to become a professor. When asked how he sees his father, who returned to the Armenian Apostolic Church, he said, “I am happy to see my father getting back in touch with his Armenian identity. However, I am afraid not only of the state but also of militant groups.”

Gafur Torqay is the one who pushed for the renovation of the church. His story is no different from those of the others. His father is called Ba Ohanian, and he hails from the mountainous area of Sason, northeast of Diyarba- kir. During the genocide, everyone there was killed, and only three children survived: a girl and two boys. The girl became a refugee in Syria and emigrated from there to Armenia, while the boys remained in Turkey and converted to Islam.

He proudly stated, “Thanks to the two boys, the number of our family members reached 500. These boys spoke Kurdish at home, but when they were sent to school they were prohibited from speaking the Kurdish and Armenian languages and forced to communicate in Turkish.” Gafur criticized Turkish naturalization policies, say- ing, “After being forced to become a Kurd, we were taught how to become Turks.”

Furthermore, with the emergence of the Kurdish national identity in the past decade, Armenian descendants who had changed their religion claimed their right to the Armenian identity regardless of religious affiliation.

Gafur recalls the first time he visited St. Giragos Church in the 1980s. Back then, there were 30 families living in the vicinity of the Armenian church in the Sur District of Diyarbakir, known as the Infidels District. This is also the title of a novel written by Mgrdich Margossian, who wrote about the life of the Armenian community.

In this city, Gafur met his wife and his family. He believes that the renovation of the church — which was de- stroyed after the departure of the last Armenian family — is the most important step yet. The church has been reno- vated thanks to the efforts of a small group of people who exerted tremendous efforts to collect the necessary funds. The municipality of Diyarbakir, controlled by the Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party, paid a third of the renova- tion costs. The church was reopened in October 2011, with thousands of Armenians coming from all over the world to participate in the event.

Today, the Diyarbakir municipality has begun organizing classes to teach the Armenian language. In 2012, 35 students were registered in language classes and in the following year this number rose to 65. Gafur pointed out that 80% of the students are Muslim Armenians, while there is a Christian or Kurdish Armenian minority.

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Gafur recalled how his neighbors found out he was of Armenian descent and how they thought that he and his family had converted to another religion. Families with Armenian roots try to arrange marriages among themselves, he added, stressing, “We are the third generation after the genocide. The second generation knew nothing about Armenian heritage. They were afraid. If we do not act to revive the Armenian identity here, we will lose it.” He hopes that the young people of Armenian descent rediscover their original identity and Armenian culture without questioning their Islamic religious identity.

From there, Gafur took me to St. Sarkis Church. At the entrance, we could see that a Kurdish family had taken residence in the few rooms that remained undestroyed. The architectural style is reminiscent of St. Giragos with its beautiful domes, though wrecked. Projects are in the works for the renovation of this church, too.

At the altar, Gafur pointed to a hole and angrily said, “They are trying to find gold. I was here two weeks ago; this hole was not there.” Similar holes can be found in Armenian churches across eastern Turkey as residents still search for old Armenian gold after 98 years.

Then we headed to the Armenian cemetery. Years ago, the famous musician Aram Dikran wanted to be buried there after his death, but the Turkish state did not allow it. Today, two stones are placed as a sign for the chosen cemetery of Aram Dikran.

ARMENIANS' ABANDONED PROPERTIES: A PLANNED SEIZURE by Alin Ozinian*

Even though the image of Armenians in Turkey emerges from historic reflexes, the official approach to history and the syndrome of domestic and external circles, there is absolutely an Armenian story that everybody in these lands has heard.

While the 1915 issue is officially narrated as though it is an ethnic issue, suggesting that Armenians were de- ported because of treason due to the discussions over a “so-called genocide” or “nonsensical arguments” of the di- aspora, this is actually the greatest economic victory of republican history.

The Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) announced a piece of legislation in 1915 without delay on how to deal with properties left behind by Armenians. Under this legislation, the government would set up commissions for abandoned properties in the regions where people were deported. The commissions would seal the abandoned houses and record the goods and properties left behind in the houses after being appraised. The remaining proper- ties would be sold in auctions and the revenues would be transferred to the property bodies on behalf of the owners. Goods and items as well as sacred books in the churches would be identified and preserved on the spot.

