Armenian News... A Topalian...We have four (4) medals :)
(this is the article I should have posted last time. Apologies)
armenianweekly.com
Armenia Finishes With Four Medals at Rio 2016 Olympics
August 21, 2016
Armenia Finishes With Four Medals at Rio 2016 Olympics
August 21, 2016
Armenia’s Olympic team won a total of four medals—one gold and
three silver medals—at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil.
A record number 33 athletes represented Team Armenia at the
A record number 33 athletes represented Team Armenia at the
games—the most since 32 athletes participated in the 1996 games
in Atlanta, Ga.
Armenian-American gymnast Houry Gebeshian made history on
Armenian-American gymnast Houry Gebeshian made history on
Aug. 7 , by becoming the first female gymnast to represent the
Republic of Armenia in Olympic competition. Gebeshian competed
at the 2016 Olympic Games on the bars, beam, floor, and vault,
wearing her all-white leotard featuring a sequin Mount Ararat.
Armenian-American gymnast Houry Gebeshian made history on
Armenian-American gymnast Houry Gebeshian made history on
Aug. 7, by becoming the first female gymnast to represent the
Republic of Armenia in Olympic competition.
Simon Martirosyan (b. 1997) became Armenia’s first medal winner
Simon Martirosyan (b. 1997) became Armenia’s first medal winner
at the Olympics after winning a silver in men’s 105 kg weightlifting
on Aug. 15. Martirosyan lifted a total of 417 kg, and placed second
only to Ruslan Nurudinov of Uzbekistan, who set an Olympic record
with a total weight of 431 kg. Martirosyan has previously won a gold
medal at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics and a bronze medal in
the 2016 European Weightlifting Championships.
Armenia’s Migran Arutyunyan (b. 1989) won Armenia’s second silver
Armenia’s Migran Arutyunyan (b. 1989) won Armenia’s second silver
medal , after falling to Davor Štefanek of Serbia in the Greco-Roman
Wrestling 66 kg final on Aug. 16. Arutyunyan defeated the reigning
71 kg world champion, Azerbaijan’s Rasul Chunayev, 4-1 in the
semifinal match to move onto the final.
Later in the same day, Artur Aleksanyan—the flag bearer at the
Later in the same day, Artur Aleksanyan—the flag bearer at the
closing ceremony, which was held on Aug. 21—won Armenia’s
first gold medal at the games, after defeating Yasmany Daniel Lugo
Cabrera of Cuba in the Greco-Roman Wrestling 98 kg final.
Aleksanyan, the two-time reigning world champion, won back-to-back
matches by technical fall in the quarterfinals and semifinals.
He beat Turkey’s Cenk İldem in the semifinals.
During his medal ceremony, Aleksanyan wore a shirt with an image
During his medal ceremony, Aleksanyan wore a shirt with an image
of Robert Abajyan—a junior sergeant killed in Artsakh (Nagorno
-Karabagh/NKR) in early April. Abajyan was posthumously awarded
with the “Hero of Artsakh” award, which is NKR’s highest honorary
title. Abajyan, who was 19 years old when he was killed, is the
youngest person to be awarded the title.
Gor Minasyan also won Armenia’s third silver medal at the 2016
Olympics in Weightlifting (+105 kg) on Aug. 16. Georgia’s Lasha
Talakhadze and Irakli Turmanidze won gold and bronze respectively.
Minasyan had previously won a silver medal at the 2010 Summer
Youth Olympics.
armradio.am
Armenia’s Tigran Martirosyan to get the silver medal of
armradio.am
Armenia’s Tigran Martirosyan to get the silver medal of
Beijing Olympics
24 Aug 2016
The International Weightlifting Federation has declared that as a
24 Aug 2016
The International Weightlifting Federation has declared that as a
consequence of the IOC’s reanalyses of samples from the 2008
Beijing Olympic Games (IOC – wave 2), the samples of a number
of athletes have returned Adverse Analytical Findings.
Gold medal winner in the 85kg weight category Andrey Rybakov
Gold medal winner in the 85kg weight category Andrey Rybakov
of Belarus is among the athletes that failed the doping test. That
means Armenia’s Tigran Martirosyan, who had won a bronze
medal at Beijing Olympics, will now get the silver.
Martirosyan had lifted a combined 380 kg (177+203).
Vestnik Kavkaza
Aug 22 2016
Who wanted to blow up the Russian-Armenian gas pipeline and why
The Georgian special services have reported about the prevention of a
terrorist act, which could have led to far-reaching consequences for
the entire South Caucasus. The Department of the State Security
Service counterintelligence of the Georgian Interior Ministry has
arrested five people on charges of preparing an explosion at the
strategic gas pipeline from Russia to Armenia, through which a small
amount of natural gas is also supplied to Georgia.
