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04/18/2006
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1) Armenians in Greece Demonstrate
2) ‘Cultural Genocide’ Exhibition Held at YSU
3) Armenian Memorial Vandalized in France Prior to Unveiling
4) New Case Filed against Turkish Publishers of British Blue Book
5) UCLA Conference on Sustainable Development in Armenia
1) Armenians in Greece Demonstrate
In order to commemorate the Armenian genocide, hundreds of Armenians gathered
in Athens, Greece Saturday morning to demonstrate in front of the Turkish
Embassy.
The peaceful gathering was broken up by police officers who used batons to
disperse the demonstrators. The demonstrators attempted to submit a memorandum
to the Embassy, but Turkish diplomats refused to take it.
The following day, a wreath honoring the victims of the Genocide was
placed at
the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the central square of Syntagma. Community
members, Armenian Embassy staff, and Greek political figures were present at
the event.
2) ‘Cultural Genocide’ Exhibition Held at YSU
YEREVAN (Armenpress/Yerkir)The Nigol Aghbalian Student Union of the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation (ARF) opened Tuesday an exhibition of 70 photos, shot
by Samvel Karapetian and Hrayr Baze, which COMPARE the past and present state
of Armenian monuments in Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Iran.
The exhibition titled “Cultural Genocide” will run for three days outside the
Yerevan State University.
The photos on display show how Armenian monuments are gradually destroyed in
the neighboring countries. While last year’s exhibition showed only photos of
the Armenian monuments in Western Armenia, this year it was expanded to
include
the pictures from all four neighbors of Armenia.
“It is not an accident that Iran was included in this exhibition,” said NASU
Chairman Iskhan Saghatelian. “The situation in that country is completely
different. Iran is the best example of the dialogue of civilizations.
Although the Iranian government works to preserve Armenian monuments, this is
not the case in Georgia, where numerous Armenian monuments were destroyed and
as more declared as “being Georgian.”
The fate of Armenian monuments in Turkey and Azerbaijan is even worse. The
governments of these countries sanction the destruction of monuments.
Answering the question on how the international community is to know about
this exhibition, Saghatelian said the ARF youth organizations hold similar
exhibitions in other countries and, in addition, the NASU plans to send the
electronic version of the exhibition to the foreign missions in Yerevan. “We
believe it will help,” Saghatelian said.
“The Council of Europe condemned to destruction of the Armenian khachkars
(cross stones) in Old Julfa thanks to the efforts of the ARF Hay Tad offices
and other organizations. If we put efforts we would ensure that such vandalism
is prevented.”
3) Armenian Memorial Vandalized in France Prior to Unveiling
(AP)–A memorial in southeast France honoring those killed in the Armenian
genocide by Ottoman Turks was vandalized just a week before it was to be
unveiled, Armenian organizations said.
The memorial in Lyon was scrawled with graffiti reading, “There was no
genocide,” according to the Committee for the Defense of the Armenian Cause
and
the Council of Armenian Organizations in France.
The groups expressed indignation at the incident, which occurred Monday, and
demanded tight security for the unveiling of the monument April 24, which
French President Jacques Chirac will attend, and for other commemorations that
day around France.
4) New Case Filed against Turkish Publishers of British Blue Book
ISTANBUL (BIA)Retired Turkish Ambassador and Republican People’s Party (CHP)
deputy, Sukru Elekdag is suing publisher Muzaffer Erdogdu for the Turkish
translation of “The Treatment of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, 1915-1916,”
also known as “The Blue Book.”
The book covers the correspondence and memoirs of witnesses and officials
including refugees and foreign dignitaries, as well as newspaper articles,
about the Armenian genocide between the years of 1915 and 1916.
Elekdag, a member of the Parliamentary Foreign Relations Commission and the
Turkey-EU Joint Parliamentary Commission, is demanding 20,000 Turkish Liras
($15,000) in libel damages from those involved in the publishing of the book,
claiming he was insulted in a section of the book edited by historian Taner
Akcam.
