Author: Emma Jilavian

By Harut Sassounian
The California Courier

As if Turkish President Rejep Erdogan did not have enough headaches, he now faces a new accusation that he may have forged his college diploma. If true, he would be forced to resign from his presidential seat and possibly go to jail or into exile.

Rumors have been circulating for some time that Erdogan may not have a college degree which would disqualify him from his presidential position according to Article 101 of the Turkish constitution which requires that presidential candidates “have completed higher education.”

Journalist Cengis Candar, in an Al-Monitor.com June 15 article titled: “Is Erdogan’s university diploma forged?” exposes the serious suspicions regarding the validity of the Turkish President’s college diploma.

As Candar explains, “Erdogan went to an imam-hatip school, a high school-level institution that educates religious preachers. During the 1970’s and 1980’s, graduates of those schools could pursue their higher education only in theology.” Nonetheless, when Erdogan ran for President in August 2014, he presented to the Higher Electoral Board a photocopy of his diploma claiming to have received a college degree in 1981 from the Dept. of Economic and Administrative Sciences of Marmara University.

The problem here is that Marmara University was founded only in 1982, making it impossible for Erdogan to have graduated a year before the University came into existence. Since the Dept. of Economics was established only in 1983, Erdogan could not have graduated from that department in 1981, as he claimed. Unfortunately, none of these suspected allegations can be thoroughly investigated in Turkey by the media or civil society in view of the dictatorial nature of the Erdogan regime which routinely shuts down newspapers and prosecutes all opponents.

The President’s aides are adamant that the accusations against Erdogan are not valid, as they emanate from members of opposition parties. The first complaint came from former judge Omer Faruk Eminagaoglu who presented to the Higher Electoral Board his suspicion that Erdogan did have a college degree because of the existing discrepancies in the photocopy of his diploma. The Electoral Board promptly rejected the judge’s appeal.

A second challenge was mounted by extreme Turkish nationalist Gokce Firat who presented detailed arguments to support the claim that Erdogan’s diploma is a forgery. Firat demanded to see Erdogan’s original diploma rather than the photocopy he had submitted to the Higher Electoral Board. The Turkish nationalist accused the President and Dean of Marmara University of aiding and abetting in the crime of forging Erdogan’s diploma. He claimed that the signatures of the President and Dean of Marmara University seen on the copy of Erdogan’s diploma do not match the ones on Firat’s own diploma from the same university. He also questioned the validity of the sequence of the number found on Erdogan’s diploma. Finally, Firat claimed that even the design of the Turkish President’s diploma is different from the ones held by other graduates.

Earlier this month, the pro-Kurdish HDP Party submitted an official parliamentary inquiry, asking Education Minister Ismet Yilmaz “to clarify the mystery surrounding the validity” of Erdogan’s university diploma. In response to a similar request to the Higher Electoral Board, the HDP received a notarized copy of the Turkish President’s diploma. However, the HDP announced that it will continue to challenge the validity of the diploma.

In his article, Cengiz Candar raised serious concerns about Erdogan’s legitimacy as President of Turkey should it be proven that his diploma is forged: “If taken seriously, the follow-up to the controversy could create monumental legal questions in Turkey. If it turns out Erdogan was never qualified to be elected president, whatever he has signed or implemented would have to be considered null and void from a purely legal point of view. Politically, it would provide an armory of ammunition to his critics whose numbers abroad are rapidly increasing. And if Erdogan’s university diploma proves to be a forgery, that would naturally provide ammunition to his international opponents to bring up the argument of whether his title is legitimate.”

While President Erdogan is demanding a DNA test to verify the ethnic origins of the 11 Turkish members of the German Parliament who voted to recognize the Armenian Genocide, it may be more appropriate to carry out a chemical analysis of his diploma. Erdogan should also undergo a psychological examination to evaluate his persistently irrational psychotic behavior!

Photo: Reuters

 

Iraqi forces recaptured the local municipal building in Falluja from Islamic State, state television said on Friday, symbolizing government control of the city, an hour’s drive west of Baghdad, nearly four weeks after the offensive began, reports.