According to the Georgian Interior Ministry, Beka Bekauri, Mindia
Vashakmadze, Jaba Melkadze and Nukri Chkadua were detained as they
withdrew several items of TNT, Kalashnikovs, fuses and other devices
necessary for the implementation of sabotage from a cache near the
village of Saguramo. According to the special services, the suspects
were planning to lay four capsules with TNT under the
Russian-Georgian-Armenian gas pipeline at a point where it crosses
this area not under the ground, but in open terrain.
During the preliminary interrogation one of the detainees, Koba
Bekauri, fully admitted his guilt. A police officer, Levan Mamporiya,
has also been arrested in connection with the case, but unlike the
five others, who were captured in the immediate vicinity of the
pipeline, the police officer has not been charged with terrorism, but
in abetting. A seventh member of the group, Irakli Bagishvili, has
been accused of ‘failing to report a criminal intent.’ As a
preventative measure the Tbilisi City Court has opted for two months
imprisonment for all the detainees.
All seven alleged terrorists were members of the organization
‘Caucasian House’, which advocates for the Caucasus to leave Russia's
sphere of influence. They were actively communicating via Facebook
with fighters of the ‘Georgian Legion’ , participating in the war
against the Donetsk People's Republic in Ukraine, and sent the
mercenaries uniforms bought at Tbilisi markets.
Judging by their statements on social networks, the members of
‘Caucasian House’ thought that blowing up the strategic gas pipeline
would be one of the methods of ‘expelling Russia from the Caucasus’.
Georgian counterintelligence had been following them since the
beginning of the year, but did not take any actions until they got the
opportunity to catch the attackers red-handed as moved to the
immediate implementation of the long-planned violent action that could
have led to the discrediting of the Georgian authorities, and even to
a diplomatic conflict between Georgia and Armenia.
The basic version of the investigation was the connection of the
suspects with a group of former Georgian soldiers operating in
Donbass. The prosecutor leading the investigation told reporters that
the cache from which the criminals took the explosives and other
weapons was ‘an official, albeit a secret vault’ of the Ministry of
Defense, and the members of the group could have learned about its
location only from former employees of the Georgian Defense Ministry.
Georgia Today
Aug 23 2016
Armenian Court Sentences Russian Soldier to Life in Prison
Martirosyan had lifted a combined 380 kg (177+203).
Vestnik Kavkaza
Aug 22 2016
Who wanted to blow up the Russian-Armenian gas pipeline and why
The Georgian special services have reported about the prevention of a
terrorist act, which could have led to far-reaching consequences for
the entire South Caucasus. The Department of the State Security
Service counterintelligence of the Georgian Interior Ministry has
arrested five people on charges of preparing an explosion at the
strategic gas pipeline from Russia to Armenia, through which a small
amount of natural gas is also supplied to Georgia.
According to the Georgian Interior Ministry, Beka Bekauri, Mindia
Vashakmadze, Jaba Melkadze and Nukri Chkadua were detained as they
withdrew several items of TNT, Kalashnikovs, fuses and other devices
necessary for the implementation of sabotage from a cache near the
village of Saguramo. According to the special services, the suspects
were planning to lay four capsules with TNT under the
Russian-Georgian-Armenian gas pipeline at a point where it crosses
this area not under the ground, but in open terrain.
During the preliminary interrogation one of the detainees, Koba
Bekauri, fully admitted his guilt. A police officer, Levan Mamporiya,
has also been arrested in connection with the case, but unlike the
five others, who were captured in the immediate vicinity of the
pipeline, the police officer has not been charged with terrorism, but
in abetting. A seventh member of the group, Irakli Bagishvili, has
been accused of ‘failing to report a criminal intent.’ As a
preventative measure the Tbilisi City Court has opted for two months
imprisonment for all the detainees.
All seven alleged terrorists were members of the organization
‘Caucasian House’, which advocates for the Caucasus to leave Russia's
sphere of influence. They were actively communicating via Facebook
with fighters of the ‘Georgian Legion’ , participating in the war
against the Donetsk People's Republic in Ukraine, and sent the
mercenaries uniforms bought at Tbilisi markets.
Judging by their statements on social networks, the members of
‘Caucasian House’ thought that blowing up the strategic gas pipeline
would be one of the methods of ‘expelling Russia from the Caucasus’.
Georgian counterintelligence had been following them since the
beginning of the year, but did not take any actions until they got the
opportunity to catch the attackers red-handed as moved to the
immediate implementation of the long-planned violent action that could
have led to the discrediting of the Georgian authorities, and even to
a diplomatic conflict between Georgia and Armenia.
