Author: Nalbandian Eduard

Cyprus Mail, Cyprus
Jan 26 2007

Turkey is responsible for shameful murder

LAST WEEK’S murder of Armenian Turkish journalist Hrant Dink has cast
a shocking spotlight on the extreme nationalism that still pervades
Turkish society.

Political violence is of course not unique to Turkey. One only needs
to think of the assassinations of Pim Portuyn and Theo Van Gogh in
The Netherlands, one of Europe’s most tolerant societies. Indeed, the
Turkish authorities would like us to believe that, as in those cases,
the killing of Hrant Dink was the work of a deranged individual.

But while the youth who pulled the trigger is certainly deranged,
Dink’s murder did not come down from a clear blue sky. Last year, he
was prosecuted under Turkey’s infamous Article 301, accused of
`insulting Turkishness’. Unlike other intellectuals against whom
charges were eventually dropped, including Nobel Prize winning
novelist Orhan Pamuk, Dink was convicted and given a six-month
suspended prison sentence.

Dink may not have gone to jail for his articles, but from the moment
procedures against him were decided, he became a marked man. In an
interview given two days before his murder, he said: `Sure, I am
[afraid]. To be honest, I feel haunted day in, day out. Ever seen a
pigeon? Seen how it keeps turning its head? It shudders at the
slightest noise, ready to fly away any instant. Can you call that
life? The difference is that I can’t fly away like a pigeon.’ Every
day, he would receive death threats, some over the phone, others by
email.

Turkey will argue that no one is being sent to jail for insulting
Turkishness, indeed that the vast majority of cases fail to reach a
conclusion. But what Dink’s assassination shows is that anyone
charged under Article 301 is at best sentenced to a life of fear, at
worst, sentenced to death.

Can some good come from such a tragedy? Some have pointed to the
genuine revulsion across the political spectrum, to the thousands who
took to the streets carrying placards that read `We are all Hrant
Dink. We are all Armenians’. This is indeed remarkable, and shows
that Turkey has come a long way from the militarist nationalist
monolith of years past.

But what Turkey really needs to address is the pathological
nationalism that breeds the kind of hatred that drove a boy of 17 to
pull the trigger on a man he’d never met. That pathological
nationalism is nurtured by the state, by its worship of the founding
father, its obsession with the flag, its violent sensitivity to
anyone who insults the nation, as enshrined in Article 301.
One of the main duties of a state is to protect its citizens. The
Turkish state failed to protect Hrant Dink; worse, it marked him out
as prey to the prowling wolves.

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Jan 24 2007

ARMENIAN, AZERBAIJANI FOREIGN MINISTERS HAVE CONSTRUCTIVE TALKS IN
MOSCOW

YEREVAN, January 24. /ARKA/. Armenia’s Foreign Ministry believes that
the Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers Vardan Oskanyan and
Elmar Mamediarov had constructive talks under the auspices of the
OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, in Moscow Tuesday.
The sides continued to discuss the principles of the Nagorno-Karabakh
peace process and addressed the document details in particular,
reported the press service of Armenia’s Foreign Ministry.
The sides reached an agreement to continue their meetings.
The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group are to visit the region on
January 24. N.V. -0-

TURKEY: Journalist’s funeral draws huge crowd

Taipei Times
Jan 25 2007

The funeral of murdered Turkish journalist Hrant Dink brought over
100,000 Turks and Armenians together to grieve and denounce extremism

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Istanbul — More than 100,000 people marched in a funeral procession
on Tuesday for a slain ethnic Armenian journalist who had angered
Turkish nationalists, suggesting that the grieving for Hrant Dink
may become a catalyst for liberal values and overcoming a century of
antagonism between Turks and Armenians.

"We are all Armenians" chanted mourners in an extraordinary outpouring
of affection for a journalist who had made enemies by calling the mass
killings of Armenians toward the end of the Ottoman Empire genocide.

Dink was gunned down outside his newspaper Agos in broad daylight
on Friday.

The murder triggered a period of intense introspection and touched off
debate about excessive nationalism, free expression and the ability
of Turks of different ethnic backgrounds to live together.

Throngs of mourners marched along the 8km route from the offices of
Agos to an Armenian Orthodox church — virtually shutting down the
center of this massive city.

