Author: Chakrian Hovsep

ARMENIANS BECAME A TOOL FOR KILLING MILLIONS OF INNOCENT MUSLIMS, MCCARTHY

Anatolian Times, Turkey
March 19 2006

ISTANBUL – American historian Justin McCarthy has indicated that
unfortunately, Armenians became a tool for killing millions of innocent
Muslims who had lived in the lands of Ottoman Empire.

Different aspects of Armenian issue during and after the First World
War were discussed at an international conference on “New Approaches
to Turkish-Armenian Relations” at the Istanbul University.

McCarthy said that Armenian people caused a threat for Ottoman people
because they were spies of Russia during the Russian occupation.

Noting that Armenian people aided Russia during this period, he
said that they contributed significantly to the losses of Ottomans
and became a tool for killing millions of innocent Muslims. McCarthy
added that Ottomans were right in their efforts to take under control
the insurrection of Armenians.

Taking the floor at the conference, the main opposition Republican
People’s Party (CHP) Istanbul deputy Sukru Elekdag has indicated that
all facts showed that “Blue Book” was a good example of forgery and
falsification. Recalling that in the meeting held on April 13th, 2005,
Turkish parliament decided that Turkey and Armenia should establish
a joint commission, make public their archives and results of their
studies. Elekdag noted that it was a peaceful initiative, stating
that Armenians should accept this initiative.

Elekdag stated that the parliament sent letters regarding the book to
British House of Commons and House of Lords, asking them to apologize
to Turkey for mistakes in the book. “The book written by James Bryce
and Arnold Toynbee includes 150 documents and reports. Eyewitnesses
were mentioned in the book with their code names and they are not
real persons,” Elekdag stressed.

Noting that documents in “Blue Book” were groundless and false,
he said that now Armenians only have this false book.

On the other hand, Ara Sarafian, the editor of Gomidas Institute,
claimed that documents in the book could not be ignored.

Turkish History Institution Chairman Prof. Dr. Yusuf Halacoglu offered
Sarafian that a joint project could be conducted. “Let’s conduct a
project. What happened to Armenians in Anatolia? If there are any
mass graves, we can excavate them. If such a project is conducted,
many demagogical matters will be removed. We should search losses of
Turks as well.”

Sarafian said that he accepted the offer.

Moscow Submits 2006 Schedule of Military Bases’ Withdrawal

Civil Georgia, Georgia
March 18 2006

Georgian Deputy Defense Minister Mamuka Kudava said at a press
conference on March 17 that the Russian side has submitted 2006
timetable and detail plan of withdrawal of military hardware and
equipment from its two military bases in Georgia.

He said that the process of pullout of Russian military bases from
Georgia is still in progress, although the relevant agreement on “Terms
of Temporary Functioning, Rules and Withdrawal of Russian Military
Bases and Other Military Facilities of the Group of Russian Forces in
Trans Caucasus (GRVZ) Stationed on the Territory of Georgia” has not
been signed by the sides yet. The withdrawal process is carried out
under the joint declaration of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
and Georgian ex-Foreign Minister Salome Zourabichvili signed last May.

A total of 358 items of armament and vehicles will be withdrawn,
including 113 tanks and armored vehicles starting from May 12, 2006.

369 items of armament and vehicles will be transported to the Russian
102nd military base located in Gyumri, Armenia, including 35 tanks
and armored vehicles.

According to the plan, by the end of 2006, all the heavy military
hardware assigned to the Akhalkalaki military base will be completely
withdrawn from Georgia.

The Georgian Defense Ministry the Georgian side is also undertaking
steps to facilitate the withdrawal process. In particular, the issue
of granting visas to the Russian military servicemen and their family
members has been already settled; at the request of the Russian side
cargo loading platform has been built in Tsalka that will facilitate
the withdrawal of military hardware through railway from Akhalkalaki
military base; the Georgian side expressed readiness to assign a
certain number of trucks to assist in withdrawal of heavy military
hardware, according to the Georgian Defense Ministry.

