LOUSSAPATZ - The Dawn - VALENTINE’S DAY

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ARMENIA-EUROPEAN UNION RELATIONS DETERIORATING

YEREVAN -- An unpleasant atmosphere has been established in the relations between Armenia and the Euro- pean Union, said member of the EU-Armenia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee, member of the Armenian Na- tional Congress faction Nikol Pashinian.

On February 5-6, the Committee had a meeting in Strasbourg and for the first time it failed to sign a joint statement.

According to the head of the Armenian delegation to the Committee Samvel Farmanian, who represents the ruling Republican Party of Armenia, the draft joint document was unacceptable for the Armenian side due to lack of references to “the right to self-determination” in the settlement of the Karabakh problem.

However, the opposition members of the Committee insist that Armenia did not sign the statement in order not to spoil relations with Moscow and demonstrate its commitment to Eurasian integration.

“The Armenian [government] side did not want to adopt a statement in order to avoid giving explanations to Russia, while the European side did not want a statement to somewhat nullify the Armenian delegation’s long- running declarations that ‘Azerbaijan cannot adopt joint statements [with the European Parliament] whereas we can,’” Pashinian told journalists.

“When we returned to Yerevan from Strasbourg it turned out that it’s [parliament speaker] Hovik Abrahamian and [Foreign Minister] Edward Nalbandian, rather than us, who negotiated over that document,” he claimed.

“We could have contented ourselves with a statement not hurting our interests on some issues and reflecting our interests on others,” said Stepan Markarian, another committee member representing the opposition-leaning Prosperous Armenia Party.

Meanwhile, the EU co-chair of the inter-parliamentary body, Milan Cabrnoch, expressed “regret” at the com- mittee’s failure to adopt a joint statement for the first time during its more than decade-long existence. In a written statement circulated on Tuesday, Cabrnoch shed little light on the sticking points, saying only that they were not significant. The Czech lawmaker also said EU parliamentarians are ready to continue their cooperation with Arme- nia.

European institutions also have not defined the format of future relations with Armenia. At the same time, the European Union has preserved financial assistance to Armenia and in 2014 it will allocate about EUR 40 million (about $54.5 million) as budget support.

RFE/RL: EU HAS NEW IDEAS FOR ARMENIA

NEWS.am -- The European Union is preparing a new document on Eastern Partnership that will go beyond the as- sociation agreements, RFE/RL reported.

The document will be discussed during the upcoming meeting of 28 EU foreign ministers in Brussels on February 10.

The text of the document suggests that EU is seeking new ideas for development of relations with Eastern Partner- ship member states.

“Armenia decided to shun the association agreement in favor of the Russian-led Customs Union in September, but there is a suggestion in the text to upgrade the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) that currently regulates EU- Armenia relations. No details are offered,” RFE/RL writes.

The document includes suggestions for Moldova and Georgia that are expected to sign association agreements this year, for Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Belarus. Besides, EU states want to be engaged in an open dialogue with Russia on the integration processes in Europe.

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ANC AND PAP AGREED ON VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE TO PRIME MINISTER

Lragir.am -- The Armenian Time reported that the four non-governmental forces ANC, PAP, ARF and Herit- age are going to start a process of vote of no confidence to Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan. The AT reported refer- ring to its sources that the ANC and the PAP have reached a final agreement on the content of the document on vote of no confidence to the prime minister. The ARF and Heritage still have different views on the process and hesitate over tactical issues. The PAP and ANC though expect that these two forces will eventually approve the document.

PENSION REFORM PROTESTS SPREAD TO YEREVAN METRO WORKERS AND OPERA PERFORMERS

YEREVAN -- Protests against the Armeni- an government’s controversial pension appeared to be gaining momentum on Monday as they were joined by scores of opera singers and mu- sicians and railway workers. On Tuesday, Yere- van’s underground metro system workers add their voice to continuing protests against the bill.

Staff at the National Opera and Ballet The- ater in Yerevan affected by the unpopular re- form went on a rare strike that led to the last- minute cancellation of a scheduled opera per- formance. Hundreds of spectators queued up outside its box office for ticket refunds. Repre- sentatives of the protesting artists are due to hold a news conference on Tuesday.

The several dozen train drivers and technicians joined the protests after discovering a sizable reduction of their wages resulting from Armenia’s ongoing transition to a new pension system. A collective petition signed by them condemned the deductions to private pension funds and demanded their reversal.

Earlier on Monday, more than 100 employees of the Armenia’s national rail network gathered outside its headquarters in the capital to demand that the Russian-managed company stop deducting up to 10 percent of their wages to private funds selected by the government to manage pension contributions of Armenians aged 39 and younger.

Like other protesters who have taken to the streets in recent days, they pointed to the Constitutional Court’s January 24 decision to freeze the reform at least until its ruling on an appeal lodged by Armenia’s leading opposi- tion parties. The Armenian authorities insist that the court order does not mean that they should immediately stop collecting additional social security taxes pending a verdict on the opposition appeal.

ARMENIA-BASED RUSSIAN MILITARY BASE LAUNCHES TACTICAL MANEUVERS

YEREVAN/NEWS.am -- Russian military unit of the Southern Military District has launched tactical maneuvers at Kamhud and Alagyaz training complexes in Armenia.

Over 600 troops and around 200 pieces of equipment participate in the exercise. The main objective is to teach servicemen to fulfill their task effec- tively in any weather conditions, improve skills of modern weapons and equipment.

During winter time Russian troops plan to hold more than 20 tactical ma- neuvers, including those held at night time.

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ARMENIA RANKS 78TH IN 2014 PRESS FREEDOM INDEX

PARIS -- Armenia has improved by three po- sitions to be ranked 78th among 180 countries in the 2014 Press Freedom Index released by Report- ers without Borders.

The position gives Armenia advantage over regional neighbors Georgia (84th) and Azerbaijan (160th), as well as Turkey (154th) and Iran (173rd).

Of the former Soviet countries now making up the Commonwealth of Independent States only Moldova (56th) ranks higher than Armenia. Rus- sia is in the 148th position.

The same trio of Finland, Netherlands and Norway heads the index again, while Turkmenistan, North Korea and Eritrea continue to be the biggest information black holes, again occupying the last three positions.

“The World Press Freedom Index is a reference tool that is based on seven criteria: the level of abuses, the ex- tent of pluralism, media independence, the environment and self-censorship, the legislative framework, transparen- cy and infrastructure,” said Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Christophe Deloire.

“It makes governments face their responsibilities by providing civil society with an objective measure, and provides international bodies with a good governance indicator to guide their decisions.”

IRAN PRESSES FOR VISA-FREE REGIME WITH ARMENIA

YEREVAN -- Iran and Armenia may soon lift visa requirements for their citizens travelling to each other’s country, according to the Iranian ambassador in Yerevan, Mohammad Reisi.

In an interview with the ArmNews TV channel aired this week, Reisi also announced that Iranian President Hassan Rohani will travel to Armenia later this year on an official visit that will underscore close ties between the two neighbor- ing states. “The visit will take place in the course of this year,” he said without specifying a concrete date.

President Serzh Sarkisian was among a dozen foreign heads of state who at- tended Rohani’s inauguration in Tehran last August. The two leaders held sepa- rate talks following the ceremony. Rohani was reported to tell Sarkisian that the Islamic Republic is keen to expand its “deeply-rooted” ties with Armenia.

