Author: Antonian Lara

LARISA ALAVERDYAN: ARMENIAN-TURKISH PROCESS STILL IN DEADLOCK

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 14, 2010 – 18:19 AMT 13:19 GMT

Secretary of Heritage parliamentary group Larisa Alaverdyan said that
the statements by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan during his visit
to Washington prove that the Armenian authorities are not going to
damage relations with the Diaspora.

"However, I would like to note that the signing of the Armenian-Turkish
Protocols has significantly effected these relations," Mrs. Alaverdyan
told a press conference in Yerevan.

She noted that Heritage questions the efficiency of the meeting between
the Armenian President and Turkish Prime Minister in Washington, as
"separating lines" between Armenia and Turkey were defined more clearly
after it. "The meeting has not solved the current problems, to the
contrary – it has alienated the parties even more," the parliamentarian
said, adding that the Armenian-Turkish process is still in a deadlock.

According to Mrs. Alaverdyan, the main reason for the postponement
of the Armenian-Turkish Protocols ratification by Turkey is not the
factor of Azerbaijan but rather Ankara’s inability to solve three
tasks simultaneously – termination of the worldwide campaign for
recognition of the Armenian Genocide, achievement of progress in the
Karabakh conflict settlement and recognition of its borders by Armenia.

As for the usage of the term Genocide by Barack Obama on April 24,
she said it will be in focus of U.S. electors, who expect their
President to keep his election pledge.

"After April 24, the Armenian-Turkish process will continue at a
very low rate. We believe that sooner or later a new process should
be started," the Secretary of Heritage parliamentary group said.

As to Azerbaijan’s threats of war, she thinks resumption of hostilities
in Karabakh unlikely.

NALBANDYAN-LAVROV MEETING IN WASHINGTON

Tert.am
11:42 14.04.10

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan held a meeting with
his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in the framework of the World
Nuclear Security Summit in Washington on April 13.

The two diplomats discussed a wide range of bilateral issues.

Nalbandyan and Lavrov also spoke about Armenia-Russia cooperation
in the framework of the OSCE and UN. They also exchanged ideas
over the situation in the region, including the settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

BAKU’S PROBLEMS OVER KARABAKH

The Messenger
April 13 2010
Georgia

Official Baku stresses that Armenia is ignoring the principles of
regulating the Karabakh conflict suggested by the OSCE Minsk Group,
and the Madrid principles too, but no pressure is being put on it by
the international community. Azeri newspaper Zerkalo comments that
the normalisation of Armenian-Turkish relations means Armenia is
winning rather than losing by taking such steps.

Baku is now taking some controversial steps, such as flirting with
Moscow and thus straining its relations with the West, but Baku has not
received from Moscow the kind of support it wanted. Moscow did not take
Baku’s side, and thus betray Yerevan. Baku has tried to apply pressure
on Turkey through its energy transport, but this has not worked either.

Azerbaijan now has a threefold problem. It has received no relief
concerning Karabakh, Baku’s flirtation with Russia has not yielded
positive results and relations with Turkey have become somewhat
controversial. Although Azerbaijan will not change its position on
Karabakh, upholding it continues to cause problems.

JAVAKHK DIASPORA OF RUSSIA CALLS ON GEORGIAN POLITICIANS TO SUPPORT ARMENIAN PEOPLE

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 13, 2010 – 17:09 AMT 12:09 GMT

The Javakhk Diaspora of Russia sent an appeal to leaders of opposition
parties and movements of Georgia with respect to the 95th anniversary
of the Armenian Genocide.

"The 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide is marked this year. On
April 24, 1915, the Ottoman Empire started mass annihilation of
Armenians. Over 1.5 million Armenians have become victims of the
massacres, while hundreds of thousand Armenians had to leave their
lands and migrate. The Armenian Genocide has become the first
large-scale crime of the 20th century against humanity by ethnic
feature. The actions of the imperial Turkish government comply
with corpus delicti of Genocide and fall under its definition in
international law.

The current authorities of Georgia ignore numerous appeals of Armenians
to recognize the Armenian Genocide, while Turkey rejects its fact
and distorts the truth. We have repeatedly stated that the Armenian
Genocide recognition will force Turkey to respect international
opinion, to wipe off the "dirt" from its people’s face and establish
good neighborly relations with its important neighbors – Armenia and
Georgia. This is the most real and fair way to solve the issue of
establishing peace at South Caucasus," the appeal reads.