The basic version of the investigation was the connection of the
suspects with a group of former Georgian soldiers operating in
Donbass. The prosecutor leading the investigation told reporters that
the cache from which the criminals took the explosives and other
weapons was ‘an official, albeit a secret vault’ of the Ministry of
Defense, and the members of the group could have learned about its
location only from former employees of the Georgian Defense Ministry.
Georgia Today
Aug 23 2016
Armenian Court Sentences Russian Soldier to Life in Prison
for Murder
By Nicholas Waller
GYUMR– An Armenian court on Tuesday found Russian soldier Valery Permyakov guilty of murder and sentenced him to life in prison for the gruesome massacre of an entire Armenian family in January 2015.
A Gyumri district court found Permyakov guilty of all charges brought against him, including the murder of seven members of the Avetisyan family, breaking and entering, robbery and attempting to cross the nearby closed border with Turkey illegally.
On January 12, 2015, Permyakov repeatedly shot and stabbed seven members of the Avetisyan in their house in Gyumri, including a 2-year-old girl and six-month-old boy.
The boy was seriously wounded in the attack and died of his injuries a week later.
Permyakov, who was based at the large 102 nd Russian military garrison just outside Gyumri, immediately abandoned his post without leave and attempted to cross the closed border with Turkey after leaving his uniform and an automatic pistol at the crime scene.
Russian border guards later detained Permyakov in a village located on the Armenian-Turkish border and immediately handed him over to Moscow’s military officials in Gyumri.
While in custody, Permyakov confessed to the crime and said he’d forced his way into the Avetisyan’s home because he was thirsty.
A Russian military court found him guilty in August 2015 of desertion, theft and illegally carrying weapons in a civilian zone. The tribunal sentenced him to 10 years in a military prison but initially refused to hand him over to Armenian authorities to be tried for murder.
The court’s decision and the heavy-handed approach of Russian authorities and their refusal to turn Permyakov over to Armenian prosecutors sparked mass protests in Gyumri and the Armenian capital Yerevan, with thousands of protestors coming out against Moscow's military presence and deep-rooted political and economic influence in Armenia.
The multiple-homicide led to mass protests in Gyumri and the Armenian capital Yerevan against Russia's military presence in Armenia.
Russian authorities eventually turned Permyakov over to Armenian authorities to be tried for murder under Armenian law.
Their decision came after demonstrators demanded that Permyakov be tried for murder in an open Armenian court instead of by a Russian military tribunal’s closed court proceedings that guarantee immunity for the defendant from local prosecution.
Frayed Relations in Armenia's Hinterland
Located on a harsh, windswept plateau 120 kilometers north-west of the capital Yerevan, Gyumri is Armenia’s second largest city.
It has served as a Russian garrison town since the tsarist period. Known until 1992 as Leninakan, 60 per cent of the city was severely damaged by the December 1988 Spitak earthquake that killed up to 50,000 people.
The historic city of 125,000 people has suffered from high unemployment and widespread poverty since the dissolution of the Soviet Union and continues to harbor several thousand IDPs displaced by the earthquake more than a quarter century ago.
Russia’s military presence in the city is regarded as controversial. While Armenia is Moscow’s staunchest ally in the South Caucasus, opposition groups in Yerevan argue that the presence of a Russian base in Armenia serves an obstacle to Western investment and much-needed reforms in the country.
Armenian critics also charge that the presence of the base ties the country’s sovereignty and security too closely to the will of the Russian government and causes growing resentment among the local population as Russian military personnel repeatedly flaunt local laws and often terrorize the city’s residents.
The murder of the Avetisyan was only the latest deadly incident involving Russian servicemen in Gyumri.
In 1999, two drunken Russian soldiers armed with AK-74 automatic rifles went into the city and killed two men and injured 14 others.
The two suspects, Denis Popov and Alexander Kamenev, were originally tried in Armenia and sentenced to 15 years in prison. However, they were later handed over to Russian authorities after 24 months, repatriated and set free once they returned to Russia.
Public opinion in Armenia remains divided over whether to continue to allow Moscow to station thousands of troops along the country’s highly sensitive border with archrival Turkey.
A June 2015 poll in Armenia found that 55 per cent of respondents believes the presence of another state’s military bases in Armenia acceptable as a means of protection against Turkey and its close ally Azerbaijan.
panarmenian.net
Stone that conquers time
Armenian tuff as key national building material
August 24, 2016
GYUMR– An Armenian court on Tuesday found Russian soldier Valery Permyakov guilty of murder and sentenced him to life in prison for the gruesome massacre of an entire Armenian family in January 2015.
A Gyumri district court found Permyakov guilty of all charges brought against him, including the murder of seven members of the Avetisyan family, breaking and entering, robbery and attempting to cross the nearby closed border with Turkey illegally.
On January 12, 2015, Permyakov repeatedly shot and stabbed seven members of the Avetisyan in their house in Gyumri, including a 2-year-old girl and six-month-old boy.
