Author: nina hovnanian

SMN Weekly
Jan 28 2015

Amal Clooney Represents Armenia in Genocide Trial in European Court

By Jessica Smith / January 28, 2015

Amal Clooney represents Armenia in a genocide trial in European Court
of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, beginning Wednesday against a
Turkish politician who denies the killing of 1.5 million Armenians in
1915.
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Mrs. Clooney will advise Armenia as they challenge the appeal of DoÄ?u
Perinçek, who was found guilty by a Swiss court in 2008 after calling
the 1915 genocide an `international lie’, during a visit to
Switzerland in 2005.

A lobby group called Switzerland-Armenia immediately filed a criminal
complaint against him in July as it is against Swiss law to deny the
genocide as part of the country’s anti-racism laws.

Perinçek, the leader of the Turkish Workers Party, was found guilty of
racial discrimination in 2007 in Switzerland. His appeal in Swiss
court was dismissed but he later appealed to the ECHR, which ruled
that Switzerland had violated his right to free expression in December
2013.

Mrs. Clooney represents Armenia to appeal the 2013 ruling by the ECHR
in which it ruled that Swiss law prohibiting the public denial of the
alleged Armenian genocide is a violation of freedom of speech.

Armenia claims the ECHR’s ruling on Perinçek’s appeal contains legal
and factual errors.

This April marks the 100th anniversary of the massacre of an estimated
1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman Turks.

The 1915 killings are regarded by many historians as the first
genocide of the 20th century, and are said to have inspired Nazi
leader Adolf Hitler.

Turkey rejects the term `genocide,’ saying the death figure is
inflated and that people died on both sides as the Ottoman Empire
collapsed amid World War I.

Mrs. Clooney, 36, will attempt to refute testimony from countries,
like Turkey, which do not accept that the mass killing and forced
deportation of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire from 1915-1923 was an
act of genocide.

The appeal is Clooney’s first big case of 2015.

Last year, she represented one of three Al Jazeera journalists
imprisoned in Egypt. Amal also represented Greece in the country’s bid
to have the Elgin Marbles returned from the British Museum.

Islamized Armenians are baptized and learning the language – diaspora minister

14:14, 25.12.2014

YEREVAN. – The Ministry of Diaspora of Armenia continues to carry out
activities with the Islamized and clandestine Armenians.

Diaspora Minister Hranush Hakopyan told the aforesaid to reporters,
but she added that, for understandable reasons, this work is not
widely presented.

“But we are pleased with the results. The Government of Armenia helps
them visit the historical homeland.

“Moreover, an exception is made for the [respective] people over the
age of 20 to be permitted to participate in the [ministry’s] Come Home
[motherland visiting] program, which is intended for
[Diaspora-Armenian] teenagers.

“Two of them were not only baptized, but they stayed in Armenia to
learn Armenian. Later, they will return to Tigranakert [i.e., today’s
Diyarbakir, Turkey] to open an Armenian school there. Hundreds of
people in that region want to learn Armenian,” the minister stated, in
particular.

Armenia News – NEWS.am

The Cairo Post, Egypt
Jan 28 2015

Turkish opposition politician faces ECHR in case on Armenian Genocide

Jan. 28, 2015 17:15
By Kate Rankin

STRASBOURG, France: Turkish opposition politician Dogu Perincek said
claims the Ottoman Empire orchestrated genocide in Armenia were an
“imperialist lie” in front of the European Court for Human Rights
(ECHR) Wednesday, in what was the final session in a lengthy legal
battle over freedom of speech versus European laws that criminalize
denial of genocide.

Dogu Perincek, the Chairman of the Turkish Worker’s Party, was placed
under investigation in 2005 for labeling what is known as the Armenian
Genocide an “international lie” at an academic conference in
Switzerland, which Armenia views as akin to incitement, and counter to
the law of the European Union.

Armenia claims that 1.5 million persons were killed as a result of a
direct campaign from the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1923; Turkey
has claimed that mass killings, which did take place, were carried out
in the context of war by the empire, and not part of a campaign to
exterminate a people.

European law stipulates that genocide, as defined in 1948, cannot be
denied, and gives protections to third parties who may be offended by
the denial of events.

