Author: Takmazian

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
March 20 2010

ErdoÄ?an dismisses criticism after deportation remarks

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an on Friday dismissed criticism and
reassured Turkey’s Armenian community that they are not being targeted
after facing anger for his threats to expel Armenian illegal
immigrants.

`We have never had any problems with our Armenian citizens,’ ErdoÄ?an
told a meeting of his Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in
Ankara. He complained that he was misquoted in the media, which he
said misrepresented his remarks to suggest that they are targeting
Turkey’s Armenian community.

`Unfortunately, my remarks were published after the reference to
illegal immigrants was taken out. There is a vast difference between
`expelling Armenians’ and `expelling Armenians working here
illegally’,’ ErdoÄ?an said. `We have no such remarks concerning those
Armenians that are our citizens, but unfortunately the televisions or
newspapers do not say that.’

The prime minister, whose government has launched a democratic
initiative to expand rights for Kurds and non-Muslim minorities
including the Armenians, said his position on minorities was clear. `I
want to remind everyone here that I am the first prime minister to
courageously voice the injustices inflicted on our minorities,’ he
said.

ErdoÄ?an, in an interview earlier this week with the BBC Turkish
service, said there were 70,000 Armenians living in the country
illegally alongside Turkey’s 70,000-strong Armenian community.
ErdoÄ?an, responding to the passage of resolutions endorsing claims
that Armenians were subject to genocide at the hands of the late
Ottoman Empire first at the US House Foreign Affairs Committee and
then in the Swedish parliament earlier this month, said in the
interview that the Armenian diaspora was causing harm both to a
process of reconciliation with Armenia and to Armenians. `If
necessary, I may have to tell these 100,000 [Armenians] to go back to
their country because they are not my citizens. I don’t have to keep
them in my country,’ he said.

The remarks drew ire from Turkish media commentators and rights
groups, who said ErdoÄ?an’s remarks meant Armenian workers — most of
whom work for monthly wages of a few hundred liras — were being used
as a bargaining chip in foreign policy.

Columnist Cengiz Ã?andar, one of many in the Turkish media who chided
ErdoÄ?an for his remarks, said in his column in the Radikal daily that
ErdoÄ?an should apologize to Armenians.

ErdoÄ?an angrily dismissed the call in his speech: `I am talking to
those who advise me to apologize; I know very well whom to apologize
to. Whose advocate are you?’

President Abdullah Gül, widely seen as the architect of the
rapprochement with Armenia, told reporters this week that ErdoÄ?an’s
BBC remarks meant to underscore that there was no hostility toward
Armenians, emphasizing that humanitarian and political issues should
be separated from each other and recalling that ErdoÄ?an is always
sensitive on humanitarian issues.

ErdoÄ?an’s government, which broke a foreign policy taboo by initiating
talks with neighboring Armenia to restore ties, now complains its
efforts have not been reciprocated. Following the US and Swedish
votes, the government warned that the reconciliation process was being
harmed. Relations with the US and Sweden are also at risk: Turkey
recalled its ambassadors in both countries and cancelled senior-level
contacts in protest of the resolutions. Similar resolutions may now be
voted on in the British and Bulgarian parliaments.

ErdoÄ?an vowed retaliation if such moves go ahead. `There will be a
heavy price for any initiative that would complicate the process. And
it will be those who pursue and support these initiatives, not our
nation, who will pay this price,’ he said.

Criticism against Israel
ErdoÄ?an also lashed out at Israel for its recent announcement that it
plans to build 1,600 new homes for Jewish settlers in disputed east
Jerusalem, casting shadows over prospects for a restart of peace talks
with the Palestinians. `Israel is making an effort to annihilate
Palestine by making it smaller and smaller. This is the tactic,’ he
said.

Israel angered the international community when it announced during a
visit by US Vice President Joe Biden to the region this month that it
would build new housing units in a part of Jerusalem that it captured
in 1967 and annexed unilaterally.

