The California
Courier Online, May 4, 2023
1- New Turkish
Denial Tactic: Impeach Biden
For
Recognizing the Armenian Genocide!
By Harut
Sassounian
Publisher,
The California
Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
2- AGBU Honors
2021 Nobel Prize Laureate Prof. Ardem Patapoutian
3- Azerbaijani
'activists' end Lachin sit-in as Baku
tightens grip on region
4- Letters to
the Editor
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1- New Turkish
Denial Tactic: Impeach Biden
For
Recognizing the Armenian Genocide!
By Harut
Sassounian
Publisher,
The California
Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
For over a century, successive Turkish governments have
tried various tricks to deny the veracity of the Armenian Genocide. All of
their attempts have miserably failed. Turkey exerted diplomatic pressure
around the globe and spent tens of millions of dollars hiring high-priced lobbying
firms to deny the undeniable. Contrary to post-war Germany which admitted its guilt in
the Holocaust and made amends, the Turkish government, by continuing its
denials, is labelled around the world as an unrepentant criminal regime. Turkey would
have been better off coming clean by acknowledging and making restitution for
the mass crimes of 1915 rather than perpetuating the disgraceful legacy of its
barbaric past.
The latest ridiculous Turkish denialist tactic is claiming
that Pres. Joe Biden, by acknowledging the Armenian Genocide, “violated four
articles of the U.S. Constitution.” If genocide was not a gruesome subject,
such an accusation would have been amusing. However, the comedy does not stop
there. In an interview with Turkish journalist Ugur Dundar, published in
several Turkish media outlets, former Turkish Ambassador to the United States,
Sukru Elekdag, suggested that Turkish groups try to impeach Biden after he
leaves the White House, even though a president cannot be impeached after he is
no longer in office.
Amb. Elekdag is not a constitutional law expert. He studied
economics in college and later became a diplomat. He knows nothing about the
U.S. Constitution.
When the Turkish journalist asked Elekdag how can Turks sue
Biden since he referred to the Ottoman Empire as the perpetrator of the
Genocide, not the Republic
of Turkey, the Ambassador
foolishly pointed out that “there is no ethnicity called Ottoman. Ottoman is
the name of a dynasty. Those who founded the Ottoman state are Turks and they
are our ancestors and we are their descendants.” So, Elekdag is suggesting that
Turks sue Biden for accusing the Ottoman Empire
of genocide. However, since Elekdag is associating the Republic
of Turkey with the Ottoman Empire,
then Turkey
is naturally liable for the Ottoman crimes.
Elekdag’s falsely alleged that Pres. Biden violated Article
VI, the Fifth Amendment, Article 1 (Section 9), and the 14th Amendment to the
US Constitution.
Elekdag suggested that Pres. Erdogan of Turkey announce
to the world that “Pres. Biden has committed a crime by violating the U.S.
Constitution with his 24 April statements.” This is the most ridiculous part of
the whole interview. Pres. Erdogan, who has committed massive crimes against
hundreds of thousands of Turkish citizens, is the last person on earth to
accuse anyone of committing a crime.
At the end of his interview, Elekdag stated that he had
contacted the leaders of the Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA)
who told him that they will consider his accusations of Pres. Biden.
Elekdag suggested that an academic research be conducted on
“whether or not to impeach and prosecute a former U.S. president” for his
“constitutional offenses.” The ATAA is now planning to hold a symposium at an
American university “with the participation of historians and lawyers.”
I received a copy of ATAA’s letter to Pres. Biden dated
April 18, 2023, telling him that his previous two years’ April 24 statements
“disregarded at least four articles and amendments of the U.S. Constitution.”
Nevertheless, a week after receiving ATAA’s letter, Pres. Biden once again
issued an Armenian Genocide statement on April 24, 2023, ignoring the Turkish
warnings. The ATAA told Pres. Biden that his April 24 statements were
“motivated solely to gain political popularity among the strong Armenian
diaspora.”
At the end of its letter, the ATAA falsely claimed that
there was an “initiative by the republics of Türkiye and Armenia to establish a Joint Historical
Commission, composed of historians and legal scholars to be selected by Ankara and Erivan.”
I would like to add a few thoughts to this Turkish onslaught
of misrepresentations:
I will be greatly pleased if the ATAA takes legal action
against Pres. Biden which will result in publicizing worldwide the crime of
Genocide committed by Ottoman Turkey. The ATAA’s lawyers will be happy to
enrich themselves by getting paid to file such a frivolous lawsuit.