People who claimed that those who were murdered during this time owed them money were required to apply to the commissions within two months. This did not go as planned; the application periods were reduced and some barriers were introduced. However, there was no need for barriers; those who were sent to exile in the Deir Zor de- serts had no knowledge of this commission and they did not have the courage to look back. It was obvious at the beginning that no one would benefit from this legislation. Every decision and step was more painful than what was left behind. The murder of Armenian people, the deportation of those who remained, the mass killings en route, the destroyed families, the lost mothers, children and spouses... Now it was time to take care of the houses, gardens and fields of the Armenians who were no longer there.

A commission that wouldn't work

It was no secret that the commission would not work; some of the seized properties of Armenians were plun- dered by leading Turkish, Kurdish and Circassian figures; some of them were given to migrants from the Balkans. Some of these properties were even granted to persons and institutions for free so that they could emerge as Mus- lim-Turkish entrepreneurs. American envoy Henry Morgenthau, in his memoirs, said that Talat Paşa, one of the founders of the CUP, told him: “I wish you had applied to American insurance companies to get the full list of Ar- menian beneficiaries. Armenians are all dead now; they have no inheritors left to collect their monies. Their assets and properties are all left to the state.”

Urfa Governor Nusret Bey, who was found guilty and then executed by a court-martial in 1921 because he or

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dered the massacres during the deportation, and Boğazlayan District Governor Kemal Bey, who was executed for the same reason, were declared national martyrs. Later, their families were given their share of the abandoned prop- erties; this was one of the cruelest moments of the Armenian fate whose planning was never admitted to.

By a decree in 1927, real estate worth TL 20,000 abandoned by Armenians was transferred to family members of the Boğazlayan district governor. Properties were also given to the family of Urfa Governor Nusret Bey. The transfers were not limited to these: Dr. Bahattin Şakir, one of the cruelest leaders of the Special Organization (Teşkilatı Mahsusa), Diyarbakır Governor Dr. Reşid and Cemal Paşa, who was assassinated in Tbilisi, were also given properties. The punishment for massacring Armenians was mind-blowing. Hasan Cemal, the grandson of Cemal Paşa, in his book “1915: Armenian Genocide,” refers to a mansion in Kurtuluş which was predominantly Armenian; the mansion was given to his family. In the same book, Cemal also refers to something that remained almost unknown. During the years he was working at the Cumhuriyet daily, he told the story of the Matosyan Print- ing House.

“[Journalist and author] Nadir Nadi had said: ‘After the owner of Matosyan left the country, it was sold to my father. [Mustafa Kemal] Atatürk rushed for the printing house. If you tried to bring in a machine from overseas, you would have needed a long time. However, there was now an idle machine...”

In fact, Yunus Nadi, the most favored and popular journalist of the young republic and one of the close confi- dants of Atatürk, never paid a dime after taking over control of the printing house in 1924 for which he paid only a small amount. Subsequently, he even asked for a refund from the state because after the transfer of the machines, all were destroyed in a fire that erupted in the printing house; no trace of these properties was ever found. Nadi, who sold off all properties and items in the Matosyan Printing House, sold the books in the library to the Ministry of Education; these books were later transferred to the Gazi Education Institute. A news report published by the Tanin daily stated that the value of the Matosyan library alone was greater than the amount which Yunus Nadi paid for the Matosyan Printing House.

Disconnect people from the past

After the declaration of the republic, Turkey adopted the Latin alphabet. Unlike the conventional story, the al- phabet revolution went beyond the goal of educating people and making them literate. In fact, this was an attempt to disconnect people from the past so that they would not have any link to their history.

The General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre in 2005 requested the digitalization of the deed records of the time and their storage in the digital medium. However, the National Security Council's body of war prepara- tions noted that this was against national interests. As a result, this initiative was successfully aborted. In this way, the CUP was able to preserve its dark past.