Although Perincek was sentenced to 90 days in prison and fined 3,000
Swiss francs ($2,500) in 2007 by the Court of Lausanne in Switzerland
for the denial of the genocide, he was acquitted Dec. 17, 2013 by the
ECHR, which found that the decision of the Lausanne court was contrary
to the freedom of expression.

The court also noted in its 2013 ruling that although Perincek
disputed the term of “genocide,” he did not deny that massacres or
killings had taking place.

“Freedom of expression means liberty for different, even deviating
opinions,” said Perincek before the court Wednesday morning in
prepared remarks.

“In Europe, the accusation of the ‘Armenian Genocide’ has been turned
into a taboo and a tool to discriminate Turkish people. Today, Turks
and Muslims are the clack people of Europe. Let also the oppressed
ones defend themselves,” he said.

Outside the court Wednesday dual groups of demonstrators supporting
Armenia and Turkey held signs in support of their cause.

“Denial is not freedom of speech” was written in French on signs of a
small group demonstrating in favor of the charges against Perincek.

A delegation of approximately 250 Turkish Worker’s Party members and
members of the Talaat Pasha Committee, whose namesake Prime Minister
of the empire in 1915 ordered many of the “deportations” of Armenians,
flew from Istanbul to support Perincek in what is the final chapter of
his legal battle at the court, although the full explanation of a
verdict may take further weeks to be publicized, Worker’s Party
members told The Cairo Post.

Lawyer Amal Clooney represented the Armenian side, and said during her
intervention that Perincek’s comments “dishonor the memories” of those
who died in the conflict that began in 1915, and said that the
evidence for the “atrocities is overwhelming.”

“This court is not the forum, and Dogu Perincek is not the defendant”
whose case should decide a historical consensus regarding the issue,
she said, adding “Armenia is not here to fight freedom of expression,
but Turkey is not here to defend it.”

The Armenian Genocide is also referred to as the Armenian Holocaust,
and is recognized as genocide by 23 countries. The United States has
not taken an official national position on the conflict.

Armenians claim that approximately 1.5 million, out of a total
population of 2 million, Armenians were killed between 1915 and 1923
by the Ottoman Empire, with those surviving fleeing in an Armenian
diaspora to a number of countries.

Lawyer Amal Clooney seated next to Lawyer Geoffrey Robertson QC at the
European Court for Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, representing
the Armenian government – Kate for The Cairopost

Lawyer Mr. Stefan Talmon, who spoke on behalf of the state of Turkey,
concluded his remarks in defense of Mr. Perincek by saying, “the fact
that he called it an ‘international lie’ does not provide evidence of
racism or an attack on Armenians,” adding “at most, it may be related
to any holder of that opinion. Calling something an international lie,
as calling a group of certain persons liars. As such, it has no racial
connotation.”

The court hearing adjourned in mid-day, and the judges withdrew to
deliberate, and announced they would declare the verdict at a later
time.

Amal Clooney reminds ECHR about Hrant Dink’s murder

17:22 | January 28,2015 | Politics

The hearings of `Perinçek vs. Switzerland’ case at the Grand Chamber
of the European Court of Human Rights are over, Armenpress reports.

The source says the ECHR will announce a verdict in relation to the
case within 6- – 8 months. During the trial, attorney Jeffrey Robertson
emphasized the fact that the modern world has to live freely without
hatred and discrimination. In his speech, Robertson referred to Talaat
Pasha as the Turkish Hitler.

Amal Clooney, who was representing the interests of Armenia, spoke
about the gloomy picture of freedom of speech in Turkey and human
rights violations. She also touched upon the murder of Hrant Dink,
emphasizing the fact that it was committed by Turk nationalists.

While the Court was hearing the case, Armenians and Turks were holding
a protest in front of the ECHR building. Dozens of police officers and
police cars were keeping order in the vicinity of the building. The
supporters of the Armenian side were screaming `1915 Never Again’ and
`It Is Time’.

DoÄ?u Perinçek, Chairman of the Turkish Workers’ Party, was the first
to speak during the first session that began at 12:15 Yerevan time.
According to rules, the next speakers will be the delegations of
Switzerland (as the defendant), as well as the delegations of Armenia
and Turkey involved in the case as the third parties.

