Author: Badalian Vardan

YEREVAN HOME COLLAPSES, 1 DEAD

10:43, 06.04.2015
Region:Armenia
Theme: Incidents

YEREVAN. – The Ministry of Territorial Administration and Emergency
Situations received a call on Sunday at 6:55pm.

Accordingly, an explosion was heard from a house in capital city
Yerevan, whereupon the home had partially collapsed. The source also
informed that a person was affected.

Two firefighting squads were dispatched to the scene.

It was found out that the house had completely collapsed, and the
affected, H. K., was taken to the Saint Gregory the Illuminator
Medical Center in Yerevan.

And Center Intensive Care Unit Head Gagik Manukyan told Armenian
News-NEWS.am that the patient died on Monday morning.

Manukyan noted that H. K. was admitted to the hospital in a very
critical condition and had sustained multiple injuries.

FIVE ARMENIANS KILLED AT CONSTRUCTION SITE IN RUSSIA

18:29, 06.04.2015
Region:Armenia, Russia
Theme: Incidents

YEREVAN. – Five Armenians were killed at the construction site in
Krasnodar Region of Russia on March 28.

Three of them were natives of Jermuk, another two from Hrazdan and
Nor Kharberd village, mayor of the village Kamo Kakoyan told Armenian
News-NEWS.am.

The crane working at the construction site fell onto the building,
collapsing it and killing the workers. The funeral of the killed took
place on April 3.

Armenia News – NEWS.am

AZERBAIJANI SINGER TAKES OFFENSE AT BIG APPLE MUSIC AWARDS ORGANIZERS AND SPECULATES ABOUT ‘ARMENIAN FACTOR’

15:13 06/04/2015 >> SOCIETY

Some time ago Azerbaijani media, citing People’s Artist of Azerbaijan
Aygun Kazimova’s page in the social network, reported that she
had allegedly rejected her prestigious Big Apple Music Awards and
dismissed their invitation to the awards ceremony due in July of
the current year because the organizers are Armenian. However, it
eventually turned out that Kazimova was rejected the award in the same
nomination where another People’s Artist of Azerbaijan, Brilliant
Dadasheva, had earlier been awarded. So, she ended up spreading
all sorts of rumors about the Big Apple Music Awards organizers,
Azerbaijani media outlet Moderator.az writes.

According to the article, Gulshan Kurbanbayeva sent an open letter to
the Azerbaijani press expressing her regret that the topic was still
being actively discussed on the Azerbaijani information platforms.

“Last year Brilliant Dadasheva was a Big Apple Awards winner. Later
we got an application-offer from Aygun Kazimova to take part in
the competition and approved it. Notably, she sent the completed
application form of the contest from her personal e-mail and
even thanked that her application was approved. However, she later
declared that she also wanted to get an award in the same nomination as
Brilliant Dadasheva. We calmly explained to her that it was impossible
as that nomination was designed only for traditional music performers.

Sadly, the angered singer, who apparently could not repeat Dadasheva’s
success, started to spread rumors about our Awards,” the representative
of the Awards said. She added that if some young star behaved like
that, they would try to understand her, yet the 45-year-old Azerbaijani
singer’s intention to achieve her aim using such methods was neither
comprehensible nor acceptable.

Remarkably, Kazimova’s producer, Tarikh Aliyev, in an interview to
Azerbaijani media outlet Qafqazinfo, flatly denied the statements
of the letter. He went on claiming that the Azerbaijani singer will
not take part in the Awards because of the Armenian organizers,
and threatened to fly to the US and ‘clear up all the matters with
that Kurbanbayeva.’

People’s Artist of Azerbaijan Brilliant Dadashova had become an object
of severe criticism after the media spread information according to
which the singer was honored with Big Apple Music Awards: the award
was organized by an Armenian company working in the US.

Earlier, in 2009, a questioning took place in Azerbaijan of everyone
who had dared to vote for the Armenian representatives in Eurovision
Song Contest. Then the Turkish singer Hadise also became the target
of Azerbaijani hysteria because of her brave position concerning the
issue of the Armenia-Turkey border opening.

It is also remarkable that the Azerbaijani media write that the recent
period has seen an increase of articles and stories about Armenia
and the Armenians in the press of the country that contain insults,
obscene language and unflattering remarks. In early November 2014,
the head of the Department of expertise, programming and analytics
of the National Television and Radio Council of Azerbaijan, Tavakyul
Dadashev, called on Azerbaijani media to go on using insults in the
articles about Armenia as much as possible.