The Matosyan Printing House, one of the most important printing houses of the Ottoman era, was transformed into the premises of the Cumhuriyet daily, which served as the watchdog of the regime, while one of the houses of the Kasapyan family was seized and later converted to the Çankaya presidential palace. In short, the newly estab- lished republican regime was based on the suffering of Armenians, their loss as well as their rights and properties.

In the aftermath of the law on abandoned properties which turned into a process of seizure, Armenian assets, the main basis of the republican regime, were Turkified along with Greek and Jewish properties. The seizure of the foundation properties was the last move in 1974. The traces of Armenian presence in these lands were almost wiped out after 100 years but some steps were recently taken despite problems with the Law on Foundations. The pro- CUP figures and structure are, for the first time, being defeated by these steps and measures.

*Alin Ozinian is an independent analyst.

TURKISH JOURNALIST REVEALS HIS MOTHER WAS ARMENIAN

ISTANBUL -- The head of a journalists’ association in Turkey, has revealed that his mother was an Armenian, who was left “in front of an Alevi family’s door” by Armenians during the 1915 incidents in his recently published book, adding that his relatives had reacted strongly to this revelation, the Hurriyet Daily News reports.

Ahmet Abakay, a journalist and the head of the Contemporary Journalists’ Association, told his mother Hosana’s story in his book entitled “Hosana’s last words,” in which he said that he was told by his mother that she was an Armenian only weeks before she died.

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Abakay said his mother Hosana told him her story, which she kept secret for her entire 82-year-long life, with one condition; that he should not tell it to anyone as long as she was alive.“My mother told me about her story 13 years ago and soon after, she died. I could write this only 10 years later, because I hesi- tated. I hardly wrote it, bursting into tears when writing all of the chapters and I was stuck. I did not imagine that it could get that sentimental for me to write it. My mother was left at some people’s door like an innocent kitten and that idea filled me with grief,” Abakay told the Hürriyet Daily News, adding that his mother was one of the Armenian babies left to the Turkish families, with fears for their lives due to the saddening 1915 incidents.

“My mother made me promise not to tell her story to my wife, daughter or her sisters, as long as she was alive. I told this issue to my inner circle after I lost my mother, to learn whether there are other secrets that we are not told. But my sister told me not to reveal this on the grounds that I am a journalist and she recalled what happened to Hrant Dink [Armenian-Turkish journalist murdered by a gunman in broad daylight in 2007 in Istanbul]. A majority of my relatives could not accept their [new] identity,” Abakay said. Some relatives denied the story, while others claimed that his mother was too old to be aware of what she was saying. Abakay said he received fierce reactions from some of his family members over his revelation in his book.

“My uncle’s children told me ‘how dare you call our aunt Armenian and insult our family’s honor. You will remove the Armenian part from your book, otherwise we will pull it off the shelves,’” said Abakay.

Abakay said his mother used to talk about one of her sisters left with Armenians in the past, but she had never talked about it in detail. Later on he learnt that she was from the southeastern province of Erzurum’s Askale district. “I want to research my identity but I doubt whether I can go any further. Now, I am content that I have received my identity back.”

NEW PUBLICATION PRESENTS BRITISH MEDIA REPORTS ON THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

A two-volume book entitled “The Times of the Armenian Genocide: Re- ports in the British Press, 1914-1923” by Katia Minas Peltekian has been re- leased.

The two-volumes compile over one thousand items collected from British newspapers between 1914 and 1923. Through articles, reports, editorials, cor- respondence, letters to the editor, announcements, as well as the proceedings of the British parliament, the reader will be exposed to the extent of the offi- cial and unofficial British interest in the Armenian people and in the on-going massacres in the Armenian provinces in what is now called east Turkey& Cili- cia. History unfolds itself on the pages of British newspapers.

Simple, yet agonizing, the one thousand and some articles in these vol- umes tell the story of a persecuted people whom the Ottoman government massacred and deported in a systematic way to wipe out the Armenian nation. These reports not only tell the story of a genocide, but also give details of the peace negotiations at Sevres & Lau

sanne, and how the Armenian Question was finally swept under the rug when

the West regarded its interests to be more important than granting the perse- cuted people their basic human rights.