WATERTOWN’S ARMENIAN MUSEUM OFFERS FREE ADMISSION APRIL 18-25

Watertown TAB & Press
April 13 2010
MA

WATERTOWN — As Armenians commemorate the 95th anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide this month, the Armenian Library and Museum of
America in Watertown will extend its museum hours and offer free
admission from April 18-25.

The Museum will be open every day from 1 to 5 p.m. in addition to
its regular Museum hours.

Visitors can see an exhibit on the ongoing cultural genocide, a
permanent installation on the Armenian genocide, and a fascinating
exhibit titled "Who Are the Armenians?" among several other exhibits.

ALMA is the largest Armenian museum in the Diaspora and the largest
ethnic museum in Massachusetts with more than 20,000 artifacts and
27,000 library titles in its collections. Its exhibits intend to
highlight and honor the rich heritage, history and culture of the
Armenian people.

ALMA is located at 65 Main St. in Watertown, Mass. Metered parking
is available in the municipal parking lot located directly behind ALMA.

LAWMAKER: ARMENIA HAILS EVERY EFFORT TO PREVENT NAZISM GLORIFICATION

/ARKA/
April 12, 2010
YEREVAN

Armenia hails every effort to prevent Nazism glorification, Hermine
Naghdalyan, the head of the economic committee at the National Assembly
of Armenia, said Monday at a Moscow-Minsk-Kiev- Chisinau-Yerevan
video bridge in Novosti International Press Center in Yerevan.

"We find revision and falsification of the war facts as well as lapses
of historical memory very dangerous," she said at this video bridge
dedicated to the victory in World War II.

Naghdalyan thinks that legislative and executive authorities should
do whatever necessary to prevent dissemination of Nazi ideas among
the youth.

Addressing her colleagues participating in the video bridge, Naghdalyan
said: "This produces very regrettable results, which are sometimes
seen today. We attach great importance to your efforts, support you and
ask you to remain steadfast in your determination to stop this."

BAYRAM SAFAROV: "ARMENIA SHOULD SERIOUSLY THINK ABOUT THE SOLUTION TO THE CONFLICT"

APA
April 12 2010
Azerbaijan

Baku. Lachin Sultanova-APA. "Recent statements by president Serzh
Sargsyan on self-determination of the population of Nagorno Karabakh
are not serious.

The manifestation of such a position is an open demonstration of
unwillingness to early settlement of the conflict", said Chairman of
the Public Union "Azerbaijani community of Nagorno Karabakh" Bayram
Safarov in his interview to the website of New Azerbaijan Party,
APA reports.

Safarov noted that the opinion of the Azerbaijani community on
determination the Nagorno Karabakh status should be taken into
consideration as well: "This is not only a position of Azerbaijani
side, but also the position of OSCE Minsk Group. The co-chairs have
spoken about it several times".

To the community chairman, despite these statements by Armenian
president, Armenians residing in Nagorno-Karabakh want to remain
within Azerbaijan: "The accelerated development of Azerbaijan is
clear to the entire world. Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh are living
in poor conditions. So simple Armenians want to stay and live within
Azerbaijan.

Bayram Safarov said that Armenia should seriously think about the
solution to the conflict: "Azerbaijan has strong army that is ready
to liberate the occupied territories".

PROTOCOLS’ RATIFICATION IN TURKISH PARLIAMENT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE: ZAMAN

news.am
April 12 2010
Armenia

NEWS.am posts the full text of Turkish analyst Yavuz Baydar’s article
"Sargsyan and Erdogan: What to do now?" on Turkish Zaman daily website.

"After some & ‘ifs and buts’ Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan
and FM Ahmet Davutoglu will be present in Washington, D.C., for the
nuclear security summit and will use the occasion to intensely discuss
where to go in the paralyzed &’normalization process’ with Armenia,"
the source reports.

"Developments in the global scene should have taught Turkish leaders
that the historic dimensions of what happened to Ottoman Armenians in
1915 need proper closure, before the centenary of the Great Armenian
Tragedy in 2015. The pursuit of truth by independent scholars will have
to go on, and the media will commemorate this event — among other
tragedies in the horrendous 20th century-with old and new material,"
the daily reads.

"One such example was a detailed documentary aired by German ARD TV.

Called &’Aghet’ (Catastrophe), the 90-minute program contained some
new material, also highlighting the passive involvement of German
officers (Ottoman allies in World War I) and the open knowledge of
Berlin of what took place in Anatolia," the source says.