A military statement said the federal police had raised the Iraqi flag above the building and were continuing to pursue the ultra-hardline militants, who continued to hold other areas.

Head of the Armenian Mission to the OSCE, Ambassador Arman Kirakosyan has expressed concern over the recent attacks of the Al-Nusra Front against the civilian population of Aleppo, which has left many killed.

Addressing the 1105th sitting of the OSCE Permanent Council, Ambassador Kirakosyan strongly condemned the planned and consistent shelling of the Christian-populated neighborhoods of Aleppo, which has led to dozens of casualties among the peaceful population and caused a serious damage to “Zvartnots” Armenian Catholic Church, the Armenian nursing home and other historical-cultural and scientific-educational buildings.

The Ambassador noted that “the Armenian mission has been consistently raising the issue of foreign militants in Syria and Iraq, the functioning of the Islamic State, Al Nusra Front and Al-Qaeda affilieated groups. He said that the religious minorities, including the Armenian community, are the primary target of those groups.

Ambassador Kirakosyan noted that the activity of the above-mentioned terrorist groups poses a serious threat to the security of the OSCE region. “Violent radicalism, extremism and terrorism target the ethnic and religious minorities, threaten their existence in the Middle East and further aggravate the migration crisis over the OSCE area. The Armenian community of Aleppo was established by Armenian genocide survivors, and 101 years later that community is struggling for its survival under the conditions of transboundary support for the terrorist groups,” he added.

Arman Kirakosyan called on the OSCE participating states to meet their commitments of fighting terrorism and urged Turkey to refrain from providing its territory for cross-border attacks against the civilian population, including the ethnic and religious minorities in Syria.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan will not be allowed to leave Borussia Dortmund until the end of his existing contract amid interest from Manchester United and Arsenal, the club’s CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has confirmed,  reports.

ESPN FC sources say that Arsenal have made Mkhitaryan their number one target, but the Armenia international — who is under contract until 2017 — will not be allowed a transfer, despite there also being a reported €24 million offer from Manchester United.

Mkhitaryan, 27, has turned down Dortmund’s contract offer and has his heart set on a move to the Premier League, but the Bundesliga have decided not to sell the midfielder and will force him to see out his contract, .

“We’ve been negotiating a new deal with Henrikh Mkhitaryan for four months,” . “We now know he won’t sign an extension. There was never a promise that he can leave us prematurely.”

Watzke’s comments came after Mino Raiola, Mkhitaryan’s agent, that the club had promised the Armenian and his representative to be allowed a transfer in the summer.

“Those in charge at BVB promised Micki months ago that he can leave the club in the summer,” Raiola said. “Dortmund have an official offer, but the BVB bosses now fear their fans. All of a sudden they say that he has to leave on a free next summer. That’s very bad management.”

According to Bild, Manchester United have made a €24m offer for Mkhitaryan — who set up 32 goals and scored a further 23 in all competitions for the club last term — and the agent wants his player to link up with Jose Mourinho as soon as possible.

“Manchester United are a unique opportunity,” Raiola said. “Micki wants to join them now by any means.”

However, Dortmund, who have already sold key players Mats Hummels and Ilkay Gundogan to Bayern Munich and Manchester City, have decided to not sell the Armenian.

“We have intensely discussed the question of an early transfer in all club bodies and came to the conclusion that Mkhitaryan will stay in Dortmund next season,” Watzke said.

US co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, Ambassador James Warlick, has confirmed that the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia will meet in late June to discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijan’s Trend news agency reported Friday.

No further details of the upcoming meeting are known, the agency said citing Warlick.

Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev held their last meeting on May 16.

German lawmakers’ planned vote on a resolution that recognises the massacre of Armenians by Ottoman forces as genocide, will test the “friendship” between Berlin and Ankara, Turkey said Thursday, reports.

The resolution “will amount to a real test of the friendship” between the two nations, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said.

“Some nations that we consider friends, when they are experiencing trouble in domestic policy attempt to divert attention from it,” he said at a meeting of his Justice and Development Party (AKP). “This resolution is an example of that.”