The events are unfolded to the reader who is transported to those times, re-living the events on an almost daily basis.

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Katia Peltekianis an independent researcher who collects newspaper articles. She has degrees in English Liter- ature and Education from the American University of Beirut (AUB, Lebanon) and Dalhousie University (Canada). She taught English at AUB (1988-2005) and Haigazian University (2005-2012). As a hobby, she compiles daily news items for the Armenian News Network www.Groong.org and translates to English many articles about Arme- nia and Armenians that appear in the Arab press.

Her love of reading newspapers led to the publication of her first book in 2000, “Heralding of the Armenian Genocide: Reports in ‘The Halifax Herald’ (1894-1922)”, which compiles one Canadian newspaper’s articles and reports on the on-going massacres and deportations of the Armenian population. At the time, the book was distrib- uted free to Canadian members of parliament, a few officials and public libraries, in addition to university libraries around the world and Genocide research centers. Currently, she is preparing another book that compiles the thou- sands of articles about Armenians, printed in the British press between 1875 and 1913.

CHER REMINDS SYLVIE VARTAN OF HER ARMENIAN ROOTS

NEWS.am -- During a French television program, renowned American singer and actress Cher (born Cherilyn Sarkisian) spoke about her visit to Armenia after the collapse of the USSR.

And when she started talking about her Armenian roots, French singer Sylvie Vartan, who likewise was a guest of the program—and who, until then, was speaking about her Bulgarian roots—, suddenly remembered that she, too, is Armenian.

When the program host asked Cher about her Armenian roots, Sylvie Vartan interrupted and said: “Me, too.” “Really?” the program host asked in surprise. “Yes. Vartan is an Armenian surname,” Sylvie Vartan responded, but not too confidently.

THE GUARDIAN: FOUR MEN OF TURKISH AND AZERBAIJANI ORIGIN DETAINED ON SUSPICION OF ORGANIZING TERRORISM IN LONDON

Panorama.am -- Four men are held in London on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. Among them was a 28-year-old man of Azerbaijani origin who was also arrested, The Guardian reports.

One of the arrested is believed to be a 25-year-old British national of Turkish origin and the other one a British national of Algerian origin, also 25.

“The operation to stop the men in the street away from their homes was pre-planned, partly because of con- cerns that they could have weapons,” the article reads.

According to “The Guardian” the arrested were planning to launch attacks of the kind that killed 164 people in 2008 in Mumbai, India, and last month killed at least 67 people in the Westgate shopping center in Nairobi, Kenya.

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BUILDING OF ARMENIAN CATHOLIC PRELACY SHELLED IN DAMASCUS

NEWS.am -- The building of the prelacy of the Armenian Catholic Church was shelled in Damascus.

According to SANA agency, terrorists put explosive devices on the roofs of two Christian churches in Yabrud district. Crosses in the Virgin Mary Church and Saint Constantine and Helen Church were damaged and civilians were injured.

Talking to the Armenian News-NEWS.am correspondent, a repre- sentative of the local Armenian community said these are the Orthodox Greek churches. He noted that the aim of terrorists was to demolish the crosses, not churches.

As reported earlier, the building of the prelacy of the Armenian Catholic Church was shelled in September,

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ALEXANDER BORTNIKOV: 500 MILITANTS FROM RUSSIA ARE IN SYRIA NOW

TSAKHKADZOR, NEWS.am – The problem of Syrian militants is extremely important and relevant, the head of Russia’s Federal Security Service said.

“It’s not related to the CIS countries, but also European partners,” Alexander Bortnikov said during a Wednesday press conference in Ar- menia’s Tsakhkadzor.

The problem of Syrian armed groups was discussed during the 12th meeting of the Council on combating terrorism in Kazan, he recalled.

“The migration of the criminals to hotspots ends up in return to the places of origin with getting combat experience in carrying out specific operations. They are a potential threat to all of us,” Bortnikov assured.

Russian security chief said around 500 fighters, citizens of Russia, are currently in Syria. According to him, there is enough information on other CIS states: from several dozens to hundreds.