Russia has already pulled out part of its military equipment from
Georgia as envisaged by the May 30, 2005 joint declaration of Foreign
Ministers of the two countries. 40 items of military equipment
(including 20 tanks), dozens of trucks and other vehicles were
withdrawn from the territory of Georgia in August 2005. Military
facilities (including the military shooting range “Gonio”, guarded
command point “Zvezda”, communication network point number 66 located
in Kojiri) have been transferred to the Ministry of Defence of Georgia.

Turkey: No opening border with Armenia before normalization of relations

New Anatolian, Turkey
March 18 2006

Turkish officials decisively informed U.S. Assistant Secretary of State
for European and Eurasian Affairs Daniel Fried that Ankara would not
open a border gate with Yerevan unless there was a normalization of
ties between Turkey and Armenia.

Fried, who paid an official visit to Ankara, met with Turkish Foreign
Ministry Undersecretary Ali Tuygan and Deputy Undersecretary Ahmet
Uzumcu late Thursday. During the meeting, he urged Ankara to open its
border gate with Armenia in order to facilitate the peace process in
the divided-enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, still a point of contention
between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

However, Ankara reiterated its previous position and made known that
the issue was part of the normalization process of relations between
Turkey and Armenia, sources said.

According to sources, Fried expressed Yerevan’s willingness to
normalize relations with Ankara. He also underlined both Armenia and
Azerbaijan’s decisiveness to find a solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh
dispute, making reference to his separate meetings with Armenian
President Robert Kocharian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

As a part of the U.S. efforts to contribute to a solution to the
Nagorno-Karabakh dispute, Fried visited Ankara following his round
of meetings in Caucuses.

Declining to predict a possible timetable regarding a solution on the
enclave, Fried told the Turkish officials of the U.S.’ readiness to
extend any kind of support for the solution.

Fried took up with his Turkish counterparts Iran’s nuclear program.

Ankara and Washington agreed to seek a diplomatic solution to the
crisis which emerged between the West and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear
ambitions, diplomatic sources told The New Anatolian. However,
according to the sources, Fried conveyed to Ankara that Washington
will not rule out military operations against Iran if the issue were
to be deadlocked.

The Cyprus problem also dominated the talks between Tuygan and Fried.

Tuygan stressed the necessity to end the isolation of Turkish
Cypriots. Although the Turkish side has always taken positive steps
towards a solution on the divided island, it has not got a positive
response from the international community, he said.

In criticism of the international community towards the Turkish
Cypriots, Tuygan told Fried that although the Greek Cypriots have
always been the uncompromising side, the international community has
always rewarded them, said the sources.

During a press conference on late Thursday following his talks Fried
also touched on the Armenian genocide claims, saying, “The attitude
of the U.S. on this issue is well known. U.S. President George W.

Bush is likely to make a statement on this issue in April, like
every year.”

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
March 17, 2006 Friday

GYUMRUI: WE CAME TO STAY

Source: Voyenno-Promyshlenny Kurier, No 10, March 15 – 21, 2006, p. 4
Translated by A. Ignatkin

Arms and military hardware withdrawn from Georgia will go to the
102nd Military Base

by Oleeg Falichev

THE RUSSIAN-ARMENIAN MILITARY COOPERATION IS FRUITFUL; An update on
Armenia, Russia’s strategic partner beyond the Caucasus Range.

There is a country beyond the Caucasus Range that unlike Georgia is a
bona fide strategic partner of Russia. This is Armenia. Russia and
Armenia signed Treaty on friendship, cooperation, and mutual
assistance (August 29, 1997). Both countries are signatories of the
Collective Security Treaty. The 102nd Russian Military Base is
quartered in Armenia and the border with Turkey and Iran is manned by
Russian border guards. President Vladimir Putin and Robert Kocharjan
proclaimed 2006, the Year of Armenia in Russia.

Armenian historians and politicians are out to have the international
community and first and foremost Turkey recognize genocide of the
Armenians in 1915.