The book’s publisher Erdogdu, historian Akcam, and translator Ahmet Guner
will
appear in court on May 30 as defendants in the case. Akcam is also being
accused by Elekdag for an article he wrote last year.
In his suit, Elekdag claims Akcam committed libel in the section of the book
titled “A Scandal: Where is the letter of the TBMM (Grand National Assembly of
Turkey) Sukru Elekdag and Justin McCarthy dragging this country?” as well
as in
Akcam’s article published in the May-June 2005 issue of the Birikim magazine.
Elekdag charges that both the book and the article insulted him and that his
individual rights had been attacked. He also says both his professionalism and
credibility were damaged due to Akcam’s articles.
5) UCLA Conference on Sustainable Development in Armenia
LOS ANGELESThe University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) will host an
international conference titled “Armenia: Challenges of Sustainable
Development,” on Saturday, May 6, from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM. in the Court of
Sciences 50 (Young Hall). The conference, featuring specialists in economics,
finance, and governance, is dedicated to UCLA Professor Emeritus of Economics,
Armen A. Alchian, a world-renowned economist and teacher who was born in
Fresno
in 1914 and has been a member of the UCLA faculty since 1946.
The conference is organized by the Armenian Educational Foundation Chair in
Modern Armenian History at UCLA and the Armenian International Policy Research
Group (AIPRG), with support from the UCLA Von Grunebaum Center for Near
Eastern
Studies and the Department of Economics. AEF Chair Holder Richard Hovannisian
will open the morning session with introductory comments on “The Economic
Factor,” followed by the presentation of Professor Alchian and his
contributions to economic theory by a similarly distinguished Professor of
Economics, Harold Demsetz.
Enrique Gelband, Deputy Division Chief and former Mission Chief to Armenia of
the International Monetary Fund (IMF), will give the keynote address on
“Growth
and Poverty Reduction in Armenia: Achievements and Challenges,” the title of
his recent book published by the IMF. A panel discussion on the subject
will be
moderated by UCLA Professor of Economics Michael Intriligator and include
William Ascher, McKenna Professor of Government and Economics at Claremont
McKenna College; Daniel Mazmanian, Director of the Judith and John Bedrosian
Center on Governance and the Public Enterprise at the University of Southern
California; and Ara Khanjian, Professor of Economics at Ventura College.
The Saturday afternoon session moderated by Professor Lee Ohanian of the UCLA
Department of Economics focuses on specific topics relating to Armenia’s
economic development. David Grigorian of the IMF will speak on “Tax Potential
versus Tax Effort: Factors behind the Stubbornly Low Tax Collection in
Armenia”; Bryan Roberts of the Department of Homeland Security, “Remittances,
Poverty, and Growth in Armenia”; and Nerses Yeritsyan, Central Bank of
Armenia,
“Financial Sector Development in Armenia: Problems and Challenges.” A
discussion period will conclude the afternoon session.
Richard Hovannisian stated: “I am pleased that after sixteen wonderful
semi-annual conferences on Historic Armenian Cities and Provinces, we shifted
the focus to contemporary issues in 2005 with ‘The Enduring Legacy of the
Armenian Genocide’ and ‘Three Turkish Voices on the Armenian Question.’ Now,
for the first conference of 2006, the economic and fiscal challenges facing
the
Republic of Armenia will be addressed. I am thankful to David Grigorian for
arranging much of the program, especially as Ascher, Khanjian, Roberts,
Yeritsyan, and Grigorian are also associated with AIPRG. The subject of this
conference is of critical importance to Armenia and all those concerned with
the welfare of its people.”
The conference is open to the public and free of charge. Parking is available
in Structure 2 at the Hilgard and Westholme Avenue entrance to UCLA. A map of
the UCLA campus can be found at the web site:
<; map or the UCLA Armenian Studies web
site
at <;www.uclaarmeni an.org. For additional
information, e-mail Richard Hovannisian at [email protected] or David
Grigorian at [email protected].
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