Rohani’s predecessor, Mahmud Ahmadinejad, paid an official visit to Yerevan in late 2011. It focused, in large measure, on the implementation of Armenian-Iranian energy projects that had fallen behind schedule. Those in- clude the construction of a hydro-electric plant on the Arax river serving as the Armenian-Iranian border.

Reisi implied that Rohani’s visit will come after the next meeting of an Armenian-Iranian intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation. He said the commission should discuss not only the energy projects but also ambitious plans to build a railway connecting the two countries.

“The best indicator of Armenian-Iranian mutual trust is that the visa regime between the two states may well be abolished,” Reisi added in the ArmNews interview. “In order to facilitate contacts between the two peoples, we have communicated to the Armenian side our readiness to put in place a visa-free regime.”

Tehran has long been seeking visa-free travel between Armenia and Iran. Successive Armenian governments have been lukewarm about the idea.

The existing visa requirements have not prevented a sharp rise in the number of Iranian tourists visiting Arme- nia over the past decade. It reached a record-high level of more than 100,000 in 2011.

“I hope that one day one million Iranian tourists will visit Armenia,” then Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said during a November 2011 trip to Yerevan. “I also hope that one day a visa-free regime will be estab- lished between the two countries and crossing our border will be as easy as travelling inside our countries.”

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ARMENIA TO KEEP TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN

Armenia intends to keep a small military contingent in Afghanistan after the formal completion of NATO-led combat operations there at the end of this year, First Deputy De- fense Minister Davit Tonoyan said on Tuesday.

NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan is due to end its mission before January 2015. The U.S.-led alli- ance will remain engaged in the war-torn nation through a new multinational mission dubbed Resolute Support. It will concentrate on advis- ing, training and assisting the Afghan army that is gradually taking the lead in security opera- tions.

“We have informed NATO and our main ISAF partner Germany that a political decision has been made and Armenia has the capacity to continue assisting in stabilization efforts in Afghanistan after the end of the ISAF mission in December,” Tonoyan told the Mediamax news agency.

Armenia has kept around 130 soldiers on the ground for the past few years. They have served in northern Af- ghanistan under German command.

According to Tonoyan, the Armenian contingent is currently stationed at ISAF bases located near the city of Mazar-e-Sharif. Almost half of the contingent was previously deployed near another northern city, Kunduz. Five Armenian military instructors training Afghan government forces also served there until 2012.

Tonoyan told Mediamax that some of the Armenian soldiers could relocate to the capital Kabul in April as part of an ongoing redeployment of the NATO-led forces.

Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian inspected the Armenian troops in Mazar-e-Sharif and Kunduz when he last visited Afghanistan in late 2012. Ohanian told Afghan officials that Armenia remains committed to making a “con- tinuous contribution to coalition efforts to establish lasting security in Afghanistan.”

The Armenian deployment in Afghanistan, which began in 2010, highlighted growing cooperation between NATO and the South Caucasus state heavily reliant on a military alliance with Russia. Tonoyan said after talks with a visiting top Pentagon official last December that Yerevan wants to further deepen security ties with the United States despite planning to join a Russian-led alliance of former Soviet republics.

Armenia also contributes around 40 troops to a NATO-led mission maintaining peace and stability in Kosovo. Another 60 or so Armenian soldiers are expected to join the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon later this year.

GOLD MINING IN MELIK VILLAGE THREATENS VILLAGERS’ HEALTH

A1Plus.am -- The open-pit mining exploitation in Melik village in Aragatsotni marz affects the health of locals, says environmentalist Silva Adamyan.

Talking to reporters in Yerevan, the environmentalist informed the presentees that the Mego Gold Company that operates the mine has submitted an application to construct a third tailing dam.

“The village has serious environmental problems that pose seri- ous health hazards. Villagers complain that water and soil are pollut- ed,” she said.

For her turn, environmentalist Greta Gabrielyan, a member of the Environmental Public Alliance demanded that the Company pre- sent a complete project of mining operations.

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ASHOT SUKIASYAN TAKES LAWYERS HIRED TO DEFEND HIM OFF THE CASE

Hetq.am -- Priton Kenkebashvili, one of the two lawyers defending Ashot Sukiasyan, now being held in Tbilisi for extradition to Armenia, told Hetq that she’s been taken off the case by the person who hired him.

Kenkebashvili says a friend of Shoushanik, Sukiasyan’s wife, in- formed him and his colleague that his services were no longer required.

The lawyer told Hetq that clergymen had gone to see Sukiasyan. When Hetq asked if they were from the Armenian Apostolic Church or Georgian Orthodox Church, the lawyer couldn’t say.

Hetq then contacted the Diocese of the Armenian Church in Tbilisi and was told that no one had gone to see Sukiasyan.

Sukiasyan, the businessman implicated in the Cyprus offshore case, was arrested at Tbilisi International Airport on January 31 after embark- ing from a flight from Istanbul.

Armenian police issued a search warrant for Sukiasyan last June and charged him with large-scale embezzle- ment and money laundering.

ARMENIAN CHURCH TO GIVE $50,000 TO SYRIAN-ARMENIAN COMMUNITY

ALEPPO/NEWS.am -- The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem of the Ar- menian Apostolic Church will provide $50,000 to the Armenian community of Syria.

The press service of the Diocese of Aleppo of the Armenian Apostolic Church informed the aforesaid.

The respective decision was taken at a general meeting that was convened at the recommendation of the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem.

Before the ongoing bloody events in Syria, about 60,000-70,000 Armenians were living in the country.

BRITISH MP: FOR AZERBAIJAN KARABAKH IS A MATTER OF AMBITION, FOR ARMENIANS IT IS A MATTER OF LIFE OR DEATH

LONDON -- “For Azerbaijan the issue of Karabakh is a matter of am- bition, for the Armenians of Karabakh, it is a matter of life or death,” Ste- phen Pound, MP from the Labor Party, said during the debate in the UK House of Commons on UK policy towards Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbai- jan.

“It is difficult to understand and almost impossible to appreciate the full extent and horror of the war that raged between February 1988 and May 1994 in Nagorno-Karabakh,” he said.

“In 1994, it was recognized that it was, in effect, a frozen conflict. The Minsk group is working as hard as it can to move matters forward,” the MP said, adding, however, that “matters along the line of contact are not good.”

Twenty soldiers were killed along the ceasefire line in 2013, despite the existence of the ceasefire. There were nearly 200 ceasefire violations between 2 and 8 February of this year. Often, the violations involve people

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firing across the border, including snipers, but there are also more violent incidents. The line of contact is porous and is coming under increased pressure.

“I think that we have a crucial role to play. There is not a massive amount of trade between the United King- dom and Armenia. Fewer than 10 UK firms are active in Armenia. We gave Armenia £882,000 in aid last year. I pay credit to our remarkable joint ambassadors in Yerevan, Kathy Leach and Jonathan Aves, who work extraordi- narily hard to progress British trade interests in the area. However, we could do much more. By contrast, Azerbai- jan was given £1,335,000 in aid over the same period, and we have very close trade links. The United Kingdom is actually the 15th largest trade partner of Azerbaijan, and the major role of BP in oil extraction, refining and market- ing cannot be underestimated,” Stephen Pound stated.

