Author: nina hovnanian

‘CHHANGE’ TO COMMEMORATE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

11:37, 26 Feb 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

The Center for Holocaust, Human Rights and Genocide Education (Chhange)
will be hosting a number of events in commemoration of the Centenary
of the Armenian Genocide, the Armenian Weekly reports.

On Sun., April 12, the Chhange at Brookdale Community College in
Lincroft, N.J., will host a special reception that will showcase
“A Journey to Life: Armenia,” an interactive exhibit that features
the personal histories of local Armenian survivors and their families.

Internationally recognized Armenian scholar Khatchig Mouradian
will introduce the exhibit and its historical content. In
addition, the commemoration will reveal “Illuminating Images: A
Hundred-Year-Remembrance,” an exhibit of 3-D artistic cityscapes
of Armenian life before and after the genocide. It reflects the
collaborative efforts of hundreds of middle school, high school,
and college students throughout New Jersey.

At the event, Chhange will also release its latest publication,
Hundred-Year Legacy of Courage: Celebrating the Lives of Armenian
Genocide Survivors in Our Community. This publication shares the
personal accounts of 54 Armenian survivors from across the Ottoman
Empire. The book honors individual survivors by preserving their
voices–a demonstrated, powerful vehicle to teach genocide history
and its lessons. In conjunction with publishing Hundred-Year Legacy,
Chhange has launched a Kickstarter fundraising campaign to help with
the publication costs.

On April 20, Chhange will host “Narrating Genocide,” featuring
Khatchig Mouradian and renowned author Chris Bohjalian. They will
explore different routes to the past, through history and literature,
and discuss how each genre informs the other. Discussion will be
moderated by renowned scholar Deborah Dwork, Ph.D.

In October 2015, Chhange will sponsor “Operation Reality: Historical
Perspective on the Assassination of Talaat Pasha.” Actor, novelist,
and historian Eric Bogosian will present his recent research and
book about the assassination of Talaat Pasha, the mastermind of the
Armenian Genocide.

Chhange will also present a commemorative public broadcast,
“Commemorating Genocide: Celebrating Survival.” This multi-part
TV series with 30-minute segments will contain interviews with
staff/consulting scholars of Chhange, as well as members of the local
Armenian community.

AVETISYAN RELATIVES DEMAND TO ADD TO PERMYAKOV’S ACCUSATION

02.26.2015 16:00 epress.am

The representatives of Andranik Poghosyan, father ofAraks Avetisyan
killed on January 12 in Gyumri, Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor
office director Artur Sakunts and human rights defender of the same
office Arayik Zalyan, have applied to the Investigative Committee
make additions to the charges against the murder suspect, Russian
soldier Valery Permyakov, said Zalyan in an interview with Epress.am.

The petitioners noted that not charging Valery Permyakov with illegally
attempting to cross the Armenian state border demonstrates inaction
by RA law enforcement.

“On January 13, 2015 at around 12:15 AM, the Russian Federation’s
border guards soldiers, at the official Armenian-Turkish state border,
arrested an unknown person for attempting to illegally cross the state
border, who was later known to be Valery Permyakov. In any incident
of an illegal border crossing the representatives of Russia’s border
guards are responsible to implement the actions under the article 5
of the September 30, 1992 agreement “On the status of Russian border
troops installed on the territory of the Republic of Armenia and the
conditions of their operations,” which rules out the possibility of
the representatives of the Russian Federation border troops to conduct
investigations unilaterally and defines cooperation in investigations
and urgent action with the RA National Security Service and law
enforcement, according to the Armenian criminal and judicial codes.

On January 13, at approximately 12:15AM, Russian border guards did
not pass an information the National Security Service (NSS) and
law enforcement about a person illegally attempting to cross the
Armenian-Turkish border, while the NSS and law enforcement did not
demand the information either. Valery Permyakov’s action, the illegal
attempt of crossing of the RA State border consists of article 329
of the RA Criminal Code as a premeditated act of illegally crossing
the state border,” said the petition.

U.S. ANALYSTS ON AZERI MANAT RATE DROP: “HOW ILHAM ALIYEV WILL EXPLAIN IT TO SUPPORTERS?”

