1 - Trump Does not have the Guts
To Call it ‘Armenian Genocide’
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
2- Former Armenian Ambassador to US Rouben Shougarian Passes Away
3 - Sole custodian of Armenian church in Dhaka dies at 89
4- As Coronavirus Lockdown Continues, Armenia Commemorates Genocide
5- President Sarkissian Proposes Dzidzernagapert Park Project
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1 - Trump Does not have the Guts
To Call it ‘Armenian Genocide’
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
Pres. Donald Trump issued on April 24, 2020 another one of his
denialist statements on the Armenian Genocide, calling it “Armenian
Remembrance Day.” This is the fourth year in a row that as President
he has issued the same evasive statement which uses every euphemism
for genocide except the one word that truly characterizes the mass
crime that Ottoman Turkey committed against Armenians 1915-1923.
Hopefully, with the coming presidential elections on Nov. 3, 2020,
this will be his last year as President and his last such statement!
Someone close to Pres. Trump has to tell him that his annual
meaningless statements on April 24 are not winning him any points with
the Armenian-American community. On the contrary, he is offending them
by issuing the same denialist statement year after year. He should be
told that if he cannot tell the truth, he should not say anything at
all. He is in fact offending the Armenian-American community. Pres.
Ronald Reagan, a much more popular president than Trump, issued a
Presidential Proclamation on April 22, 1981, acknowledging the
Armenian Genocide. So, we do not need Pres. Trump’s euphemistic words
on the Armenian Genocide!
Instead of Genocide, here are the words that Pres. Trump used in this
year’s April 24 statement: “Armenian Remembrance Day,” “the lives lost
during the Meds Yeghern,” “one of the worst atrocities of the 20th
century,” “1 and a half million Armenians were deported, massacred, or
marched to their deaths in the final years of the Ottoman Empire,”
“those who suffered and lost their lives,” “tragedy,” “painful
history,” and “those who suffered and perished.” Most troubling was
Pres. Trump’s use of the Armenian term “Meds Yeghern,” which means
“Great Crime,” but is meaningless for most Americans. Yet, there are
politically naïve Armenians who are fooled by this term, thinking that
Pres. Trump is acknowledging the Armenian Genocide. If that was the
case, he would have used the term Armenian Genocide. The only reason
he used Meds Yeghern is to avoid saying Armenian Genocide. Meds
Yeghern was used by Armenians before Raphael Lemkin coined the term
Armenian Genocide in the 1940’s. Meds Yeghern is merely a description
of what happened to Armenians in 1915, while genocide is a term of
international law that has legal consequences. The two are not the
same at all.
Pres. Trump continued his four-year long evasive position on the
Armenian Genocide despite the fact that last fall both the House and
Senate overwhelmingly adopted a resolution acknowledging the Armenian
Genocide against the wishes of the White House. Regrettably,
Turkophile Trump is not about to go against the wishes of Turkey’s
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Trump’s beloved friend and
anti-American dictator.
Justifiably, both Armenian-American organizations in Washington, D.C.,
criticized Pres. Trump for his unwelcome April 24 statement. The
Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), in a statement titled,
“President Trump Tightens Turkey’s Grip over White House Policy on the
Armenian Genocide,” sharply condemned the President by calling him,
“the last remaining American enforcer of Ankara’s gag-rule against
honest U.S. remembrance of this crime.” ANCA’s Executive Director Aram
Hamparian stated: “Armenian Genocide denial is a policy manufactured
in Ankara, exported to America, and enforced in Washington by
President Trump. Once again, President Trump copied and pasted the
transparently euphemistic, patently offensive April 24th evasions
issued by Barack Obama and his other predecessors—essentially
isolating his Administration as the last major American co-conspirator
in Turkey’s obstruction of justice for the Armenian Genocide…. Having
promised an America First presidency, President Trump has pursued a
Turkey First policy on the Armenian Genocide.”
The Armenian Assembly of America also criticized Pres. Trump in a
press release: “President Donald Trump’s April 24th statement on the
105th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide misses the mark, fosters
denial, and does not reflect America’s proud record of genocide
affirmation…. The Administration’s departure from the norms of human
rights, established over a century ago, diminishes the standing of the
U.S. government in the world community. It remains for the
Administration to unequivocally affirm the Armenian Genocide.”
