Author: Kalantarian Kevo

US WILL SEND NO DELEGATION TO GALLIPOLI BATTLE COMMEMORATIONS IN TURKEY

18:10, 22.04.2015
Region:World News, Turkey
Theme: Politics

Turkey has suffered another blow in connection with participation
to its forthcoming 100th anniversary commemorations of the Battle
of Gallipoli.

Accordingly, not only has US President Barack Obama declined from
personally attending these events, but he will send no one from his
country to be on hand at these commemorations.

Even though a US delegation will not participate in the Battle of
Gallipoli 100th anniversary events to be organized by the Turkish
president on Friday, April 24, US Ambassador to Turkey John Bass will
be at Gallipoli, reported Sozcu daily of Turkey.

To note, the Vatican likewise has decided not to send a delegation
to the Gallipoli commemorations.

AZERBAIJANI MEDIA HACK NEWS OUTLET IN ATTEMPT TO LEGALIZE DISINFORMATION ABOUT LOSSES OF ARMENIAN SIDE

13:22 23/04/2015 >> POLITICS

The Azerbaijani media again tried to legalize disinformation about
the losses of the Armenian side on the line of contact between NKR
and Azerbaijan falsifying the Armenian sources. The Azerbaijani media
spread a screenshot of the Armenian news outlet iLur.am containing
that information citing the Azerbaijani fake website ArmenianReport.

It soon became known that the website iLur.am had been hacked. Hacking
the website, the Azerbaijani falsifiers did not take into consideration
an important circumstance while posting the information ‘about the
losses from the Armenian side as a result of a mine explosion’:
the outlet iLur.am does not have a Russian version. The screenshot
spread in the Azerbaijani media itself confirms this.

The Azerbaijani side also did not take into consideration the fact
that the press service of the NKR Defense Army would confirm the
incident in itself and the authenticity of the video while denying
the disinformation about the losses of the Armenian side, which can
also be seen on the video footage spread by the Azerbaijani media. It
clearly shows that after the explosion all of the servicemen run out
of the truck being evacuated by another approaching military vehicle.

The press service of the NKR Defense Army highlights that this incident
yet another time confirms that the Azerbaijani side ignores the calls
of the international organizations to reduce the tension on the line
of contact of the troops going on deliberately destabilizing the
situation on the front line.

Earlier the head of the press service of the NKR Defense Army,
Senor Hasratyan, told Panorama.am that the recent escalations, the
destabilization of the situation and the frequency of the adversary
side’s provocations on the line of contact of the troops and on the
Armenian border once again prove that the Azerbaijani regime tries to
do favors for its “brother” Turkey’s interests and derail the events
dedicated to the Armenian Genocide Centennial.

Related:

NKR Defense Army spokesperson: Azerbaijan tries to do favor to Turkey
with recent escalations at frontline

Artsrun Hovhannisyan: Azerbaijani side embarks on a new and lower
level of obvious falsifications

‘EDGE OF THE WORLD’ REFLECTS COMMON HISTORY – AUSTRALIAN WRITER ON GENOCIDE NOVEL

14:13 * 23.04.15

Tert.am has interviewed Marsella Poleyn, an Australian writer whose
novel, the “Edge of the World”, recounts the story of the Armenian
Genocide.

Poleyn, who is an Armenian on her mother’s side, is now in Armenia
to take part in the annual literary festival “Literary Ark” (which
this year has been renamed “Literary Ark: April”, as the country is
observing the centenary of the Genocide ).

The writer shared details of the novel and her reflections on the
big tragedy that claimed 1.5 million Armenians’ lives 100 years ago.

Ms Poleyn, how did you come up with the idea of writing the novel?

‘The Edge of the World’ was written, using the oral history that my
mother gave me about what happened to her family in the Genocide. When
I was a girl, I would ask her about the family but she would freeze and
be unable to speak. And that was something very frightening. But when I
became an adult, she started to tell me the story of what happened. So
we had a conversation that continued for nearly 13 years until she
passed away. And in 1999, I decided to go back to the university and
began a PhD. And I wrote “The Edge of the World” as part of that. It
took me eight years to research and write it. And unfortunately,
my mother passed away not even a year before it was published. And
she knew all about it. It is divided into three parts: the first
part is my imagining of my grandparents’ story, imagining a space on
historical research that I undertook and also what my mother knew.

