Author: Tadevosian Garnik

TURKEY THREATENS TO EXPEL 100,000 ARMENIANS

Novinite
March 17 2010
Bulgaria

"If necessary, I may have to tell these 100,000 to go back to their
country because they are not my citizens. I don’t have to keep them
in my country," Erdogan said. Photo by EPA/BGNES

Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to expel
from his country some 100,000 illegal immigrants from Armenia.

The statement came after a US committee and Sweden recently approved
resolutions to brand the 1915 killing of Armenians in the Ottoman
Empire as genocide.

Asked about the votes in an interview with the BBC Turkish service that
was broadcast late Tuesday, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said:

"There are currently 170,000 Armenians living in our country. Only
70,000 of them are Turkish citizens, but we are tolerating the
remaining 100,000.

"If necessary, I may have to tell these 100,000 to go back to their
country because they are not my citizens. I don’t have to keep them
in my country.

Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian said such statements "do not contribute
to the improvement of relations."

"I think it’s a violation of human rights," Armenian Diaspora Minister
Hranush Hakobian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service. "No one has the right
to force anyone to choose a place for living. This is an absolute
human rights violation.

"And secondly," Hakobian continued, "I think this is yet another
statement that we are accustomed to hearing, a groundless statement.

The Armenian diaspora did, does, and will continue to struggle for
[publicizing] the genocide, including in the Republic of Armenia."

BAKU SPELLS OUT KARABAKH SETTLEMENT PLAN

Interfax
March 15 2010
Russia

The Karabakh settlement plan stipulates the Armenian pullout from five
out of seven occupied districts around Karabakh and from 13 villages
of the sixth occupied district, Lachin, Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar
Mamedyarov told a Monday press briefing in Baku.

Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak was the other participant in
the press briefing.

"That pullout must be followed by the reopening of communications, a
donor conference and a number of programs drafted by Azerbaijan. It is
also planned to ensure security of the Karabakh population," he said.

Once that is done, the remaining part of the Lachin district will be
freed together with the Kelbajar district, and Azeri refugees and
displaced persons will return home under international monitoring,
Mamedyarov said.

The status of Karabakh will be defined only after that, he said.

"We affirm that all the settlement phases will be fulfilled with due
respect for territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. The same principle
applies to the determination of the Karabakh status," he said.

Azerbaijan has chosen peaceful settlement but "it is still analyzing
all possible negotiating options," the minister said.

"The Azeri position is fair. We accept the Madrid settlement
principles. We also think that any conflict must be resolved primarily
with peaceful methods, and there are possibilities to do that now,"
he said.

Azeri and Armenian leaders have had many meetings in recent years,
and an updated variant of the Madrid Principles was presented in
November 2009.

"We think this document creates possibilities for drafting a major
agreement. This means we have chosen the diplomatic path and are
following it," Mamedyarov said.

"If Armenia frees the occupied lands, it will open up vast
opportunities for regional economic development and better living
standards. Being the foreign minister, I believe that this is the
best way to resolve the conflict. There will be no military rhetoric
in that case," he said.

AMSTERDAM HOSTS FIRST EVER TURKISH FILM FESTIVAL

Tert.am
17:14 ~U 16.03.10

>From March 19th, the first Amsterdam Turkish Film Festival (ATFF)
will be taking place at Studio K. Over 3 days, the public will have
the opportunity of discovering 15 Turkish films which are being shown
in Europe for the first time, reads a ATFF press release.

Festival-goers, apart from experiencing the best of the true Turkish
art film scene, will also be able to join in discussions with surprise
guests from Holland, Turkey and Germany, and take part in Q&A sessions
with filmmakers.

There will also be performances by Turkish and Dutch artists along
with two club nights on Friday and Saturday, with deejays from both
countries.

At every ATFF festival, a special retrospective on a renowned or
upcoming director will be screened. This year ATFF has chosen the
five feature films of director/writer Cagan Irmak.

For information and tickets, visit the website at

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Chris Zakian
Tel: (212) 686-0710; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

March 16, 2010
___________________

ST. VARTAN CATHEDRAL IN NYC WILL HOLD A "CHILDREN’S DAY" ON PALM SUNDAY,
MAR. 28

At New York’s St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral, Palm Sunday on March 28 will be
the occasion for a "Children’s Activity Day," and families are encouraged to
attend the special schedule of festivities and learning.