Plenipotentiary Representative of the Government of Armenia at the
European Court of Human Rights Gevorg Kostanyan, as well as two
international lawyers representing Armenia’s interests at the ECHR,
Amal Clooney and Jeffrey Robertson represent the Armenian side at the
ECHR.

Por primera vez un conjunto folklórico armenio se presentó en el
Festival de Cosquín

27.1.15

El Conjunto folklórico armenio Kusan se presentó el lunes 26 de enero
ante una multitud y por primera vez en la historia, en el Festival
Nacional de Folklore de Cosquín, Córdoba, el festival de música
folklórica más importante de Argentina.

“A pesar del genocidio, ellos están aquí. Mantuvieron su identidad y
transmitieron su legado cultural a la humanidad”, anunció el
presentador sobre el final del tercero de los nueve días que dura el
festival. Con trajes e instrumentos típicos, la presentación de música
y danza armenia contó también con el tema “Anush yar”, la canción con
la que comienza la conocida película Pulp Fiction.

“Desde el primer momento, la gente se conectó con nosotros. Cuando
hablamos del genocidio la gente nos acompañó. Se vivió un sentimiento
de solidaridad”, explicóEnrique Avakian, director y creador del
Conjunto folklórico Kusan, al ser consultado por Prensa Armenia.

Sobre el final, dedicaron a Argentina, “que recibió a los armenios en
los momentos más difíciles, cuando en 1915 fueron expulsados de
Armenia por el genocidio cometido por el gobierno turco-otomano”, un
popurrí de sus canciones típicas, como el carnavalito. “Empezamos a
tocar ‘Zamba para olvidar’ de Daniel Toro y nos perdíamos porque la
gente empezó a corear y a cantar con nosotros”, relató Avakian.

Los Angeles Times
Jan 27 2015

Musician John Bilezikjian dies at 66; master of the Middle Eastern oud

ohn Bilezikjian, a masterful player of the Middle Eastern oud whose
eclectic career included performances and recordings with Leonard
Cohen, Little Richard, Robert Palmer, Luis Miguel and Placido Domingo
and programs of traditional Armenian music as well as appearances with
the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Boston Pops and Los Angeles Mandolin
Orchestra, has died. He was 66.

Bilezikjian died Jan. 19 at his home Mission Viejo after a long bout
with kidney disease, according to his close friend and frequent
musical companion Barry Fisher.

Bilezikjian’s expressive playing of the oud, a pear-shaped stringed
instrument similar to the lute, can be heard in more than 82 film and
television soundtracks, including “Schindler’s List” and “The French
Connection.”

Beyond his mastery of the oud, Bilezikjian’s instrumental virtuosity
was extraordinary, reaching from the difficult-to-master 11-string oud
to the violin and beyond. In a 1986 interview with the Los Angeles
Times he claimed he could play 40 different instruments, including
guitar, drums, zither and lute. “But the oud,” he added, “is my life.”

Though he was often described as “America’s oud virtuoso,” Bilezikjian
was modest about his skills, jokingly referring to himself as “just an
old country oud player.”

The music that attracted Bilezikjian’s interest was equally far
reaching. “I have no restrictions,” he told The Times, describing a
concert in which he played Joaquin Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez and
a medley of themes from “Chariots of Fire,” “E.T.” and “Star Wars.”

Bilezikjian’s audience was worldwide, his role as a major figure in
the genre of world music affirmed by his authentic interpretations of
the music of Armenia, Turkey, the Arab world, Greece, Russia, Israel,
Eastern Europe, Spain, Asia, Latin America and beyond.

In addition to his instrumental diversity, Bilezikjian also sang in as
many as a dozen different languages.

John Haig Bilezikjian was born Feb. 1, 1948, in Los Angeles to
Armenian parents and a musical family environment. His father was a
classical violinist, his grandfather played the oud, and his mother
was a singer.

His fascination with music began to blossom before he was 5.
Displaying an early aptitude, he was accepted into a children’s
ensemble, playing the ukulele. But hearing his father play the violin
was a constant distraction.

“I went to my mom,” Bilezikjian recalled in an interview for the
Fretboard Journal. “And I said, ‘Mom, I want to play like Daddy. I
want to play that violin.” And the next day I had a violin in my
hands.”