"But what will be done today is at least as important as knowing
more about the past. All the sides involved now act with knowledge
that time is the enemy of the process, particularly in regard to
the political &’high pressure’ in Turkey and a growing concern that
political forces in Armenia against &’normalization’ might replace
RA President Serzh Sargsyan in the next elections. The U.S. Congress
has become irritated by what it saw as &’Ankara dragging its feet,
just to leave the issue to posterity.’

In today’s Turkey, passing the protocols in Parliament is almost
impossible, given the difficult circumstances and an overloaded
agenda. On the other hand, Yerevan knows that the patience expected
of it might strengthen the mindset in Armenia that &’Turks are never
to be trusted.’

&’What to do? The recent visits to Yerevan and Baku by Feridun
Sinirlioglu, Turkish FM undersecretary, seem to have eased the tension
a bit. Yet the real deal will be in Washington, on what to say and
do and how to involve the two leaders in some concrete steps, which
seem necessary. The priority might be given to those steps that do
not necessitate an approval of the Protocols in the parliaments,’
the daily informs.

"A fine set of short-term proposals are to be found in a fresh paper
written by Thomas de Waal-a prominent expert on the Caucasus-for
the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He outlines the
following points: a) an opening of the Armenia-Turkey border for
noncommercial travelers; b) a limited opening of a zone next to the
Armenia-Turkey border that contains the medieval Armenian city of Ani,
now just inside Turkish territory; c) a Turkish government initiative
to invite Diaspora Armenians to visit the ancient Armenian heritage
sites of Anatolia; and d) the opening of a regular Turkish Airlines
route between Istanbul and Yerevan. De Waal also suggests that the
Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan is a "potential ‘win-win’ area"
in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, noting, "All sides would win if
Armenia were to agree to open up communications and rebuild shared
infrastructure with Nakhchivan in tandem with the opening of the
Armenia-Turkey border," the author adds.

In addition, Ankara "may encourage respected Turkish universities to
invite prominent scholars of the diaspora for a series of regular(ized)
conferences in Turkey with independent (not &’state sponsored’)
Turkish academics to openly discuss (not bargain over) the history,"
he reckons.

These conferences are likely to prepare the stage for the "long-term
strategy" for 2015. In conclusion the expert refers to President Obama:
"The president could deliver a message on April 24, 2010, in which
he notes that the centenary commemorations are now five years away
and pledges that, if still in office, he will join in those events
(perhaps even in Yerevan), but in which he also promises the Turks a
little peace until then by affirming his faith in the internal debate
in Turkey. Obama could say, ‘We hope to mark this tragic date with
our Turkish friends, and not without them’."

"I can only agree. The ARD documentary, revealing &’passive German
involvement,’ and, to a degree, a &’shared responsibility,’ is also
helpful in a sense that Turkey can and must be assisted by its friends
to develop a ‘joint link’ to its past," the analyst concludes.

PRIME MINISTER OF TURKEY SURE THAT TURKISH-U.S. RELATIONS HAVE EASED

ArmInfo
2010-04-12 13:09:00

ArmInfo. Turkey’s Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on April 11 before
flying to the United States that Turkish-U.S. relations had become
less rigid, thanks to talks between executives after the Committee
on Foreign Affairs of the U.S. House of Representatives adopted a
resolution acknowledging the Armenian allegations on the incidents
of 1915, Turkish mass media report.

"Our relations are milder now after the U.S. Secretary of State
called our Foreign Minister, and we have sent back our ambassador to
Washington D.C.", Erdogan said. He also said Turkey was still backing
its views expressed in a letter sent to former Armenian President
Robert Kocharian in 2005. Turkey thought such issues could not be
solved by parliaments, but they should be handled by historical
committees, Erdogan said.

To recall, Turkey had recalled its ambassador to the United States
Namik Tan after the Foreign Relations Committee of the United
States House of Representatives adopted a resolution on the Armenian
Genocide. Tan returned to Washington D.C. on April 6.

Le Monde, France
6 avril 2010 mardi

Arshile Gorky, une vie de roman, cinq années de peinture

La Tate Modern de Londres consacre une rétrospective à cet Américain
singulier

ART

Les Parisiens en ont eu un avant-goût en 2007, avec deux petites
expositions au Centre Pompidou et au Centre Calouste Gulbenkian. Mais,
pour une vision complète, il faut traverser la Manche.