Turan Information Agency
February 24, 2015 Tuesday

A.Raufoglu
Washington, DC

24.02.15/Turan: Azerbaijan appeared headed last Saturday for the
“worst economic turbulence in its independence, raising fundamental
questions about the future of the country as investors’ trust in its
basic institutions seemed to be eroding fast,” TURAN’s Washington
correspondent was told by an economy analyst who recently returned
from his trip to the oil-reach Caspian country.

The sudden drop in the Azeri Manat for 33 percent against the dollar
is “a sign that Azeri policymakers feel they have few options left
to fight the crisis,” said a source on the condition of anonymity.

“President Ilham Aliyev yet remains popular in the country, according
to his advisors who convinced recent U.S. scholars visiting their
country, but his rule has long been predicated on a basic bargain with
supporters to provide economic prosperity and stability in exchange
for political activity:The question is how he will explain current
Manat drop to his supporters,” the analyst said.

Aliyev did not publicly address the crisis on Monday, but
pro-government media speculates that he might change the decision of
the Central Bank.

Another analyst, Martin Spechler, a veteran professor of economics at
Indiana University, believes that a drop in the Manat rate is “not out
of line with other energy exporters and economies with fairly close
relations with Russia, where the Ruble has fallen even more than 35%!”

“The consequence will be higher prices for imports and in Azerbaijan,
inflation, because you import so much: A higher interest rate will
hold capital within the country to some extent, but of course it
will also retard development of small business,” he told TURAN’s
Washington correspondent.

“It will make luxury purchases by the elite of Baku more expensive,
too,” he said: “But Azerbaijan has the talented people necessary to
live in a somewhat smaller economy that will rely on domestic sources
of food and fiber.”

A possible bright spot, added Spechler, is that “this will make
reforms and diversification of Azeri industry more pressing and will
discourage an arms build up in preparation for war with Armenia.”

SITE XOCALI.NET GOES ON REVEALING AZERBAIJANI FALSIFICATIONS: HOW DID AZERBAIJANI ‘CAPTIVE’S’ EARS GROW BACK?

16:34 26/02/2015 >> SOCIETY

The site Xocali.net goes on revealing
the falsifications of Azerbaijani propaganda over the events in Aghdam
in 1992. Within the frameworks of the propaganda campaign “Justice
for Khojaly” the Azerbaijani press publishes belated “eyewitness
testimonies” containing all sorts of absurdities and contradictions.

On 20 February, 2014 the site “Publika.az” published an article titled
“They cut off my ear with knife”. In the article an Aghdam events
“survivor” Panakh Maharramov was telling a very detailed story about
the tortures he had to “experience” in Armenian captivity.

“Then they took us to a barracks in Khankendi. Many enemy soldiers
slept there. Two of them were awake, and another old man was making a
fire for them; he was an Armenian from Sumgait. We came and sat down
in the barracks. The two came up to us. I had already got used to the
tortures and I didn’t ask for mercy from the enemy. One of them took
out an enormous knife and cut off my ear. I didn’t say anything. ‘Come
what may,’ I thought. I endured the pain in silence. Cutting off
my ear, he took it with him. I lost much blood then,” the ‘victim’
relates.

However, the Azerbaijani site was inconsiderate enough to publish
Panakh Maharramov’s photos during the wartime and now, where both of
his ears can be clearly discerned.

On February 26, 1992, during the war in Karabakh, around 200 to 300
people (according to Human Rights Watch, and 600 according to the
version propagated by Azerbaijan) were killed in unknown circumstances
near the city of Aghdam. They have been deliberately withheld by the
Azerbaijani authorities in the midst of the military actions.

Population of the village of Khojalu, which was one of the firing
points shooting at the blockaded Stepanakert (among five others)
was kept in the village for months by force and was not evacuated by
the authorities of Azerbaijan deliberately, in order to use them as
human shields later.

Residents of Khojalu coming out through the humanitarian corridor,
that the self-defense forces of NKR had left open, freely passed more
than 10 km and reached the Aghdam city controlled by the Azerbaijani
troops. Later, not far from the positions of Azerbaijani troops dead
bodies of the villagers were found. The exact death toll remains
unknown as the official Baku publishes data contradicting each other.

Parliamentary Commission investigating the tragic death of the
civilians at Aghdam city was dissolved by the order of Heydar Aliyev,
the investigative materials are kept secret.

“STATE MACHINERY IS CAPTURED BY A COUPLE OF BANDITS” (VIDEO)

12:08 | February 26,2015 | Politics

With 16 in favor, 67 against and 6 abstained votes the NA rejected
the project on “Governance crisis” submitted by the Armenian National
Congress (HAK).