Many participants carried placards that read: "We are all Hrant Dinks."

Marchers took time off from work and school to join the procession,
and thousands leaned out of their office windows to applaud, weep
and throw flowers as the black hearse carrying Dink’s body passed by.

Despite a request from his family not to turn the funeral into a
protest, many also raised their fists at times shouting: "Shoulder
to shoulder against fascism" and "Murderer 301" — a reference to
the freedom-curbing Turkish law that was used to prosecute Dink and
others on charges of "insulting Turkishness."

The 52-year-old journalist’s daughter, Sera, carrying a framed portrait
of her father, wept as she walked in front of the coffin.

Dink, the editor of the bilingual Armenian-Turkish newspaper, sought
to encourage reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia.

But he chose a dangerous path by making public statements about the
mass killings of Armenians by Turks in the early 20th century —
remarks that landed him in court and prompted death threats.

Comments on that tumultuous period of Turkish history have landed
several of the country’s most famous thinkers in court.

Police were questioning seven suspects, including a teenager, Ogun
Samast, who authorities said has confessed to shooting Dink, and
Yasin Hayal, a nationalist militant convicted in a 2004 bomb attack
at a McDonald’s restaurant.

Hayal has confessed to inciting the slaying and providing a gun and
money to the teenager, according to police.

The suspects also include a university student who allegedly "inspired"
the attack, Hurriyet newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Dink, one of the most important voices in Turkey’s ethnic Armenian
community, insisted he wanted reconciliation between the two peoples.

"I had no intention of insulting Turkishness," he said months before
his death. "My only concern is to improve Armenian and Turkish
relations."

He seemed to have achieved that to a certain extent in his death:
Turkey has no diplomatic ties with Armenia but still invited Armenian
officials and religious leaders as well as moderate members of the
diaspora to the funeral. Armenia sent Deputy Foreign Minister Arman
Kirakosian.

The Armenian Orthodox Church sent US-based Bishop Khazkah Parsamian.

In an emotional speech to the crowd in front of the Agos office, Dink’s
wife, Rakel, called for a deeper search for answers to the killing.

"Seventeen or 27, whoever he was, the murderer was once a baby,"
she said.

"Unless we can question the darkness that turned this baby into a
murderer, we cannot achieve anything."

In a religious service attended by Armenians and Turks — including
Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin and Interior Minister Abdulkadir
Aksu — Armenian Patriarch Mesrob II called for expanded freedoms of
speech and along with more dialogue between Turks and Armenians.

"It is mystical that his funeral turned into an occasion where Armenian
and Turkish officials gathered together. He would have been happy to
see this turn into real dialogue," Mesrob said, weeping during part
of his eulogy.

UT The Daily Texan, TX
Jan 24 2007

UT community mourns journalist slain in Turkey
Death threats began after conviction for insulting Turkishness

By Lindsey Mullikin

Mourners were given red carnations and copies of Armenian journalist
Hrant Dink’s last article as they entered the memorial service held
for him in the Sinclair Suite at the Texas Union last night. Dink
was shot to death in Turkey on Jan. 19, 2007.

Various University organizations sponsored the memorial service,
including the Armenian Cultural Association.

Students were invited to share the importance Dink’s work had in
their lives.

"It was one of the last things I expected to happen in my country,"
remarked graduate student Emrah Zarifoglu. "He was always talking
about unity."

Dink was the editor of an Armenian-Turkish publication, Agos.
Actively involved in the furtherance of democratization in Turkey,
he utilized his paper to help unify the Armenian and Turkish peoples
by bridging communication gaps between the two cultures.

Over time, however, tensions began to rise between Dink and the
Turkish community. In May 2006, he was charged by the Turkish court
with "insulting Turkishness."

After being convicted, matters got worse for Dink. In a later interview
with The Associated Press, Dink revealed that he had been receiving
numerous threatening messages. In what was to be his last article
in Agos, the journalist expressed severe concerns for his personal
safety. The day that article was published, he was assassinated
outside of his newspaper’s office building.

The response to his death has been overwhelming. Yesterday in Turkey,
more than 100,000 citizens paid tribute to the journalist by marching
five miles. At the University of Texas, students celebrated the life
that Dink led.

