Author: Suren Karakhanian

ANN/Armenian News Conversation on Armenian News: Turkey (Part 1): Transformation and Continuity

Suren Karakhanian

Armenian News Network / Armenian News

Conversation on Armenian News: Turkey (Part 1)

ANN/Armenian News

Table of Contents

Introduction

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This Week’s Conversation on Armenian News:

Turkey: Transformation and Continuity

Overview

Hosts and Guests

Analysis and Discussion

Turkey’s Transformation in Historical Perspective from Kemalism to Islamism

Change and Continuity of Turkish Political Culture

Turkey’s Foreign Policy

The Middle East & the Mediterranean (Syria, Iran, Lebanon, Libya, Iraq, Greece)

Wrap-up

Hello and welcome to Armenian News Network, Armenian News. I’m Hovik Manucharyan.

Before we begin, I’d like to thank you for listening and supporting our podcast. If you like what you hear, we’d appreciate your help in reaching a wider audience by subscribing to our channel, liking, and sharing our podcasts. We are available on most major media platforms, including Youtube, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and More.

In this multi-part Conversation On Armenian News, Asbed Kotchikian explores Turkey’s transformation throughout the twentieth century and into the twenty first, and the underlying dynamics powering these changes.

Prof. Kotchikian is a senior lecturer of political science and international relations at Bentley University in Massachusetts where he teaches courses on the Middle East and former Soviet space.

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  • Asbed Kotchikian

  • Varuzhan Geghamyan

  • Ara Sanjian

  • Vahram Ter-Matevosyan

  • Diana Yayloyan

  • Hovik Manucharyan

  • Asbed Bedrossian

In 2002, Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) won a sweeping victory in the country’s general elections, dominating and shaping domestic and foreign policies of Turkey for nearly two decades to this date. Outwardly, under Erdogan’s and AKP’s leadership, Turkey has transformed from a country with a stated and acclaimed foreign policy seeking “zero problems with neighbors” to one that is actively engaged in economic, political and military rivalry with its Middle East and other regional neighbors, as well as balancing global players. Armenia is deeply affected by the quality of relationships that Turkey conducts with each of its neighbors.

In this first part of our Conversation on Armenian News about Turkey, we explore Continuity and Change in Political Culture and Foreign Policy in Turkey covering transition from Kemalism to Islamism, as defined by the AKP. We look at how recent events fit together within the framework of continuous, yet changing, state policies. We also discuss Turkey’s foreign policy in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean.

Joining us today are

  • Professor Ara Sanjian who is an Associate Professor of History and the Director of the Armenian Research Center at University of Michigan, Dearborn. His research interests focus on the post-World War I history of Armenia, Turkey and the Arab states of Western Asia. 

  • Prof. Varuzhan Geghamyan is assistant professor at Yerevan State University (Department of Oriental Studies) teaching courses on Turkey’s modern history, History of Azerbaijan; Sociocultural anthropology of Azerbaijan; Political ideologies and parties in Modern Turkey &  History of the Turkish Republic.

  • Diana Yayloyan is an Ankara-based Research Associate, working on Armenian-Turkish Normalisation Projects, supported by the EU. Diana is also a Ph.D. Candidate at the Middle East Technical University, focusing on Gender Theory and Peacebuilding.

  • Prof. Vahram Ter-Matevosyan who is associate Professor and Chair of the Political Science and International Affairs Program at AUA. His research interests focus on Turkish politics, Kemalism, Political Islam & Security in the South Caucasus

How have those changes influenced Turkey’s policies domestically (minorities, political parties, etc) as well as in its Foregin policy?

Turkey has been pursuing a more active foreign policy. What are the driving forces behind this foreign policy? How can we explain Turkish expanding influence from its immediate neighborhood to the larger mediterranean?

That concludes this Conversation On Armenian News about Turkey. We hope it has helped your understanding of some of the issues involved. Be sure to tune in to our next episode where we will continue on this topic and explore Turkey’s foreign policy in the Caucasus.

We look forward to your feedback, including suggestions for future Conversation topics. Contact us on our website, at groong.org, or on our Facebook Page “ANN – Armenian News”, or in our Facebook Group “Armenian News – Armenian News Network”.

Special thanks to Laura Osborn for providing the music for our podcast. I’m Hovik Manucharyan, and on behalf of everyone in this episode, I wish you a good week. Thank you for listening and talk to you next week.

PM Pashinyan tours Kotayk Province, visits greenhouse business

Suren Karakhanian

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 13:35, 18 August, 2020

YEREVAN, AUGUST 18, ARMENPRESS. As part of a tour in the Kotayk Province, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited on August 18 the Rock Berry greenhouse business in the village of Kamaris to get acquainted with the strawberry, raspberry and blackberry producing company’s activities and development programs.