Turkey convened several international conferences on genocide of the
Armenians in the Osmanian Empire not long ago. It indicates
recognition in Turkey of the fact that the process acknowledgement of
the genocide even by the countries like Latvia, Poland, and Slovakia
that do not boast of large Armenian diasporas cannot be stopped
anymore. Moreover, normal relations with all neighbors is one of the
requirements for membership in the European Union Ankara has coveted.
All the same, Turkey’s stand on the matter remains unchanged. It does
not even intend to open the border with Armenia, a fact that cannot
help affecting the situation in the region.

The situation on the border with Iran is much better. On the other
hand, the international situation Iran is in nowadays may
automatically generate problems for Armenia should the United States
decide to strike at Iran. It is therefore necessary to understand
Armenia’s interests. It does not appear however, that the Armenian
leadership is giving any thought to the matter even though a great
deal will depend on Armenia’s position in escalation of the
American-Iranian conflict. After all, Armenia is the territory that
may be used for the strike at Iran. No wonder the Americans are
discussing the use of the territory of Azerbaijan with official Baku.
As a matter of fact, neither is it possible nowadays to predict all
consequences of appearance of peacekeepers in the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict area. In short, there are lots of reasons that might turn
Armenia into an arena of regional wars – not to mention possibility
of a war in Nagorno-Karabakh itself where battalions stand poised and
ready…

Tension is rapidly mounting in yet another area close to Armenia. The
matter concerns Djavakhetia in Georgia, a region with an ethnic
Armenian population, Russian troops are leaving nowadays. The
Armenian are forced to leave too. There will be no jobs to be found
in Akhalkalaki once the Russians are gone. Ashot Melkonjan, Director
of the Institute of History, is convinced that the security concept
of the Republic of Armenia must account for the problem of
Djavakhetia too.

The Armenian population of Samtskhe-Djavakhetia regularly brought up
the matter of the status of autonomy after 1992, and inevitably
encountered all sorts of difficulties and obstacles. As for the
Russian base in Akhalkalaki (a district center in Djavakhetia) it is
about to be withdrawn. NATO troops will probably move in once the
Russian military is gone and they may include a Turkish contingent.

Deputy Premier and Defense Minister, Sergei Ivanov, visited Yerevan
in early 2006. Russian contracts for enterprises in Armenia turned
over to Russia for debts were discussed.

Ivanov visited the 102nd Military Base as well and said that
everything possible was done to improve combat readiness of the
Russian-Armenian army group within the framework of the bilateral
military cooperation. “Military-technical cooperation is successful
as well,” Ivanov said.

Armenian officers and trainees are being trained in Russian military
academies and colleges free of charge as of January 1, 2005. They
number almost 500 men nowadays. Now that Russia is withdrawing
military hardware from Georgia, it is common knowledge that some of
them will be moved to the 102nd Military Base. It does not mean that
all of that will remain in Armenia for good. The assumption that
Russia is arming its ally is incorrect. After all, blockade of
railroads has a disruptive effect on supplies to the Russian base in
Armenia and therefore on combat training. Munitions are at high
premium, saved whenever possible even in the course of live fire
practice.

The 1997 Treaty, between Russia and Armenia was followed by 45
military treaties between our countries (15 international, 20
treaties between governments and 10 between ministries and
departments). Six documents were ratified: Treaty on friendship,
cooperation, and mutual assistance; Treaty on the Russian military
base in Armenia; Agreement of the use of arms by servicemen of the
Russian base beyond its territory; Agreement on joint planning of
forces (means) in the interests of collective security; Agreement on
legal aspects of existence of the Russian military base and on mutual
legal assistance; Protocol No 4 on amendment to the Treaty on the
Russian military base in Armenia.

Negotiations between military delegations and meetings of defense
ministers are planned and regular. Chief of the General Staff,
General of the Army Yuri Baluyevsky, visited Armenia in 2005. Major
General S. Bainetov, Chief of the Flights Security Service of the
Russian Air Force, and Armenian Deputy Defense Minister Lieutenant
General A. Mirzabekjan met in Yerevan and signed an accord on
security of flights. Armenia is the only country in the Caucasus that
possesses sophisticated S-300s.

An important meeting of the Russian-Armenian working group took place
in Yerevan in August 2005, when financial aspects of the Russian
military presence in the Republic of Armenia were discussed and
decided on. It is common knowledge that Russian servicemen do not pay
for communal services and for the land they are using as shooting
ranges and testing sites. No other Russian military base abroad
enjoys this treatment.