The second part is about my mother growing up in Jerusalem after
the Genocide as a part of the Diaspora. The third part is her life
in Australia, the place where I live. And the narrator of that part
is a person like me; it’s not me. I wanted to try to explore what
happened in the family after the Genocide.

When doing your research or having the book published, did you meet
any obstacles?

Genocide is a subtle topic; you are regularly encountered with
disinterest, misunderstanding, ignorance. It might be something like
this: I was in a shop buying an antique Armenian carpet recently and
having a conversation with the woman who knew well the Armenians. And
an old man came and hearing the conversation asked, ‘You’re Armenian?’
and when I said ‘Yes’, he asked me another question, about the genocide
– whether the Genocide was based on religion -and as I tried to give
him a full answer, but he didn’t want to hear me. That kind of things
happen very often.

You are an Armenian on your mother’s side. So my next question is
whether in your creative activitiy, you feel the genetic memory,
the fact that your ancestors saw the massacre.

I don’t fully understand how that works; it has been my experience.

But I really understand that there is something that we carry from
the events.

As a writer and an intellectual, do you feel an obligation to raise
awareness of the Genocide? And probably, “Edge of the World” is
intended to serve that purpose?

Yes, my purpose was informing the world because in Australia ignorance
of the Genocide was quite staggering when I was young.

I can say that ‘Edge of the World’ is my story but it is not my story;
it is such a common story for the Armenian people that it stands for
all the stories that hadn’t been told.”

What are your reflections on the continuing campaign towards Armenian
Genocide recognition? Will it succeed?

All my Armenian colleagues are very hopeful that Turkey will
acknowledge the Genocide. But I don’t know; don’t hope so. But I also
recognize that there is a growing movement in Turkey that things will
change in here

In your novel you depict the story of a Turkish family, dwelling on
events that span from 1900 to 2000. Was that an attempt to hint that
the problem hasn’t been resolved for 100 years? Did you introduce a
kind of allegory in your message?

Yes I do, and particularly because I live in Australia. The last
section of the book deals with what it’s like to be an Armenian in
Australia. And my mother was traumatized by my opening; she didn’t
want to pass through that trauma and yet, she couldn’t help but do so.

She was very proud to be an Armenian. So there were two things –
opposite things – happening at the same time. And I do want the book
to raise the question – that there is this historical injustice, that
these events really happened and we have to keep the question alive,
because if we don’t, I don’t know what is going happen later.

DEMANDE DE REPARATIONS ET DE RESTITUTION DES BIENS NATIONAUX A LA TURQUIE

COMMUNIQUE DES ORGANISATIONS TERRE ET CULTURE

DEMANDE DE REPARATION ET DEMANDE DE RESTITUTION DES BIENS NATIONAUX ET
AUTRES MONUMENTS ARMENIENS, ADRESSEES À LA TURQUIE

N ous, descendants des rescapes des deportations, des massacres, et
des violences de toute nature Рenl̬vements, conversions forcees,
pillages, spoliations et destructions – au moyen desquels s’est
accompli en Turquie le genocide des Armeniens ;

N ous, temoins et victimes du prejudice subi par la Nation armenienne
de Turquie en raison de ces crimes, de la perte des droits qui etaient
les siens, de la confiscation de ses biens, enfin du deni de justice
qui lui a ete oppose depuis près de cent ans ;

A u nom de nos parents et aïeux contraints a l’expatriation et a
l’exil, et en vue de l’avènement necessaire de rapports constructifs et
d’equite entre les peuples dont l’Asie Mineure est la patrie commune,

S ans prejudice des actions qui seraient entreprises par ailleurs
dans un objectif comparable,

DEMANDONS À LA REPUBLIQUE DE TURQUIE

L a restitution integrale des biens nationaux armeniens confisques.

Ces biens consistent en monastères, eglises, chapelles, cimetières,
hôpitaux, ecoles et autres bâtiments communautaires, pris avec
leurs dependances, dont les inventaires, etablis ou a completer,
sont disponibles dans la documentation publiee ou presents dans les
archives, principalement celles de l’Etat turc, qui demeurent a ce
jour en grande partie fermees. Ceux-ci s’entendent meubles compris,
objets d’art et manuscrits notamment.