If Elekdag was really a constitutional law expert, why
didn’t he sue Pres. Ronald Reagan in 1981 and the U.S. House of Representatives
in 1984, when they recognized the Armenian Genocide, while he was Ambassador in
Washington, D.C.? Why didn’t the ATAA file lawsuits for
the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the House of Representatives in
1975, the Senate and House of Representatives in 2019, and all 50 U.S. states?
The ATAA can save a lot of money and effort by simply asking
Google’s Artificial Intelligence website if Turks can sue Pres. Biden for
acknowledging the Armenian Genocide. Here is AI’s answer:
“No, Biden did not violate the Constitution by recognizing
the Armenian genocide. The Constitution does not explicitly prohibit the
President from making such a declaration, and there is no precedent to suggest
that it would be considered unconstitutional…. The Armenian genocide was the
systematic extermination of Armenians by the Ottoman
Empire during World War I. It is estimated that between 1.5 and 2
million Armenians were killed during the genocide. The Turkish government has
long denied that the genocide took place, but there is overwhelming evidence to
support the fact that it did. Biden’s recognition of the Armenian genocide was
a long-overdue step in acknowledging one of the darkest chapters in human
history. It is a powerful statement of America’s commitment to human
rights and justice.”
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2- AGBU Honors 2021 Nobel Prize
Laureate Prof. Ardem Patapoutian
The Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) congratulated
the first Nobel Prize winner of Armenian descent Prof. Ardem Sarkis
Patapoutian, at the Beverly Wishire Hotel on April 15 for his research in the
field of sensory biology to treat conditions related to touch, pain, blood
pressure, and other clinical applications.
The AGBU also paid tribute to Patapoutian’s parents Sarkis
Patapoutian, an accountant and prolific writer, poet and translator under the
pen name Sarkis Vahakn, and Haigouhi Adjemian Patapoutian, an educator and
former principal of the AGBU Demirdjian Elementary School of Lebanon, where the
couple’s three children received their elementary education. AGBU President
Berge Setrakian presented them with the organization’s President’s Award in
appreciation of their dedicated service and contributions to AGBU and the
Armenian Nation in the fields of literature and education.
Among the guests were California State Senator Anthony
Portantino representing the 23rd district; Laura Friedman, California State Assembly
Member from the 44th district; California Assemblyman from the 34th district
Adrin Nazarian and his wife Diana; and President of the Los Angeles City
Council Paul Krekorian and his wife Tamar. Nazeli Hambartsumyan, the consular
at the Consulate for the Republic of Armenia in Los Angeles;
and Armenian Ambassador and Former Consul General of Armenia in Los Angeles Dr. Armen
Baibourtian and his wife Yvette also joined the celebration.
Western Primate Archbishop Hovnan Derderian delivered the
invocation. Co-emcees were Tamar Sinanian Naaman and Ara J. Balikian. Live
entertainment was performed by Lebanese-Armenian Guy Manoukian and his
ensemble.
Patapoutian was bestowed the St. Sahag-St. Mesrob Medal of
Honor and Pontifical Encyclical from His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All
Armenians, presented by Archbishop Derderian.
Dr. Yervant Zorian introduced Patapoutian and congratulatory
remarks were delivered by AGBU President Berge Setrakian.
Patapoutian thanked the AGBU Western Region community and
the Gala Committee, co-chaired by Nora Janoyan Balikian and Aline Patatian, for
hosting the event.
“My most important message I have today is for parents to
give the best education for the youth. But also, please give them room to
breathe, to explore, to fail—yes, fail. And ultimately, find their own
calling,” said Patapoutian.
The evening’s proceeds were allocated to the AGBU Global
Relief Fund, which was presented by AGBU Board Member Yervant Demirjian during
his remarks. AGBU Council of Trustees Chairman Vatche Manoukian and his wife
Tamar Manoukian donated $1 million to the Fund. In addition to Lead Benefactor
Yervant Demirjian, AGBU Benefactors Jack Munushian Charitable Trust and Sinan
and Angele Sinanian were cited for their generosity, along with many other
donors, making it possible to raise over $1.6 million through this event.
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3- Azerbaijani 'activists' end Lachin
sit-in as Baku
tightens grip on region
By Gabriel Gavin
(Politico)—Azerbaijani activists announced they would on
Friday, April 28 end their long-running sit-in on the sole road out of the
disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, as construction of a checkpoint on the border
with neighboring Armenia
nears completion. According to organizers, the demonstrations on the Lachin
Corridor will be “temporarily suspended” from 6 p.m. on April 28. Since
December 12, civilian traffic and cargo deliveries to the isolated,
Armenian-controlled territory have been stopped and only convoys of Russian
peacekeepers and Red Cross aid workers have been able to travel along the
highway for a total of four months, two weeks and two days.