ErdoÄ?an, who has repeatedly criticized Israel for its deadly offensive
in Gaza last year, said Israel should avoid steps that could change
the status of east Jerusalem, which Palestinians hope would be their
capital in a future Palestinian state. He also suggested that Turkey
would not end its stern criticism of Israel unless Israel changes its
policies. `If there is oppression somewhere, we will not accept that,’
he said.

BOX: Many back deporting illegal Armenians

A survey conducted by the Ankara-based MetroPOLL Strategic and Social
Research Center has revealed that many in the nation, 48.8 percent,
said they support the deportation of Armenians who are working in
Turkey illegally. Conversely, 33.9 percent of respondents said they do
not support the deportation of these Armenians while the rest, 17.3
percent, preferred not to answer.

The survey was conducted across 31 provinces in Turkey on March 18,
with 1,006 individuals.

When asked whether they knew how many Armenians work in Turkey
illegally, 38 percent said they had no idea while 26.8 percent said
there were 100,000 illegal Armenians, the figure uttered by ErdoÄ?an.

In response to another question, asking whether they know which
countries’ parliaments or committees recently approved resolutions
recognizing the killing of Armenians in 1915 as `genocide,’ 44.9
percent said they did not know while 20.1 percent correctly selected
the US and Sweden. Ä°stanbul Today’s Zaman

20 March 2010, Saturday
TODAY’S ZAMAN Ä°STANBUL

-web/news-204895-102-erdogan-dismisses-criticism-a fter-deportation-remarks.html

EBRD PRESIDENT: ARMENIA DESERVES PRAISING, BUT ITS ECONOMY STILL VULNERABLE

ARKA
March 18, 2010

YEREVAN, March 18. /ARKA/. Armenia deserves praising for shielding
its financial system from risks, Thomas Mirow, the president of
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development said Thursday at a
news conference in Yerevan.

However, he said, the country is still vulnerable because of its
dependence on money transfers – if inflow of transfers dwindle,
this affects the economy.

He welcomed the Armenian president and the government’s efforts to
diversify the national economy and pledged them the EBRD support on
this way.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has invested
about $500 million in Armenia’s economy.

The bank invested $150 million in 2009 alone.

PATRIARCH KIRILL COMMEMORATES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VICTIMS

PanARMENIAN.Net
17.03.2010 11:58 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Accompanied by Catholicos of All Armenians, His
Holiness Karekin II, the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church
led by His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia,
commemorated Wednesday the victims of the Armenian Genocide.

The Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia laid flowers to the eternal
fire and attended the Armenian Genocide Museum Institute. He also
planted a fir at the Memory Alley and made a note in the Commemoration
Book. "Eternal Memory to the innocent murder victims. May God protect
the Armenian land and its people," His Holiness Kirill wrote.

Afterwards, the delegation made for the Russian Orthodox Church in
Kanaker district of Yerevan.

SHIRAK TOROSYAN REFRAINS FROM COMMENTS, FEARING POLITICAL BACKLASH

Tert.am
16:07 ~U 17.03.10

"I refrain from commenting on Georgian authorities’ actions since
every comment becomes worthy of another political assessment," said
President of Javakhq Patriotic Union, MP Shirak Torosyan, referring
to the recent scandal caused by Georgian TV broadcaster Imedi’s fake
report on a Russian military invasion of Georgia and the ensuing
death of the country’s president.

Torosyan added that according to experts’ evaluations, the Imedi
incident was a provocation organized by Saakashvili’s administration,
since Imedi’s director is part of Saakashvili’s entourage.

According to Torosyan, such a news broadcast wouldn’t have been
broadcast without the authorities knowledge.

The Republican Party of Armenia MP also added that, in agreement with
the opinions of these same experts, the point of the faux report was
to get a feel for the mood of the Georgian public and to understand
exactly how much do the Georgians fear Russia.

REINFELDT DENOUNCES GENOCIDE VOTE

The Local
March 16 2010
Sweden

Sweden’s Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt called his Turkish
counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on Saturday in a bid to distance
the Swedish government from a parliamentary vote which recognized
the killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide.