GROWING UNEASE OVER TURKISH JIHADISTS IN SYRIA By Jamie Dettmer

ISTANBUL, Armenialife.com — Growing numbers of young Turks are crossing into Syria to join jihadist groups fighting the Assad regime raising fears in Turkey of a future national security risk for Ankara.

Last month the U.S. and Turkey agreed to create a $200 million dollar fund to help local organizations develop programs to counter violent extremism among young people in places like Somalia, Yemen and Pakistan. Now some are warning the threat might be closer to home because of a surge in recruitment of young Turks by al-Qaida affiliates.

Al-Qaida affiliates in Syria such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS) and Jabhat al-Nusra are making headway in persuading Turkish Sunnis to cross the border into Syria for jihad, Turkish officials acknowledge.

Turkish officials said that jihadists have recruited several hundred young Turks from the southeast of the coun- try to fight in the civil war raging next door. And independent analysts estimate that as many as 500 Turks have been recruited since al-Nusra was formed in January 2012. The larger Iraqi affiliate ISIS, which became active in Syria earlier this year, is also actively seeking Turkish recruits.

Syrian Kurds say Turkey is responsible

Syrian Kurdish leader Salih Muslim said the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Islamist AKP government are partly responsible for the jihadist success, arguing that Ankara has not done enough to combat jihadists using Turkey as a logistical base and has in effect colluded with them by allowing al-Nusra fighters safe passage. Jihadists and Syrian Kurds have been engaged in heavy fighting in recent weeks in competition for control of Syrian territory.

Muslim is a co-chairman of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), an offshoot of the PKK, a separatist Kurdish group in Turkey. He alleged that Turkish authorities are willing to turn a blind-eye to the jihadists in Syria while they fight Kurds, arguing that Ankara hasn’t done enough to block Gulf-supplied weapons earmarked for the Western-backed Free Syrian Army from falling into jihadist hands. He also said International aid agencies are being prevented from sending relief supplies across the border to Kurdish villages in northern Syria.

“Not a single assistance convoy crossed to our side in one month. Our people are living under difficult war conditions. We have acute shortages of electricity, water, fuel and medicines. There is an embargo against us,” he told Turkey’s Taraf newspaper.

In recent weeks, as fighting has intensified between jihadists and Kurds in northern Syria, observers said wounded al-Nusra fighters have been transported by Turkish ambulances to hospitals in Urfa.

But Turkey’s Interior Minister Muammer Guler denied there has been any assistance offered to jihadists along

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the border. According to Guler in an October 4 press release, 129 suspected terrorists have been arrested in the past year. But the interior minister did not offer a breakdown of the allegiances of those detained.

In September, Turkish prosecutors indicted six jihadists – five of them Turks – for trying to acquire chemicals with the intent to produce the nerve agent Sarin. The suspects — all al-Nusra members — tried to secure two gov- ernment-regulated military-grade chemical substances, according to the allegations contained in a 132-page federal indictment.

Southeast Turkey emerges as a recruitment magnet

Turkey’s Radikal newspaper said a lengthy investigation it carried out suggests 200 young Turks have been recruited alone from Adiyaman, a town in the southeast of the country. A father of twin sons who had been recruit- ed by al-Nusra told the newspaper that the radicalization process had taken about a year and that his sons disap- peared on September 2.

After their disappearance, he tracked his sons down to the Syrian city of Aleppo. “I went to Aleppo with a guide and toured six camps in four days. There were young men from Adiyaman, Bitlis and Bingol in the camps. I found both my sons in a camp in Aleppo. When I told the gang leader that I had come to take them back, he replied: the boys are fighting for jihad here. Are you an infidel, since you are trying to stop them from jihad?”

The recruitment process back in Turkey sidetracks local mosques, presumably as a precaution against possible Turkish police surveillance. Likely recruits are encouraged to join small prayer groups where videos are shown of the fighting in Syria. Adiyaman isn’t the only town that is seeing high levels of recruitment. A Turkish police source –who asked not to be identified – said there is jihadist recruitment activity in Urfa and Diyarbakir. Once per- suaded to join up Turkish recruits undergo 45 days of basic military training before joining a fighting unit, he said.