>From 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., children ages 5 to 12 will enjoy short
learning activities on Armenian faith, culture, and Arts and Crafts, all
revolving around the Armenian Church’s observance of Holy Week: the journey
from Palm Sunday to Easter.

In addition, children will attend part of the Divine Liturgy (including Holy
Communion) with their families, and join in the Palm Sunday procession on
the cathedral’s outdoor plaza.

The day will conclude with lunch for the children.

In the sanctuary, St. Vartan Cathedral dean Fr. Mardiros Chevian will be
celebrating the Divine Liturgy, beginning with the Morning Service at 9:30
a.m., followed by the Divine Liturgy at 10:30 a.m.

The March 28 Children’s Day is free and open to the public. At the 10:00
a.m. registration and check-in, in Guild Hall of the St. Vartan Cathedral
complex, parents will be asked to provide a cell phone number and will be
required to remain on the premises throughout the session.

To register children (ages 5 to 12) for the Palm Sunday Children’s Day, or
for general information on the event, call Deacon Sebuh Oscherician at (212)
686-0710, ext. 141, or e-mail him at [email protected].
Pre-registration prior to the event is strongly encouraged. St. Vartan
Cathedral is located at 630 Second Avenue (corner of 34th Street) in New
York City.

The March 28 event is the second Children’s Day organized by St. Vartan
Cathedral to bring together families in the region. The prior event on
Assumption Sunday last summer was well-received and has encouraged the
cathedral to schedule additional gatherings.

Palm Sunday will also be observed at local parishes throughout the Eastern
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America on Sunday, March 28; please
contact your local parish for information on services in your area.

FIRST MALE WINNER IN ‘HAY SUPERSTAR’ SONG CONTEST

Tert.am
12:59 ~U 15.03.10

On March 14, Armenia’s Shant TV broadcast the final draw of the
Armenian song contest Hay Superstar 4 ("Armenian Superstar 4")
with the two finalists, Raffi Ohanyan, representing Syria, and Raisa
Avanesyan, representing Iran. Voting by SMS resulted in Raffi being
the contest winner.

In an interview with Tert.am after the selection ceremony, 21-year-old
Raffi said he was very moved when he heard the voting results.

"When I heard my name, for a moment I did not understand what was
going on and when I looked at the other participants around me and
Raisa, I could not contain my excitement," said Raffi, thanking all
those who had voted for him.

Hay Superstar 4 Producer Andre Simonyan, in turn, said that this
year’s program differed from previous years because, first of all,
for the first time, the winner was a male participant.

Currently, the Hay Superstar participants are preparing for a March
28 concert, which will be devoted to rock music and will have a live
broadcast on Shant TV.

A concert on April 7 will bring together the full team of this year’s
program at the Karen Demirchyan Sports-Concert Complex in Yerevan.

APA, Azerbaijan
March 14 2010

Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt: I am very upset by parliament’s vote

[ 14 Mar 2010 03:47 ]

Baku ` APA. Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt phoned his
Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on Saturday and said he had
been upset by the vote on Thursday and concerned it could affect
Turkish-Armenian reconciliation, APA reports quoting a statement on
the Turkish prime minister’s official website.

In addition, Swedish PM Fredrik Reinfeldt said that he disagreed with
the resolution. Reinfeldt told Erdogan Sweden would continue to back
Turkey’s EU bid and that the vote was driven by domestic politics and
would not affect bilateral relations, the statement said.

In turn, Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he would take all
necessary measures not to affect the relationships with Swedish
government, which doesn’t boost parliament’s decision.

Erdogan canceled a planned visit to Sweden this month, and the
government recalled its ambassador from Stockholm due to the
resolution on made-up `Armenian genocide’, which Sweden’s parliament
approved, by a vote of 131-130.

Waterloo Chronicle
March 11, 2010 Thursday
Final Edition

Sweden labels mass World War I killing of Armenians genocide with 1-vote margin

STOCKHOLM, Sweden – Sweden’s parliament narrowly approved a resolution
Thursday recognizing the 1915 mass killing of Armenians in Turkey as
genocide.