In addition, the British MP reminded that “we are approaching the anniversary of the great Armenian genocide of 1915.” “If ever there was a time when this House could look to Armenia with support, friendship and solidarity, it is as we approach this anniversary,” he added.

Mr. Pound noted that every time the Armenian Genocide has been discussed at the House of Commons, the MPs have chosen to use comments such as “the so-called genocide.”

“That is a shame, because I would have thought that if there is one thing the House can agree on it is that a genocide of the most horrendous proportions did take place in Anatolia, Van and what was then called Western Armenia. The 1915 genocide was the third genocide and was particularly horrendous. Would it not be a good thing if we were to lend our support, put our shoulder to the wheel, and try to move Minsk forward in time for the com- memorations of this appalling genocide?” he stated.

“I am not Armenian and I am not Azeri. I do not have a drop of blood of either of those nations in my veins. However, I cannot help but note that even though much of what we talked about this evening appears to be in the past, it is a past that still resonates,” Me. Pound added.

“Many people will know the situation that occurred on 18 February 2004. Extraordinarily, soldiers from Azer- baijan and Armenia were present at a NATO partnership for peace activity in Budapest. One Azerbaijani soldier, Ramil Safarov, decided to buy an axe and take the head off an Armenian soldier, Gurgen Markarian. This happened in Hungary in 2004. This is not ancient history; this is recent history. At the time, the Azerbaijan human rights commissioner said that Safarov must become an example of patriotism for Azerbaijani youth and the National Democratic Party awarded him the man of the year award in 2005. When the Hungarians released Ramil Safarov, he returned to Azerbaijan to be promoted to the rank of major. He received eight years back pay and was given ac- commodation. It is that raw and it is that recent. My point is that these emotions simply cannot be allowed to fester. When we have a feeling of animosity between two peoples that leads to a fellow soldier on a NATO joint exercise decapitating another soldier, that is something intensely felt and we must be able to somehow push that forward and improve the situation,” he stated.

“The British Government cannot demand action, but what we can do is to show our concern. We have an op- portunity to put down a marker: to say it was an awful, bloody and terrible war, but that it finished 20 years ago. Let us finally end this awful conflict, and allow two nations to emerge into the sunshine to live in peace. Then we can talk about human rights, but at least let us talk without the sound of gunfire, without the smell of cordite and without the chill anticipation of death,” Mr. Pound stated.

Mark Simmonds, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, added, in turn: “It goes without saying that finding a lasting solution will be vital in alleviating the suffering still felt in the region. I am extremely grateful for the work being done to raise awareness of that tragic conflict. Of course, it does not need to be said that we are not much further on than we were 20 years ago, and we are almost at that 20th anni- versary.”

“The UK is concerned by the ongoing breach of the ceasefire along the line of contact as well as along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. There were reports of increasing numbers of ceasefire violations in January and early February, as he rightly mentioned. We were pleased that the Presidents of both countries committed to a truce dur- ing the winter Olympics. While fighting continues, there is always a danger of escalation, whether that is deliberate or not, and we urge both sides to exercise restraint and avoid provocation,” he added.

“We consistently urge Armenia and Azerbaijan to work with the Minsk group to reduce tensions and create an environment conducive to a peaceful, long-lasting settlement,” he stated.

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AZERBAIJAN DISREGARDS CALLS BY INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY – ARMENIA MOD

YEREVAN/NEWS.am -- “By ignoring the calls by the international community and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs with respect to maintaining the ceasefire on the Armenian-Azerbaijani Line of Contact, the Azerbaijan armed forces continue to fire shots in the direction of Armenian [military] positions and settlements.

“This gives reason to believe that the operations by the Azerbaijan armed forces are either not overseen by the [Azerbaijani military] command, or they are a provocation toward destabilizing the situation on the boundary line.

The Armenian Ministry of Defense (MOD) issued a statement with the aforesaid content.

“During the past few days, the Azerbaijani party violated the ceasefire numerous times on the Armenia and the NKR [i.e., Nagorno-Karabakh Republic] border. [But] the Armenian position holders refrained from retaliatory actions and did not fire any shots.

“The Armenia armed forces oversee the situation on the border, adhere to the maintenance of the ceasefire, and they will take equivalent actions solely in the case of target-oriented violations by the adversary.

“As for the information, which is voiced by the Azerbaijani propaganda machine, that as if the Armenian party is violating the ceasefire, such news are raunchy attempts to misinform, by way of disinformation, the international community and its own people,” the Armenian MOD statement also reads, in particular.

AZERBAIJAN PROTESTS KARABAKH’S PARTICIPATION IN ConIFA WORLD CUP

ÖSTERSUND, SWEDEN -- The Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA) has stated its protest to inter- national soccer authorities over the first-ever Confederation of Independent Football Associations (ConIFA) World Cup of un- recognized states to feature a team from Nagorno-Karabakh, Azeri media report.

Letters of protest were also sent to the Swedish Football Federation where the championship will be held, as well as to FIFA.

In response to the Azerbaijani protest letter, ConIFA has stated, "The AFFA requested us to prevent the participation of Nagorno-Karabakh in our World Football Cup as the Republic of Azerbaijan claims the region Nagorno-Karabakh to be part of their country, which is supported by UN and the overwhelming majority of the political community.

In fact this is what ConIFA is all about: Giving unrepresented regions, people, minorities, nations and isolated territories the chance to represent them through football. Without judging on the political situation or the depend- ence or independence of Nagorno-Karabkah we will insist on our invitation, which we communicated to the AFFA in written form today.

The ConIFA World Football Cup and furthermore the ConIFA in general is about bridging the world and rep- resenting the unrepresented. It is a fact that Nagorno-Karabakh is self-controlled today and in particular, and this is one of the major facts for us, that the Artsakh Football Federation is neither a part of the AFFA nor any other FIFA member. This means that football in Nagorno-Karabakh is totally isolated from the world community and Nagorno- Karabakh players and clubs neither get the chance to enter any international matches nor play in international cups.

We think that people from each angle of the world should have the chance to play international football and to represent their culture! Thus we were left with no choice but declining the request of AFFA".

Nagorno-Karabakh will be among the twelve teams participating in the first ever World Cup held for teams outside international soccer’s governing body, FIFA. The tournament is to be held in Ostersund, in central Sweden, in the first week of June.

The tournament to be held in Ostersund, in central Sweden, in the first week of June will be hosted by the Sapmi people, also known as Laplanders. It is to be held under the aegis of CONIFA, a global umbrella organiza- tion for all the football teams outside FIFA.

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There are more than 5500 etnicities around the world and hundreds of sportingly isolated regions that don’t have an international arena to play international football. CONIFA organizes the official World Championship for teams outside FIFA, Continental Championships, International tournament and Cups combined with Cultural Events and Youth Exchanges.

According to the organization’s official website, the 12 teams will include: Abkhazia, Aramean Suryoye, Kur- distan, Tamil Eelam, Zanzibar, Darfur United, Ellan Vannin, Quebec, Nagorno-Karabakh, Padania, Sapmi and Occitania. The tournament will take place from June 1 to 8.

ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN STATED THEIR INTENTION TO STRENGTHEN OBSERVANCE OF CEASEFIRE – OSCE MG CO-CHAIRS

NEWS.am -- The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federa- tion, Jacques Faure of France, and James Warlick of the United States of America) and the Personal Representa- tive of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, traveled to Baku and Yerevan Feb- ruary 4-5.