Prior to the Syrian civil war, global jihadist groups had only limited success in recruiting in Turkey. In 2007, the al-Qaida-linked Islamic Jihad Union launched a Turkish-language website. Several Turks have been arrested in the past in foiled bomb plots in Europe. And there have been a handful of Turkish suicide bombers, the most nota- ble Cüneyt Çiftçi, who attacked a NATO base in Afghanistan in March 2008, killing several Western soldiers.

But now after nearly three years of civil war in Syria and growing numbers of young radicalized Turks joining the fight fears are growing that radicalization will spread, and that one day young Turkish jihadists may bring the war home with devastating consequences.

SAYAT-NOVA'S WORKS TO BE PERFORMED IN KREMLIN

YEREVAN, ARMENPRESS -- Prominent representatives of the Armenian music will come together at the State Kremlin Palace to participate in a great concert dedicated to the 300th anniversary of outstanding Armenian bard and poet Sayat Nova. The upcoming concert will be held on October 20.

In a conversation with "Armenpress" the General Producer of "Armenia Production" Company Valery Saharyan stated from Moscow that they have ini- tiated the musical event in association with their good partner Royal Baker Company.

Among other things the General Producer of "Armenia Production" Com- pany Valery Saharyan underscored that in the first part of the concert the audience will enjoy the performance in- troduced by "Sayat-Nova" State Minstrel Song Ensemble led by the People's Artist of the Republic of Armenia Tovmas Poghosyan. The second part of the concert will be dedicated to the Armenian variety singers, such as Alla Levonyan, Andre, Arman Hovhannisyan, Gevorg and Gourgen Dabaghyans, Inga and Anoush Arshakyans, Sirusho, Nersik Ispiryan and many others.

Sayat-Nova (14 June 1712, Tiflis – 22 September 1795) meaning 'King of Songs' in Persian, was the name given to the Armenian poet and ashik Harutyun Sayatyan. His mother, Sara, was born in Tbilisi, and his father, Karapet, either in Aleppo or Adana. He was skilled in writing poetry, singing, and playing the kamancheh. He per- formed in the court of Heraclius II of Georgia, where he also worked as a diplomat and, apparently, helped forge an alliance between Georgia, Armenia and Shirvan against the Persian Empire. He lost his position at court when he fell in love with the king's daughter, and spent the rest of his life as an itinerant bard. In 1795 he was killed in

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Haghpat Monastery by the army of Agha Mohammed Khan, and is buried at the Cathedral of Saint George, Tbilisi. About 220 songs can be attributed to Sayat-Nova, although he may have written thousands more. Most of his extant songs are in Azeri, but he also wrote in Armenian, Georgian and Persian. A number of his songs are sung to

this day. He was also fluent in Arabic. Sayat-Nova is considered by many to be the greatest ashik (folk singer-songwriter) that ever lived in the Cau-

casus. Composer Alexander Arutiunian wrote an opera called "Sayat Nova". There is a street and a music school named after him in Yerevan, Armenia, as well as an Armenian-American dance ensemble in the United States, and a pond located in Mont Orford, Quebec, and Canada.

The 1968 film "Sayat Nova" directed by Sergei Parajanov - which was banned in the Soviet Union - follows the poet's path from his childhood wool-dying days to his role as a courtier and finally his life as a monk. It was released in the United States under the title The Color of Pomegranates. It is not so much a biography of Sayat No- va but a series of tableaux of Armenian costume, embroidery and religious ritual interspersed with scenes and vers- es from the poet's life.