By the time he was 10, under the guidance of his father, he had
acquired sufficient mastery of the violin to play the Paganini
Caprices. The close proximity of his grandfather’s oud, however,
opened yet another musical vista. And once again he revealed more
musical aptitude, quickly beginning to master the challenging demands
of the 11-string oud, teaching himself by listening to his parents’
old 78 rpm recordings of Armenian music. A year later, he was playing
both the violin and the oud in his own band, the Halehs.

While performing around Los Angeles with the Halehs, Bilezikjian
attended San Fernando Valley State College (now Cal State Northridge),
earning a bachelor’s degree in violin, oud, performance and
composition.

After graduation, he decided to take charge of his post-collegiate career.

“I said to myself,” Bilezikjian told the Fretboard Journal, “I’m going
to call Paramount Studios, and I’m going to ask if I can come down and
audition with my oud.”

The result was a meeting with composer Lalo Schfrin, which led to the
presence of Bilezikjian’s oud in Schifrin’s theme music for the hit
television series “Mission: Impossible.” It also opened the door to
the world of studio music for films and television. In the busy,
decades-long studio career that followed, Bilezikjian’s oud playing
became one of the unique timbres in background music for every kind of
media. But he wasn’t limited to the oud and the violin, also playing
mandolin, balalaika, tamburitza, dombra and bouzouki.

In the late ’70s, another important career track opened for
Bilezikjian when he received a call from Leonard Cohen’s office.
Bilezikjian claimed to have had no idea who the singer-songwriter was
at that time. But they hit it off musically in a creative relationship
that lasted until 1988.

Bilezikjian’s career lasted well into his final years as he continued
to celebrate the Armenian music that was at the center of his art
despite the onset of the kidney disease that took his life.

His music, in all its many forms, can be heard on numerous recordings
on Dantz Records, the company he founded in Laguna Hills.

Survivors include his wife, Helen; sons John Bilezikjian and George
Bilezikjian, stepsons Mason Walton and Morgan Walton, and three
grandsons.

Neos Kosmos – Hellenic Perspective, Australia
Jan 28 2015

Bishop soothes Turkish concerns

Armenian Genocide recognition: FOI request reveals Government’s worry
over Ankara backlash

Michael Sweet

A letter sent by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop obtained last month
under a Freedom of Information request – along with a file of heavily
redacted documents – is proof that the Australian government
“continues to be gagged” by Turkey on the issue of the Armenian
Genocide, according to the Armenian National Committee of Australia
(ANCA).

In the letter in question, written on May 15 last year, Julie Bishop
wrote to her Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoglu, to soothe Ankara’s
unease over statements made just days earlier by Treasurer Joe Hockey.

Mr Hockey (who is of Armenian heritage) was unable to attend the
annual Armenian Genocide commemoration in Sydney on April 24, but made
his position clear in a message to the event’s organisers, saying the
word ‘genocide’ was the only possible way to define the actions of
Turkey 100 years ago.
“Back in 1915, the word genocide did not exist, as the UN Convention
on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was only
adopted in 1948 in the aftermath of the Holocaust,” wrote Mr Hockey,
before adding, “…there is simply no other word for what happened to
the Armenian people of Ottoman Turkey.”

The statement – distributed to the world’s media – caused
consternation in Ankara, and motivated the then Turkish Foreign
Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to seek assurances from his Australian
counterpart that Mr Hockey’s views were his own, rather than a new
position adopted by the Australian government.

Ankara has previously condemned parliamentary motions passed by South
Australia and New South Wales recognising the genocides carried out
between 1915 and 1922, which included the decimation of Pontian Greek
and Assyrian communities.

In August 2013 Turkey threatened to ban NSW MPs from attending this
year’s Anzac centenary commemorations at Gallipoli, after the state
parliament passed a motion recognising the genocide.

Forced to qualify her cabinet colleague’s statement, Julie Bishop’s
May 15 response sought to calm Turkish concerns, saying:
“Recognising the important interests at stake for both countries, I
assure you that there has been no decision to change the long-standing
position of successive Australian governments on this issue.”