In Baku, the co-chairs met with Azerbaijani Presi- dent Ilham Aliyev, and in Yerevan they met with Arme- nian President Serzh Sargsian. In both capitals, they had consultations with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense.

With the Presidents, the Co-Chairs discussed the outcome of the Foreign Ministers’ recent meeting in Paris, and stressed the need for further progress on the substance of negotiations on the Nagorno-Karabakh con- flict. They emphasized the need to continue negotiations at the highest level, as was agreed in Vienna.

In their talks, the Co-Chairs reiterated their deep concern over the recent escalation on the Line of Contact and the border, and called on the sides to exercise restraint in their actions and rhetoric. The sides stated their intention to strengthen observance of the ceasefire and avoid further escalation, particularly in light of the upcoming Olympic Games in Sochi.

The Co-Chairs will continue consultations with the sides in the weeks ahead, in preparation for high level meetings.

KARYGIANNIS CALLS ON AZERBIAJAN TO RESPECT CEASEFIRE

OTTAWA – The Honourable Jim Karygiannis, Member of Parliament for Scarborough-Agincourt, called on the government of Azerbaijan to ensure that the ceasefire agreement along the Artsakh and Azerbaijan border is respected.

“My thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Junior Sergeant Armen L. Hovhannisyan, who was killed in a border skirmish on January 19, 2014.” said Mr. Karygiannis. “I pray that the peace talks will put an end to loss of life.”

Mr. Karygiannis made a Member’s Statement in the House of Commons, which read, in part:

“The envoys of the Minsk Group of countries are, at present, visiting the region and these violations serve only to complicate their work. ...

Canada has always been, and will continue to be, a supporter of peace talks between the parties. The OSCE Minsk Group should be the only venue for the resolution of this conflict. I am asking that we work to ensure that no future aggressive actions, such as the recent one by the Azeri military along the border, take place so that negotia- tions toward peace can continue constructively.”

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AZERBAIJAN VIOLATES OLYMPIC TRUCE

YEREVAN/NEWS.am -- Azerbaijan continues violating ceasefire despite the calls of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to maintain the Olympic truce.

Over the last 24 hours Azerbaijani side violated ceasefire in several directions, spokesperson for Armenian De- fense Ministry Artsrun Hovhannisyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am. The major number of ceasefire violations fell on Tavush section of Armenia-Azerbaijan border.

As reported earlier, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs urged the parties to strengthen observance of the cease- fire and avoid further escalation, particularly in light of the upcoming Olympic Games in Sochi.

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT TO SANCTION LAWMAKERS SUSPECTED OF ACCEPTING FAVOURS FROM AZERBAIJAN

NEWS.am --The European Parliament’s ethics committee will look into the case of nine lawmakers who are suspected of accepting favours from Azerbaijan during an electoral observation mission, Euractiv reported.

The website names the MEPs who monitored presidential elections in Azerbaijan and “forgot” to tell parliament that they had been invited by the Azerbaijani government and did not declare their trip on the website. The Committee is expected to adopt sanctions against the lawmakers.

The committee is also questioning whether the MEPs were remu- nerated for this task, on top of the paid trip, the website reported.

Besides, after their visit MEPs issued a report naming presidential elections “free and fair”.

According to the new code of conduct, any kind of present, invitation to a football game, show or trip must be mentioned on the lawmaker’s website if its price exceeds €150.

MERKEL URGES ERDOGAN TO ACKNOWLEDGE HISTORY AHEAD OF GENOCIDE CENTENNIAL

PanARMENIAN.Net -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel scolded Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan over Turkey’s continued denial of the Armenian Genocide and urged the Turkish leader to “face its history,” Asbarez reported citing the Turkish-language version of Hurriyet.

Erdogan, who was on an official visit to Germany, warned Merkel and her ruling Christian Democratic Union party to be more cautious in addressing the upcoming centennial of the Armenian Genocide.

“We are aware that in the coming year there are budgetary allocations in your country for the 100th anniversary of 1915 event,” Erdogan report-

edly told Merkel. “I recommend that you address this issue more carefully and caution your party about any allocations,” added

Erdogan. In response, Merkel reportedly told the Turkish leader that Germany is a democratic country and that her gov-

ernment cannot intervene in decisions. “Turkey must come to terms with its history. We cannot compare the Armenians living in Armenia with the

Armenians who were forcibly dispersed around the world,” said Merkel adding that those in Armenia are living under difficult circumstances and urged Erdogan to open the border.

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“You are forcing us to accept something we have not done,” said Erdogan, denying the Armenian Genocide again and claiming that the entire Turkish archives are open to the world.

“Do not do injustice against Turkey,” Erdogan urged Merkel.

Prior to his visit to Germany, a member of the German parliament urged Erdogan to end the denial of the Ar- menian Genocide and apologize for the crime, reported the Bild newspaper.

Erika Stenbach, a member of Merkel’s party, said: “I urge Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan to stop denying the genocide of Armenians and Assyrians by the Young Turk government of the Ottoman Empire 99 years ago,” add- ing that it is high time for Turkey to apologize to the descendants of the victims of the first genocide of the 20th century.

“It is Erdogan’s duty to face the truth nearly 100 years after that terrible crime and ensure that the Turkish textbooks do not distort this part of Turkish history,” said Steinbach.

PARIS MAYORAL CANDIDATE: TURKEY CAN'T JOIN EU UNLESS GENOCIDE RECOGNIZED

PanARMENIAN.Net -- Anne Hidalgo, the Socialist candidate for mayor of Paris named Turkey's recognition of the Armenian Genocide as a precondition for Ankara's accession to the EU.

"The recognition will make Turkey stronger," Cihan Haber quoted her as saying.

Ms Hidalgo further expressed support for adoption of the Genocide denial law, further referring to President Hollande's pledge to work out a legal instru- ment that won't meet the ban of the Constitutional Court.

"Denial of tragic pages of history is what prevents building a new future," she said.

Ms Hidalgo vowed to perpetuate the April 24 commemorative events if elected a mayor, with Paris Mayor's Office to extend financial support to the Genocide centennial events in 2015.

On January 23, 2012 the French Senate passed the bill making it a crime to deny the Armenian Genocide. The bill envisaged a 45,000 euro fine and a year in prison for anyone in France who denies this crime against humanity committed by the Ottoman Empire. However, the French Constitutional Council ruled the bill as anti-constitutional. In a statement the Council said the document represented an “unconstitutional breach of the practice of freedom of expression and communication

Later, President Hollande pledged to redraft the law criminalizing the Armenian Genocide denial in France, stressing the need to ensure the legal framework to avoid censorship by the Constitutional Council.

FRENCH MP STATES ON TURKISH RADIO THAT TURKEY MUST RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

NEWS.am --Elisabeth Queyranne, who is Bron city mayoral candi- date from the Lyon region of France, and her husband Jean-Jack Queyranne, who is President of the Rhône-Alpes Regional Parliament, were the hosts of the Radio Made in Turkey program, ahead of the local government elections in France.

The program host asked Jean-Jack Queyranne why they permit the Armenians in the French city of Décines to pay respects, with large ban- ners, to the ASALA (Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Arme- nia) members who have died, OdaTV website of Turkey reports.

In response, Jean-Jack Queyranne stated that Turkey must recognize the Armenian Genocide, and added:

“It is very important that the Armenians, who had come to Lyon after the genocide, to able to maintain their culture. The Armenians have a large and a deep wound which passes from father to son.”