À ces biens s’ajoutent d’autres monuments, d’interet majeur, qui
temoignent a leur tour, et a l’egal des precedents, aussi bien de
l’histoire et de la civilisation de l’Armenie que de la realite
multiculturelle qui a fait la richesse de l’Asie Mineure ottomane.

L a restitution de ces biens, a titre propre ou conservatoire, est
demandee en vue de leur enregistrement au nom du Patriarcat armenien de
Constantinople/Istanbul, dont les prerogatives et le statut demandent
a etre etendus et raffermis, ou au benefice des fondations ad hoc
qui seront constituees sous son egide pour les recevoir.

E lle implique d’une part le dedommagement de tous les tiers qui,
en application des lois successives qui ont regi la confiscation et
la redistribution des biens armeniens ci-dessus designes, en sont
aujourd’hui les proprietaires, les locataires ou les usagers, que
ces biens se trouvent dans le domaine public de l’Etat ou qu’ils
soient legalement detenus par des personnes morales ou privees ;
d’autre part des mesures de reparation en vue de la protection, de
la rehabilitation, de la restauration ou de la reconstruction des
monuments, ou encore d’indemnisation compensatoire dans tous les cas
particuliers que revelera l’examen detaille des situations.

E lle implique enfin qu’un fonds special, eventuellement ouvert
aux contributions internationales, soit constitue par l’Etat
turc pour subvenir au cours des decennies a venir a cette oeuvre
publique de sauvegarde et de reparation d’utilite universelle,
a laquelle devra necessairement etre associee, comme interlocuteur
gestionnaire et intervenant, une instance armenienne scientifique,
technique et juridique formee autour du Patriarcat armenien de
Constantinople/Istanbul.

N ous demandons concomitamment a la Republique de Turquie le
retablissement des toponymes anciens, notamment armeniens, qui
designaient les lieux où se situent ces biens et monuments et, plus
generalement, les localites habitees par les Armeniens ; en particulier
leur affichage en langue armenienne a l’entree des villes, villages
et lieux-dits concernes et sur les panneaux du reseau routier qui
retracent la geographie du territoire.

Paris, le 13 avril 2015 Collectif 2015 : reparation Union
internationale des organisations terre et culture

Plus d’informations sur le lien plus bas

jeudi 23 avril 2015, Ara (c)armenews.com

D´autres informations disponibles : COLLECTIF2015

ZDENEK SKROMACH: 100 YEARS AGO, AN ENTIRE NATION WAS ALMOST ERASED FROM EARTH

12:54 23/04/2015 ” SOCIETY

“The Armenian nation is small, but it is a proud nation. Today we stand
by the Armenian nation. One hundred years ago, an entire nation was
almost erased from the earth, an old nation that had lived on that
territory for more than two and a half thousand years,” ZdenÄ~[k
Å kromach, Vice President of the Senate of the Czech Parliament,
stated at the International Social and Political Global Forum against
the Crime of Genocide.

He stressed that it is necessary to learn lessons from history so
that such crimes will not recur in the future.

“It is necessary to speak about this crime and fight against it in
order to prevent future genocides. It is the parliamentarians who
must speak against injustice,” Mr Å kromach stressed.

HOLY RELICS TO BE USED DURING THE CANONIZATION SERVICE OF THE MARTYRS OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

15:24 * 23.04.15

By Pontifical Order of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and
Catholicos of All Armenians; the following 14 Holy Relics, out of the
numerous Holy relics of the Armenian Church, will be used during the
Service of Canonization of the Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide:

1. Holy Lance ‘Geghard’

The Holy Lance is the tip of the metal spear which was used by the
Roman soldier to pierce the side of our Lord Jesus Christ while he
hung on the cross. According to historical tradition, the Apostle St.

Thaddeus, one of the 12 disciples of Christ, brought this sacred relic
of the Lord to the Armenian world in the first century. For centuries
the Holy Christian relic has been kept at different monasteries in
Western (historical) Armenia, and in Ayrivank since the 13th century,
which later was renamed Geghardavanq (the Monastery of Holy Geghard)
after the Holy Lance. In the second half of the 18th century the Holy
Lance was brought to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and is still
kept in the spiritual center of All Armenians. The Holy Lance is also
one of the three Holy Relics used to bless and consecrate the Holy
Chrism (Muron) of the Armenian Church.