Ms Bishop said that while the government was “sympathetic to the
Armenian people and other communities that suffered such terrible
losses during the tragic events at the end of the Ottoman Empire, the
Australian government does not, however, recognise these events as
‘genocide’.”

The minister added: “We do not seek to intervene in this sensitive
historical debate. We believe the issue is best resolved through
dialogue between the communities and governments concerned.”

While the FOI request asked for background documents to the letter,
large sections of the files released by DFAT – containing briefings
and other correspondence – were redacted, citing disclosure of
information would cause damage to “the international relations of the
Commonwealth”.

Meanwhile the ANCA has suggested that Minister Bishop’s phrase
“recognising the important interests at stake for both countries” is
shorthand; an implicit agreement by the government not to ‘rock the
boat’ with Turkey in Anzac centenary year.

“It is obvious that Australia has succumbed to Turkey’s ongoing
threats to ban MPs from attending the Centenary commemorations at
Anzac Cove, and even close Anzac Cove in its entirety in the lead up
to the centenary, should Australia recognise the events of 1915 as
genocide,” ANCA executive director Vache Kahramanian told Neos Kosmos.

“Sadly, the Australian government continues to be gagged by a
so-called ‘ally’ when it comes to discussing the Armenian Genocide.”

Mr Kahramanian said he was bewildered by the redactions in the
documentation which outlined the government’s consideration of the
matter.

“It’s clear that Australian government officials continue to succumb
to ongoing threats by Turkey and as a result, allow a foreign
government to dictate Australia’s position on this issue,” said the
ANC director.

“In this centenary year, where Australia will commemorate the horrors
of WWI, it should also have the moral courage to unequivocally
recognise and condemn the Armenian Genocide and pay homage to the
thousands of Australians – who were at the forefront of providing
international aid during and after the genocides of 1915-1923.”

Panayiotis Diamadis, director of the Australian Institute for
Holocaust and Genocide Studies, told Neos Kosmos that the letter from
Julie Bishop confirmed an “obsequious approach” by DFAT to the issue
of Armenian Genocide official recognition.

“The third-ranking member of the federal government calling for
recognition of the genocides thoroughly shook Ankara. They were, and
remain, terrified of further recognitions by parliaments in Australia.

“Australian parliamentary recognition of the genocides of the
indigenous peoples of Anatolia and eastern Thrace is inevitable,
because it constitutes recognition of the genocides in Australian
history.”

IHS Global Insight
January 27, 2015

IHS adjusts Armenian sovereign outlook to Negative as foreign currency
inflows are increasingly threatened

BYLINE: Venla Sipila

In its fourth-quarter 2014 sovereign risk review, IHS has cut the
outlook on its sovereign rating for Armenia to Negative from Stable.
The ratings themselves remain unchanged. The short-term rating stands
at 10, signalling “high quality” credit, while the medium-term
assessment of 50 (corresponding to BB- on the generic rating scale)
indicates “ongoing uncertainty” in the country’s creditworthiness. The
downward revision in the credit rating comes as foreign currency
inflows to Armenia are increasingly at risk, as the Russian downturn
has suppressed workers’ remittances paid by Armenians working in
Russia. Remittances are a key source of foreign currency for Armenia.
In addition, the Russian downturn also risks harming investment
inflows, while it also has a negative impact on export demand, given
that Russia is a key export market for Armenia.

Significance:The outlook revision implies that we now see a downgrade
in the Armenian sovereign rating likely with the next 12 months. In
particular, deterioration in remittance, FDI and export revenues risks
putting critical pressure on Armenian liquidity, potentially
relatively quickly. Without private transfers, Armenia’s current
account, which is currently estimated to run at around 6-7% of GDP,
would be still a great deal wider. Given that Armenia has a very good
relationship with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), however, the
international lender would probably provide for additional assistance
for the country, before a balance of payments crisis would be at hand.
However, with less private investment inflows and weaker exports, the
need for borrowing would increase, and for now, we see that this also
could have a negative impact on solvency as well. Thus, at present, a
downgrade in our Armenian sovereign rating looks likely enough to
warrant a Negative outlook. If the Russian economy starts showing
signs of recovery earlier than we currently expect, which would
necessitate also the oil prices reviving sooner or more strongly than
at present seems likely, the outlook could return to Stable.