A company representative told the Prime Minister that they have 149 employees, most of whom are residents of Kamaris, while some are from other nearby towns.

A 1km road leading to the greenhouse is currently being rebuilt by a subvention program.

The PM is accompanied by Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Suren Papikyan.

The PM then headed to the village of Aramus to review the ongoing subvention programs. He toured the village and talked with the locals, and gave candies to the children.

A resident complained on the condition of the road, and said that visiting the neighboring village is difficult because of that problem, asking the PM to rebuilt it.

“Everything will be done in turn, soon the restoration of that road will begin,” PM Pashinyan told the resident. “All you gotta do is pay property tax, as well as cultivate the lands, so many more programs will be implemented”.

Reporting by Norayr Shoghikyan and Lilit Demuryan; Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Karabakh plans to build up to 1,000 apartments a year through 5-year plan

Suren Karakhanian
News.am, Armenia
Aug 20 2020

21:31, 20.08.2020
                  

Museums, libraries to reopen in Armenia as Covid-19 restrictions ease

Suren Karakhanian
Panorama, Armenia
Aug 12 2020

Museums and libraries will reopen in Armenia as the government is gradually easing the Covid-19 restrictions imposed in March, Deputy Prime Minster, Commandant Tigran Avinyan told the parliament on Wednesday, presenting the decision to extend the state of emergency for another month unanimously approved by the government earlier in the day.

The guidelines on the activity of museums and libraries will be made public in the next few days, he said.

Restaurant singers and musicians will be allowed to perform at open-door events, the commandant added.

“The requirement to wear face masks in private cars will be lifted, but wearing masks will remain mandatory in public transport and taxies. In some public places, including forests, nature settings, the rule of wearing masks will be removed,” Avinyan noted.

According to the decision, the ban on protests and other assemblies will be lifted, but they must be organized in strict compliance with all coronavirus safety rules, including wearing face masks and practicing social distancing.

The ban on the entry of foreigners into Armenia will also be lifted, but they will be required to self-isolate. People will be allowed to hold family occasions and other entertainment events featuring up to 40 participants.

Avinyan reiterated that schools, primary and secondary vocational education institutions, music and art schools are set to reopen in Armenia on 15 September, adding the decision on universities will be announced next week.

As for the opportunity for Armenians to visit other countries, the commandant said it depends on regulations in specific countries.

He once again called for strict compliance with all sanitary and hygiene rules to return to normal as soon as possible.


Music: MUSIC-20 International Festival held on in Armenia during COVID-19

Suren Karakhanian
Muzique Magazine
Aug 14 2020
<img alt='' src=”'https://muziquemagazine.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/703/7037abf6482b3acae554d0987c3a6b00x45.jpg' srcset='https://muziquemagazine.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/703/7037abf6482b3acae554d0987c3a6b00x90.jpg 2x' class='avatar avatar-45 photo' height='45' width='45' loading='lazy'/>

By Alfred Munoz


MUSIC-20 International Festival held on in Armenia during COVID-19. 44,760 music lovers from Armenia, Russia, Germany, Malta, UK, and many other countries were following the “Music 20” online international festival, held on July 10-28 in Armenia. The official website music20.am was created to broadcast the performances throughout the festival days.

Along with local Armenian artists, many celebrated musicians were hosted in Armenia as guest performers of the festival – cellists Alexander Ramm, Boris Andrianov, violinists Andrey Baranov, Francesca Dego, Haik Kazazian, conductors Marius Stravinsky, Rustem Abiazov, Alan Chircop, Gianluca Marciano, pianists Nikita Mndoyants, Alexander Gindin, Gloria Campaner, and clarinet Igor Fedorov.

The festival was organized owing to the joint efforts of the European Foundation for Support of Culture and the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex. The Armenian State Symphony Orchestra was the official orchestra of the festival.

Konstantin Ishkhanov, President of the European Foundation for Support of Culture, expressed his gratitude to all the project participants.

“First of all, I would like to thank our partners with whom we managed to hold the ‘Music 20’ International Music Festival in Armenia within the severe pandemic reality – the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra and the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex.

Together we did tremendous work! Secondly, I want to highlight what cultural significance is being brought by implementing our project. Within the current circumstances, it is very important to support culture and especially classical music.

We provided artists the possibility to perform on the stage after months of the shutdown, and the audience got a chance to listen to the 19 fantastic concerts. I hope that soon everything will get back to normal, and we will be able to do even more great projects together!”