Recently calls to ‘keep away’ from the Armenians yet another time were
voiced in the Azerbaijani media, and even a most insignificant contact
with the Armenians was characterized as ‘criminal collaboration against
the interests of Azerbaijan.’ Moreover, the cultural representatives
who had ever taken a photo with an Armenian and posted the selfie on
the social networks were sharply criticized.

Related:

Azerbaijani singer faces criticism in homeland because of selfie with
Georgian and Armenian nationals

Another “Armenian scandal” boils up in Azerbaijan; this time bullying
victim became folk singer

Azerbaijan’s Attack On Eurovision Voters and Hadise

Yeni Musavat: Armenophobia becomes nation-wide activity in Azerbaijan

In Azerbaijan they call to make abusive speeches on air addressed
to Armenia

BBC ON THE EASTER CELEBRATION AT ARMENIAN CHURCH OF DIYARBAKIR

14:49, 6 April, 2015

YEREVAN, 6 APRIL, ARMENPRESS. The Saint Giragos Armenian Church of
Diyarbakir celebrated Easter. As “Armenpress” reports, the Turkish
service of BBC prepared a special report on the festive mood and
ceremonies at the Armenian church.

The BBC reporter mentions that eggs are painted on one side of the
church, and the pastry for Easter is made on the other side. Semiha
Demir, 57, who had come to help prepare for Easter, said his two
grandfathers were Armenian, but had converted to Islam.

The reporter also mentions that the expression “My grandfather was
also Armenian”, is very common in Diyarbakir, as well as in the
nearby regions. One of them is Knar, who was baptized four years ago
and was busy preparing the eggs. “I am from Sasun. My grandfather
was forcefully converted when he was 17. His name was Chuchan, but
he became Abdurrahman,” Knar said, adding that her husband has also
been baptized and has returned to his Armenian roots.

Ayten Ekij, one of the participants, also shared her story and
mentioned that even though she is one of the grandchildren of
survivors, the Turks weren’t able to eliminate them.

The reporter mentions that there are currently very few Armenians
living in Diyarbakir and that 50 of them have returned to their
Armenian identity. Sargis Eken, 78, is the only one who was born and
raised as an Armenian in Diyarbakir. He has health problems, and even
though he had promised to come to the church to celebrate Easter,
he hadn’t been able to keep his word.

After the Holy Mass at the church, the painted eggs and Easter pastries
were handed to the attending guests.

S.O.S METS AYRUM PUBLIC CAMPAIGN INVITING JOURNALISTS AND GREEN ACTIVISTS TO MEDIA CAMPAIGN

14:43 April 03, 2015

EcoLur

Through the network of Aarhus Centers S.O.S Mets Ayrum public campaign
is inviting journalists and green activists to visit those areas,
which are exposed to environmental disaster because of the tailing
dumps owned by Akhtala Ore Dressing Combine and jeopardize Mets Ayrum
and Tchotchkan villagers.

ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN RELATIONS ANCHORED ON CLOSE FOREIGN POLICY COORDINATION – FM NALBANDIAN

17:22 * 06.04.15

In an interview with the Russian publication International Affairs,
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian spoke of the Armenian-Russian
strategic alliance, the developments in Ukraine, the integration
processes in Armenia following the country’s accession to the Eurasian
Economic Union, and the Armenia-Turkey relations.

The minister said he thinks that Armenia’s membership in the economic
bloc of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus will pave the country’s way
to a more protected market, increasing its trade potentials.

“We believe that the four freedoms underlying the Eurasian Economic
Union – the movement of goods, services, capital and labor force – will
be an additional stimulus for the economy and its better integration
into the EEU.

“It enables us to have a more simplified, I would say freer access
to protected goods markets and the common services’ market of the
Eurasian Union, bring investments, create industrial and agricultural
cooperatives, enter the resource base without customs fees and the
EEU transport corridors, facilitate the migration regime etc.

“The advantages are obvious,” he said.

The minister further spoke of the Armenian-Russian strategic alliance.

“Our bilateral relations are specific in terms of the close
foreign policy coordination, the effective military-political
and military-technical cooperation, successful partnership in the
trade-economic, energy and transport sectors, the decentralized
cooperation gaining more momentum by every year and the continuously
developing mutual cooperation in culture, and science and education.