HAK faction Head Levon Zurabyan thinks “we deal with deep crisis also
in the leaders of the ruling regime.”

As a result HAK came to the conclusion that if these authorities
continue governing, the RA will soon complete the list of failed
states. As a solution the project suggested holding urgent political
consultations. Number one solution for the HAK is anti-monopolization
and creation of national capitalism.

NA vice president Eduard Sharmazanov claims that there is no governance
crisis in the country in the classical sense, “Governance crisis
happens when the majority cannot work, when decisions aren’t made at
government sittings, when there is disobedience in the whole country.”

Zurabyan thinks “the government is able to make decisions, state
machinery works, but it doesn’t work for the people, it is captured
by a couple of bandits in order to gain wealth.”

Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), which abstained from voting
on the project, thinks that there is crisis in the country, but it
has systematic nature.

More in the video

GENOCIDE ARMENIEN : LA PRESSE TURQUE DE 1919 A PUBLIE LES ORDRES DE MASSACRES

Publié le : 25-02-2015

Info Collectif VAN – – Le 25 mars 1919, dans les
quelques mois qui ont suivi la défaite de l’Empire ottoman lors de
la Première Guerre mondiale, le quotidien turc Turkce İstanbul a
publié ce qu’il affirmait être la Lettre d’Instructions du bureau
central du Comité Union et Progrès (CUP) adressée aux unités de
l’Organisation spéciale (Teskilat-i Mahsusa) alors que commencait la
déportation des Arméniens pendant le génocide de 1915. Le journal
stambouliote a qualifié la lettre de ” Document tragique et terrible
”, et a indiqué que cette dernière était reproduite sans que
n’y soient apportées de modifications. La Lettre d’Instructions
se composait de 10 articles qui décrivaient les étapes a mettre
en Ã…”uvre pour le processus de déportation. Le Collectif VAN vous
invite a lire la traduction d’un article en anglais publié sur le
siteArmenian Weekly le 17 février 2015.

Armenian Weekly

Un document reflète la politique de déportation du CUP (Comité
Union et Progrès)

Par Ari Sekeryan, publié le 17 février 2015

pour The Armenian Weekly

Sait Molla était un avocat, membre du Conseil d’Etat turc et fondateur
de la Société anglophile (Ingiliz Muhipleri Cemiyeti). En 1918,
il a commencé a publier a Istanbul le quotidien Turkce İstanbul
(Istanbul turque).

Le 25 mars 1919, le journal a publié ce qu’il affirmait être la
Lettre d’Instructions du bureau central du Comité Union et Progrès
(CUP) adressée aux unités de l’Organisation spéciale (Teskilat-i
Mahsusa) alors que commencait la déportation des Arméniens pendant
le génocide.

Le journal a qualifié la lettre de ” Document tragique et terrible
”, et il a indiqué que cette dernière était reproduite sans que
n’y soient apportées de modifications. La Lettre d’Instructions se
composait de 10 articles qui décrivaient les étapes a mettre en
Ã…”uvre pour le processus de déportation. Ce sont les mêmes étapes
que des chercheurs tels que Taner Akcam, Donald Bloxham et Ugur Umit
Ungör ont décrites comme faisant partie des déportations.

Ã~Ividemment, l’authenticité d’un tel document n’est pas garantie.

Turkce Istanbul a négligé de mentionner la source de la lettre. En
outre, les archives du CUP ont disparu après la défaite de l’Empire
ottoman lors de la Première Guerre mondiale.

Indépendamment de ces questions, il est cependant important de noter
qu’il y avait des quotidiens turcs ottomans comme Turkce Ä°stanbul,
Alemdar et Peyam, qui ont critiqué le CUP et ont intensivement
discuté de la question dans le sillage de la Première Guerre
mondiale.

Le texte du document du journal est le suivant :

” Un document tragique et terrible ”

Article 1. Fermez toutes les associations arméniennes en appliquant
les troisième et quatrième articles de la Loi sur les Associations,
arrêtez les membres de l’exécutif qui s’opposaient au gouvernement
du CUP, déportez-les dans des provinces comme Mossoul et Bagdad,
et tuez-les en route ou a leur destination finale.

Article 2. Récupérez toutes les armes des Arméniens.