The invited musicians shared their emotions on the “Music 20” festival “feeling like a breeze of fresh air amid the limitations of the Covid-19 pandemic, introduced by the organizers and allowing thousands of listeners to savor high-quality music”, as was shared by many of them.

Rustem Abiazov, the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Kazan “La Primavera” Chamber Orchestra, admits his disbelief that “Music 20” would even be possible to accomplish. “Of course, I knew that the President of the European Foundation for Support of Culture, Konstantin Ishkhanov, always achieves the goals he targets.

Despite this, I traveled to Armenia with certain concerns over the possibility of organizing something like this under the present conditions. However, I arrived in Yerevan to witness a festival in an unusual format.

A number of orchestras around the world are streaming their concerts online these days, and I am thrilled that Armenia is in a leading position in this respect”, Rustem Abiazov said. Violinist Haik Kazazian emphasized that there is no other festival of a similar scale across the world, demonstrating the big love of Armenia for classical music.

For diversity, concert program included 19 symphony and chamber concerts, as well as a series of recitals featuring works by W.A.Mozart, L. van Beethoven, Dmitri Shostakovich, P.I.Tchaikovsky, A.Skryabin, F.Mendelssohn, F.Chopin, E.Grig, A.Shor, A.Khachaturian, Gh.Saryan, A.Arutiunian, E.Mirzoyan, J.Ter-Tadevosian, S.Shakaryan, T.Mansurian, E.Hayrapetyan and other composers.

Alexey Shor, a composer in residence of the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, was watching the festival online together with thousands of spectators around the world.

“I totally enjoyed it, and I am very sorry I could not come this time.

I think everything was organized at the highest level- from world-class performers to the excellent quality of broadcasts.

Armenia is one of my favorite countries, and I am very happy that my music is often played there. I hope I will be able to visit it soon. I am very grateful to the organizers of the festival, and, of course, I am grateful to the orchestra, the conductors, and the soloists for their interest in my music.”

Sergey Smbatyan, the Principal Conductor and the Artistic Director of the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra sum up the outcomes of the “Music 20” festival, stating that today highly demanded artists around the world admit to being given a second breath with this initiative presented by Armenia.

 “For me, it is valuable to show the paramount importance of classical music for Armenia. We had brilliant concerts. The Symphony Orchestra overcame challenges with world-scale artists.

Remarkably, the events in Armenia’s cultural life have been exposed to the whole world for the past two weeks. Around 45,000 views evidence that what we offer to the global cultural life is highly demanded, meaning that amid the cultural standstill of the world, something is being created in Armenia that goes against the flow and works out well”, Sergey Smbatyan said.

All anti-pandemic security measures were ensured during the festival.

Karen Ghazaryan, the Director of the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex, emphasized that under these challenging circumstances, we were able to carry out the “Music 20” festival successfully, with all safety measures in place.

“We had a large number of views, and, most importantly, no cases of infection were reported during the festival. This shows that with proper organization and operational responsibility, it is possible to hold events that present no threat to public health,” Mr.Ghazaryan noted.

Armenian youth help clean up Beirut’s Bourj Hammoud neighborhood

Suren Karakhanian
Public Radio of Armenia
Aug 8 2020


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The local authorities and Armenian community organizations are cleaning up the districts affected by the huge blast in Beirut on Tuesday, Aztag Daily reports.

Representatives of the ARF Armenian Youth Federation rushed to help the municipal staff in the clean-up efforts of the Armenian-populated Bourj Hammoud neighborhood, removing the pieces of broken glass and stone piles.

They also urged the residents of the district to participate in the clean-up works, and help restore the neighborhood in the shorted terms.

Lebanon: A Cry for Peace and Resuscitation

Suren Karakhanian
August 6,  2020

Zaven Khanjian, the Executive Director of the Armenian Missionary Association of America

Rival powers in the region should settle their differences on a negotiating table and not on the dinner tables of its peaceful and innocent population.

BY ZAVEN KHANJIAN
AMAA Executive Director/CEO

The explosion that took the lives of scores of innocent Lebanese and wounded thousands in Beirut Tuesday is beyond devastating. Whether an accident or the canning deliberate act of evil hands and minds, the damage is beyond extensive and bearable. The resulting devastation and destruction caused is so widespread and immense that some describe it as unseen or unexperienced during the 15-year civil war.

A country severely suffering from political, economic, financial and health crisis has now experienced violence and physical damage to life and properties. Our hearts cry for the victims of the explosion and their families. It is my hope and prayer that this does not lead into widespread violence in a country that has for ages offered the illumination of education, freedom of movement and _expression_, it’s natural beauty and the warmth of its people to the region and beyond. It is where my alma mater is. May the victims Rest In Peace and may the Holy Spirit console loved ones and families with its power which is beyond understanding.