On the other hand, Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden issued
a statement on April 24, titled: “Statement by Vice President Joe
Biden on Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.” Candidate Biden said all
the right things in his statement, except for two key points:
1) He also used the Armenian term Meds Yeghern, following in the
footsteps of Pres. Barack Obama. Fortunately, he also used the term
Armenian Genocide which Pres. Trump did not do.
2) Amazingly, never once in his lengthy statement Mr. Biden mentions
the name of the country that perpetrated the Genocide. He mentions
neither the Ottoman Empire nor Turkey. This is a very serious issue
that goes far beyond mere negligence. It must be an intentional
avoidance for political purposes which raises the concern that if
Biden is this sensitive about Turkey now as a candidate, how sensitive
would he be if elected President?
Of course, many Armenian-Americans will not forget that as Pres.
Obama’s Vice President, Biden did not try to convince the President to
keep his multiple promises on the Armenian Genocide, unless he did it
quietly behind closed doors. In his defense, Vice Presidents do not
decide policy; Presidents do. I agree with all those who do not trust
promises made during presidential campaigns which are forgotten soon
after assuming the presidency, since the Armenian-American community
was deceived many times during previous presidential campaigns by
candidates from both parties. At least in the case of Pres. Trump he
did not make any campaign promises on the Armenian Genocide, but he
did not recognize it either.
In conclusion, Pres. Trump and his predecessors since Pres. Reagan
have no valid reason to be concerned about Turkey’s negative reaction
to US recognition of the Armenian Genocide. As we saw last fall, after
the House and Senate adopted resolutions on the Armenian Genocide,
there was hardly any reaction from the Turkish government, except for
a brief and mild _expression_ of its unhappiness which was soon
forgotten. Therefore, the obsessive fear of a harsh reaction from
Turkey is pure fantasy and not a valid concern!
Those who think I am criticizing Pres. Trump for partisan political
reasons, I would like to remind everyone that I have written many
articles harshly critical of Pres. Bill Clinton and Pres. Barack
Obama, both Democrats.
Update on April 24 Virtual March
As a follow-up to my last week’s note urging everyone to join the
April24.HyeID.org’s virtual march, I am pleased to report that over
340,000 Armenians and others from around the world clicked on the link
demanding justice for Turkey’s Genocide of 1.5 million Armenians in
1915. This initiative was organized by the HyeID non-profit
organization that will announce shortly its initiative of setting up a
network that will enable Armenians worldwide to elect local Armenian
representatives from throughout the Diaspora who will form the
Diaspora Armenian Parliament.
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2- Former Armenian Ambassador to US Rouben Shougarian Passes Away
Rouben Shougarian, Armenia’s first ambassador to the United States
after its independence in 1991, passed away on April 21 in the United
States, where he had been residing since 2008. He was 58.
“It is with great sorrow that we announce that our loving father and
husband, Ambassador Rouben Shougarian, PhD, passed away peacefully
this morning in Boston, Massachusetts after suffering a stroke last
week,” the Ambassador’s son Narek Shougarian said in a Facebook post.
Shougarian was a career diplomat who served as Armenia’s Ambassador to
the United States from 1993 to 1999 overseeing the opening of the
embassy in Washington. He was named deputy foreign minister and served
in that capacity until 2005 when he was named Armenia’s ambassador to
Italy, Spain and Portugal. He moved to the United States in 2008.
Armenia’s President Armen Sarkissian and Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinyan mourned Shougarian’s passing in statements, Sarkissian
calling his service to Armenia “honorable.”
“A descendent of the family of intellectuals in many generations, an
accomplished and refined individual, he left his unforgettable
footprint in the history of the Third Republic of Armenia. He
honorably represented Armenia as ambassador to the United States of
America and Italy, defended Armenia’s and the Armenian people’s
interests through his educational and research activities,” said
President Sarkissian in a statement through his press office.
“He left us at a time when he already had gained experience, knowledge
and international recognition which he used and could have used for
many years in the interests of the Homeland,” added Sarkissian. “Our
nation has lost one of its worthy sons. At this difficult moment of
irreversible loss, Nouneh and I send our deepest condolences to
Rouben’s wife, children, family and friends.”
“It’s with great sorrow and deep regret that I heard the news of
Rouben Shougarian’s untimely passing. I express my deepest condolences
to his family and friends. Mr. Shougarian embodied the best attributes
of an intellectual, with a broad worldview, active civic commitment
and patriotism,” Prime Minister Pashinyan wrote on Twitter.