Russia is our main trade partner and main investor in Armenia’s
economy. Over 1,400 joint ventures operate in our country and over
250 bilateral documents have been signed.

“The Armenian-Russian relations are strengthened thanks to effective
cooperation within international and regional organizations, including
the UN and the OSCE; I would especially single out the CSTO [Collective
Security Treaty Organization], the CIS [Commonwealth of Independent
States] and, of course, the Eurasian Economic Union. We continue the
search for new long-term trends to invest joint efforts.

“Whatever the interstate relations, they cannot be really strong if
there isn’t warmth in the relations between the peoples and among
people. In that connection, I would like to emphasize especially
the deep relations uniting our peoples and ordinary individuals,
which have stood the test of time.”

“The minister said he very much regrets for the developments in Ukraine
and tensions in that country’s relations with Russia. “That’s first
of all a grief that [provokes] a sense of a deep sympathy. It is not
only through diplomatic channels that the situation is familiar to
us. An Armenian community of 1.5 million people resides in all the
regions of Ukraine.”

“We are confident that the current situation has to find its solution
through a dialogue; that is why we were among the first countries
to welcome the agreements in Minsk, the declaration by the Normandy
Quartet leaders and the signing by the Contact Group of comprehensive
measures aimed at the implementation of the Minsk agreements,”
Nalbandian said, expressing hope that the deals would help reach a
comprehensive solution, paving way for peace and stability.

The minister said he finds that the sanctions against Russia affect
not only the sides involved in the conflict but also other countries.

“It cannot be in anyone’s interests,” he said, “We think that ways
for settling the problems can be searched only through negotiations
and a dialogue.”

The minister further commented on the upcoming commemorations of the
Armenian Genocide centenary and their impact on Armenia’s foreign
policies towards its direct neighbors. “The 100th anniversary of the
Genocide will be marked this year in Armenia, as well as around the
globe. Thousands of events are planned. They will focus on four key
trends, paying first of all the tribute of respect to the Genocide
victims. The Armenian Apostolic Church is going to canonize the
Armenian Genocide victims. ”

“The second trend is the gratitude to those who lent a helping hand to
the Armenian people at the moment of ordeal. And there are many such
countries and peoples. The Armenian people were not left alone. So
the 100th anniversary is an occasion to deliver a word of gratitude
yet another time.

“The third direction involves the efforts towards the prevention of new
genocides and new crimes against humanity. It is important not only for
Armenia and the Armenian people but also the international community.

“If the crime against humanity, committed behind the veil of World War
I, had been duly condemned, it would have been possible to prevent
all the others, including those committed behind the veil of World
War II and the crimes against humanity perpetrated later.”

“And the last, fourth trends is rebirth. The Armenian nation not only
survived the Genocide but also managed to be born anew. We were able
to recreate our statehood and our independence, to revive our culture
and science. And it was not only Armenia that saw the rebirth. The
Armenians managed to set up homes in many countries of the world,
promoting and still continuing to bring their contribution to those
countries’ development.

“We, together with the international community, will commemorate the
Genocide centennial under the slogan Never Again,” he said referring,
further to the genocide prevention and condemntation resolutions
submitted to different international organizations, including the UN
and the Council of Europe.

“The Armenians around the world agree unanimously that the Genocide
must be condemned by the international community, but all those
who consider themselves part of the civilized world and share the
universal human values,” the minister added.

Nalbandian said that despite Armenia’s proactive steps to normalize
its relations with Turkey (the negotiations launched back in 2008
upon President Serzh Sargsyan’s initiative and the signing of the 2009
Swiss-mediated protocols aimed at the normalization of bilateral ties
and opening of the closed interstate border), the Turkish leadership
failed to demonstrate willingness to push ahead with the process
peacefully, imposing instead its preconditions on Armenia. “What’s
even more, the policy of denial and forging history is gaining a new
momentum in Turkey.”

“Last August. I delivered to President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan the
invitation by President Serzh Sargsyan to attend the April 24, 2015
[centennial commemoration] events in Yerevan. Unfortunately, our
invitation remained unanswered, becoming yet another lost opportunity
for Turkey,” Nalbandian added.

Daily Sabah, Turkey
April 4 2015

Ankara: Greek Cypriots banning denial of genocide not worthy of comment

DAILY SABAH WITH ANADOLU AGENCY
ISTANBUL

Ankara has rejected the Greek Cypriot law banning denial of Armenian
claims over the 1915 incidents. Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju
Bilgiç said in a statement late on Thursday: “Greek Cyprus’s decision
is null and void for Turkey and not worthy of comment.”