Lebanon, now, more than ever, desperately needs two things.

PEACE, first and foremost
Since independence in the 40s, and because of the abundant vital freedoms that are alien to the region; the atmosphere of free _expression_, free press, free access and the beautiful natural amenities the country is blessed with and has offered, Lebanon has been the focal point and center of all clandestine and covert operations, intrigues and conspiracies plotted in the region. This small, once majority Christian nation in the heart of the Near East, lying on the shores of the Mediterranean is tired of the rivalries and duels, strives and struggles carried out on its soil.

AMAA’s Helping Hands Lebanon campaign

Lebanon today, beyond its corrupt political elite, has been subjected to collective punishment through direct or indirect sanctions which have suffocated its economy, paralyzed its trade and is on its way to starve the country and its population. In a humanitarian spirit that is par with our values, it is imperative that inhumane sanctions in the region leading to and resulting in the suffering of millions be lifted immediately. Rival powers in the region should settle their differences around a negotiating table and not the dinner tables of its peaceful and innocent population. PEACE is imperative and top priority in Lebanon and beyond.

Rebuilding The Nation
Struck with the curses of political, economic, financial plus COVID-19 ailments, Lebanon now needs all decent, loving and caring hands in the world to come to its rescue. Emergency assistance including, food, provision, medicine, shelter that was urgently needed yesterday are supplemented today with the simplest of needs; cover (glass or other) for the shattered structural and moral windows and doors of the country.

All destructive hands off Lebanon.

This is an appeal to all peace loving, compassionate and Christ centered hands and hearts to reach out and save Lebanon and the region beyond.

The AMAA is committed to unabashedly continue its indiscriminate emergency assistance to our communities in Lebanon injecting HOPE and revival.

Thank you for your support.
August 5, 2020

Armenia assessing scenarios of potential humanitarian aid supply to Lebanon after Beirut blast

Suren Karakhanian

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 10:43, 5 August, 2020

Photo – Reuters

YEREVAN, AUGUST 5, ARMENPRESS. Armenia is considering various scenarios on supplying Lebanon with humanitarian aid after the massive Beirut explosion which left more than 100 people dead and over 4000 injured, the Armenian foreign ministry said.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Anna Naghdalyan said on Facebook that massive destruction happened as a result of the explosion in Armenian-populated areas and elsewhere in the Lebanese capital. She said that the Haigazian University building was also damaged.

“As of this moment, together with our partners we are considering and assessing various scenarios of providing the brotherly people of Lebanon with targeted and first-necessity aid,” Naghdalyan said.

She said that according to latest information 3 Lebanese-Armenians have been killed in the blast. 100 Lebanese-Armenians were injured.

Naghdalyan didn’t rule out that the death toll may climb further.

The blast erupted at a port warehouse in the Lebanese capital on Tuesday. More than 100 people are dead and 4000 are injured.

The enormous blast was reportedly heard as far away as Cyprus, some 150 miles away from the port.

Beirut authorities have traced the blast to a massive stash of explosive ammonium nitrate in a warehouse at the port. The cause of the explosion is under investigation.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Armenpress: Armenia denies report on Turkish F-16 maneuvers at "airstrike proximity"

Suren Karakhanian

Armenia denies report on Turkish F-16 maneuvers at "airstrike proximity"

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 10:27, 3 August, 2020

YEREVAN, AUGUST 3, ARMENPRESS. The information published by the avia.pro website claiming that Turkish F-16 fighter jets have flown near to the Armenian border and were at one point only “56 kilometers (airstrike proximity) away from Yerevan” has been denied by the Armenian military as fake news.

“This information is false”, Armenian Defense Ministry spokesperson Shushan Stepanyan told ARMENPRESS.

The avia.pro website claimed in an article that the Turkish fighter jets flew in Azerbaijani airspace and approached Armenia and were “56 kilometers away from Yerevan”, a "distance of airstrikes".

Reporting by Lilit Demuryan; Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Armenia’s coronavirus cases exceeds 39 thousand, 5 new deaths reported

Suren Karakhanian
Aysor, Armenia
Aug 2 2020

As of August 2 in the morning, 39,050 new coronavirus cases have been recorded in Armenia. The number of infected in one day has grown by 209, National Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Sundat.

According to the information, 29,750 (+193) people have recovered, currently 8,318 (+11) are getting treatment.

The total death toll reached 754 (+5), other 228 (+0) patients died from other diseases.

In a day 5 people have died.