Author: Andres-Papazian

ON ARMENIA CENTENNIAL, US ROCKERS HOPE MUSIC RAISES PRESSURE

Agence France Presse
April 6, 2015 Monday 2:38 PM GMT

Los Angeles, April 6 2015

One hundred years after the mass killings of Armenians, US band System
of a Down is taking the fight for remembrance beyond politicians to
the world’s music fans.

The Los Angeles-area hard rockers, who have sold more than 40 million
albums since the mid-1990s, are of Armenian descent and are preparing a
European tour to culminate in a public concert on April 23 in Yerevan,
the band’s first performance in Armenia.

System of a Down’s goal is one for which Armenians have campaigned
for decades — with limited success — for the world to recognize
the killings of some 1.5 million people in 1915 in the waning days
of the Ottoman Empire as a genocide.

Turkey, born of the ashes of the Ottoman Empire, has vehemently denied
a systematic effort to wipe out Armenians.

Turkey puts the death toll at 500,000 and pins the blame on the chaos
of World War I and starvation.

“We don’t have the lobbying power that the Turkish government has. We
only have the stories of our surviving family members,” drummer John
Dolmayan told AFP.

“That is why after 100 years — or 150, or 200 years — the truth is
going to come out,” he said.

Band members acknowledged many concert-goers are foremost drawn to
the music but said they were heartened by the number of fans who
learned about 1915 through System of a Down.

“We do the best we can not to be preachy,” Dolmayan said. “You can’t
make people listen to you, you can’t make them agree with you, but
you can provide them with a source of information that they can take
and explore.”

Vocalist Serj Tankian said that the tour — dubbed “Wake Up the Souls”
— also had a broader purpose of raising awareness of how major human
rights abuses remain rampant 100 years later.

He pointed to the killings of Yazidis, Christians and other minorities
by the Islamic State movement — including in parts of Syria that
witnessed bloodshed in 1915.

“It’s very ironic that bodies are being buried right over the bones
of our ancestors in the same desert,” Tankian said.

The United Nations adopted the Genocide Convention after World War
II, but Tankian noted that there was still “no executable agreement
among major powers that if a genocide occurs, all bets are off and
we should stop dealing with that country.”

– Tense anniversary –

System of a Down said that the free concert in Yerevan’s Republic
Square — on the eve of what Armenians mark as Genocide Remembrance
Day — would be band’s longest-ever, with a set of 32 songs.

The band members said that they hoped some Turkish fans would come,
stressing that their grievances lay with the Turkish government rather
than people.

For the European tour, which includes sold-out arena shows in Britain,
France and Germany, System of a Down plans a three-part video montage
that, in part, will ask whether the cautious reaction to killings of
Armenians emboldened Nazi Germany to order the Holocaust.

US lawmakers have repeatedly introduced Armenian genocide resolutions
but successive administrations have intervened for the sake of
keeping relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and major player in the
Islamic world.

President Barack Obama has walked a fine line by standing by a
statement he made before his 2008 election that described “genocide”
without reusing the term.

– Personal for band –

System of a Down has not released an album in a decade and had not
been planning to tour, but the centennial is deeply personal for
the musicians.

Dolmayan, who was born in Lebanon, recalled learning at an early age
about how his great-grandfather was killed.

“I used to get very angry. Now that I understand all the politics,
my anger has disappeared and a sick, disgusting feeling replaced it,”
he said.

Tankian, whose grandparents were survivors, said that the cause turned
him into an all-round activist. System of a Down has previously spoken
out against the Iraq war and for environmental protection.

“In the United States — a democracy, where I grew up — I said, hang
on, why is the government shying away from the genocide word? How
many other genocides are being put aside because of politics or
political capital?”

From: A. Papazian

RUSSIAN, ARMENIAN FMS TO MULL KARABAKH CONFLICT’S SETTLEMENT

Cihan News Agency, Turkey
April 6 2015

CIHAN | MOSCOW- 06.04.2015 16:41:12

Russian and Armenian foreign ministers will exchange views on the
issue of settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, RIA Novosti
reported on Apr.6.