The boy was seriously wounded in the attack and died of his injuries a week later.
Permyakov, who was based at the large 102 nd Russian military garrison just outside Gyumri, immediately abandoned his post without leave and attempted to cross the closed border with Turkey after leaving his uniform and an automatic pistol at the crime scene.
Russian border guards later detained Permyakov in a village located on the Armenian-Turkish border and immediately handed him over to Moscow’s military officials in Gyumri.
While in custody, Permyakov confessed to the crime and said he’d forced his way into the Avetisyan’s home because he was thirsty.
A Russian military court found him guilty in August 2015 of desertion, theft and illegally carrying weapons in a civilian zone. The tribunal sentenced him to 10 years in a military prison but initially refused to hand him over to Armenian authorities to be tried for murder.
The court’s decision and the heavy-handed approach of Russian authorities and their refusal to turn Permyakov over to Armenian prosecutors sparked mass protests in Gyumri and the Armenian capital Yerevan, with thousands of protestors coming out against Moscow's military presence and deep-rooted political and economic influence in Armenia.
The multiple-homicide led to mass protests in Gyumri and the Armenian capital Yerevan against Russia's military presence in Armenia.
Russian authorities eventually turned Permyakov over to Armenian authorities to be tried for murder under Armenian law.
Their decision came after demonstrators demanded that Permyakov be tried for murder in an open Armenian court instead of by a Russian military tribunal’s closed court proceedings that guarantee immunity for the defendant from local prosecution.
Frayed Relations in Armenia's Hinterland
Located on a harsh, windswept plateau 120 kilometers north-west of the capital Yerevan, Gyumri is Armenia’s second largest city.
It has served as a Russian garrison town since the tsarist period. Known until 1992 as Leninakan, 60 per cent of the city was severely damaged by the December 1988 Spitak earthquake that killed up to 50,000 people.
The historic city of 125,000 people has suffered from high unemployment and widespread poverty since the dissolution of the Soviet Union and continues to harbor several thousand IDPs displaced by the earthquake more than a quarter century ago.
Russia’s military presence in the city is regarded as controversial. While Armenia is Moscow’s staunchest ally in the South Caucasus, opposition groups in Yerevan argue that the presence of a Russian base in Armenia serves an obstacle to Western investment and much-needed reforms in the country.
Armenian critics also charge that the presence of the base ties the country’s sovereignty and security too closely to the will of the Russian government and causes growing resentment among the local population as Russian military personnel repeatedly flaunt local laws and often terrorize the city’s residents.
The murder of the Avetisyan was only the latest deadly incident involving Russian servicemen in Gyumri.
In 1999, two drunken Russian soldiers armed with AK-74 automatic rifles went into the city and killed two men and injured 14 others.
The two suspects, Denis Popov and Alexander Kamenev, were originally tried in Armenia and sentenced to 15 years in prison. However, they were later handed over to Russian authorities after 24 months, repatriated and set free once they returned to Russia.
Public opinion in Armenia remains divided over whether to continue to allow Moscow to station thousands of troops along the country’s highly sensitive border with archrival Turkey.
A June 2015 poll in Armenia found that 55 per cent of respondents believes the presence of another state’s military bases in Armenia acceptable as a means of protection against Turkey and its close ally Azerbaijan.
panarmenian.net
Stone that conquers time
Armenian tuff as key national building material
August 24, 2016
Armenia possesses about 90% of the world’s tuff resources.
Besides, there are some deposits in Italy (near Rome and Naples),
Turkey and Iran.
In the soviet era, Armenian tuff was used not only in the territory of the USSR but abroad as well, for example during the construction of the United Nations headquarters in New York in 1951. To build the complex, architects, designers and engineers from the Soviet Union, United States, Brazil, France, Canada, Sweden, Australia and China, as well as consultants from Greece Poland and Yugoslavia were invited.
Tuff (from the Italian tufo) is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is compacted into a solid rock in a process called consolidation. Tuff is sometimes called tufa, particularly when used as construction material, although tufa also refers to a quite different rock. Rock that contains greater than 50% tuff is considered tuffaceous.
Armenian tuff belongs to a group of rocks that emerged from volcanic ash billions of years ago, its main feature being porosity. Tuff is a relatively soft rock, so it has been used for construction since ancient times.
Perceived as a symbol of eternity, houses built with tuff embodied durability, security, wealth and beauty.
Tuff has over 40 colors, varying from black to white. However, the pink tuff is mostly used for construction in Armenia. The monuments and buildings that stood through centuries despite significant temperature fluctuations prove its endurance.