In Armenia, Sayat Nova is considered a poet who made a considerable contribution to the Armenian poetry of his century. Although he lived his entire life in a deeply religious society, his poems are mostly secular and full of Romantic expressionism

SCRIPT OF MOVIE DEVOTED TO ARCHIMANDRITE KOMITAS TO BE READY

YEREVAN, ARMENPRESS -- The Script of the movie devoted to Ar- chimandrite Komitas with the initiative of «Armenia Production» is already ready. The chief producer of the company, Valeri Sahakyan, in the interview with the reporter of Armenpress pointed out that as the movie named “Pa- tient” is getting ready for the provision of the global movie rental, it is not random that the complete variant of the script is now passing an editing stage in Hollywood. “The final edition of the script in Hollywood will last about 1 and a half months, after which, I think, the shooting of the movie will start. The date of the movie to appear on the great screen can be outlined in the au- tumn of 2014,” told Sahakyan. He informed that the author of the movie script is Armenian Marc Aren which is his literary pseudonym.

Komitas, a.k.a. Soghomon Soghomonyan, was born on September 26, 1869 in Anatolia, Turkey, in the town of Koutina (Ketaia). His father, Gevorg Soghomonyan was a shoemaker but he also composed songs and had a beauti- ful voice. The composer’s mother – Tagui - was also singled out for her vivid musical abilities; she was a carpet weaver.

Komitas’s childhood was joyless and full of deprivations. He lost his mother when he was less than one year old, and because his father was too busy his grandmother took care of him. At age 7 Komitas entered the local ele- mentary school. As soon as he finished school his father sent him to Broosa to continue his education. However, he failed and 4 months later he came home having ultimately become an orphan: his father passed away and Soghomon was only 11 years old...

“He was a frail, weak, pale boy, always thoughtful and kind. He was dressed poorly,” one of his classmates re- called about Komitas.

Soghomon was often seen sleeping on the cold stones of the laundry room. He could sing perfectly, and no wonder in Koutina he was nicknamed “a little vagrant singer”. For his delightful voice Soghomonyan was also indebted to an event that fundamentally changed the entire

course of his life. In 1881 the priest of Koutina, G. Dertsakyan, had to leave for Echmiadzin to be ordained a bishop. At the re-

quest of the Catholicos he brought the gifted orphan boy with him to study at the Echmiadzin Church Seminary. Twelve-year old Soghomon was selected out of the other 20 orphans to study at the Seminary. As it was forbidden to speak Armenian at that time the boy spoke Turkish and when being greeted by the Catholicos Gevorg IV, he re- plied, “I don’t speak Armenian, if you wish I will sing”. Then with his fine soprano voice he sang an Armenian

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sharakan (a church hymn) without understanding the words. Due to his exclusive aptitude Soghomon overcame all the obstacles in a very short time and perfectly learned Armenian.

The genius of Armenian music found his final shelter in Paris, in the suburban sanatorium Vil-Jouif where he spent almost 20 years of his life.

On the 22nd of October the life of the Great Komitas came to an end. In the spring of 1936 his remains were transported to Armenia and buried in Yerevan – in the Pantheon of prominent art figures.

No less tragic was the destiny of Komitas’ creative legacy. The majority of his manuscripts were destroyed or lost all over the world...

"The Armenian people found and recognized its soul, its spiritual nature” in Komitas’ songs. Komitas Vardapet is a beginning having no end. He will live through the Armenian people, and they must live through him, now and forever"(Vazgen I, the Catholicos of all Armenians).

VAHAN ZANOYAN HIGHLIGHTS

IMPORTANT HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUE IN NEW BOOK By Taleen Babayan

When energy consultant Vahan Zanoyan traveled to Dubai for work, he couldn’t shake off a conversation he had with a young woman from Armenia, who told her how she had arrived in the city: as a victim of sex trafficking. That encounter and the chilling story he heard prompted him to take action through literature. The author of the newly published crime novel, “A Place Far Away,” Zanoyan underscores the sinister motives of human traf-

fickers and their helpless victims, many of whom are from the former Soviet bloc. One of the many perils the newly independent republic of Armenia faced after 80 years of Soviet rule, was the

rise of corruption and power-hungry oligarchs who had free reign on Armenian soil. According to Zanoyan, they have had a hand in taking young Armenian women and selling them into the sex trade.

The Southern California-based Zanoyan, who’s currently on a book tour through the U.S. and Canada to dis- cuss “A Place Far Away,” visited the Upper Saddle River Library in Upper Saddle River, NJ on Tuesday evening, September 24, where a sizeable group of people had gathered to hear him talk about his motivations for writing the book and the challenges he faced during the process.