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan began in 1988 when Armenia
made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing
war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs
of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently
holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the
UN Security Council’s four resolutions on the liberation of the
Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian will visit Moscow on
Apr.7-8 and hold talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov,
RIA Novosti reported citing Russian Foreign Ministry.

During the negotiations, the two sides will discuss the relevant
issues of the bilateral cooperation and the international agenda,
the foreign policy coordination, the UN, OSCE, Black Sea Economic
Cooperation Organization (BSEC) and other multilateral forums.

“Fruitful cooperation has been established between Moscow and
Yerevan on the main global and regional issues,” said Russian Foreign
Ministry. “The positions of the two countries are close or coincide
on the majority of issues.”

“Hopefully, the visit of Armenian foreign minister to Russia will
become an important event in further developing the bilateral foreign
policy dialogue, promote the strengthening of the Russian-Armenian
allied partnership,” according to the remarks posted on the website
of Russian Foreign Ministry.

From: A. Papazian

LA NECESIDAD DE RECORDAR EL GENOCIDIO ARMENIO

La Tribuna del País Vasco, España
6 abril 2015

Un 24 de Abril de 1915, en Estambul, la vieja Constantinopla
grecobizantina, daba comienzo la gran carnicería, un intento de
aniquilacion total, el primer genocidio planificado, sistematico,
del siglo XX.

Se inicio con absoluta precision, comenzando por la elite sociocultural
y religiosa y, una vez descabezada esta, se encarnizo con la totalidad
del pueblo de la Armenia occidental. La comunidad armenia en el Imperio
Otomano ya había sufrido otras persecuciones previas y preparatorias
para su Holocausto. Una comunidad cuya cultura milenaria hunde sus
raíces en un espacio geografico reducido en la actualidad a su mínima
expresion. Porque al genocidio físico debemos sumar el genocidio
cultural como consecuencia de que el 90% de esta comunidad, la Armenia
historica, ademas de la Cilicia, se ubicaba dentro los límites de la
Sublime Puerta y actualmente en la heredera de aquella, Turquía.

El genocidio iniciado en la primavera de hace un siglo fue tambien,
como no podía ser de otra manera, un crimen contra el Patrimonio
cultural de la Humanidad, amen de la expropiacion, del robo de
haciendas a gran escala. La cuestion armenia sigue siendo pues,
una cuestion actual, una herida abierta por la que brota la sangre
de un pueblo y que no cicatrizara hasta su reconocimiento final. Una
cicatrizacion que no debe ni puede significar olvido. Todos sabemos que
ocurre a los pueblos, a las naciones y a los ciudadanos cuando intentan
sentar bases solidas sobre el fango del silencio, del negacionismo,
de la distorsion interesada de la realidad. La antorcha de la causa
armenia es la llama de todos aquellos que defienden, por fea que
sea, la verdad. Y sobre esta, la justicia, cimientos sobre los que
fundamentar una sociedad de ciudadanos libres.

Este genocidio nacional-cultural sego las vidas de mas de millon y
medio de armenios en las condiciones mas espeluznantes que imaginarse
puedan. A falta de la industrial maquina de muerte nazi, el exterminio
sufrido por los armenios- y no podemos olvidar a sus desgraciados
compañeros de calvario como asirios, caldeos, helenos ponticos y
sirios-, tuvo esa impronta de piedra, fuego y sable a traves de los
desiertos sirios donde muerte, violacion y hambre conformaron la
tríada dantesca que caracterizo la masacre de cientos de miles de
inocentes a manos de los otomanos. No es la primera, ni penosamente
sera la última vez que escribo sobre este demencial suceso historico.