He stopped short of threatening Germany with political and economic retaliation, but added “3.5 million Turks live in Germany and actively contribute to the economy.”

German lawmakers are preparing to pass a resolution Thursday that recognises the massacre of Armenians by Ottoman forces as genocide, despite stark warnings from Turkey that the vote could hurt ties.

Put forward by the ruling left-right coalition and the opposition Greens, the resolution entitled “Remembrance and commemoration of the genocide of Armenians and other Christian minorities in 1915 and 1916” also carries the contentious word throughout the text.

 

On May 29th the stamped souvenir sheet dedicated to “Armenia at the World Stamp Show “New York 2016″” was officially cancelled and put into circulation. The official cancellation ceremony took place In New York in the framework of the biggest international philatelic exhibition “NY 2016”.

The stamp of the souvenir sheet depicts one of the skyscrapers of New York illuminated by the colors of the Armenian flag. The stamp has s shape of an apple, symbolizing the New York city, which is commonly known as “The Big Apple”.

The official cancellation ceremony was carried out by Armenia’s permanent representative to the United Nations  Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and the Managing Director of “HayPost Trust Management”   Juan Pablo Gechidjian.

HayPost is taking part in the biggest international philatelic exhibition: World Stamp Show – NY 2016

World Stamp Show -NY 2016 is a major once-a-decade eight day international philatelic exhibition which will take place May 28 through June 4 in New York, USA.
More than 120 philatelic associations and organizations and over 50 national postal operators from all over the world are taking part in the event. HayPost participates at such a major exhibition for the first time and presents Armenian philately in a strategically situated boot, thus bringing recognition to Armenia and Armenian philately. At the event Armenian stamp issuances from 2013 -2016 are presented.

 

 

 

“I want to see Armenians on both banks of Araks River,” says American singer Daniel Decker, who has been a citizen of the Republic of Armenia since 2015.

The singer is paying his 15th visit to Armenia. “I’m here to support the Armenian people at this hard moment following the April events,” the singer told reporters in Yerevan.

“Being an Armenian is a philosophy, a state of mind, not only blood,” said the singer, who has released a CD titled “Armenian By Choice.”

Daniel Decker and composer Ara Gevorgyan have launched a new project called “Araks.”

“I want to see Armenians on both banks of River Araks. Perhaps, this was the main reason for writing the song,” he said.

According to him, “Araks is not half-Armenians, it has always been a symbolic river for Armenia and the Armenian people.” The song is slated for release in October.

Armenia-related songs are included in Decker’s repertoire, but are not meant for the Armenian audience only. The Turkish pressures and persecutions are powerless against his resolve to tell the truth.

“I’m not interested in any pressures. What I’m interested in is the truth, and the truth is that there has been an Armenian genocide and Artsakh is an Armenian land,” Decker said.

To conclude with, he performed a song and dedicated it to Armenian soldiers.

President Serzh Sargsyan received today members of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council and Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission  Tigran Sargsyan, who have arrived in Yerevan to participate in the regular sitting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council.

President Sargsyan voiced confidence that the first sitting of the Commission in Armenia would be productive. “We all have joined the Eurasian Economic Union, proceeding from our economic interests. It is important for the adopted decisions to be tangible to the business environment, consumers of all goods and services. I think the most important here is the elimination of technical obstacles that hamper the free transportation of goods and services and diminish the economic efficiency of economic processes,” President Sargsyan said.

The Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, the country presiding over the Eurasian Economic Union, briefed President Sargsyan on the issues on the agenda of the sitting of the Intergovernmental Council.

Tigran Sargsyan, Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission, presented the perspectives of cooperation between EEU and other integration unions and separate countries.

Serzh Sargsyan emphasized the importance of the security component in the further development of economies of EEU member states and presented the latest developments in the Karabakh issue.

Moscow will welcome any steps that could contribute to resolving the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday.

Peskov said he has no information on the preparations for a meeting in Austria’s Vienna between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan. “There is nothing to say about this report now.”

“Of course, Moscow will welcome any steps that would have the goal of de-escalating tensions in the conflict area and resuming dialogue with the aim of searching for an option of political settlement,” he stressed.