"He was a voice of freedom and unity," said Taleen Asadourian, Plan
II senior and president of the Armenian Cultural Association. She
and others were glad that representatives from the Turkish University
Students Association and Armenian Cultural Association attended the
vigil. "It’s symbolic to bring these groups together who historically
haven’t been," she said. Nearly all in attendance agreed.

Dink was only 53 when he died, but his dream of unification will
perhaps continue for generations to come.

PRESIDENTS PUTIN AND KOCHARYAN MEET IN SOCHI

Panorama.am
20:04 24/01/2007

There are no untackled issues between Russia and Armenia, Russian
President Putin told a meeting in Sochi with the Armenian President
Robert Kocharyan today. He said there are no urgent issues on the
agenda but the two have always what to talk about.

"In the field of energy all issues are tackled. We are dealing
now with transport and industry," President Putin mentioned also
saying trade turnover is going up and direct links among Russian and
Armenian citizens are increasing. ITAR-TASS reports that the Russian
president assured that the visit of Kocharyan to Russia will step up
Russian-Armenia relations even more.

The Armenian president assured that several Russian-Armenian projects
in trade and economy will become a reality this year.

Source: Panorama.am

Azeri army ready to liberate occupied territories – president’s aide

Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS Military Newswire
January 23, 2007 Tuesday 5:05 PM MSK

Azerbaijan’s armed forces are ready to liberate the Azeri territories
seized by Armenia, presidential aide for military issues Vakhid
Aliyev said.

"We are ready to carry out military operations any time following
an order from the commander-in-chief and liberate the occupied
territories," Aliyev told journalists on Tuesday.

"Armenia clearly sees that the Azeri armed forces are improving their
combat readiness on a daily basis and are acquiring modern equipment
and weaponry. Morale in Azeri troops is high, and we can liberate
the occupied territories at any moment," he said.

Nikolai Zobin: No country will recognize the results of Armenia’s aggressive policy

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Jan 23 2007

[ 23 Jan. 2007 17:00 ]

"It is Armenia and Armenian people who suffer from the situation in
South Caucasus region most. No country in the world will recognize the
results of Armenia’s aggressive policy. The only result Armenia has
achieved is its isolation from numerous economic projects", Nikolai
Zlobin, Director of Russian and Asian Programs of US World Security
Institution, told APA.

He considered Armenia’s participation in international projects in
the region desirable.

"Armenia cannot avoid the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict if
it joins the projects", he said. /APA/

Azerbaijan, Armenia to continue contacts over Karabakh issue

ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
January 23, 2007 Tuesday

The Foreign Ministries of Azerbaijan and Armenia will continue close
contacts over the Nagorno Karabakh settlement, the Armenian Foreign
Ministry said in an official statement after a meeting between the
top diplomats of the two countries in Moscow.

The talks took place in the Russian capital on Tuesday, under the
aegis of the OSCE Minsk group.

"The parties discussed the principles of the Nagorno Karabakh
settlement and the details of the plans of a peaceful settlement
of the conflict, proposed by international mediators," according to
Armenian diplomats.

"The talks passed in a constructive atmosphere, and the parties decided
to continue close contacts at the level of the foreign ministries of
the two countries," they added.

Head of the international department of Armenia’s National Assembly
Vooruzhan Nersesian said "the parties have failed to arrive at specific
results; although firm groundwork has been prepared for continuing
talks within the framework of the upcoming visit by the OSCE group
to Baku, Yerevan and Stepanakert."

Armenia views "the talks in Moscow as a positive follow-up of
the Prague process," he said, noting detailed discussion of the
OSCE-proposed plans to settle the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

"The OSCE Minsk group begins a visit to Baku on Wednesday; we are
pinning big hopes on results of this trip," Nersesian said.

"The Armenian delegation is going back to Yerevan pleased with the
results of the Moscow meeting," he underlined.

Premier Erdogan Says Murder Of Hrant Dink Will Not Achieve Its Aim

Anatolian Times, Turkey
Jan 22 2007

KIZICAHAMAM – "This murder will not achieve what it aimed, this
game which is played on our country will certainly be thwarted,"
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a consultation meeting of
his Justice and Development Party (AKP) on Saturday.