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FRENCH KURDS CONDEMN EUROPEAN COURT JUDGMENT ON PERINCEK CASE

NEWS.am -- The Federation of Kurdish Associations of France condemns the inroad against the memory and dignity of the Armeni- ans.

The Federation issued a statement with such content, in connec- tion with the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) judgment on the Dogu Perincek case, Nouvelles d’Arménie reports.

“Pursuant to the decision of the European Court of Human Rights, the denial of the Armenian Genocide is not a violation of hu- man rights. The ECtHR considered that Perincek’s denial of the gen- ocide was within the framework of the freedom of speech.

“The decision is shocking and impermissible for the Armenians as well as other people who fell victims to mass killings and genocide in Turkey,” the statement specifically reads.

The ECtHR recently ruled in favor of Armenian Genocide-denying Turkish politician Dogu Perincek’s lawsuit that was filed against Switzerland. The said judgment by European Court of Human Rights was made on the grounds of freedom of speech. In 2008, a Swiss court had convicted Perincek for denying the Armenian Genocide. Dogu Perincek is Chairman of the socialist Workers’ Party of Turkey. In addition, he heads the Talat Pasha organi- zation, which actively fights against the Armenian Genocide’s recognition in Europe.

EVERY YEAR 40-60 CHILDREN COMMIT SUICIDE IN AZERBAIJAN

Panorama.am -- In Azerbaijan every year 40-60 children of different ages commit suicide and even more chil- dren make suicide attempts. As Azerbaijani News Agency APA reports, Nabil Seidov, the head of the Alliance for Children’s Rights NGO said about this during the roundtable discussion devoted to the rights of children.

He noted that the youngest child who committed suicide last year was 9 years old. According to Seidov there is no reliable statistics about the attempts of suicides in Azerbaijan. He stressed that if more accurate statistics is produced it will turn out that the situation is much worse.

“Every year thousands of children and teenagers suffer from depression, emotional experiences and other kinds of mental disorder. They as well become witnesses of criminal acts and violence (domestic violence includ- ed). During the last two years almost 300 children have been confronted with different kinds of violence. Only in Baku during these two years almost 40 children became the victims of sexual abuse and exploitation,” Seidov said.

Note that the Azerbaijani authorities do not disclose the official statistics on suicides in the country. However, according to the Azerbaijani media at least 40 people have committed suicide in Azerbaijan since January 2014. There are also 5 cases of suicides of children under 18.

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RECOGNITION BY ISRAEL UNLIKELY IN NEAR FUTURE: ANALYST

PanARMENIAN.Net -- Several Armenian media outlets, including Hraparak daily, reported, citing sources, that "it's possible for Knesset to recognize the Armenian Genocide in 2015. Israeli delegation is planning a visit to Armenia in the months to come."

Israeli political analyst Alexander Tsinker expressed surprise over the report above. "It's now the year 2014, and Israel is busy trying to settle relations with Palestine. It's not customary in Jerusalem to plan a year ahead," he told PanARMENIAN.Net

"Unfortunately, the Genocide recognition issue won't be discussed in near future. However the Knesset com- mittee for education, culture and sports, where the Genocide-related discussions have been held, will continue work in 2014, despite shifts in its composition,” the analyst said, slamming sources for providing unverified reports.

As the expert reminded, the last century was marked in history over the most significant crimes against hu- manity perpetrated in different parts of the world.

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"On April 24, Armenia, along with many countries worldwide, will mark the 99th anniversary of the first gen- ocide of the 20th century. Millions of people will commemorate the victims of the atrocity perpetrated by the Otto- man Empire. The number of states who've recognized the Genocide has been growing with every year since 1965, when the crime against humanity was first recognized by Uruguay. The suit was followed by Russia, France, Italy, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Canada, Venezuela, Argentina and 43 states of the U.S. Unfortunately, Israel is not in this list. As a citizen of Israel and founder of the Israeli-Armenian parliamentary friendship group, I am confident, that the people who survived the Holocaust have no moral right to ignore the tragedy of another nation," the analyst stressed.

As he further reminded, for 15 years, the Genocide recognition supporters, representatives of the Israeli- Armenian parliamentary friendship group and MPs have been trying to include the Genocide recognition issue on the parliamentary agenda. "In 2012, the issue was first discussed at Knesset, and this is only the first step on the way to recognition," Tsinker stressed.

TURKISH GOVERNMENT SPONSORS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OPPONENTS IN US – ANALYST

Armenian News-NEWS.am presents below an abridged version of analyst Zuber Hewrami’s article, which ran in Rudaw newspaper published in the capital city of the Iraqi Kurdistan:

Almost one hundred years since an estimat- ed 1.5 million Armenians were killed by the Ot- toman Turks, the United States has yet to offi- cially recognize the act as genocide.

Current US President Barack Obama in his 2008 election campaign vowed to label the trag- edy “genocide." But as president, he has failed to recognize and use the term genocide.

Gregory Aftandilian, a specialist and senior fellow at the Center for National Policy in Washington, said the US is afraid of jeopardiz- ing strategic US-Turkish ties, because Turkey has made it clear it will affect the bilateral rela- tionship.

“Whenever this issue is raised in the US Congress the Turkish government puts pressure on people related to the defense industry and many US defense contractors actively lobby members of Capitol Hill to oppose the geno- cide resolution,” Aftandilian told.

He said business interests, lobbyists and individuals such as ex-secretaries of Defense or State get mobilized against this act of denial. He described that as a “shameful exercise.”

Aftandilian said that the US National Archives in Washington DC have collected extensive evidence on the Armenian genocide and that US diplomats at the time described it as, “race extermination,” since the word geno- cide was not coined by then.

“If Turkey was smart enough it would’ve said these acts were committed by Ottomans and not the modern Turkish state and come clean,” said Aftandilian. “But in reality it is a big psychological issue for them as they don’t want to admit their ancestors committed these crimes.”

Dr. Peter Balakian, an expert on the Armenian genocide and professor of humanities at ColgateUniversity in New York, says that passing bills and resolutions by foreign countries wouldn’t change the fact that a genocide had taken place.

“This issue has been clearly established by historical records and a complete and consensual assessment of scholars of genocide; and also by the man who coined the word genocide and conceived of the idea of genocide as a crime in international law, Raphael Lemkin,” Balakian told.

Dr. Gregory Stanton, former president of the International Association of Genocide Scholars and the author of The Eight Stages of Genocide, said that the US State Department and one president after another consider maintain- ing good relations with Turkey more important than telling the truth about the Armenian Genocide.

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“The main lobbying groups behind the denial of the Armenian genocide are financed directly by the govern- ment of Turkey. They hire high-priced Washington lawyers and lobbyists to beat back recognition of the truth about the Armenian Genocide by the US government,” he said.

Stanton said that there are more people of Armenian descent in the US than Turks. Therefore, “It may seem a bit strange that the US favors Turkey over Armenia.”

Stanton said that The International Association of Genocide Scholars, whose membership includes all the ma- jor scholars on genocide in the world, has repeatedly voted unanimously that the massacres of the Armenians would be defined today as genocide under the Genocide Convention.