2. The Right Hand of St. Gregory the Illuminator

The Right Hand of St. Gregory the Illuminator is the symbol of the
highest spiritual authority of the Armenian Church, the Supreme
Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians. The newer silver gilded
reliquary was made in 1657, on which is depicted the twelve sufferings
of the Illuminator. The Right Hand is also one of the three Holy
Relics used to bless and consecrate the Holy Chrism (Muron) of the
Armenian Church.

3. Relic of the True Cross

The Reliquary of the True Cross, made in 1651, contains a small piece
of the life-giving wooden cross of our Lord Jesus. The Cross relic
is one of the three Holy Relics used to bless and consecrate the Holy
Chrism (Muron) of the Armenian Church.

4. Reliquary of Skevra

One of the priceless gems of Armenian ecclesiastical art is the
reliquary of Skevra which was made in Cilician Armenia in 1293,
and is kept in the State Hermitage in St. Petersburg. The reliquary
contains the relics of 18 saints: the Apostles St. Paul, St. Peter, St.

Thaddeus and St. Bartholomew; St. Gregory the Illuminator, Patriarch
James of Nisibis, Saint John Chrysostom, St. Catherine, and others. In
2000, during a Pontifical visit of the Catholicos of All Armenians
to the Armenian Diocese of New Nakhichevan and Russia, the Hermitage
returned the relics of the 18 saints to the Armenian Church, and they
were placed in a duplicate reliquary that had been specially made.

5. The Right Hand of St. Stephen the Proto-Deacon and First Martyr
of the Church

The silver Right Hand reliquary, from the XVII-XVIII centuries,
contains the relic of St. Stephen the Proto-Deacon, the first
Christian martyr.

6. The Right Hand of the Virgin St. Hripsime

The silver gilded Right Hand reliquary contains the relic of the
virgin St. Hripsime. The relic dates back to the XVII-XVIII centuries.

7. The Right Hand of the Apostle Ananias

The Seventeenth century silver gilded Right Hand reliquary contains the
relics of the Apostle Anania, one of the 72 disciples of Jesus Christ.

8. The Right Hand of Catholicos St. Sahak I Parthev

The XVII-XVIII centuries Right Hand reliquary contains the relic of
the 10th Catholicos of All Armenians, St. Sahak I Parthev (387-428).

The Right Hand of Catholicos Sahak Parthev was brought to the
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin from Western Armenia, Anapat Armenian
íonastery, Lim Island, Lake Van , Turkey.

9. The Right Hand of St. Sarkis the Warrior

The Right Hand reliquary was commissioned in 2008 by His Holiness
Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians. The
silversmith is Mamikon Mkhitaryan. The reliquary contains the relics of
St. Sarkis the Warrior, which were discovered during excavations of the
St. Sarkis Monastery in Ushi, in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia.

10. The Right Hand of St. Gevork the Warrior

The reliquary contains the relics of St. Gevork the Warrior. The
Right Hand reliquary was made in Kolkata, India in 1928, and is
silver gilded.

11. Cross-reliquary of St. Thaddeus and St. Virgin Sandukht

The eighteenth century made cross-reliquary contains the relics of
the Apostle St. Thaddeus, one of the Armenian first illuminators,
and the relic of the first Armenian Martyr St. Sandukht the Princess.

12. Cross-reliquary of St. John the Baptist

The cross-reliquary, created in Cilician Armenia in the fourteenth
century, contains the relics of St. John the Baptist.

13. St. Gregory of Narek and other Saints

Made in the nineteenth century, the octagon star-shaped reliquary
contains the relics of St. Gregory of Narek and the relics of other
Pan-Christian Saints. The relic was presented to the Catholicos of
All Armenian in 2012 and given to the Armenian Church.

14. Gospel of Zeytun

The Gospel of Zeytun was written in Hromkla in 1256 by Toros Roslin,
the most prominent Armenian manuscript illuminator in the High Middle
Ages. It is one of numerous treasures kept in the The Mesrop Mashtots
Institute of Ancient Manuscripts (Matenaderan). The manuscript was
commisioned and received by the 69th Catholicos of All Armenians,
Constantine I of Bartzrapert (1221-1267). The Holy Gospel was donated
to the Matenadaran by the Catholicos of All Armenians Vazgen I.

WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES: GENOCIDE VICTIMS’ MEMORY PUSHES TO ACTIVE ACTIONS

15:21, 23.04.2015
Region:World News, Armenia, Turkey
Theme: Politics

YEREVAN. – The memory of the Armenian Genocide victims pushes us to
active actions. We must work by informing each other by using the
tools and opportunities of the international community.

The general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Olav
Fykse Tveit (Norway), noted the aforesaid Thursday at the two-day
International Social and Political Global Forum against the Crime of
Genocide. This forum was devoted to the Armenian Genocide Centennial,
it was held in Armenia’s capital city of Yerevan, and about 600
participants from fifty countries took part in this event.

“We pay tribute to the innocent victims, and recognize what occurred,”
the WCC head specifically said.

Olav Fykse Tveit added that, unfortunately, numerous governments,
including the Norwegian administration, have not fulfilled their
moral duty, and did not acknowledge the events in 1915 as genocide.

“[But] injustice and violence will not have the last word,” the WCC
general secretary concluded.

MARIE HARF ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE – VIDEO

16:09, 23 Apr 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

QUESTION: Can I start with Armenia?

MS HARF: You can.

QUESTION: And I recognize that this is a White House decision but
unfortunately, or perhaps conveniently, there is no White House
briefing today.

MS HARF: (Laughter.) When the President travels there’s no briefing.

They had a gaggle though on the plane.

QUESTION: Yes, I know. But it didn’t really answer the questions that
I have.

MS HARF: Okay.

QUESTION: And that – so as is well known, when he was a candidate,
the President made it a point to say that he would, while he was
President, recognize that what happened in 1915 to the Armenians was,
in fact – was a genocide. I realize he has one more year left in order
to fulfill that pledge, but why this year, on the 100th anniversary,
did he decide to once again not fulfill his pledge?

MS HARF: Well, Matt, and I’m sure this is what the White House said
too, but we know there are some who I think were hoping to hear
some different language this year. We certainly understand their
perspective. Even as we believe that the approach we have taken in
previous years remains the right one – and again, the approach we’re
taking this year – both for acknowledging the past and also for our
ability to work with regional partners to save lives in the future. So
this is something that we feel is important.

The President has consistently stated his views about what happened in
1915 and, again, we know people wanted to hear – some people wanted to
hear different language this year, and we are certainly aware of that.

QUESTION: Well, it seems that the people who wanted to hear different
language this year were drowned out by the people that wanted no
change, and as best as I can tell the people who want no change are
Turkey, mainly. But I —

MS HARF: Well, I’m not going to generalize who feels what about this
issue. We certainly understand the perspectives of people —

QUESTION: So does that mean —

MS HARF: — who feel different things.

QUESTION: Does that mean that the President actually personally –
and I – again, I realize it’s kind of unfair to ask you this —

MS HARF: It’s okay.

QUESTION: — since this is a question mainly to be directed to the
White House or the President himself.

MS HARF: It’s probably where I’m going to point you.

QUESTION: Does he think that what happened was a genocide?

MS HARF: I am happy to point you the White House, Matt.

QUESTION: The issue is that when you make a specific pledge like
this as a candidate and then not – then you don’t follow through
on it when you are, in fact – when you are elected, it calls into
question to some the commitment of other things that the President,
as a candidate or even as President, has said. We’ve seen a couple
times where redlines have been crossed and there hasn’t been – the
response has not been what was promised. Do you —

MS HARF: Well, I think you should look at each individual issue
individually.

QUESTION: Okay. And I don’t want to conflate them all, but I mean
can you understand why people who – people would look at this issue
on Armenia when there was a specific pledge, and then use it – use
the situation to call into question when the President says that,
say, Iran won’t get a bomb – won’t get the nuclear bomb – a nuclear
weapon on his watch?

MS HARF: Well, I certainly don’t believe that people should equate the
two in any way. The President – and look, we all understand there are
some who wanted to hear different language this year, and I do think
we can expect that the President will issue a statement this year that
marks the historical significance of the centennial, and as in past
years, mourns the senseless loss of 1.5 million Armenian lives. So he
will speak about this in some way, but I don’t think you should compare
any of these issues. I think if you want to talk about Iran and the
commitments the President’s made, we can talk about that separately.