The fiction story focuses on Lara, a 16-year-old girl from a poor village in Armenia who is forced into prosti- tution after a corrupt oligarch murders her father. Soon after, Lara finds herself in Moscow and then Dubai as part of a human trafficking ring. Along with the help of a Swiss investigative journalist, she fights to free herself and to be reunited with her family in Armenia.

While discussing the plight of sex trafficking in Armenia, Zanoyan stressed the importance of prevention and cited two organizations in particular that help in this realm, including ORRAN, an Armenia-based NGO that helps at-risk children and elderly, and the United Methodist Committee on Relief, (UMCOR), whose mission is to allevi- ate human suffering around the world.

These organizations help vulnerable people in Armenia who are struggling so they do not seek assistance from those who will exploit them. Zanoyan noted that the girls who are forced into prostitution believe the deceptive men who approach them with fraudulent promises of turning them into a famous actress or model.

Touched by personal stories he heard from innocent young women whose lives took an unimaginable turn, Zanoyan stressed he wrote this book to shed light on an important issue that needs to be discussed and brought into the public eye.

Following a stirring reading from “A Place Far Away,” Zanoyan took questions from the audience and signed copies of his book.

“A Place Far Away” can be purchased in both print and electronic versions at www.amazon.com. All proceeds will go to ORRAN and UMCOR.

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ACADEMIC CONFERENCE DEDICATED TO THE 1650TH ANNIVERSARY OF MESROB MASHTOTS

GLENDALE -- A new world order is in the making and his- tory dictates that those nations, who do not rise to the challenge, will be sidelined from the world stage.

The spread of Christianity in the 4th century led to the es- tablishment of a new world order. The Armenian nation rose to the challenge, thanks to Gregory the Illuminator and specially Mesrob Mashtots. The invention of the Armenian alphabet re- shaped our national identity and contributed to the creation of our Golden Age.

The invention of printing and the Renaissance in the 15th century and onward reshaped the world once again. The Armenian nation was able to keep pace, thanks to Mekhitar of Sebastia. His movement became the catalyst for the reawakening and rediscovering of the Armenian Identity.

For the past several decades, the internet has been revolu- tionizing our lives and changing the world. Globalization is threatening the sovereignty of small nations. Can the Armenian nation rise to the challenge once again? What role will our past play in shaping our future?

To explore the above mentioned issues, an academic confer- ence will be held at the Fletcher Jones Auditorium of Woodbury University, 7500 N. Glenoaks Blvd. Burbank , CA 91504 on Sat- urday, October 26, 2013 from 9 am to 5 pm.

The conference is jointly organized by the Armenian General Benevolent Union, Ararat Eskijian Museum, Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society, Nor Serount Cultural Association and the Organization of Istanbul Armenians.

The organizing committee is honored that the following distinguished academics have accepted its invitation and agreed to take part in the conference.

ries

The program will consist of the following presentations: Prof. Father Levon Zekyian - The Symbolism of Mesrob Mashtots: A Retrospect into the Past Sixteen Centu-

Prof. Abraham Terian - The Sturcture and Purpose of Koriwn’s “Life of Mashtots” Dr. Srbuhi Hayrapetian - The Conceptualization and Rooting of National Identity Rev. Dr. Abel Manoukian - The Plan to Create a Spiritual Statehood and Preserve National Identity in the 5th

Century and Today Dr. Yervant Zorian - The Mission of the Armenian Virtual College and its Contribution to Preserving Armeni-

an Identity Prof. Hagop Gulludjian - Place, Role, and Prospects of Language Facing Globalization Prof. Robert Hewsen - Mesrob Mashtots and Mekhitar of Sebastia: the Second and Third Illuminators of the

Armenian People We are glad to inform that the conference will be live streamed in its entirety. You can follow the program by

visiting NorSerount.com. Admission is free, but seating is limited. Seats could be reserved by contacting 818.357.1606 or

maggiegoschin@gmail,com or Nor Serount on Facebook.

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