AZG Armenian Daily #074, 26/04/2005

Armenian Genocide

WORLD PRESS TOUCHES UPON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

“Varazdat was six, when the Turkish soldiers showed his family off their
house in 1915. But even after 90 years, on the days when the Ottoman forces
began the massacres of the Armenians, the fear still gleams in his eyes,”
British The Times wrote recently in its article entitled “The Mothers
Preferred to Throw Their Children into the River, Than to Leave Them to the
Turks.” “Varazdat Harutyunian is going to join the procession of a million
and a half of Armenians to commemorate 90th anniversary of the events that
many countries call the Armenian genocide,” the newspaper writes.

The Times also cited the statement of RA President Robert Kocharian, when he
said in his speech at the genocide conference that “We remember the past
with pain, and not with hatred.” The newspaper also cited the statements of
Lech Walensa, former Polish president, in lengthy article.

The British Financial Times wrote recently that the Turkish Parliament is
going to appeal to the Great Britain so that they reconsider their attitude
towards “The Blue Book.” This book published in 1916 describes the
unbearable situation of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. Though there is
no “genocide’ term used in the book, but the events are described by the
definition “a massacre of a nation.”

Reuters agency cited Mesrop Mutafian, Patriarch of the Armenians in
Constantinople in the article “The Turkish Armenians Pray for
Reconciliation.” “The Armenian citizens of Turkey are between two fires, as
whatever they say it is accepted in the wrong way by both sides. We pray for
the reconciliation and the peace for the Turkish and the Armenian nations,”
he said.

“The International service of the Liberty Radio Station cited Etienne
Mahchupian, reporter of Zaman, in the publication entitled “The Armenian
Tragedy Remains on the Political Map of Europe.” “I think that the history
doesn’t testify to Turkey’s benefit.” Taner Akcam, sociologist, said that he
has a sacred dream to see Ankara reconciled with its past.”

The Russian Nezavisiamaya Gazeta published the article by Levon
Chakhmakhchian entitled “The Genocide of 1915 is the Tragedy of the Whole
Humanity.” While the reporter pf Wremya Novostey newspaper told the story of
an Armenian lady she met in the 60s. The woman told that when she was 13,
the Turks rushed into their house and killed her parents. A young Turk
didn’t allow to kill her, took her home and married her after some time.

The Russian State Duma presented its condolences to “the fraternal Armenian
nation in connection with the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.”
The 310 deputies unanimously characterized the events as one of “the most
tragic and brutal events of the 20th century. The Russian parliamentarians
“condemned that act of genocide” and called for the international community
to commemorate the 90th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

By Tatoul Hakobian
From: Baghdasarian