The Mirror, UK
August 22, 2016 Monday
Henrikh Mkhitaryan visits Blackpool as Manchester United
In the soviet era, Armenian tuff was used not only in the territory of the USSR but abroad as well, for example during the construction of the United Nations headquarters in New York in 1951. To build the complex, architects, designers and engineers from the Soviet Union, United States, Brazil, France, Canada, Sweden, Australia and China, as well as consultants from Greece Poland and Yugoslavia were invited.
Tuff (from the Italian tufo) is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is compacted into a solid rock in a process called consolidation. Tuff is sometimes called tufa, particularly when used as construction material, although tufa also refers to a quite different rock. Rock that contains greater than 50% tuff is considered tuffaceous.
Armenian tuff belongs to a group of rocks that emerged from volcanic ash billions of years ago, its main feature being porosity. Tuff is a relatively soft rock, so it has been used for construction since ancient times.
Perceived as a symbol of eternity, houses built with tuff embodied durability, security, wealth and beauty.
Tuff has over 40 colors, varying from black to white. However, the pink tuff is mostly used for construction in Armenia. The monuments and buildings that stood through centuries despite significant temperature fluctuations prove its endurance.
The Mirror, UK
August 22, 2016 Monday
Henrikh Mkhitaryan visits Blackpool as Manchester United
new boy awaits first competitive start
By Liam Corless
By Liam Corless
The Armenian started three pre-season games but was a sub against
Leicester in the Community Shield and in United's opening two Premier
League matches
Henrikh Mkhitaryan spent his Sunday in Blackpool as Jose Mourinho gave
his Manchester United players the whole weekend off following their
win over Southampton.
The Armenian didn't let the wet weather in the seaside town dampen his
spirits and was snapped smiling while getting into his car after an
evening meal at the Beach House Bistro Bar.
Revellers looked on in shock as the £26million attacking midfielder drove away.
Mkhitaryan became United's third major signing of the summer in July
but, despite impressing in pre-season, he is yet to start a
competitive game for his new club.
He's come off the bench in all three of United's fixtures so far this
season - against Leicester in the Community Shield and against
Bournemouth and Southampton in the Premier League.
Prior to Friday's win over Saints, Mourinho explained why he
overlooked Mkhitaryan in United's first two games of the campaign.
"I went to the [Community Shield] against Leicester and I was reading
the game and I thought we needed the speed of Jesse Lingard," Mourinho
said.
"And I decided to play Rooney both games in that position close to
Zlatan and I didn't start with Mikhy.
"Some managers when they buy players, when it is their decision to buy
players, the first thing they think is to protect themselves and to
protect their choices.
"The players they buy have to play all the time. I am not like this.
Before me comes the team, and what I think is the best for the team.
"In those two matches, Mata and Lingard were the best options for the
team, adapted to the reality of the Premier League so I made that
decision.
"But Mkhitaryan is a super football player and he will be given a lot
of opportunities this season."
(there follows a particularly nasty piece of Turkish propaganda
his Manchester United players the whole weekend off following their
win over Southampton.
The Armenian didn't let the wet weather in the seaside town dampen his
spirits and was snapped smiling while getting into his car after an
evening meal at the Beach House Bistro Bar.
Revellers looked on in shock as the £26million attacking midfielder drove away.
Mkhitaryan became United's third major signing of the summer in July
but, despite impressing in pre-season, he is yet to start a
competitive game for his new club.
He's come off the bench in all three of United's fixtures so far this
season - against Leicester in the Community Shield and against
Bournemouth and Southampton in the Premier League.
Prior to Friday's win over Saints, Mourinho explained why he
overlooked Mkhitaryan in United's first two games of the campaign.
"I went to the [Community Shield] against Leicester and I was reading
the game and I thought we needed the speed of Jesse Lingard," Mourinho
said.
"And I decided to play Rooney both games in that position close to
Zlatan and I didn't start with Mikhy.
"Some managers when they buy players, when it is their decision to buy
players, the first thing they think is to protect themselves and to
protect their choices.
"The players they buy have to play all the time. I am not like this.
Before me comes the team, and what I think is the best for the team.
"In those two matches, Mata and Lingard were the best options for the
team, adapted to the reality of the Premier League so I made that
decision.
"But Mkhitaryan is a super football player and he will be given a lot
of opportunities this season."
(there follows a particularly nasty piece of Turkish propaganda
and one wonders why a serious Jerusalem newspaper even
considered printing it. Apparently the blame for the current views
on the Armenian Genocide can be laid at the feet of the British.
This person does not seem to have read the many non-Armenian
books published to coincide with the 100th anniversary. Outrageous0.
jpost.com
After Israel, the new goal is Armenia
OPINION
By ADNAN OKTAR
08/23/2016
It should not be forgotten that love is more powerful and profound than the insidious schemes of the shadow groups.