"Our nation will give the best answer to those bloody hands by
clinching firmly and by embracing Hrant Dink. No bloody provocation
will be able to hinder our nation`s march on the road to freedom and
prosperity," he added.

Erdogan also said that the perpetrators of the murder would not
go unpunished and that every effort was being exerted to bring
responsible(s) before justice in the shortest possible time.

Erdogan also praised Turkey`s economic performance in his speech,
saying the steps the government has been taking have given their
fruits.

"Turkey`s economy is a rising star of the region and even of the
world," he said.

"Thanks to democracy, stability and an environment of security, Turkey
has re-entered a process of production and development," he noted.

"This constitutes an invaluable achievement. There is no turning back
from this point."

Touching on the Cyprus problem, Erdogan rejected accusations that
the government has made concessions regarding the Cyprus issue.

Turkish Daily News
Jan 22 2007

Dink’s murder a reminder of need for genocide recognition, US
Armenians say

Monday, January 22, 2007
UMÝT ENGÝNSOY
WASHINGTON – Turkish Daily News

U.S. Armenian organizations have called on President George W.

Bush’s administration to drop efforts to prevent Congress from formally
recognizing the Armenian genocide, especially at a time when the
assassination of prominent Turkish Armenian journalist Hrant Dink
illustrates "Turkey’s campaign of denial and intolerance."

"In light of this terrible tragedy, it is all the more inappropriate
for the administration to oppose congressional reaffirmation of the
Armenian Genocide," said Hirair Hovnanian, chairman of the board of
trustees for the Armenian Assembly of America (AAA), according to an
AAA statement following Dink’s killing. "In memory of Hrant Dink,
we reaffirm our commitment to fight for universal reaffirmation
of the Armenian genocide," he added. AAA Executive Director Bryan
Ardouny also expressed his sorrow at Hrant’s assassination, saying,
"Sadly 92 years after the start of the Armenian genocide, Hrant Dink
is now the latest victim of Turkey’s outrageous campaign of denial
and intolerance."~S[This] brutal murder serves as a wake up call to
the United States and the entire international community to unite
together in ending forever the Turkish government’s denial of the
Armenian genocide," said Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "Hrant Dink’s murder is tragic proof
that the Turkish government – through its campaign of denial, threats
and intimidation against the recognition of the Armenian genocide –
continues to fuel the same hatred and intolerance that initially led
to this crime against humanity more than 90 years ago," said Hamparian
in an ANCA statement.In a CNN-International interview, he said that
Dink’s murder was a terrible tragedy, but not entirely a surprise,
"in light of the environment of escalating intolerance intimidation
created by the Turkish government against those who openly acknowledge
the Armenian genocide." The AAA and ANCA are the two largest U.S.

Armenian organizations. Dink, 52, the editor of Turkish-Armenian
newspaper Agos, was gunned down outside his newspaper’s office in
Istanbul on Friday, causing a huge wave of protests inside and outside
Turkey. Police on Sunday detained a teenage suspect over the slaying.

The journalist had stood trial several times for his public comments on
the genocide, and was convicted last year for "insulting Turkishness"
under a much criticized article of Turkey’s penal code; he received a
six-month suspended sentence.Pro-Armenian lawmakers in U.S. Congress
are gearing up for the introduction of a fresh resolution in the House
of Representatives classifying World War I-era killing of Armenians
in the Ottoman Empire as genocide.

Originally the resolution was expected to come last week, but its
sponsors decided to wait for another week or so in an effort to
maximize the number of legislators backing the measure in writing.

The AAA said late last week that the resolution would be formally
introduced in the House before the end of January.

The Washington administration strongly condemned Dink’s assassination,
calling on Turkish authorities to bring those responsible to
justice. But State Department officials said that official U.S. policy
on the last century’s Armenian killings in the last days of World
War I was unchanged. Successive U.S. administrations have declined to
qualify the Armenian killings as genocide so as not to alienate Turkey,
also urging Congress to refrain from genocide recognition. However,
the new Democratic leadership in the House of Representatives,
including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, backs the genocide resolution’s
passage.U.S. Armenians want the resolution’s approval in a full House
floor vote before April 24, designated by U.S. presidents as the day
of remembrance of the Armenian tragedy.

–Boundary_(ID_okBjBDZwQFhPxPh8GoNoog)–