Reinfeldt called Erdogan, who had previously cancelled a planned
state visit to Sweden after the vote, to voice "his sadness and say
that his government absolutely did not share the decision," Ankara
said in a statement.

Blaming the vote on "domestic politics," Reinfeldt said his government
was "ready to do the necessary so that this unfounded decision does
not harm bilateral relations," according to the text.

The Swedish prime minister also assured Erdogan that the parliament’s
move did not weaken Stockholm’s support of Turkey’s EU accession
ambitions.

Going against the government’s advice, the Swedish parliament voted by
a narrow margin on Thursday to recognise the "genocide of Armenians"
and other ethnic groups, during the breakup of the Ottoman Empire.

Ankara quickly recalled its ambassador and cancelled a visit by Erdogan
to Sweden after the vote, which came just days after a similar move
by a US Congressional panel.

In remarks to Sweden’s TT news agency, Reinfeldt said that he
had expressed to his Turkish counterpart "regrets following the
parliament’s decision because it politicizes history."

According to the Turkish statement, Erdogan "strongly insisted on the
disappointment" felt in Turkey over the vote, while recognizing that
the government was against it.

He also called for "measures to repair the situation."

The Local/AFP

Dagens Nyheter , Sweden
March 12 2010

An Unfortunate Resolution

By a majority of only one vote, the Swedish Riksdag decreed yesterday
evening that there had been genocide against Armenians in the Ottoman
Empire in 1915.

Four nonsocialist members voted with the socialist/environmentalist
opposition, which had presented the bill.

This is an unfortunate decision. Neither the Swedish Riksdag nor any
other parliamentary assembly has any business voting on what is true
or what is not true in historical accounts.

There is actually no doubt that genocide was committed. Among experts,
there is relatively widespread agreement on the conclusion that more
than one million Armenians, Syrians, Assyrians, and Chaldeans were
murdered.

It is important that there can be open discussion of this – in Turkey
as well. Sweden and the EU should put strong pressure on Ankara to
implement the promised reform of the Turkish constitution, so that
full freedom of speech is respected in Turkey.

But parliamentary votes turn into a kind of absurd mirror image of the
Turkish denial.

Now Turkey is recalling its ambassador from Sweden, the country that
has most actively advocated that the ongoing EU negotiations gradually
lead to full Turkish EU membership.

At worst, there will be consequences for those negotiations as well.
The Riksdag has passed a very unfortunate resolution.

[translated from Swedish]

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
March 14 2010

Leave history alone, Turkish-Armenians tell outsiders

Many Turkish citizens of Armenian descent have called on third
countries not to involve themselves in historical disagreements
between Turkey and Armenia while the two countries are in the process
of resolving these issues and normalizing their once-tense bilateral
relations.

Speaking to Sunday’s Zaman, many Turkish-Armenians have, in
particular, denounced the approval of US and Swedish resolutions
recognizing the killings of Armenians in 1915 as `genocide,’ which
they said would not help either side in the long-disputed problem.

Nazar Ã-zsahakyan, chairman of Surp Yerits Mangans Armenian Church
Foundation in Ä°stanbul, stated that he shared the feelings of Turks
when he first heard about the passage of the resolutions. `I reacted
to those resolutions the same way Turks did,’ he said, adding that he
was not alone as a Turkish citizen of Armenian descent opposing any
third country’s usage of the issue as a political tool. `All of the
Armenians whom I have contacted think just like me,’ he stated.

On March 4, the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign
Affairs voted 23-22 to approve the non-binding resolution, clearing it
for consideration by the full House. But it is unclear whether the
measure will get a floor vote. The adoption of the resolution,
however, irked many and stirred wide reaction in Turkey, which
vehemently rejects the allegations and regards the events as civil
strife in wartime that claimed the lives of many Turks and other
residents of the region at the time as well as Armenians.

The Swedish Parliament recognized the Armenian genocide with a vote of
131 to 130, only a week after the US committee’s vote, further
aggravating Turkey.