Meeting of the CIS Council of Defense Ministers took place in Moscow
on November 30, 2005. Defense ministers of Russia and Armenia signed
a protocol between the governments of our countries on amendments of
the Accord on sites of the Russian military base in Armenia and
procedures of allocation of land plots. Working meetings of groups
for military and military-technical cooperation took place in Moscow
and Yerevan. Experts of foreign ministries of Russia and Armenia met
to discuss foreign political plans.

Joint actions should be commented on as well. The matter concerns
regular exercises for the command of the United Army Group, joint
exercises (on maps) with the United Command of the United Army Group,
conferences with senior officers of the Armed Forces of Armenia,
joint field exercises…

Generally speaking. The Russian-Armenian military cooperation is
fruitful. It will continue and advance. All of that proves that
Armenia had been and remains Russia’s outpost in the Caucasus.

Happy is the one who can call himself a Turk

Khilafah.com, UK
March 17 2006

In December 2005 the Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk was held on trail
for violating the Turkish Republic’s criminal code, article 301: the
crime of “denigrating Turkishness”. The novelist faced nationalist
protesters hurling abuse and threatening violence. Scuffles broke
out inside and outside the cramped courtroom. Armed police in riot
gear were deployed, but failed to prevent the ugly scenes. Although
Pamuk has become the most well known individual to be arrested under
a series of patriotic laws, he is by no means the only one. Scores
of writers and journalists are being prosecuted for this crime of
“denigrating Turkishness”. Fatih Ta’, owner of the Aram publishing
house, was charged with “insulting Turkishness and the security
forces” under article 301 code, and with “insulting the memory of
Kemal Ataturk” under Statute 5816, a law to protect Ataturk. Ragip
Zarakolu, owner of the Belge publishing house, was put on trial for
“insulting Ataturk” under Law 5816, and “insulting the armed forces”
under article 301. Although he Turkish authorities dropped the charges
a month later, they failed to avoid international condemnation.

There was outrage and indignation at the Turkish moves to trample
on the principle of freedom of speech, and condemnation at Turkey’s
denial of an event that so many in the West say was the first organised
genocide of the 20th century. However, few mentioned how ridiculous
the law of “insulting the memory of Kemal Ataturk” actually is, or how
inhumane it is to have statutes that force citizens to honour such
a nebulous notion as “Turkishness”. These acts of legislation are
meaningless and insulting to the intelligence of the Muslims of Turkey.

The western press and other bodies made much of the Pumuk trial at
the time. On December 8, 2005, Human Rights Watch said: “The Turkish
judiciary must promptly acquit the novelist Orhan Pamuk and sharply
dismiss the indictment against him if Turkey is to allay serious
doubts about its commitment to free expression”. The nub of the Pumuk
case was that he expressed an opinion to a Swiss magazine Das Bild in
February 2005 that, “Thirty thousand Kurds and one million Armenians
were killed in these lands.” He expressed an opinion on events that
occurred during the First World War that are discordant with those
of the Turkish government.

This, in the modern Turkish Republic, is illegal. Similarly the
British historian David Irvin expressed an opinion about events that
happened during the Second World War. His views were also in conflict
with the official opinions held by certain governments, such as in
Austria where it is illegal.

The other similarity between the two cases is that they both involve
self publicists that have courted controversy. They have both gone
up against laws that they knew had the potential to be their undoing.

Irving was arrested in November 2005 for speeches he made in Austria in
1998 in which he denied the existence of gas chambers and extermination
camps in Europe during the period of Nazi rule. Austria has the
strictest holocaust denial laws in Europe and Irving was well aware of
this fact. However Austria also has a poor record for actually dealing
with suspects of Nazi war crimes. This case was more about “sending
a massage” rather than exposing the opinions of a quasi-historian to
be bereft of strong supporting evidence.