Swedish news agency TT said Turkey recalled its ambassador from Sweden
to protest the surprise decision, which was taken in a 131-130 vote in
the 349-seat assembly. Eighty-eight lawmakers were absent during the
vote.

"After 95 years it is time for people who have suffered so long to
obtain redress," said Gulan Avci, a Liberal Party lawmaker who broke
with her party’s line and voted to recognize the Armenian genocide.
Avci is a Kurdish immigrant from Turkey.

Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by
Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I. Turkey denies that the
deaths constituted genocide, saying the toll has been inflated and
those killed were victims of civil war and unrest.

The governing centre-right coalition opposed the measure but it passed
because a handful of centre-right lawmakers sided with the
left-leaning opposition, which had proposed the resolution.

In the U.S., a congressional committee approved a similar resolution
last week in a 23-22 vote that would send the measure to the full
House of Representatives, if the leadership decided to bring it up.
Minutes after the vote, Turkey withdrew its ambassador to the U.S.

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said he regretted the Parliament’s
decision, saying it "will unfortunately not have a positive effect on
the ongoing normalization process between Turkey and Armenia."

Turkish Ambassador to Sweden Zergun Koroturk told TT she had received
instructions to go back to Turkey immediately after the vote.

"It’s logical," she was quoted as saying.

WHO HIT POPULAR ARMENIAN TV HOST JUICE?

Tert.am
10:32 ~U 12.03.10

The Armenian singer, performer and host of TV program Bnakan
Juice ("Natural Juice") known simply as "Juice" welcomed March 8,
International Women’s Day, with a broken nose and a black eye.

The incident, according to Kamoblog.am, took place at the Sayat-Nova
Complex, where the singer was working. Her colleague, host of TV
program Blef Artur, in a bout of just kidding around, broke Juice’s
nose. The singer explained how during filming, she began to scream
in pain, while hurling insults at Arthur, who once more hit Juice,
but apparently, this time, he wasn’t kidding around. Ridiculous.

JOAO SOARES: POSITIVE CHANGES CAN BE SEEN IN THE RESOLUTION OF THE KARABAKH CONFLICT

armradio.am
10.03.2010 12:20

"Positive changes can be seen in the resolution of the Karabakh
conflict," President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Joao Soares
told journalists in Tbilisi.

He said that both Azerbaijan and Armenia should make political
amendments. "I think there are positive changes in the resolution
of this problem. Now, both countries should introduce political
corrections and discuss positions on the development of the negotiation
process. The presidents have met repeatedly and we have repeatedly
discussed the situation with both countries. Their answers to the
conflict settlement were positive," News.az reports.

Soares and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s special envoy on
Karabakh, Goran Lenmarker, are visiting the three countries of the
South Caucasus.

Soares said that the main purpose of the visit was to hold discussions
on conflicts in the region: ‘This also concerns the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict. The special representative of the OSCE Parliamentary
Assembly, Goran Lennmarker, and OSCE Parliamentary Assembly deputy
secretary general, Tina Schoen, have worked hard on Nagorno-Karabakh.

We will meet Azerbaijani and Armenian officials, as well as discuss
ways to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict."

AZERBAIJAN ACCEPTS REVISED MADRID PRINCIPLES

PanARMENIAN.Net
08.03.2010 16:56 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ OSCE MG Co-chairs and Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar
Mammadyarov discussed the process of negotiations on Karabakh conflict
settlement in Paris.

As Mammadyarov stated, Azeri side accepts the document (but for some
exclusions), which was based on revised Madrid principles. Co-chairs
said the issue will be further discussed with Armenian side, Azerbaijan
Foreign Ministry press service reported.

The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan broke out in
1988, as result of the ethnic cleansing the latter launched in the
final years of the Soviet Union. The Karabakh War was fought from
1991 (when the Nagorno Karabakh Republic was proclaimed) to 1994
(when a ceasefire was sealed by Armenia, NKR and Azerbaijan). Most
of Nagorno Karabakh and a security zone consisting of 7 regions is
now under control of NKR defense army. Armenia and Azerbaijan are
holding peace talks mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group up till now.