Kayseri Surp Krikor Lusarovic Armenian Church Foundation Chairman
Zadik Toker joined Ã-zsahakyan in taking a critical stand against the
US resolution and reiterated that the decision has discomfited the
Armenian community living in Turkey. `We don’t appreciate such moves,
and the Armenians living in Turkey are uncomfortable with them,’ said
Toker. He added that bilateral issues should be resolved without the
interference of third parties as has particularly been the case with
the World War I-era Armenian killings. `Turkey and Armenia should
resolve their problems on their own through meetings with each other
and exchanging views,’ he added.

The decades-long dispute is a highly sensitive issue in Turkey.
Following the adoption of the resolution in the US, Foreign Minister
Ahmet DavutoÄ?lu told reporters that the issue was a matter of honor
for the country and thus they would assess what measures to take.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an and President Abdullah Gül have
denounced the US and Swedish moves as well. Turkish envoys in
Washington and Stockholm were recalled immediately after the votes in
a powerful reaction to the governments of both countries.

Etyen Mahçupyan, editor-in-chief of the bilingual Turkish-Armenian
weekly Agos, argued that states should not take part in such
discussions as primary actors. `Both US and Swedish votes were actions
whose aims were unclear. I find them meaningful neither for
understanding the past nor for setting the future,’ said the Armenian
author and journalist, adding that he did not approve of the Turkish
government’s reaction to the moves, either. `I categorically reject
states’ involvement in such matters. They should never become actors
in similar discussions. Otherwise, we cannot avoid politicization
there,’ he asserted.

Markar Esayan, a deputy editor and a columnist of the liberal Taraf
daily, joined Mahçupyan in dismissing state involvement in matters
related to past sufferings. `Even if I am a citizen of Armenian
descent, I regard this problem as a citizen of Turkey as much as I
regard it an ethical and humane issue. I rise against the fact that
the sufferings of people to whom I belong are being used as a factor
of pressure on the country to which I belong,’ he wrote in his column
on March 4, even before the US vote, predicting that it was going to
be in favor of the Armenian resolution.

Though the exact figure is unclear, it is estimated that there are up
to 70,000 Armenians in Turkey, most of them living in Ä°stanbul, while
the rest are scattered across the country. There are also undocumented
Armenian workers who left their homeland to seek better lives in
Turkey. A study conducted by the Eurasia Partnership Foundation last
year suggested that the number of undocumented Armenian workers was
around 12,000.

14 March 2010, Sunday
MUSTAFA EDIB YILMAZ Ä°STANBUL

A SOVIET JOURNALIST’S RECOLLECTIONS OF CUBA

RIA Novosti
14:0612/03/2010

On May 8, Russia and Cuba will mark 50 years since diplomatic ties
were established between the two countries. We start a series of
stories marking the event with recollections of Leonid Kamynin,
a correspondent of Soviet daily Izvestia’s in Cuba in the early 1960s

Even before Moscow and Havana officially re-established diplomatic
relations, Cuba and the Soviet Union had developed a surprisingly
close bond, which could be characterized as "love at first sight."

The Soviet people, brought up in the spirit of internationalism,
had a sincere desire to support the distant Caribbean nation
that had overthrown its dictatorial regime and freed itself from
U.S. dominance only to face a U.S. embargo and military threats. What
is most significant is that the upsurge of sympathy for the Cuban
people took place at the purely human level. Our people saw in the
Cubans a courageous people challenging a powerful neighbor that had
called the shots in their country for decades. They saw a people who
are open, good-natured and filled with zest for life, a people that
bears hardship with dignity and celebrate every festive occasion to
the fullest. In the months following the revolution, Cuba seemed less
an island than an endless sea of triumphant celebration. The nation
rejoiced in the freedom and independence it won for itself under Fidel
Castro’s leadership. The Soviet people celebrated with the Cubans,
while at the same harboring deep dissatisfaction with the bureaucratic
model of socialism that had taken root in their own country.