The rights and wrongs of the opinions of these two controversial
figures are not the issue of concern here. What is of interest is
the reaction of the western press to these two individuals voicing
their opinions, especially, as these two cases hit the news at a
time when Europe was debating the whole notion of free speech. The
vigorous defence of freedom of speech, in relation the Danish cartoons
and Orhan Pamuk, seems not to be extrapolated to protecting Irving’s
right to free speech. Similarly the outrage expressed towards Turkey,
for forcing people to hold their view and their view alone, was not
extended to Austria.

The response of Europe to the Danish cartoons, coupled with the
condemnation heaped upon Turkey and the fact that one their scholars
is now languishing in a cell prove that the idea of free speech is
merely an illusion.

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OFFICIAL OPPOSES EXULTING ILL-FAMED AZERI OFFICER

AzerNews Weekly, Azerbaijan
March 16 2006

The actions of the Azerbaijani officer charged with killing an Armenian
colleague at a NATO course in Budapest in 2004 cannot be considered
as heroism, chairman of the State Committee on Work with Azerbaijanis
Living Abroad, Nazim Ibrahimov, has said.

“Nevertheless, Ramil Safarov needs defense as he is a citizen of
Azerbaijan,” he told a news conference on Thursday. Ibrahimov said
Armenians present Azerbaijanis to the world community as “thugs”
when Safarov’s actions are deemed heroic in his country.

Some forces are trying to take advantage of the Azerbaijani officer’s
actions for a political gain, the committee chairman warned.

DIASPORAN ARMENIAN WRITER AND PUBLICIST HAROUTIUN KAZANJIAN (GEGHARD) PASSES AWAY

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Mar 16 2006

ISTANBUL, MARCH 16, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Prominent Diasporan
Armenian intellectual, writer and publicist, many-years editor of the
“Akos,” “Bzhishk” and “Bagin” periodicals Haroutiun Kazanjian with
Geghard pen name passed away on March 14 in France. The Istanbul
“Marmara” daily informs about this, quoting information of the
Hamazgayin (all-national) central administration.

Haroutiun Kazanjian was born in 1928 in Beirut. He got pre-education
at the Surb Nshan national seminary, then, at the Nshan Palamjian
academy. In 1954 he graduated from the French University of Beirut,
getting speciality of a dentist-surgeon. In 1949-1954 he edited the
“Akos” daily, and has published the “Bzhishk” monthly since 1955,
at the same time being a part of the editorial staff of the “Bagin”
literary monthly. He contributed a number of Diasporan Armenian
newspapers, publishing poems, fables, stories amd publicistic articles
in them.

Haroutiun Kazanjian’s first books are “Under Strangers’ Roof” and
“The Seine” collecions of stories. Collections of poems and fables
were published as well.

AZERIS FIRED VOSKEPARS – BAGHANIS ROAD

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
March 15 2006

March 14, at 11 a.m., a sector of Voskepars – Baghanis road was
fired for half an hour from the positions of the Azeri Kazakh region,
NOYAN TAPAN reports. The RA Armed Forces did not open retaliatory fire.

Because of the firing, the cars had to go along a comparatively more
secure road of Harsnakar.

AZERBAIJANI ARMED FORCES BREAKS CEASE-FIRE AGAIN

Noyan Tapan
Mar 07 2006

YEREVAN, MARCH 7, NOYAN TAPAN. The Azerbaijani Armed Forces fired in
the direction of Vayk at about 19:05, March 6, at the same time in
two different directions of Ijevan at about 02:50, March 7. As Noyan
Tapan was informed by Colonel Seyran Shahsuvarian, the RA Defence
Minister’s Press Secretary, the Armenian side didn’t answer, there
are no injuries.

US AMBASSADOR DENIES RUMOURS ABOUT HIS RESIGNATION

YEREVAN, MARCH 7.ARMINFO. John Evans, US Ambassador to RA, denies
rumours about his resignation.

“I serve to the President of my country.At present, I haven’t submitted
any documents for my resignation.I still carry out my mission in
Armenia,” Evans said. Matthew Byrza, Assistant of US Deputy State
Secretary, supported Evans, stating that he will not complete his
mission in Armenia soon. He called Evans a brilliant diplomate who
formed a prefect team.