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Jan 28 2015

Matthew Bryza urges U.S. to be more attentive toward Azerbaijan

28 January 2015, 17:44 (GMT+04:00)
By Sara Rajabova

The former U.S. ambassador has said Washington should pay more
attention to Azerbaijan.

Matthew Bryza, the former deputy assistant secretary of state for
Europe and Eurasia, the director of the International Centre for
Defense and Security in Estonia told Trend on January 28 that the U.S.
should be more attentive towards Azerbaijan, as this country is its
strategic partner.

“The U.S. should play a more effective role in the South Caucasus,
especially in terms of support for the territorial integrity of
Azerbaijan on the basis of the negotiating process and international
principles,” Bryza said.

Bryza also was one of the co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group that was
tasked to mediate over the settlement of the long-lasting
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,emerged after Armenia laid territorial
claims against Azerbaijan.

Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s internationally
recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent
regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus
neighbor that had caused a lengthy war in the early 1990s.

Peace talks, mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. through the OSCE
Minsk Group, are underway on the basis of a peace outline proposed by
the Minsk Group co-chairs and dubbed the Madrid Principles. However,
the negotiations have been largely fruitless so far despite the
efforts of the co-chair countries over 20 years.

Armenia continues the occupation in defiance of four UN Security
Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional
withdrawal.

Ataturk Zombi Turkish writer Ayse Kulin “We Didn’t Butcher the Armenians
without Reason’
January 27, 2015 By administrator

[image: ayse-kulin]
Turkish
writer Ayse Kulin’s statement
on
CNN Turk denying the Armenian Genocide and saying, `We did not butcher the
Armenians without a reason,’ has met with objections from different circles
in Turkey and Armenian communities all over the world.

Some members of that community, as well as some prominent Turkish
intellectuals, have launched a campaign on Change.org

calling
for boycotting the writer and not buying her books. The announcement in
Turkish and English reads as follow:

`Very close to the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide, it is regrettable
that such an irreverent style came from the mouth of a writer, AyÃ…=9Fe Kulin.
In an interview with the media, in a very relaxed way, Kulin, by saying ‘We
did not butcher the Armenians without a reason,’ underscored that they had
the right to butcher a nation. We do not expect an apology from her or
something in those words, we strongly condemn Ayse Kulin and reject her
books and invite all people with common sense also not to read her books.’

ISTANBUL (CivilNet)-Appearing on Enver Aysever’s `Contradictory Questions’
program on CNN Turk, well-known Turkish writer Ayse Kulin denied the
Armenian Genocide took place and said `we did not butcher the Armenians
without a reason.’ Below is the transcript of that conversation in
English.

AYSE KULIN: As a Turk, I feel responsibility and pain for not finding the
perpetrators of Hrant Dink’s murder.

ENVER AYSEVER: But you are not the one who is governing the State.

AK: True, but that is my feeling.

EA: Do you share that pain?

AK: Yes, I share the pain. I live in this country, I always vote, yet I am
not able to solve anything. Despite being an intellectual in Turkey, I
cannot help to solve any problems. I am not able to express my feelings. I
didn’t exist during the massacres of the Armenians, not even my mother [was
alive]. That is why I do not feel responsibility, but that is one of the
shameful events of my country, Turkey.

EA: You mean that you don’t feel responsibility for the deportation of
Armenians?

AK: No, I don’t feel any responsibility and I don’t believe that it was a
genocide, although it was a very bad event.

EA: You don’t think that what happened was genocide?

AK: No, I do not believe that it was genocide.

EA: But Armenians…

AK: Armenians may think it was.

EA: Armenians insist that it was a genocide. They might get angry.

AK: They might. I like Armenians very much, but those were deportations
during the war. It is difficult to call what happened during the war
genocide. They didn’t do anything to them like the Jews. We did not butcher
the Armenians without a reason.

EA: You said `we’ again, but they were the Ottomans.

AK: We too are Ottomans.

EA: Do you feel that way?

AK: Of course, we are the heirs of the Ottomans.

EA: Do you feel yourself an Ottoman or their heir?

AK: No, I am a daughter of the new Turkish Republic, but my generation is
different. I grew up in my Ottoman grandfather’s arms.