La Tate Modern de Londres réunit jusqu’au 3 mai quelque deux cents
oeuvres, peintures et dessins, d’Arshile Gorky (1904-1948), le premier
" héros " de l’art moderne américain. Héros méconnu, mis en lumière
par pas moins de trois biographies publiées depuis 1998, qui lèvent un
coin du voile sous lequel Gorky lui-même s’est ingénié à se camoufler.

En commençant par adopter un pseudonyme. Gorky est en effet né
Vosdanig Adoian, au village de Khorkom, dans une province arménienne
de la frontière orientale de la Turquie. Il a 6 ans quand son père
abandonne le foyer pour partir tenter sa chance aux Etats-Unis, 11
quand sa famille et le reste de sa communauté villageoise sont
déportés par les Turcs à la frontière du Caucase, 15 quand sa mère
meurt de misère et de malnutrition, autant que du typhus. En 1920, il
rejoint son père à Boston et étudie dans une école de dessin. Il s’y
révèle si doué qu’après deux ans il y est recruté comme professeur !

En 1925, Gorky déménage à New York, enseigne à la Grand Central School
of Art et se choisit un nouveau nom en hommage à l’écrivain russe
Maxime Gorki, grand défenseur de la cause arménienne. Il laissera
entendre qu’il en est le cousin et s’inventera une biographie bien Ã
lui, avec une naissance à Nijni Novgorod, l’enseignement de Kandinsky
et des études à Paris… Il professe son admiration pour Cézanne, très
perceptible en effet dans les premiers tableaux de l’exposition. Il se
tourne ensuite vers Picasso, Braque, Léger, puis Miro.

Bref, les six premières salles sur les douze que compte l’exposition
ne réjouiront que les amateurs de pastiches. Au point que, en 1932, le
galeriste Julien Levy, auquel il montrait ses oeuvres, lui aurait
déclaré qu’il l’exposerait peut-être, mais quand il ferait du Gorky !

Une septième salle, comme une pause dans le parcours, montre des
tableaux très différents, très figuratifs, qui témoignent mieux que
d’autres de sa nature torturée. La plupart sont consacrés à sa mère,
auprès de laquelle il se représente enfant, mais aussi à sa soeur et Ã
d’autres membres de la famille. Sur un tableau de 1937, il peint son
autoportrait, mais se représente sans mains.

Matta conte fleurette

Les dernières salles montrent le Gorky enfin devenu Gorky, qu’admira
André Breton. C’est le sculpteur Isamu Noguchi qui le lui présenta en
1944. La même année, Julien Levy lui consacre enfin l’exposition
promise et lui signe un contrat. En 1947, consécration, ses tableaux
figurent en bonne place à l’Exposition internationale du surréalisme
qu’organise Breton à la Galerie Maeght, à Paris.

Mais il rencontre aussi le peintre Roberto Matta, qui devient un ami
proche – hélas ! car, en bon camarade, Matta conte fleurette à son
épouse, laquelle cède aux arguments du beau Chilien. Apprenant son
infortune, mais aussi rendu incapable de peindre à la suite d’un
accident de voiture, Gorky se pend le 21 juillet 1948. Breton lui
consacre un poème en forme d’éloge funèbre et fait exclure Matta du
groupe surréaliste pour " ignominie morale et disqualification
intellectuelle "…

D’obédience surréaliste, donc, mais pas seulement : dès sa mort, en
1948, les critiques américains ont préféré en faire un précurseur de
l’expressionnisme abstrait. A voir les tableaux, surtout ceux produits
entre 1943 et 1948, on comprend pourquoi. Des signes plus que des
dessins, qui flottent dans l’espace de la toile, des couleurs parfois
stridentes, mais plus souvent suaves, délavées, une inventivité
formelle époustouflante.

Du Gorky, donc, et une oeuvre d’autant plus surprenante qu’elle a été
réalisÃ& #xA9;e en l’espace de cinq ans seulement.

.

Harry Bellet

" Arshile Gorky – A Retrospective "Tate Modern, Bankside, Londres
(Royaume-Uni). Tél. : (00-44)-20-78-87-86-87. Entrée : 10 £ (11 ¤). Du
dimanche au jeudi, de 10 heures à 18 heures ; vendredi et samedi, de
10 heures à 22 heures. Jusqu’au 3 mai.