At the same time, news of the distant Soviet power came as a revelation
to the Cubans. They knew almost nothing about the Soviet Union at the
time. The Cubans discovered that they were not alone, that there was
a country they could count on as a loyal friend as they set out on
their difficult new path. The words Rusia, Sovieticos and Moscu were
suddenly on everyone’s lips, like an incantation that would help them
bear their hardships. The Soviet Union’s decision to begin importing
Cuban sugar was indeed very helpful. Sugar was Cuba’s main export,
and the United States was refusing to buy it in an effort to weaken
the economy of their insubordinate neighbor to the south.

You’d be hard-pressed to find another example in history where a
groundswell of mutual sympathy and affection preceded the establishment
of diplomatic relations, but this is exactly what happened between
Cuba and the Soviet Union.

I was fortunate enough to witness this all firsthand as a correspondent
for Izvestia. Our newspaper was the first Soviet publication to open
an office in Havana. And I must admit that it was pleasant and quite
touching to see how interested the Cubans were in my work and in
me personally, one of Sovieticos, as they called us back then. The
proud and dignified Cubans were not shy with their friendship. I
remember one time not long after our countries restored diplomatic
relations our ocean liner brought about a thousand young people to
Havana. They came to help Cubans harvest sugar cane. The hospitable
Cubans filled up the entire embankment to give the young Sovieticos
a warm welcome. Our guys did not even know how to use a machete, but
they were so enthusiastic that the Cubans joked that there would be
enough Cuban sugar for the whole world.

The liner’s captain hosted a gala reception on the deck of the ship
to commemorate this important event. When Castro and his comrades
arrived they were surprised to see that our diplomats and others were
dressed in dark suits and ties according to protocol. It was very
hot — +30C and humid like a sauna. Castro smiled broadly and said,
"Por favor, sin corbatas!" ("No ties, please!"). There should be no
protocol or formality among friends.

Meanwhile workers and engineers at an agricultural machinery factory
in far-off Rostov were working hard to produce combines to harvest the
sugar cane crop. Before long the combines arrived on Cuban plantations.

…Years passed and our press and liberal politicians began to
grumble about how our relationship with Cuba was not being mutually
beneficial. True, Cuba is a small country without many natural
resources, and the United States still has not lifted its embargo. But
there are many examples of why this criticism is unfair. When a
devastating earthquake struck Armenia in 1988, Cuba sent a large team
of doctors along with its unique medical equipment. Cuba’s pride in
its medical achievements is well founded.

The new times call for new principles in our relations with other
countries. Our diplomacy is now rooted in pragmatism and national
interest. But these extraordinary events of 50 years ago that defined
our special relationship with Cuba have left an indelible mark on
history and our memories.

PRESIDENT SERZH SARGSYAN HOSTS POLAND’S PM DONALD TUSK

Aysor
March 12 2010
Armenia

Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan has hosted Poland’s Prime Minister
Donald Tusk, who is on a working visit to Armenia, a spokesperson
for Presidential Administration said.

Parties talked about bilateral Armenia-Poland relations and
cooperation. President Sargsyan said of importance to Armenia to
strengthen relations with Poland in political, economical, and cultural
spheres. "There are two basic components, contributing to this,
friendly relations between our nations and the EU Eastern Partnership
Plan, created in co-authorship with Poland," said Armenia’s President.

Donald Tusk, in his part, said that the Armenian-Polish relations
are growing, and Poland is interested in expanding the cooperation
with Armenia. He said Poland is ready to support Armenia and praised
efforts by Armenia in establishing stability and peace in the region.

Serzh Sargsyan thanked Donald Tusk and said that recognition of the
1915 Genocide by Poland marks the trust and mutual understanding
between the countries.

FRENCH AXA PAID COMPENSATION TO DESCENDANTS OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VICTIMS

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.03.2010 19:32 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ French insurance firm AXA has paid compensation to
descendants of Armenian Genocide victims based on life insurance
policies taken at the time. Thousands of families applied for
compensation through policies that their ancestors bought under the
Ottoman Empire from companies that were taken over by the French
firm, AXA.

Hilda Tchoboian, the head of an Armenian association in the French
city of Lyon, said Axa had agreed to pay nearly 1,000 Armenian,
French and American families, and had started sending cheques of
about $10,000 each, Ottawa Citizen reported.