Article 3. Préparez l’opinion publique musulmane par des moyens
appropriés, organisez quelques incidents, comme l’a fait la Russie a
Bakou, dans des villes comme Van, Erzurum et Adana, où les Arméniens
ont obtenu la haine des musulmans par leurs propres actions.

Article 4. Laissez complètement la mise en Ã…”uvre a la population
générale dans des provinces comme Erzurum, Van, Mamuretulaziz et
Bitlis et utilisez les troupes et les forces militaires pour qu’elles
apparaissent comme empêchant les massacres. Par contre, soutenez
les musulmans avec la force militaire dans des endroits comme Adana,
Sivas, Bursa, Izmit et Izmir.

Article 5. Appliquez des mesures d’extermination envers les enseignants
et surtout les hommes de moins de 50 ans. (Laissez les femmes et les
enfants être convertis a l’Islam.)

Article 6. Eloignez les familles de ceux qui ont réussi a s’enfuir
et prenez des mesures pour couper complètement leurs liens avec
leurs villes d’origine.

Article 7. Renvoyez tous les fonctionnaires arméniens de tous
les bureaux du gouvernement et de ses filiales en les accusant
d’espionnage.

Article 8. Faites tuer d’une manière adéquate par les militaires
les hommes servant dans l’armée.

Article 9. Commencez l’application de toutes les mesures en même temps
afin de ne pas laisser le temps de préparer des moyens de défense.

Article 10. Tenez cette lettre d’instruction secrète et prenez grand
soin qu’elle ne soit que chez une ou deux personnes.

C’est une réalité que ces Arméniens qui ont été déportés,
ont été tués et anéantis conformément a la lettre d’instruction
écrite ci-dessus.

Bien que nous évitions de donner davantage de détails, nous publions
exactement le document tel qu’il est.

Turkce Ä°stanbul Le 25 mars 1919

Note de l’éditeur: des documents semblables ont été publiés dans
la presse turque pendant les années faisant suite a la Première
Guerre mondiale.

©Traduction Collectif VAN – 18 février 2015 –

Lire aussi :

” Génocide arménien ” vs ” génocide des Arméniens ”

Source/Lien : Armenian Weekly

EU REMAINS COMMITTED TO STRENGTHENING BILATERAL COOPERATION WITH ARMENIA

18:46, 25 Feb 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

“Despite Armenia’s decision in September 2013 not to sign the
Association Agreement/DCFTA with the EU but rather join the Eurasian
Economic Union (EEU), the EU remains committed to further engage
with Armenia, and to strengthen bilateral cooperation within the
Eastern Partnership, in all areas compatible with Armenia’s more
recent policy choices,” Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia Traian
Hristea at the conference on “EU-Armenia Cooperation: Perspective in
the Actual Political Environment”

“Currently, we are reflecting jointly with our Armenian counterparts
on the scope for future EU-Armenia relations. Following the Joint
Statement issued at EaP Vilnius summit November 2013 both sides have
started a joint reflection on how to revisit the legal basis for
their relations,” he said.

“On 4 November 2014, the EU and Armenia have launched in Brussels
a scoping exercise on the future legal and political framework for
EU-Armenia relations, based on information as regards to Armenia’s EEU
commitments and their possible implications on future relations with
EU. Both sides agreed to “safeguard” the negotiated but not initialled
AA/DCFTA and to use it as reference to this aim,” Hristea added.

“As long as good governance, reform of the judiciary, rule of law,
human rights do not form part of the official Eurasian integration
process, there is plenty of room for the EU to engage Armenia, and
for Armenia to demonstrate their commitment to reform. The upcoming
human rights sector budget support is in that regard a welcome step
– and at the same time a litmus test, for which the more-for-more
principle also applies,” the Head of EU Delegation said.

He also attached importance to making best use of the significant
EU assistance of 140-170 million EUR for the period of 2014-2017,
focusing on private sector development, public administration reform
and justice sector reform.

“Moreover, we need to further promote mobility of citizens of
Armenia and people-to-people contacts once a steady and satisfactory
implementation of the visa facilitation and readmission agreements is
confirmed. Negotiating a Comprehensive Air Transport Agreement with
Armenia is a policy objective outlined in the Eastern Partnership Road
Map. Armenia has expressed interest and readiness to negotiate the
agreement and the European Commission sent a fact finding mission to
assess the possibility of preparing a mandate for negotiations. We will
also need to strengthen our cooperation within the EaP’s multilateral
dimension in 2015, in particular the four multilateral platforms and
the flagship initiatives and contribute together to the success of
the 4th EaP Summit in Riga. And last but not least to continue the
EaP-related dialogue during the Euronest meeting in Yerevan at the
parliamentary level,” Hristea stated.