Having fallen out with its friends for a while due to the ongoing problems with its neighbors, the Turkish nation has finally found happiness with the latest developments. Through our considerable efforts, requests and encouragements, the Israel-Turkey and Turkey-Russia relations that we have long wished to be restored finally have been. In the same vein, the statement, “We will take new reconciliatory steps in our relations with Egypt and Syria, as well,” made by Prime Minister Binali Yildirim last week, was very promising. It was the sign of an anticipated and long-awaited period.
What about our Armenian brothers and sisters? In the wake of all this progress, will there not be an attempt to build bridges with the Armenians that are our friends and citizens? There will surely be. Unity is the destiny that certainly awaits these two peoples.
The First World War, during which the world went through an astonishing frenzy and total eclipse of reason, led to the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, altered the borders of many countries, and turned into a shameless arena for not only massacres, but also foul propaganda. Forced to wage war in a vast geography extending from Africa to the Middle East, from Anatolia to the Balkans, the Ottoman Empire also waged a horrible war in its own territory against its own fellow citizens, the Armenians.
The Armenian-Turkish war, which was fought within the Ottoman borders, was one of the biggest disgraces in history, during which the both sides made grave mistakes. Both sides were led by an erroneous ideology through the materialistic and racist incitements of a certain insidious groups. The atrocious war pitted two sister nations against each other, and both sides sustained terrible loses.
All of those who died in that war were Ottomans. Armenians and the Turks, who were the citizens of the same country, were forced to fight each other. Many years later, the mass graves that belong to the same period were opened and these graves were found to hold the bodies of both the Turks and the Armenians. This is horrific, gruesome and tragic, because this was a foul war in which dark groups acted in their self-interest. Every time the details of a war are uncovered and scrutinized, we always come upon horrific scenes that reflect the atrociousness of it. Thus, countries refrain from keeping the account of the past and bringing the perpetrators of wars to book.
Otherwise, NATO would not exist now, nor would the European Union that reunited the England and Germany. The Japanese could not live in the US, or the Algerians in France, or the Jews in Germany.
During the First World War, the English exploited the Armenian issue as a major propaganda campaign against the Ottomans.
The English Foreign and Commonwealth Office establishing “the War Propaganda Agency” in the Wellington House building in Buckingham Gate, London, in 1914, in the first sign that the course of the war would be shaped by propaganda activities.
From that date forward, this office has come to be known as the Wellington House.
The main goal of the propaganda activities carried out by the Wellington House was to distribute provocative publications to the detriment of Germany and the Ottoman Empire. In order to win over the US, which was leaning towards the Turks, to their side, the English deep state of the era launched a defamation policy aimed at the Ottoman Empire.
To that end, the Wellington House had certain well-known writers and politicians, the English historian Arnold J. Toynbee in particular, publish many books, articles and brochures. The most famous among them was The Treatment of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, 1915-1916, known as the Blue Book. This book introduced the Turks in such a fallacious and hateful manner that, even though the information offered in the book was refuted with scientific evidence, the information still wasn’t excluded. In the wake of the war, Toynbee visited Turkey as a journalist to investigate, and he could not hide his bewilderment when he realized that nothing was the way he had been informed, and that the Turks had sustained heavy losses as well. He accepted that the Blue Book was written for propaganda purposes, and this time wrote a book that introduced the Turkish people in a positive light. However to this day, the Blue Book is yet to lose its validity.
In the following years, the English government issued an apology to Germany acknowledging the fact that the propaganda produced by the Wellington House was based on aspersions; yet, despite the appeals lodged by Turkey at the government level, Turkey never received a similar apology.
Hovhannes Kajaznuni, whose name was frequently mentioned among the aspersions cast in the Blue Book and who became the next leader of the Armenian Dashnak Party and the first president of Armenia, stated in his speech at the Dashnak Party congress in 1923 that, at that time, some Armenian groups revolted under the influence of Russia, that both sides sustained losses, that Dashnaks established a dictatorship and that the Armenian terrorism was initiated with an aim to win over the Western public. He indicated that Turkey was acting in self-defense against all these activities.
According to him, there was none other to blame then the Dashnak government.
Not only the propaganda against Turks, but actually the Armenian-Turkish conflict as well was a provocation of the English deep state. Both sides fell for this provocation, and making a grave mistake, two sister nations fought against each other. This is a horrible picture. A brutal, gruesome war was waged; but this was not genocide.
Armenians had always been one of the most prized parts of the Ottoman Empire.
In Turkish history, they had always been on the forefront of politics, arts and science. A substantial number of the Ottoman pashas were Armenian. During the prime ministry of Ali Pasha, the Ministry of Public Works was Armenian. Ohannes Gümüşyan was another Armenian who ran the Ministry of Public Works in the Ottoman Empire.