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE COMMEMORATION ESSAY CONTEST FOR HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS

NEW YORK — High School and College students are invited to participate in an essay contest to actively support the 99th Anniversary Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide that will be held in Times Square (46th St/Broadway) on Sunday, April 27, 2014 from 2-4 pm. Co-sponsors of the contest include the Knights & Daughters of Vartan, www.kofv.org, an international Armenian fraternal organization with headquarters in the U.S. and Facing History and Ourselves, www.facinghistory.org, an international educational and professional development organization.

One winner and two runner-ups will be selected by a distinguished panel of judges. First place winner will receive $300, second place run- ner-up will receive $200 and third place runner-up will receive $100. The winners will also be recognized at the Armenian Genocide Commemoration at Times Square on Sunday, April 27, 2014 and depending on time con- straints, may read their essays.

The question to answer in this year’s essay is the following: On the Threshold of the 100th Anniversary, How Should the World Recognize the Armenian Genocide? The essay should be 800 words maximum, double-spaced 12 point Arial type: Please include student’s full

name, age, teacher’s full name and subject area, name of high school or college, year in school, hometown/state, phone #, and email address at the top of each page of the essay.

The three winners will be contacted directly and announced to the mainstream and Armenian media the week of Monday, April 8, 2014.

Please submit essays by Monday, March 31, 2014 to Taleen Babayan via email at april24nyc@gmail.com TURKEY TO DEMINE AREA BORDERING WITH ARMENIA IN 2014

Lragir.am -- Turkey will demine and increase border surveillance ca- pacity of its borders with Armenia and Iran, www.ermenihaber.am in- formed. This is an EU-funded project. The Turkish Ashkam Periodical informed that demining of eastern border of Turkey has started with joint coordination of its general staff of the armed forces and ministry of interi- or. Note that according to the report of Turkey Without Mines Initiative, as of 2009 there were about 1 million mines in the minefields of Turkey.

The project will be implemented in two phases, the first comprising demining activities in the minefields of area bordering with Armenia and Iran (11,665,641 sq m) and the second comprising installation of border surveillance equipment to minimize illegal migration and smuggling. The project will require spending 52,450,000 euro. 75% will be covered by the

EU, the rest by the Turkish ministry of defense. Also drawing attention to reconstruction of the road near Alijan BCP, Ashkam wonders whether this indicates opening of the border in the nearest future.

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ISTANBUL-ARMENIAN DAILY PETITIONS TO PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE

ISTANBUL/NEWS.am -- Hakan Bakircioglu, attorney of Agos Armenian weekly of Istanbul, has applied to the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office.

The attorney petitioned the office to launch an investigation into the cyberattack on Agos, and the threat that was made against weekly’s editor-in- chief Rober Koptas.

The petition, which was submitted to the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Of- fice, pointed to the cyber attack that was made on Agos’ website on January 20 and 25, as a result of which the website was hacked, Agos reports.

The petition also noted that threats and profanities were made against Koptas via Twitter.

SEIZED PROPERTY RETURNED TO ARMENIAN FOUNDATION

ISTANBUL -- A large piece of land confiscated from the Surp Pirgic Armenian Hospital Foundation in the 1970s has been returned to the foun- dation, Today’s Zaman reports quot- ing Agos weekly.

The 42,000-square-meter proper- ty located in Zeytinburnu, just across from the Surp Pirgic Armenian Hos- pital, was returned to the hospital foundation in a decision made by the Directorate General for Foundations (VGM) that came following two meetings held by the VGM in Octo- ber 2013. The property deed was officially changed to record the foundation as the owner on Jan. 22, 2014.

“Our dreams, after years of struggle, have finally come true,” said chairman of the foundation’s board of direc- tors Bedros Sirinoglu. “Turkey’s Armenian community has regained a very important asset. This [decision] will enable our foundation and our society to view the future in a more secure light.” Sirinoglu thanked the prime minis- ter and the relevant authorities for their role in enabling the property return.

In 2012, 10 percent of the Zeytinburnu property was returned to the foundation. The most recent decision transferred the remaining bulk of the land to its rightful owner.

Within the last 10 years, 143 of 661 immovable properties seized from Armenian foundations have been re- turned, according to the weekly’s report.

ARTIFACTS FROM ANCIENT ARMENIAN CITY OF ANI ON VIEW AT KARS MUSEUM

Armradio.am -- Ancient pieces that have been unearthed since 1965 during excavations at the ancient site of Ani, which is located between the border of Ar- menia and the eastern Turkish province of Kars, are being displayed at the KarsMuseum. The pieces date back to at least 2,000 years ago, the Hurriyet Daily news reports.

Kars Museum Director Necmettin Alp said the ancient site of Ani was the first trade city from the Caucasus to the entrance of Anatolia and therefore it had inter- national significance.

He said the pieces unearthed in Ani were covering an area of 85 hectares, adding, “Ani had a population of

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20,000 people and trade vas very active there. Life continued in the ancient city until the 15th century. During this time, mosques, churches, baths, palaces, structures of civil architecture examples and castles had been built within a five-kilometer long city wall.”

Alp noted the whole ancient city was a first-degree archaeological area and continued, “Its vicinity was also declared as a third-degree archaeological area. Excavations have been continuing there since 1965. Earthenware pieces found during these excavations, metal work, glass work and coins are on display at the Kars Museum. Exca- vations started in 1965 with Professor Kemal Baltan are still ongoing. Between 1989 and 2004, Professor Beyhan Karama^aral_ maintained excavations. Since 2005, work continued under the leadership of Professor Ya`ar Çoruhlu for five years. The Kars Museum Directorate has also been leading the excavations since 2001.”

Alp said archaeological excavations had been completed at the Ancient Road, Ebu Manucehr Mosque, the Sel- juk Bath and Polato^lu Church in Ani, and for this year’s excavations, they had determined a new area close to the Bostanl_ River outside the city walls.

He said thousands of objects unearthed in Ani were in the museum. “During the first three-year excavation term, between 1965 and 1967, Balkan brought more than a thousand pieces. Karama^aral_ brought a similar number of objects over the 16 years. New ones were also brought to the museum after 2005. Now, the museum is home to thousands of pieces. These pieces are from the early Bronze Age, 5,000 years ago. The closest objects to our day dates back to 1,500 years ago. They are earthenware and metal work.”

WHY DO TWO HAWAII LAWMAKERS CARE SO MUCH ABOUT AZERBAIJAN? By Nathan Eagle

Honolulu Civil Beat

Hawaii lawmakers are inserting themselves into a century-old conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, neighboring nations nestled between the Black and Caspian seas at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Eu- rope.

Reps. Rida Cabanilla and Mark Takai, who traveled to Azerbaijan together last year on an $8,000 trip that was paid for by the republic, have co-sponsored legislation that’s been set for a hearing Wednesday.

House Resolution 13 recognizes the 22nd anniversary of the Khojaly tragedy which, according to the resolu- tion, involved the slaughter of hundreds of innocent civilians in Azerbaijan in February 1992.

House Resolution 9 calls on the United States to strengthen its efforts to facilitate a political settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.

The first resolution describes the tragedy like this: On Feb. 25 and 26, 1992, "Armenian armed forces accom- panied by Russian military troops occupied the town of Khojaly in Azerbaijan and killed more than six hundred innocent civilians, including many women, children and the elderly; wounded more than one thousand civilians; and captured more than one thousand two hundred civilians."