“The majority of our demands have been addressed, and by
pausing our protest, we demonstrate our good faith, hoping for reciprocation
and gestures of goodwill from the other side,” Adnan Huseyn, one of the
organizers, told POLITICO. “If the situation reverts to ‘business as usual’, we
can always resume our protest.”
The demonstrations were ostensibly called over claims that
mining carried out by ethnic Armenians in the breakaway region was poisoning
the environment. However, analysts have been quick to point out that they have
enjoyed unprecedented support from the state, whereas other public protests are
routinely cracked down on by Azerbaijani authorities. According to Tom de Waal,
a senior fellow at Carnegie Europe, those taking part had “evidently been sent
there by the government in Baku.”
On April 23, Azerbaijan
announced that it would install a checkpoint on the internationally recognized
border, controlling access to and from Nagorno-Karabakh, citing claims that
troops and weapons were being brought in by Armenia. Western nations including
the U.S. and EU, as well as Russia, have
repeatedly expressed concern that the blockade by protesters and the
installation of the border post violates the terms of a Moscow-brokered
cease-fire that put an end to a bloody war between the two sides in 2020.
According to Yerevan, the
checkpoint also breaches a call from the International Court of Justice for Azerbaijan to
“take all measures at its disposal” to ensure the “unimpeded” flow of traffic.
Last week, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna visited
Armenia
to reiterate the country’s support for the peace process and cautioned of the
risk of “ethnic cleansing” in Nagorno-Karabakh if access is not immediately
restored.
In a statement, Baku’s
foreign ministry hit back at what it said were “baseless” claims. “Assessing
the establishment of this checkpoint, which will regulate the regime of entry
and exit from the border to the road, as a closure of the road, is also
completely wrong,” officials claimed. However, Azerbaijan’s land borders remain
entirely closed in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and ethnic Armenians
have long been refused entry to the country. Azerbaijani officials are yet to
set out any exemptions to those rules and the foreign ministry has declined
requests for further comment. Inside Azerbaijan’s
internationally recognized borders, Nagorno-Karabakh has been administered as a
de facto independent state by its ethnic Armenian population since a war that
followed the fall of the Soviet Union. In
2020, Azerbaijani troops launched an offensive to retake swathes of territory,
with Russian peacekeepers deployed to oversee the Lachin Corridor and maintain
the status quo.
However, in recent months, Baku’s
forces have again pushed forward into the peacekeeping zone to take control of
all routes in and out of the area, with Moscow’s
forces apparently unwilling or unable to enforce the agreement.
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4- Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor:
Regarding the article "Azerbaijani weightlifters leave Armenia after
flag burned" in the April 20 issue of The California Courier.
As written, at the 2023 European weightlifting championship
ceremonies in Yerevan,
designer Aram Nikolyan snatched the Azerbaijani flag from an unassuming lady
and set it on fire, while the entire weightlifting world’s aficionados watched.
Later Nikolyan justified his action by saying, “I just wanted to prevent the
Azerbaijani flag being raised in the Armenian capital Yerevan.” Ignoring the fact that that flag
did not signify conquest of Yerevan
but just an affirmation of participation.
This reminded me of an Ethiopian saying, “Aheyawun ferto
dawellawoun Metta” In Armenian: “eshen vakhtsadz, perə zargav.” In English:
“scared of the donkey, he hit the load.”
Azerbaijani invaders always cry wolf when they attack Armenia,
Artsakh, kill innocent soldiers, civilians, and take our territories. They
blame that Armenians fired first, and that Armenians hate them. All Mr.
Nikolyan did was “weaponize” them and help them say that “all along, they were
telling the truth.”
In addition, Nikolyan forgot the fact that Yerevan
is only the capital city of Armenia.
Armenia has a 29,800 square
kilometers territory, of which currently Azerbaijan occupies more than 140
square kilometers, and the count goes on. In those occupied territories there
are many Azerbaijani flags. If he had burned one of those flags, I would have
highly praised him. But burning the partcipants’ flag to say the least is
unpraiseworthy.
On the Bright side Armenia
took first place in Europe (12 Gold; 11 Silver; 13 Bronze: 38 total medals), while
Turkey
was fourth (6 Gold; 10 Silver; 6 Bronze: 22 total medals).
Bedros Kojian
Orange, Calif.
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