There were also other Armenians who ran the ministries of commerce, forestry and mines. The Ottoman Parliament of 1876 included 46 non-Muslim parliament members, nine of whom were Armenians. In the parliament established following the declaration of the constitution, there were 11; and in the parliament of 1914 there were 12 Armenian parliament members. Four of the aforementioned Armenian parliament members were the members of the Hunchakian Party, and two were members of the Dashnak Party. In the parliament of 1908, there were 13 Rum and five Jewish parliament members.
Throughout Ottoman history, the Armenians came to be known as “Millet-i Sadika” (the Loyal Nation). Thus, the events of 1915 were nothing but a grave mistake made by two sister nations who fell for the provocations of the English deep state.
For so long, the Turkish government has been trying to provide evidence that the 1915 incidents were not genocide but a bilateral conflict. The request made by the Turkish government to analyze the documents that belong to that period was rejected by various lobbies that reside in the West.
This scheme that was designed to drive a wedge between the both countries can only be frustrated through the efforts of Turkey.
The anguish of the past should immediately be compensated for. Speeches emphasizing the fact that Armenians are our brothers and fellow citizens should be addressed urgently and persistently, and the Armenians who once left Turkish lands should be unconditionally readmitted to Turkey.
Efforts such as reopening the Akdamar church after a period of 95 years should be increased, and more places of worship should be set up for the Armenians. More bilateral talks should be held on the government level, the peace talks should not remain unfulfilled, and the Armenia-Turkey border should be reopened posthaste, and visa and passport requirements should be abolished.
Our Armenian brothers and sisters have always been the ornaments, the beauty and color of Turkey. It is our desire to once again live together with these beautiful and high-class people. Their presence will make Turkey an even more beautiful country.
Love should be the definitive prerequisite for Turkey in its relations with its neighbors and friends. The relations that are based on politics and self-interest are easily affected by even the most insignificant complications and quickly become as instrument to politics. In order to prevent this, it is imperative to strengthen our bonds with Israel through love and friendship, and rejuvenate the sense of brotherhood with Armenia developed by our mutual history.
It should not be forgotten that love is more powerful and profound than the insidious schemes of the shadow groups. In this regard, a great responsibility falls on the Turkish government and the Turkish people.
Here is to hoping that this new period will bring about the reconciliation of our Armenian and Jewish citizens that were forced to leave our country.
jpost.com
After Israel, the new goal is Armenia
OPINION
By ADNAN OKTAR
08/23/2016
It should not be forgotten that love is more powerful and profound than the insidious schemes of the shadow groups.
Having fallen out with its friends for a while due to the ongoing problems with its neighbors, the Turkish nation has finally found happiness with the latest developments. Through our considerable efforts, requests and encouragements, the Israel-Turkey and Turkey-Russia relations that we have long wished to be restored finally have been. In the same vein, the statement, “We will take new reconciliatory steps in our relations with Egypt and Syria, as well,” made by Prime Minister Binali Yildirim last week, was very promising. It was the sign of an anticipated and long-awaited period.
What about our Armenian brothers and sisters? In the wake of all this progress, will there not be an attempt to build bridges with the Armenians that are our friends and citizens? There will surely be. Unity is the destiny that certainly awaits these two peoples.
The First World War, during which the world went through an astonishing frenzy and total eclipse of reason, led to the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, altered the borders of many countries, and turned into a shameless arena for not only massacres, but also foul propaganda. Forced to wage war in a vast geography extending from Africa to the Middle East, from Anatolia to the Balkans, the Ottoman Empire also waged a horrible war in its own territory against its own fellow citizens, the Armenians.
The Armenian-Turkish war, which was fought within the Ottoman borders, was one of the biggest disgraces in history, during which the both sides made grave mistakes. Both sides were led by an erroneous ideology through the materialistic and racist incitements of a certain insidious groups. The atrocious war pitted two sister nations against each other, and both sides sustained terrible loses.
All of those who died in that war were Ottomans. Armenians and the Turks, who were the citizens of the same country, were forced to fight each other. Many years later, the mass graves that belong to the same period were opened and these graves were found to hold the bodies of both the Turks and the Armenians. This is horrific, gruesome and tragic, because this was a foul war in which dark groups acted in their self-interest. Every time the details of a war are uncovered and scrutinized, we always come upon horrific scenes that reflect the atrociousness of it. Thus, countries refrain from keeping the account of the past and bringing the perpetrators of wars to book.
Otherwise, NATO would not exist now, nor would the European Union that reunited the England and Germany. The Japanese could not live in the US, or the Algerians in France, or the Jews in Germany.
During the First World War, the English exploited the Armenian issue as a major propaganda campaign against the Ottomans.
The English Foreign and Commonwealth Office establishing “the War Propaganda Agency” in the Wellington House building in Buckingham Gate, London, in 1914, in the first sign that the course of the war would be shaped by propaganda activities.