Armenian-Americans and other critics are concerned the two lawmakers are trying to rewrite history in favor of Azerbaijan.

“It is hard to see how a resolution that distorts history and contemporary reality in so many ways serves Ha- waii’s interests,” Honolulu resident Dawn Webster wrote in her testimony on HR 9.

Webster said she grew interested in the resolutions after talking to her Armenian daughter-in-law, Ani Martirosian Menon.

“That family connection has made me sensitive to the inappropriateness of this rather strange resolution and the likelihood that it will be used to strengthen a false representation of historical facts about the relationship be- tween Azerbaijan and Armenia,” Webster said.

“Given the islands’ own history of dispossession and occupation and the ongoing struggle for sovereignty by Native Hawaiians, the resolution is at the very least ill-advised and certainly at odds with Hawaii’s culture of alo- ha.”

Cabanilla and Takai went to Azerbaijan in May to attend a convention sponsored by oil companies and look for opportunities to promote Hawaii.

Civil Beat reported on the trip after discovering details in gift disclosure statements the representatives filed with the Ethics Commission.

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Takai said at the time that the trip was ethical because the Legislature was not addressing relevant issues that would directly benefit Azerbaijan. He did not return a message seeking comment on the resolutions Monday.

Cabanilla said the invitation by Azerbaijan came as part of a lobbying effort to improve the oil-rich nation's al- liance with the U.S. She said she took the trip to try to bring business to Hawaii.

The resolutions came from Elin Suleymano, Azerbaijan's ambassador to the United States, she said.

Cabanilla, a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, said her military background has taught her the importance of Azerbaijan as a strategic location for a U.S. ally in the Middle East. She considers the resolutions to be a harmless form of gratitude and recognition.

"Maybe (the resolution) is not 100 percent accurate — I don’t know if it is or not — but the fact that they’re an ally and support our troops (in the region), they don’t have to say anything more after that," Cabanilla said, explain- ing her decision to introduce the legislation.

If Azerbaijan has lobbied to gain recognition for a version of history, it is in some ways following in the foot- steps of Armenia. Ethnic Armenian communities in the United States, Australia, France, the United Kingdom and many other countries have lobbied national governments to gain recognition of the "Armenian genocide" by Turkey in the early 20th century. Authorities in Turkey continue to deny that killings and the seizure of Armenian land dur- ing the Ottoman Empire constituted a genocide.

House Resolution 13 describes the Khojaly massacre in Azerbaijan as a “sobering reminder of the terrible car- nage that can be inflicted in wartime and it exemplifies the enduring need for greater understanding, communica- tion, and tolerance among people worldwide.”

The resolutions are set to have their first hearing Wednesday morning before the Veterans, Military and Inter- national Affairs Committee, which Takai chairs.

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RECOGNITION: NECESSARY BUT NOT SUFFICIENT By Harut Sassounian

Publisher, The California Courier

With the approaching Centennial of the Armenian Genocide in 2015, Turkish leaders are coming under in-

creasing pressure from the international community to face their country’s sordid past and acknowledge the Geno-

cide. Significantly, public statements regarding the Armenian Genocide were made in the last few days by heads of

three European states: France, Germany, and the Czech Republic.

During his last month’s visit to Turkey, French President Francois Hollande, without using the genocide term,

called on Turkish leaders to confront their history: “Memory work is always painful... but must be done. What we

need is to carry out reconciliation through research and recognition of what has happened.... By recognizing the

historical events you will be elevated not only in your own eyes, but also in the eyes of the world.” Pres. Hollande

also held a private meeting with Rakel Dink, the widow of martyred Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink.

Similar wise counsel was offered last week by German Chancellor Angela Merkel to visiting Turkish Prime

Minister Recep Erdogan: “Turkey must come to terms with its history.” Ironically, Erdogan was the one who

brought up this issue by complaining that Germany was planning to allocate funds for the commemoration of the

Armenian Genocide Centennial.

The President of the Czech Republic, Milos Zeman, went even further than the French and German leaders by

actually using the term Armenian Genocide during Pres. Serzh Sargsyan’s visit to Prague two weeks ago: “Next

year marks the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. In 1915, 1.5 million Armenians were killed.”

While international pressure on the Turkish government is expected to become progressively more intense

with the approach of the Genocide Centennial, Armenians should be wary not to be misled by such well-meaning,

but at times, self-serving statements. If such pressures would prompt a Turkish leader to admit the Ottoman gov-

ernment’s guilt in committing massacres or even genocide, that would be insufficient to satisfy the just demands of

the Armenian people. In fact the raising of expectations for Turkish recognition could be counter-productive be-

cause if and when Turkey does acknowledge it, everyone including Armenians may wrongly assume that their

long-anticipated objective has been realized!

Several decades ago, when the world was still unaware of the basic facts of the Armenian Genocide, its recog-

nition by the international community and the Turkish government was imperative. However, at this stage, when

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over two dozen countries, many international organizations, and the International Association of Genocide Scholars

have acknowledged the Armenian Genocide, mere recognition is no longer the ultimate goal.

Rather than recognition, Armenians and all people of goodwill now seek justice for the genocide committed by

Ottoman Turkish leaders. Just as Germany paid compensation to Holocaust survivors, the government of Turkey, as

successor to the Ottoman Empire, has to pay billions of dollars in restitution, and return the stolen Armenian prop-

erties and occupied lands.

To strive for restitutive justice, Armenians should use every possible means -- political pressure, economic

boycotts, public protests, and lawsuits -- to convince Turkey’s leaders that they would be better off to negotiate

with representatives of the Armenian government and Diaspora, seeking a just resolution for this long-lasting injus-

tice. As there are considerable disparities between the political, economic and military capabilities of the two sides,

Armenians may not be able to obtain all their demands overnight, but should insist that Turkish officials offer them

as much restitution as possible in a phased manner towards eventual full justice.

The just settlement of the Armenian Genocide issue would have many benefits for Turkey which would be

hailed by the international community as a progressive and civilized country. Its leaders may even be considered

for the Nobel Peace Prize. Recognition followed by restitution would also facilitate Turkey’s entry into the Europe-

an Union. Otherwise, the continued refusal to come to terms with the Armenian Genocide would prolong the Turk-

ish people’s embarrassing predicament of being constantly reminded of the crimes committed by their forefathers

and continuously humiliated before the entire world as genocide denalists.

Should Turkish leaders have the courage to resolve their Armenian conundrum, the Armenian people would finally begin obtaining long-awaited compensation for their losses, enjoy an economically and geopolitically more viable and secure homeland, with the expectation that a repentant neighbor would be more inclined toward peaceful coexistence.

FIRST WORLD WAR: MEMORIES OF THE LAST SURVIVORS 'GOD LET ME LIVE SO THAT I COULD TELL THE STORY' - OVSANNA KALOUSTIAN Guillaume Perrier – Le Monde

The diminutive old woman does not go out in Marseille much anymore. She hunches over a cane and is spoilt, mollycoddled by her daughter and grandchildren. Ask her about her childhood, and she becomes perfectly alert. Ovsanna Kaloustian is 106 years old, and one of the last survivors of the Armenian genocide of 1915.

As a memory bearer, she is perfectly aware of the role she has to play almost a century later. "God let me live this long so that I could tell the story," she says.