Y no me extendere mas sobre los relatos al alcance de cualquiera
que quiera conocer esta verdad, esta injusticia nauseabunda cuya
sola mencion todavía esta penada en Turquía. La columna de hoy quiere
sumarse al recordatorio que en todos los rincones del mundo civilizado
se realiza en un día de luto para Armenia. Un recuerdo vívido en
el que para su difusion, lucha y reconocimiento, la Diaspora jugo,
juega un papel de primer orden. No en vano, es una comunidad mucho mas
numerosa que la que mora en el pequeño Estado de la Transcaucasia. Y
todos con el Ararat en la retina.

Recordamos pues un día de luto para la Humanidad. Un día negro que
los armenios, tanto del país transcaucasico como de la Diaspora,
que rememoran con dolor y oraciones. Unas oraciones que practican
hasta quienes no son cristianos, ni siquiera creyentes, en honor
a unos antepasados que no descansan en paz. Porque nunca o pocas
veces, una religion fue a la vez bendicion y cruz de un pueblo, un
pueblo que es el epítome oriental de lo que antaño se conocía como
Cristiandad. Una nacion cuya situacion en el mapa de la geoestrategia
sigue condicionando su fortuna. Desde la declaracion conjunta de
Francia, Rusia y Gran Bretaña el 24 de Mayo de 1915, un rosario de
cuentas insuficientes jalonan el calendario de reconocimientos. Un
reconocimiento entre los que no figura la firma española.

From: A. Papazian

GENOCIDE DES ARMENIENS: UN JOURNALISTE PERSONA NON GRATA EN TURQUIE

RFi, France
6 avril 2015

AFP PHOTO / KAREN MINASYAN

Les autorites turques tentent-elles d’empecher la presse internationale
de parler du centenaire du genocide des Armeniens ? Un photoreporter
allemand s’est vu refuser l’entree en Turquie a son arrivee a
l’aeroport d’Istanbul, où il venait travailler sur les commemorations
du genocide de 1915 – qu’Ankara refuse toujours de reconnaître.

Habitue des reportages en Turquie, Andy Spyra ne s’attendait pas etre
traite comme un hors-la-loi dès son arrivee a l’aeroport, ni a etre
refoule dans son pays après une nuit en detention. Le 28 mars dernier,
après un interrogatoire en bonne et due forme et une fouille complète,
y compris des cartes memoires de ses travaux photographiques, le
photoreporter s’est vu expliquer qu’il etait persona non grata en
Turquie >, sans autre detail.

Ce n’est qu’ensuite, a son retour en Allemagne, qu’il apprit que la
police turque avait contacte les autorites allemandes pour verifier
son identite et son casier judiciaire sur des soupcons d’accointance
avec des reseaux jihadistes.

Et, bien que les services de renseignements allemands aient atteste
sa probite, il a tout de meme ete remis dans le premier avion pour
Dusseldorf. Le magazine Der Spiegel, pour lequel Andy Spyra etait
parti en mission pour travailler sur les ceremonies commemoratives
du genocide, a rapporte l’affaire samedi 4 avril.

Un pretexte juge falacieux

Pour Andy Spyra, le pretexte de son expulsion etait fallacieux, et
la vraie raison de son renvoi est un reportage publie deux semaines
auparavant, qui traitait du centenaire du genocide armenien. Le sujet
qu’il venait justement a traiter de nouveau en Turquie meme. Au mois
de mars, deja, une equipe de la television allemande ZDF s’etait vue
refuser une autorisation de tournage en Turquie sur le meme sujet de
l’anniversaire du genocide de 1915. Un precedent qui renforce Andy
Spyra dans son idee que c’est bien la la raison de son refoulement.

Parallèlement a ces mesures prises a l’encontre de journalistes
etrangers, une conference internationale annoncee depuis mars,
et coparrainee par la Fondation turque d’histoire (Tarih Vakfi)
et l’universite de Californie-Los Angeles (UCLA). Intitulee >, elle devait se
tenir a l’universite Bilgi d’Istanbul le 26 avril prochain, mais a
ete annulee suite a des pressions, rapporte l’hebdomadaire armenien
Agos. Un hebdomadaire dont le directeur de la publication avait ete
assassine en janvier 2007.