From that date forward, this office has come to be known as the Wellington House.
The main goal of the propaganda activities carried out by the Wellington House was to distribute provocative publications to the detriment of Germany and the Ottoman Empire. In order to win over the US, which was leaning towards the Turks, to their side, the English deep state of the era launched a defamation policy aimed at the Ottoman Empire.
To that end, the Wellington House had certain well-known writers and politicians, the English historian Arnold J. Toynbee in particular, publish many books, articles and brochures. The most famous among them was The Treatment of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, 1915-1916, known as the Blue Book. This book introduced the Turks in such a fallacious and hateful manner that, even though the information offered in the book was refuted with scientific evidence, the information still wasn’t excluded. In the wake of the war, Toynbee visited Turkey as a journalist to investigate, and he could not hide his bewilderment when he realized that nothing was the way he had been informed, and that the Turks had sustained heavy losses as well. He accepted that the Blue Book was written for propaganda purposes, and this time wrote a book that introduced the Turkish people in a positive light. However to this day, the Blue Book is yet to lose its validity.
In the following years, the English government issued an apology to Germany acknowledging the fact that the propaganda produced by the Wellington House was based on aspersions; yet, despite the appeals lodged by Turkey at the government level, Turkey never received a similar apology.
Hovhannes Kajaznuni, whose name was frequently mentioned among the aspersions cast in the Blue Book and who became the next leader of the Armenian Dashnak Party and the first president of Armenia, stated in his speech at the Dashnak Party congress in 1923 that, at that time, some Armenian groups revolted under the influence of Russia, that both sides sustained losses, that Dashnaks established a dictatorship and that the Armenian terrorism was initiated with an aim to win over the Western public. He indicated that Turkey was acting in self-defense against all these activities.
According to him, there was none other to blame then the Dashnak government.
Not only the propaganda against Turks, but actually the Armenian-Turkish conflict as well was a provocation of the English deep state. Both sides fell for this provocation, and making a grave mistake, two sister nations fought against each other. This is a horrible picture. A brutal, gruesome war was waged; but this was not genocide.
Armenians had always been one of the most prized parts of the Ottoman Empire.
In Turkish history, they had always been on the forefront of politics, arts and science. A substantial number of the Ottoman pashas were Armenian. During the prime ministry of Ali Pasha, the Ministry of Public Works was Armenian. Ohannes Gümüşyan was another Armenian who ran the Ministry of Public Works in the Ottoman Empire.
There were also other Armenians who ran the ministries of commerce, forestry and mines. The Ottoman Parliament of 1876 included 46 non-Muslim parliament members, nine of whom were Armenians. In the parliament established following the declaration of the constitution, there were 11; and in the parliament of 1914 there were 12 Armenian parliament members. Four of the aforementioned Armenian parliament members were the members of the Hunchakian Party, and two were members of the Dashnak Party. In the parliament of 1908, there were 13 Rum and five Jewish parliament members.
Throughout Ottoman history, the Armenians came to be known as “Millet-i Sadika” (the Loyal Nation). Thus, the events of 1915 were nothing but a grave mistake made by two sister nations who fell for the provocations of the English deep state.
For so long, the Turkish government has been trying to provide evidence that the 1915 incidents were not genocide but a bilateral conflict. The request made by the Turkish government to analyze the documents that belong to that period was rejected by various lobbies that reside in the West.
This scheme that was designed to drive a wedge between the both countries can only be frustrated through the efforts of Turkey.
The anguish of the past should immediately be compensated for. Speeches emphasizing the fact that Armenians are our brothers and fellow citizens should be addressed urgently and persistently, and the Armenians who once left Turkish lands should be unconditionally readmitted to Turkey.
Efforts such as reopening the Akdamar church after a period of 95 years should be increased, and more places of worship should be set up for the Armenians. More bilateral talks should be held on the government level, the peace talks should not remain unfulfilled, and the Armenia-Turkey border should be reopened posthaste, and visa and passport requirements should be abolished.
Our Armenian brothers and sisters have always been the ornaments, the beauty and color of Turkey. It is our desire to once again live together with these beautiful and high-class people. Their presence will make Turkey an even more beautiful country.
Love should be the definitive prerequisite for Turkey in its relations with its neighbors and friends. The relations that are based on politics and self-interest are easily affected by even the most insignificant complications and quickly become as instrument to politics. In order to prevent this, it is imperative to strengthen our bonds with Israel through love and friendship, and rejuvenate the sense of brotherhood with Armenia developed by our mutual history.
It should not be forgotten that love is more powerful and profound than the insidious schemes of the shadow groups. In this regard, a great responsibility falls on the Turkish government and the Turkish people.
Here is to hoping that this new period will bring about the reconciliation of our Armenian and Jewish citizens that were forced to leave our country.
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