QUESTION: Well, I don’t want to make it personal. I’m talking about
the Administration. I mean, he pledged that his Administration would
recognize what happened as genocide, and although there is one year
left to go in his second term, are you – can you understand why people
are upset about this?

MS HARF: I don’t think – well, I don’t understand —

QUESTION: Particularly —

MS HARF: — why people would compare it to other issues, like you did
when it comes to Iran. We certainly understand that there are people
who wanted to hear different language this year. Absolutely.

QUESTION: (Inaudible.)

MS HARF: We understand that.

QUESTION: Can I try it a different way? Can I try it a different way?

MS HARF: Sure.

QUESTION: Was there a kind of – I mean, it sounds as if the position
of successive administrations have kind of looked at this and decided
not to call it a genocide for various means.

MS HARF: Correct.

QUESTION: Was there any kind of interagency route? Like, coming up
to the centennial, was there any kind of interagency discussion of
the position of the Administration? I mean, it sounds like despite
the President’s pledge notwithstanding that it is not the position
of this Administration that a genocide took place.

MS HARF: There are always conversations among agencies who play
relevant roles here about these issues. Certainly, they are very
important and we understand that. So I would say yes, there were
discussions inside the interagency about what to say. That’s not
unusual about any issue.

QUESTION: Not about what to say, but about, like, obviously if you
classify something – when you call it that, you’re saying it. But it
just sounds like this Administration does not consider what happened
a genocide.

MS HARF: We have been very clear, consistently stating our view here.

And I think you will hear the President in his statement marking the
centennial speak very clearly about that.

QUESTION: I want to go back to something that you just said about
trying to balance the historical record with current day concerns,
regional concerns, ostensibly about security. The United States, as
far as I can recall, never had this issue in calling the Holocaust
what it was. And it doesn’t seem to have affected the U.S.

relationship with Germany. Is the relationship with Turkey so fragile
or so imperiled that something can’t be called what it is?

MS HARF: I’m just not going to compare those two events, Roz, in the
way that you did. And I think we’ve said what we’re going to say on
this. And I think you’ll hear more statements from the Administration
on the anniversary itself. And I don’t have much more analysis of it
to do for you today.

QUESTION: Can I ask you —

QUESTION: Can we move on?

QUESTION: So just a last one on this. So you would reject the idea
that has been put out by some – the Armenian American community that
the Administration is basically submitting itself to a gag order from
the Turks? You would reject that?

MS HARF: I hadn’t seen that. But we make decisions on our own about
what we say and how we talk about things. And I think you will hear
the President speak very strongly about the historical fact that
1.5 million Armenians were massacred or marched to their deaths in
the final days of the Ottoman Empire. He has said that consistently
and repeatedly, and I think you’ll hear that being said as well. We
understand there are people who would like to hear some different
language. We are certainly aware of that and are sensitive to it,
but we think this is the best course.

QUESTION: Right. But the problem is that he’s also consistently –
at least, before he became president – called it a genocide. He
had one of his campaign surrogates, who is now the ambassador to
the United Nations, Samantha Power, record a video that asked the
Armenian American community to vote for then Senator Obama precisely
because he would not be the typical politician and would live up to
his promise to do this one thing.

MS HARF: I understand your question. For questions about him
specifically, for the President’s campaign certainly, I’m happy for
you to ask the White House those questions.

QUESTION: All right. Do you know if this —

QUESTION: (Inaudible.)

QUESTION: No, no, no, I just – did this issue come up yesterday in
the meeting with Secretary Kerry and the Turkish foreign minister?

MS HARF: It did briefly, yes.

QUESTION: It did. And did the Secretary tell him what was going down?

MS HARF: I’m not going to have more details to share with you.

QUESTION: Do you know, in their public comments that they made here,
the issue – the Secretary, at least, did not raise the issue of human
rights, a crackdown on media freedoms in Turkey. Did that come up
privately, do you know?

MS HARF: He – well, they discussed a number of issues. Maybe I’ll
just do a readout and then —

QUESTION: Sure.

MS HARF: — you can ask me follow-ups. Sorry. I think we just emailed
this out, too. But —

QUESTION: Oh.