“It is without doubt that those who try to exploit the 1915 incidents
at every opportunity by using simple political ambitions cannot get
any result,” Bilgiç added.

Earlier on Thursday, Greek Cypriot parliament passed into law a bill
that criminalizes disavowal of Armenian allegations over the incidents
of 1915, what they term as genocide, involving the Ottoman Empire
during World War I.

Thursday’s move by Greek Cyprus, which remains at odds with the
Turkish Cyprus over the future of the divided island, came in the very
month when Armenia will hold a mass commemoration ceremony in the
capital Yerevan to mark the 100th anniversary of the 1915 incidents on
April 24.

The draft bill, which was jointly submitted by all political parties
to Greek Cypriot parliament, can impose a penalty five years in prison
and fine of ?10,000 on those who deny the Armenian genocide. Vartkes
Mahdessian, a lawmaker of Armenian origin in the Greek Cypriot
assembly, also announced that a series of events would be organized in
Greek Cyprus to mark the 1915 events.

President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an recently said Armenia would not gain
anything from propaganda against Turkey. Armenians will commemorate
the 100th anniversary of the 1915 incidents, which they term as
genocide, on April 24. Armenia also accelerated its efforts in the
international arena to convince countries recognize the incidents as
genocide. It has, however, received little support thus far. Yet
countries like Norway and Australia have said they will not attend the
ceremonies in Yerevan and avoided Armenian pressure to officially
define the incidents as genocide. “The purpose of this campaign
against Turkey is to treat our country as an enemy instead of keeping
Armenians’ sorrow alive,” ErdoÄ?an said as he called on Armenians to
study archives pertaining to the era in order to uncover what actually
happened between the Ottoman government and its Armenian subjects.

The 1915 incidents took place during World War I when a portion of the
Armenian population living in the Ottoman Empire sided with the
invading Russians and revolted against the empire. A decision by the
Ottoman Empire to forcibly relocate Armenians to eastern Anatolia
followed the revolts and there were some Armenian casualties during
the relocation process.

Spondasud News-Italia
02 apr 2015

Petizione. 24 aprile: 100° anniversario del genocidio armeno ` La TV
non lo dimentichi

Gentili Direttori,

il 24 aprile ricorre il centesimo anniversario del genocidio armeno.
Oltre 1.500.000 mila armeni furono sterminati durante le estenuanti
`marce della morte’, dall’Anatolia orientale verso le zone
desertiche.
Sul genocidio vige un silenzio colpevole, che va rimosso, nel rispetto
della verità storica.
Nel `giorno della memoria’ sarebbe opportuno che le emittenti
televisive dedicassero alcune ore a questa immane tragedia.
Non mancano preziose testimonianze riportate in numerosi documentari e
anche il cinema ha prodotto opere di grande pregio, purtroppo
sistematicamente ignorate in Italia.
Si trascrivono, di seguito, i film e i documentari più importanti
disponibili sull’argomento.

FILM
Mayrig, di Henri Verneuil (1991)
Quella strada chiamata paradiso, di Henri Verneuil (1992)
Ararat, di Atom Egoyan (2002)
La masseria delle allodole, di Paolo e Vittorio Taviani (2007)
(Basato sul romanzo omonimo di Antonia Arslan)
Il padre (The Cut), di Fatih Akın (2014) ` (Al cinema dal 9 aprile)

DOCUMENTARI
Screamers, di Carla Garapedian (2006)
Memories, di Avedis Ohanian (2006)
Storie senza storia, di Paolo Facco e Federico Rorato, (2008)
I figli dell’Ararat, di Piero Marrazzo (2012)

L’umanità intera ha un debito nei confronti del popolo armeno, anche
in considerazione delle distoniche logiche di `realpolitik’, che
inducono tanti stati a obnubilare la veritÃ.
L’Italia, per fortuna, è tra i 21 stati che hanno riconosciuto il
genocidio armeno, ma tanto i fatti accaduti, quanto le problematiche
che da essi scaturiscono, sono ancora materia ignota per troppe
persone.
Cerchiamo di colmare questa lacuna.

Central de Noticias, Argentina
4 abril 2015

Diputados proponen adherir al día de acción por la tolerancia y el
respeto entre los pueblos.