Ovsanna has kept a whole host of images and details that she describes ener- getically of the terror, the massacres and the deportation of her people from the Ottoman Empire. She was born in 1907 in Adabazar, a city about 100km east of Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul). She grew up in a beautiful house opposite the neighbourhood church, with three floors and a garden. The city was an im- portant centre of trade and craft for the Armenian population, which numbered some 12,500 people in 1914, almost half of the inhabitants. "Even the Greeks and Turks spoke Armenian," says Ovsanna. She herself only picked up Turkish during deportation. Her father owned a bar that was also a hairdresser's and dentist's. She went there every morning before school to have tea.

Ovsanna was eight years old in 1915, when the Young Turks government ordered the deportation of Armeni- ans. "It was Sunday and Ovsanna's mother was coming back from church; the priest had just announced that every neighbourhood in the city had to be emptied in three days," says her grandson Frédéric, who has preserved the fam- ily story. Groups set off on foot towards the south and east. Ovsanna and her parents, brother, uncles, aunts and cousins arrived in Eskisehir, where they were crammed on to a livestock train carriage; that's how thousands of Armenians were sent to the deserts in Syria. However, the train was stopped along the way in Çay, in the Afyonkarahisar province, and they were ordered to build a makeshift camp. The triage centres further ahead were already congested.

It was not until two years later that they were finally dispersed, and ran to hide in the countryside. Ovsanna remembers being worried about the young girls who were kidnapped by the brigands who served as auxiliaries of

Ovsanna Kaloustian ... one of the last survivors of the Armenian genocide of 1915. Photograph: Marc Melki

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the Ottoman army. After the armistice in 1918, Ovsanna and her family returned to find their house burned to the ground, and were driven back out by the city's new Turkish occupants. The exodus first took them to Constantino- ple. In 1924, Ovsanna's uncles, aunts and cousins emigrated to the US. Four years later, she emigrated to Marseille by boat. "We arrived under the snows of December," she remembers. Today, 10% of the population of Marseille is descended from survivors of the Armenian genocide.

Ovsanna earned a bit of money by working in textiles and married the sole survivor of a massacred family, Zaven Kaloustian. They opened an oriental shop, bought a patch of land and settled down.

"She taught us Armenian, but the stories of her history came later," says Frédéric. Ovsanna works in cultural associations and takes part in community protests. She is a tireless voice in fighting the denial of the Armenian genocide. "Denying the genocide is denying the words of my grandmother," says Frédéric.

ARMENIAN KESARIA AND CAPPADOCIA RELEASED

UCLA – Armenian Kesaria/Kayseri and Cappadocia was released by Mazda Publishers in January 2014. This is the twelfth volume in the UCLA series titled Historic Armenian Cities and Provinces, edited and contributed to by Professor Richard G. Hovannisian, Past Holder of the AEF Chair in Modern History at UCLA and currently Distinguished Chancellor’s Fellow at Chapman University in Orange County.

Armenian Kesaria/Kayseri and Cappadocia focuses on the history, reli- gion, economic and social life, and cultural, educational, and political devel- opments among the Armenians in the city of Kesaria (Gesaria) and its many outlying villages, such as Talas, Everek, Fenesse, Tomarza, Chomakhlu, In- jesu, Efkere, and Germir. Contributors to the volume, aside from Hovan- nisian, include scholars James R. Russell, Robert W. Thomson, Gérard Dédéyan, Dickran Kouymjian, Sylvie L. Merian, Bedross Der Matossian, Hervé Georgelin, Jack Der-Sarkissian, Simon Payaslian, Tina Demirjian, and Vartan Matiossian.

This volume derives from one of the eighteen international conferences organized by Professor Hovannisian between 1997 and 2010 relating to im- portant historic Armenian regions, nearly all of which are now devoid of their native Armenian inhabitants.

Copies of Armenian Kesaria/Kayseri and Cappadocia may be obtained from Mazda Publishers, Armenian-related bookstores, or by contacting Professor Hovannisian directly at hovannis@history.ucla.edu.

ARMENIA’S TRUE GLORIES ARE SPIRITUAL – THE TELEGRAPH

Armenian News-NEWS.am presents below a shortened version of journalist Peter Hughes’ article, which is published in The Telegraph daily of Great Britain.

“To this day the true glories of Armenia are spiritual. I visited 10 monasteries and churches in three days, the earliest dating from the fourth century. The newest was the least typical, not least because it had seats. In the Orthodox Church worshippers normally stand. [Capi- tal city] Yerevan’s cathedral of St Gregory the Illuminator also has more windows than older churches. Consecrated in 2001 to celebrate 1,700 years of Christianity, it feels more auditorium than cathedral. Relics of St Gregory, who converted the country, are kept beneath an imported Baroque panoply.

“We drove south from Yerevan through a valley of scruffy agri- culture; a shepherd chivvied his sheep down the road; watchtowers staked out the frontier with Turkey. At the monastery of Khor Virap there should have been a view of Mount Ararat across the border, but it

was cloaked in cloud.

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“West of the capital, at Echmiadzin, Mass was being sung in the cathedral. Nine priests, two in black hoods, glided before the high altar to a mystical choreography. Their gutsy plainsong swirled around the domes.

“Echmiadzin has been at the heart of Armenia’s religion since the fourth century. In elaborate silver-gilt cases in the cathedral museum, there are claimed to be not only splinters from Noah’s Ark and the True Cross but the heavy iron head of the spear that stabbed Christ at Calvary.

“The thrill of Armenia’s churches comes not so much from their ancient masonry or antiquities but from their energy as fervent power plants, steeped in the certainties and rituals of the faith they have kept for more than 1,000 years. At Geghard monastery, a Unesco World Heritage site, two churches have been cut into rock.”

ARMENIAN STUDIES PROGRAM AT FRESNO STATE TO HOLD ANNUAL BANQUET

FRESNO -- The Armenian Studies Program of California State University, Fresno, will hold its 26th Annual Banquet on Sunday, March 2, 2014 at the Fort Washington Golf and Country Club in Fresno.

This year’s Banquet will feature newly appointed Fresno State President Dr. Joseph Castro and his wife Mary. Dr. Castro was appointed as the eighth President of the University on August 1, 2013.

Dr. Castro joined Fresno State after holding several leadership positions at University of California campuses, most recently serving as vice chancellor, student academic affairs at UC San Francisco since 2010. In that capacity he was responsible for the leadership of a broad range of departments focused on enriching the educational experi- ence of UC San Francisco’s talented and diverse student body. Castro also held the position of adjunct professor in the department of family and community medicine in the School of Medicine at UCSF.

2014 marks the 35th Anniversary of the Hye Sharzhoom newspaper and a reunion of editors and staff is planned for the day of the Banquet. Hye Sharzhoom is the newspaper of the Armenian Studies Program and Arme- nian Students Organization at Fresno State.

More than forty student recipients of Armenian Studies scholarships and grants for 2013-2014 will be recog- nized at the Banquet. Students who are graduating with a Minor in Armenian Studies will also be recognized.

The Armenian Studies Banquet brings together Fresno State students, faculty, administrators, and the commu- nity, to celebrate the achievements of the Program and its students.

The reception will begin at 5:00PM followed by the Banquet at 6:00PM.

Tickets are available at $50 per person, with a special price of $25 for Fresno State students and Fresno State faculty. Reservations for tables of 10 are also being accepted.

For more information about the Banquet, please contact the Armenian Studies Program at 559-278-2669.

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