MS HARF: — the Secretary and the foreign minister discussed a wide
range of bilateral and regional issues, including our efforts as
members of the international coalition to defeat ISIL, our shared goal
of seeking a negotiated political solution to the conflict in Syria
that does not include Bashar al-Assad, the importance of European
energy diversification, and our support for Ukrainian sovereignty in
response to Russian aggression. The Secretary expressed U.S. support
for Turkey-Armenia normalization and the importance of Turkey taking
concrete steps to match its government’s statements on reconciliation
with Armenia. They also spoke about ongoing events in Yemen, Libya,
and Cyprus, and he said he looked forward to the NATO ministerial in
Turkey next month, where they will discuss many of these issues.

Which —

QUESTION: Human rights?

MS HARF: I’m sorry, which – human rights in respect to what
specifically?

QUESTION: Well, in respect to the crackdown that’s been going on
in Turkey.

MS HARF: I think the Secretary referenced in his public comments
towards the end where he said both of our democracies are best when
we keep trying to work to improve them, and I think he was referencing
some of those issues publicly in his remarks.

QUESTION: Can we change the subject?

MS HARF: We can.

QUESTION: On this, are you on the same page with Turkey now regarding
the train and equip program for the Syrian opposition?

MS HARF: Well, your question would indicate that we weren’t before,
a notion I would reject.

QUESTION: That’s what the news reports said.

MS HARF: Well, I’m rejecting that notion. Let’s move on.

QUESTION: Can you —

MS HARF: Yeah.

QUESTION: You go – well, I’ll go ahead.

QUESTION: Yeah. Go ahead, and then I’ll go.

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YEREVAN PREPARES FOR THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE CENTENNIAL

Global Voices
April 20 2015

Posted 20 April 2015

This Friday, April 24, is an important date to Armenians worldwide. It
will mark 100 years from the day when Ottoman authorities began
rounding up around 250 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders
in Constantinople, paving the way for the Armenian Genocide in which
an estimated 1 to 1.5 million Armenian citizens of the Ottoman Empires
were systematically exterminated between 1915 and 1918.

All around Yerevan, the purple colors of the aptly-named Forget-Me-Not
Flower can be seen everywhere. From schoolchildren carrying it in the
form of a pin on their chests to coffee-drinking university students
displaying it in the form of a sticker on their laptop. Everywhere,
streets, homes, hospitals, supermarkets, restaurants, shops and hotels
are all displaying the flower with a simple message: “I Remember
and Demand.”

Remembering the Genocide and demanding recognition from the Republic
of Turkey, the legal successor to the the Ottoman Empire, have
been part of virtually every Armenian’s life and identity for the
past century. Generation after generation, the survivors of the
Armenian Genocide and their descendants have been campaigning for
the international community to recognize the fact. To date, only 21
countries have fully recognized the Armenia Genocide including France,
Italy, Lebanon and Russia.

The Forget-Me-Not flower can be seen planted all around Yerevan. As
The Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America explained, the
Forget-Me-Not “expresses the theme of eternal remembrance, and is also
meant to symbolically evoke the past, present, and future experiences”.

LA MAIRIE DU 6E ET 8E DE MARSEILLE DEVOILE UN BANDEAU SUR LE 100EME ANNIVERSAIRE DU GENOCIDE DES ARMENIENS

MARSEILLE-100ème ANNIVERSAIRE DU GNOCIDE DES ARMENIENS

Après la Mairie centrale de Marseille (sur le Vieux Port), les mairies
des secteurs (arrondissements) se plient a leur tour au devoilement
de bandeaux rappelant le 100ème anniversaire du genocide des Armeniens.

Mardi 21 avril a 18h c’etait au tour de la Mairie du 6e-8e de Marseille
a la > de devoiler le bandeau sur le genocide. Yves
Moraine, le maire de secteur, accompagne de Martine Vassal la
nouvelle presidente du Conseil departemental des Bouches-du-Rhône,
Didier Parakian l’Adjoint au Maire de Marseille et de Samuel Lalayan,
le Consul d’Armenie a Marseille ont coupe le ruban devoilant le large
panneau sur le 100ème anniversaire du genocide.

Face au public, dans les discours officiels, Yves Moraine a salue le
rôle et l’importance des Armeniens a Marseille avec une communaute