The envoy said “the EU is seriously concerned over the security
situation in the region, especially after the unprecedented
increase of tension and recent events at the line of contact in
Nagorno-Karabakh.” “The protracted Nagorno-Karabakh conflict does not
have a military solution and the status quo is unsustainable. Although
we are not part of the OSCE Minsk group negotiation mechanism,
the EU further supports efforts towards peace through the EUSR and
peacebuilding activities.”

“The EU also continues to supports the normalisation of
Armenian-Turkish relations and encourages both sides to remain
committed to the process of normalisation without preconditions,
despite the withdrawal of protocols signed back in 2009 from
parliaments of both countries. This year’s commemoration of atrocities
committed by the Ottoman Empire also is considered by us a test-case
for Armenia-Turkey relations,” he stated.

PRIME MINISTER TELLS ECONOMY MINISTER TO INTENSIFY EFFORTS FOR ENHANCING EXPORTS

YEREVAN, February 24. / ARKA /. Armenia’s prime minister Hovik
Abrahamyan instructed today economy minister Karen Chshmarityan to
intensify efforts for stimulating exports and improving the investment
climate of the country, after the minister presented a report on what
his ministry had done last year, the government press service reported.

Hovik Abrahamyan said the ministry should focus also on IT industry,
improvement of the investment and business climate and international
economic cooperation.

According to Chshmarityan, Armenia’s industrial output last year grew
by 2.7%, while the IT sector posted a 25.2% rise and tourism sector
grew by 11.3%.

According to the National Statistical Service, industrial production in
2014 was worth 1.288 trillion drams. Manufacturing sector accounted for
65.5% of the output, growing last year by 6.1% to 844.6 billion drams,
while mining and quarries declined by 7.4% to 193.1 billion drams.

According to the ministry of economy, about 1.2 million foreigners
visited Armenia last year, up from 1.084 million in 2013. IT sector
grew by 25.2% with nearly $475 million annual turnover. -0-

RUSSIA’S FEDERATION COUNCIL RATIFIES AGREEMENT ALLOWING PRESENCE IN RUSSIA AND ARMENIA FOR 30 DAYS WITHOUT REGISTRATION

YEREVAN, February 25. /ARKA/. Russia’s Federation Council ratified
Wednesday an agreement allowing two countries’ citizens to stay
in Russia and Armenia as long as 30 days without registration,
Novosti-Armenia reports referring to RIA Novosti.

In accordance with similar agreements, the same applies also to
citizens of Belarus and Kazakhstan, two other members of the Eurasian
Economic Union.

The agreement with Armenia was signed on July 11, 2014 in Sochi. In
January 2015, Armenia joined the Eurasian Economic Union. —0—–

BAKU MAY CHANGE ITS MIND AT THE LAST MOMENT AND ATTEND EURONEST PA SESSION IN YEREVAN, ARMENIAN MP SAYS

by Ashot Safaryan

ARMINFO
Wednesday, February 25, 12:58

Baku may change its mind at the last moment and attend the Euronest
PA session in Yerevan, Artak Zakaryan, Head of the Armenian Parliament
Committee for Foreign Affairs, said at a conference on the Armenia-EU
relations.

Yet in early February, Head of the Azerbaijani Delegation to Euronest
Elkhan Suleymanov said Azerbaijan would boycott the Fourth Ordinary
Session of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly due to take place in
Armenia from March 16 to 20. Azerbaijan protested the decision to allow
Armenia to host the event, accusing Europe of “shielding Armenia.”

Zakaryan believes that the session in Yerevan will not be affected
by Baku’s decision either to attend or boycott it. He recalled that
four reports on the European Neighborhood and EaP cooperation for
2014-2020 will be approved at the plenary meeting in Yerevan. “The
reports will cover such issues as communications in the EaP countries,
cultural dialogue, energy security, including new and alternative
sources of energy,” Zakaryan said.

According to him, it will be the first serious event as part of the
EaP since the election of the new European Parliament. “We anticipate
a more active dialogue at the level of parliaments and political
parties. I think, it is time to move forward from the relatively
passive point,” he said.