“Heartbroken about the passing of Rouben Shougarian, one of out best
and brightest,” said Armenia’s Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan in
a Twitter post. “Lost a great friend and great supporter. Will miss
his wisdom, composure and generous friendship. Very sad. God bless his
memory.”
Shougarian was born in 1962 and received his higher education at
Yerevan Brusov State Pedagogical University of Russian and Foreign
Languages and at Yerevan State University. Trained in philosophy,
Shougarian authored West of Eden, East of the Chessboard: Four
Philosophical Looks Upon the Unknown that encompassed his views on
culture, literature, and an analysis of the contrasting social
perceptions shaping the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, all in his
continuing efforts to reach a settlement between Armenia and
Azerbaijan. He also authored: Does Armenia Need a Foreign Policy?
Shougarian is survived by his wife Lilit, and sons, Narek, Tigran and Haik.
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3 - Sole custodian of Armenian church in Dhaka dies at 89
By Mahir Abrar
A community with a long history of shaping our capital is now gone.
The last Armenian who took care of the Armenian Church of Holy
Resurrection in Old Dhaka, Bangladesh in the past decades, Michael
Joseph Martin (Mikhail Hovsep Martirossian) passed away at the age of
89, Arevelk newspaper reported on April 14. He died in Canada, where
he had moved due to his advanced age and illness in order to be close
to his children.
With him the story of the Armenians in Dhaka becomes history.
Dhaka is a living, breathing entity that grows and changes with time.
It is influenced and shaped by the many different people who have come
here, made their lives here, and have become part of the city. Some of
those people are no longer part of Dhaka, but their influences live
on. The Armenian community is one such group.
The Armenians were once a wealthy and influential community in Bengal.
They had settled in the region in the 17th and 18th centuries. The
Armenians were willing to learn the local language and soon became
intermediaries between Bengalis and Europeans. The Armenian merchants
established businesses in Kolkata, Dhaka, and Narayanganj.
They built Armenian churches and thriving settlements. They built a
little Armenia in each of these cities. They engaged in the trade of
jute, silk, textile, and leather.
The area they lived in Dhaka became known as Armanitola, the place of
Armenians. In 1747, it was estimated that Armenian merchants were
responsible for at least 23% of the textiles exported from Dhaka.
The community had significant economic and political clout in Bengal.
Nicholas Pogose, an Armenian businessman, was a founding member of the
Dhaka municipality. He founded the Pogose School, the first private
school in Dhaka. The school is one of the best and most prestigious
schools in Old Dhaka today.
Herbert Michael Shircore, another Armenian businessman, had served as
the chairman of the Narayangaj municipality. He was awarded the Order
of the Indian Empire, Companion.
The Armenians were the first to establish European-style grocery
stores in Dhaka, where they sold European-made goods catering to the
European residents of Dhaka. Sushil Chaudhury, in his book Trade,
Politics and Society: The Indian Milieu in the Early Modern Era,
credits the Armenian grocers with helping make tea popular in Dhaka.
Today tea is the drink of choice for social gatherings and addas.
Michael was the sole custodian of the Armenian Church of Holy
Resurrection, which was founded in 1781 in Armanitola, the heart of
the Armenian community in Dhaka.
Michael was born on June 6, 1930 in Rangoon, Burma when it was part of
British India. His father was Armenian while his mother was Parsi. His
family, like many Armenian families, was engaged in the jute trade and
moved to Dhaka in the 1940s. Michael became the custodian of the
church in 1986, a position he held till 2014.
During his tenure, he led prayers at the church, maintained it, and
had Mother Teresa. After the death of his wife in 2014, he moved to
Canada. Armen Arslanian, the warden of the church, has been taking
care of the church alone since then, but he does not reside in Dhaka.
With the passing of Michael, the last member of this once thriving
community, a chapter closes on the history of Dhaka. Today, the
institutions they built, like the Pogose School and the Armenian
Church are what remain of this community. Today the neighborhood of
Armanitola contains no Armenians, like Farashganj (French town)
contains no French speakers. The Armenian Church has no worshipers.
The church now stands as a monument to the community that once thrived
in Dhaka and helped shape the city.
The legacy of the Armenian community lives through the cuisine and
institutions they founded. The history of the Armenian community is
being preserved by the Bangladesh Armenian Heritage Project and its
lead researcher, Liz Chater. The church is now a historic building
under the government Department of Archaeology.