From: A. Papazian

CHYPRE MARQUE LE CENTENAIRE DU GENOCIDE ARMENIEN AVEC DES TIMBRES – PHOTOS

CHYPRE

Les services postaux de Chypre et de l’Armenie ont lance conjointement
un timbre commemoratif jeudi pour marquer le 100e anniversaire du
genocide des Armeniens par les Turcs ottomans.

Symboliquement, les timbres ont des motifs identiques, representent
l’ecole Melkonian a Nicosie qui a pris naissance comme un orphelinat
en 1926 pour abriter quelque 500 jeunes survivants des massacres.

lundi 6 avril 2015, Stephane (c)armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN CITIZENS TRUST ARMED FORCES AND KARABAKH DEFENSE ARMY – SURVEY

16:38 06/04/2015 >> SOCIETY

86 percent of 1,500 respondents, in a recent survey by the Gallup
International Association, expressed conviction that the Armenian Armed
Forces and the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army, in the future as well,
will be able to respond to the actions of Azerbaijani army.

The results of the survey, conducted in Yerevan and Armenian regions
on March 2-14, were presented by Aram Navasardyan, director of Gallup
International Association’s Armenian office, on Monday.

52 percent of the respondents said they are absolutely sure, 34 percent
said they are rather sure, 7 percent said they are rather not sure,
3 percent said they are absolutely not sure, and another 3 percent
found it difficult to answer the question.

Source: Panorama.am

From: A. Papazian

PUBLIC SHOCKED BY FEAT AND EXCITEMENT OF REPUBLICAN WOMEN

Hakob Badalyan, Political Commentator
Comments – 06 April 2015, 12:21

The social networks were shocked by the photos of Republican women
taken in Tsitsernakaberd, during their group visit to the Genocide
Memorial. Those are pictures of laughing and smiling ladies headed
by the business woman Hermineh Naghdalyan. They are posing for photos
in front of the Memorial to Genocide Victims with faces gleaming with
admiration, waving their carnations above their heads as if they had
gone to Tsitsernakaberd for group fitness rather than for honoring
the victims.

These photos of the Republican women have angered people. People
wonder how one can make fun out of a visit to the Genocide Memorial.

However, we have to admit that the Republican Women’s Council is not an
exception. It is part of a chain spanning over many years when masses
of people visited the memorial to spend their day off, to make time,
to take photos, to demonstrate themselves and to gaze at others.

Or they visit because it is a visiting day, like a majority of people
of the Armenian society have a special day to visit the graves of
their relatives. In other words, consciousness is replaced by a plan.

As a result, the respect for the memory of genocide victims is left
for the end of the day, in case any time is still left. For example,
on the 90thanniversary of the genocide Aghvan Hovsepyan’s Nig-Aparan
Organization of Compatriots took to Tsitsernakaberd a huge globe made
of flowers with countries which have recognized the genocide. As soon
as the globe appeared in Tsitsernakaberd, the purpose and motivation
of the public visiting there changed to photographing with the globe
with a face that would make a good ad for a dentist.

The fact that a major part of the Armenian society goes to
Tsitsernakaberd on April 24 out of inertia or custom or crowd effect
is illustrated by the litter around the place on that day. Because
a person, an individual who visits the genocide memorial with the
awareness will hardly litter around.

The problem is that April 24 has been de-individualized over decades,
the stress was on collective, mass commemoration or mourning and
the more elaborate the mass ritual became, the lower the level of
consciousness dropped. They do not decorate themselves only during a
holiday. They decorate themselves in times of grief when they focus
on the external expression.