Ingresó en la Cámara Baja de la provincia un proyecto por el que se
propone adherir a la Ley nacional 26.199, mediante la que se declaró
el 24 de abril de todos los años como ‘Día de acción por la tolerancia
y el respeto entre los pueblos’, en conmemoración del genocidio del
que fue víctima el pueblo armenio y con el espíritu de que su memoria
sea una lección permanente sobre los pasos del presente y las metas de
nuestro futuro, informaron a AIM.

La iniciativa que busca que el Estado entrerriano se pliegue mediante
una norma a la conmemoración del genocidio del que fue víctima el
pueblo armenio ingresó en la última sesión y pasó a la comisión de
Legislación General para su análisis.

Este 24 de abril se cumplen 100 años del inicio del primer genocidio
del siglo XX. Entre 1915 y 1923, alrededor de 1.500.000 armenios
fueron víctimas de masacres y deportaciones en manos del estado turco
otomano, abriendo un círculo de violencia, intolerancia y horror a
escala mundial.

La fecha evoca el arresto y asesinato de 800 personas de origen
armenio, entre los que se encontraban intelectuales, líderes
religiosos y políticos, profesionales y artistas de ese origen. En una
sola noche, el gobierno turco eliminó a todos aquellos que podían
elevar la voz del pueblo armenio y denunciar ante la comunidad
internacional las atrocidades que sobrevendrían: más asesinatos;
deportaciones masivas de mujeres, niños y ancianos que morían en su
marcha forzada por el desierto, así como la destrucción sistemática de
cualquier vestigio de la cultura armenia. El 24 de abril resume
simbólicamente todos aquellos crímenes de lesa humanidad, que las
fuerzas del impero turco-otomano cometieron en perjuicio del pueblo
armenio.

Esta matanza, silenciada mediante presiones y extorciones del gobierno
turco durante décadas, fue reconocida como un genocidio en 1985 por la
subcomisión de Prevención de las Discriminaciones y Protección a las
Minorías de Naciones Unidas.

El genocidio es un delito internacional que, según la definición de la
Convención para la prevención y la Sanción del Delito de Genocidio,
comprende “cualquiera de los actos perpetrados con la intención de
destruir, total o parcialmente, a un grupo nacional, étnico, racial o
religioso como tal”, estos actos comprenden la “matanza y lesión grave
a la integridad física o mental de los miembros del grupo,
sometimiento intencional del grupo a condiciones de existencia que
hayan de acarrear su destrucción física, total o parcial, medidas
destinadas a impedir nacimientos en el seno del grupo, traslado por la
fuerza de niños del grupo a otro grupo”.

El recuerdo del genocidio armenio interpela a la sociedad actual sobre
las consecuencias que pueden generar la intolerancia y la
discriminación, e invita a reflexionar sobre el significado del
respeto entre los pueblos y las personas y la importancia de una
memoria activa y permanente contra la injusticia y la impunidad. El
reconocimiento, el repudio y la denuncia son las bases para la
prevención de que este aberrante delito pueda volver a ocurrir.

Avvenire Italia
4 aprile 2015

ARMENI Papa Benedetto XV contro il genocidio

Vito Punzi
4 aprile 2015

Dopo una lunga ricerca sviluppatasi tra Archivio Segreto Vaticano e
nunziature di Monaco di Baviera e Vienna, lo storico Michael Hesemann
ha appena pubblicato i frutti del suo lavoro dedicato al genocidio
degli armeni (Völkermord an den Armeniern, Herbig Verlag, pp. 352,
euro 25), il cui valore è dato dall’aver potuto consultare circa
duemila pagine di documentazione inedita. Autore di una biografia su
Pio XII, nel 2008 il tedesco di Düsseldorf stava lavorando ad un
secondo libro sul Pastor Angelicus al fine di dimostrare in forma
ancor più convincente il suo impegno coraggioso a difesa degli ebrei
perseguitati, quando – ottenendo per la prima volta l’accesso
all’Archivio Segreto Vaticano – poté prendere visione dei documenti
concernenti l’attività di Pacelli quale nunzio a Monaco e Berlino
negli anni 1917-1929.

>.

Ci sono dunque novità emergenti da quegli atti? Il suo libro aveva
forse l’intento di riscrivere la storia del genocidio armeno?
.

Che cosa in concreto?
.

Nel suo libro lei accusa duramente il Reich, nel senso che il
genocidio armeno avrebbe potuto essere evitato…