The Armenian community may no longer be here, but their influence will
always be here as an immutable part of Dhaka’s identity.
Mahir Abrar is Lecturer, American International University-Bangladesh.
This article appeared in Dhaka Tribune on April 18, 2020.
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4- As Coronavirus Lockdown Continues, Armenia Commemorates Genocide
On April 23 and 24, Armenia commemorated the 105th anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide—despite the unprecedented limitations placed upon
holding such activities in light of the national lockdown due to the
coronavirus pandemic.
At 9 p.m. on April 23, church bells across the country rang and all
street lights were turned off. The government called on citizens to
turn off the lights in their homes and “turn their gazes toward the
Genocide Memorial” or watch the live broadcast on Public TV and show
solidarity by turning on their cellphone lights and standing at their
windows. At 10 a.m. on April 24, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan,
President Armen Sarkissian, Speaker of the National Assembly and the
Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II visited the Tsitsernakaberd
Genocide Memorial.
Starting at 8 a.m. on April 24, those with an Armenian cell phone
number were able to send a text message to “1915” to confirm their
participation in the commemoration in the evening. Those from other
countries were also able to participate using an international number.
The names of people who sent messages were projected onto the columns
of the Memorial.
The total number of confirmed cases in Armenia stands at 1,523 (as of
the publication of The California Courier on April 27) the number of
deaths stands at 24, and the number of active cases is 840. On April
23, Minister of Health Arsen Torosyan provided updates regarding the
COVID-19 situation in the country. Speaking about the overall
condition of the patients, Torosyan informed that 10 patients are in
critical condition, over 200 have pneumonia, five patients are on
ventilators, one of whom is a 27-year-old patient with pre-existing
chronic health issues. Torosyan said doctors are doing everything they
can to stabilize her condition and he hopes that it will be possible
to save her life. The Minister said that the growth rate of cases has
not changed and that bed capacity is still sufficient to hospitalize
all the patients who test positive for the virus. He also said that
those with light symptoms are being kept in hotels.
Considering that restrictions on new forms of economic activity were
lifted by the decision of the Special Commission, Torosyan stressed
the importance of following the guidelines. The Minister also provided
updates on the situation in Armenia’s neighbouring countries. Speaking
about the situation in Iran, he said that the number of new confirmed
cases as well as deaths is declining every day. Torosyan noted that it
seems that the country is gradually getting back to normal,
restrictions are being eased and the number of new cases are
declining. Restrictions are also being eased in European countries,
but there is an ongoing debate on whether easing the restrictions will
result in a second wave of infection.
Tigran Avinyan, the Warden of the Special Commission and Deputy Prime
Minister, reminded that based on the Commission’s decision,
restrictions on certain forms of activities were lifted in the
following industries: processing manufacturing; wholesale, retail, car
and motorcycle repair; information and communications; real estate and
specialized/professional scientific and technical work; service
sector.
Avinyan said that the restrictions on interregional movement have been
lifted and that the checkpoints set in designated areas will be
removed. If needed, movement restrictions will be introduced and
communities, where there is an increased risk for the spread of virus,
will be placed under lockdown. Avinyan noted that, as promised, the
government is moving forward with a step-by-step approach. The spread
of the virus is under control, and if the current trend continues,
restrictions on more forms of economic activity will be lifted very
soon.
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5- President Sarkissian Proposes Dzidzernagapert Park Project
(News.am)—During an interview on Azatutyun Radio on April 20,
President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian proposed the construction of a
vast park on the grounds of the Dzidzernagapert Armenian Genocide
Memorial Complex in an effort to make it more historically inclusive.
In addition to suggesting the planting of 1.5 million trees to
represent the Martyrs of the Genocide, he also proposed that the park
be sectioned to represent the provinces of Western Armenia, the
Diaspora and present-day Armenia
Sarkissian said he has addressed letters to the government, the Prime
Minister and the mayor of Yerevan with the proposal to discuss the
issue. “If the government and municipality approve of this idea, I
will personally raise funds and organize the activities because I
believe this will serve as a major contribution in the sense of
national unity, special attitude towards our history and public
health,” he said.
Sarkissian stated that the world needs to reassess itself after the
coronavirus pandemic. “The air is two-three times cleaner than it was
before the coronavirus. So, we have to think about making sure the air
is always clean,” he said, adding that the parks of Yerevan are its
‘lungs’ and that the people need parks in order to live healthy.
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