Armenia and its society are mostly focused on the appearance of grief
on April 24. This is the martyr complex to look miserable to arouse
pity in others and draw attention to them and achieve recognition
because it has failed through life, work, achievements and creations.

In the latter, the Armenians were distinguished individually, in
different spheres, in different countries.

Collectively, only sacrifice and robbery were a success with a
significant causal relationship. The collective martyr complex
requires quest for another victims for self-assertion. However,
looking for victims in the world is a complicated thing because the
world has changed drastically in the 20th century and competition is in
creativity. And different wars have become a means rather than a goal.

In this situation, the elites responsible for the collective behavior
of the Armenians who are absolutely deprived of a creative nature
adequate to the dynamics and content of competition have chosen the
most convenient option for their own people and their collectivity.

Hence, robbery started flourishing, covered with the armor of patriotic
slogans. As a result, the targeted patriotism occurred.

In other words, patriotism occurred as a goal of collectivity. And
since patriotism has become a goal, an internal competition started
for the most luxurious and colorful presentation. Currently this
competition is going on in the ruling system because the system
does not have other purposes of state, public importance aside from
patriotism. The other purposes are personal, of family, friends
and cluster.

What is happening on the centenary is the result of the internal
competition in the ruling system, and the Republican women were
simply excited.

From: A. Papazian

HISTORY MUSEUM OF ARMENIA TO HOST ARMENIAN GENOCIDE EXHIBITION

11:04 06/04/2015 >> CULTURE

An exhibition dedicated to the Armenian Genocide centenary will open
at the History Museum of Armenia on April 24.

Anelka Grigoryan, director of the Museum, told Panorama.am that the
exhibition will feature photos, eyewitness testimonies, documents,
personal items, weapons related to self-defense and volunteer
movements, as well as unique relics that survived the Armenian
Genocide.

In her words, some of these exhibits will be displayed for the
first time.

Ms Grigoryan also said that an exhibition titled “Armenia: Cradle of
Civilization” will open at the State Historical Museum of Moscow this
year, and a part of the exhibition will be dedicated to the Armenian
Genocide. Most of the exhibits will be from the collection of the
History Museum of Armenia.

From: A. Papazian

PIANIST MARIANNA SHIRINYAN TO PERFORM IN YEREVAN

18:18 06/04/2015 >> CULTURE

Pianist Marianna Shirinyan (Denmark) will perform with the Armenian
National Philharmonic Orchestra in Yerevan. The concert program of
the Scandinavian tour will be presented during the concert.

The program includes excerpts from Aram Khachaturian’s ballet
Spartacus, as well as Grieg’s Piano Concerto and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony
No.6 (Pathetique).

The concert will take place at the National Academic Theatre of Opera
and Ballet on April 9 (conductor Eduard Topchjian), the Armenian
Philharmonic Orchestra reports.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENOLOGIST SAYS THERE IS A NEED TO LIST ARMENIAN MONUMENTS

15:35, 6 April, 2015

YEREVAN, 6 APRIL, ARMENPRESS. Armenologist, Nakhichevan expert Argam
Ayvazyan says there is a need to list all the Armenian monuments that
exist in different parts of the world. “The historic and cultural
monuments of the Armenians are part of the largest sector of the
Armenian heritage that we have. However, there is no simple list of our
historic and cultural assets in Armenia or in the Armenian Diaspora,”
the monument expert said during an April 6 press conference and added
that even though there are studies devoted to separate territories,
that’s not enough.

The expert mentioned that based on rough estimates, there used to be
nearly 180,000 Armenian historic and cultural monuments in Western
Armenia prior to 1915, of which 96-97% has been eradicated. Ayvazyan
added that out of Armenia’s neighboring countries, the Islamic Republic
of Iran is the only country that not only preserves, but also restores
Armenian historic and cultural monuments.

Touching upon the preservation of monuments in Armenia, the Nakhichevan
expert noted that non-professional organizations are involved in
restoring historic monuments and considered that inadmissible.

From: A. Papazian