Author: Tigranian Ani

ARMENIANS WILL NEVER FORGET WHAT JOHN EVANS DID

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.04.2006 23:56 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The decision on recall of the U.S. Ambassador to
Armenia John Evans was taken by the State Department two months ago,
Californian Courier editor-in-chief Harut Sasunian stated in the air
of Horizon Los Angeles-based TV Company. In his words, Amb. Evans
still performs his mission, however the Armenians throughout the
globe must not only defend the Ambassador but also raise the issue
of the Genocide recognition in the U.S.

“If we keep silent, no one will do anything. Armenians of the whole
world will never forget what Ambassador Evans did. On our initiative
an action in support of John Evans is being held in Armenia and the
United States under the slogan “We will remember not the words of
the foes but the silence of friends”, Sasunian said.

He also emphasized that the U.S. Ambassador proved more responsible
than President Bush. “During the first and second election campaigns
Bush pledged to recognize the Armenian Genocide but has failed to it
so far. But Ambassador Evans did it,” Harut Sasunian said.

FILM REVIEW: “THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE”
By Jeff Klemzak

Glendale News Press, CA
April 24 2006

Written, produced, and directed by film maker Andrew Goldberg,
“The Armenian Genocide” is a well researched, well paced, and rather
interesting historical documentary. The film deals, for the most part
with events that unfolded in Turkey during and just after the First
World War.

Although Armenian people had lived in eastern Anatolia for centuries,
the overwhelmingly Muslim population had never allowed the Christian
Armenians to be truly integrated into Turkish society. Armenians
lived under restricted citizenship and were not permitted, among
other things, to join the military. When Armenians protested these
restrictions at the end of the 19th century the Turkish government
responded with violence and more restrictions.

By 1915 things had begun to further unravel for the Armenians. World
War I had broken out and Turkey sided with Germany and the
Austro-Hungarian Empire. Armenian partisans however, aligned themselves
with Russia. The Turkish government, in an effort to rid themselves
of a “hostile” population within its own borders issued deportation
orders. For the unfortunate Armenians, the deportation quickly became
a death march and later, it further descended into an extermination
process, long before the phrase “ethnic cleansing” came into use.

Since that time, the survivors of this nightmare have, through a
lengthy Diaspora, established “homelands” in France, Lebanon, and in
the United States.

As explained in the documentary, Armenians, some ninety years after the
fact, are victims of “incomplete grief.” This is because the current
Turkish government has steadfastly refused to admit wrongdoing in this
sordid affair and without an admission of guilt many Armenians find it
difficult, even after all these years, to put this issue behind them.

This documentary appears to have been made as an appeal to the public
to put pressure on the Turkish government to own up to its role in
those bloody days of almost a century ago and because of this I think
it is fair that an audience be made aware that the film maker has
chosen sides in a sensitive political issue.

The film was presented as unrated with a running time of approximately
one hour.

Jeff Klemzak is a history buff who has always enjoyed a good
documentary.

Historic Azerbaijan Graveyard Destroyed

BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 21 (UPI) — Officials said a medieval cemetery
with a collection of several thousand carved stone crosses on
Azerbaijan`s southern border has been destroyed.

The destruction of the Jugha cemetery is believed to he related to the
conflict between Azerbaijan and its western neighbor, Armenia, The
Times of London reports.

The Times quoted the Institute for War and Peace Reporting in London
as saying there is only a dry patch of earth where once stood between
2,700 and 10,000 intricately carved headstones dating from the 9th to
the 16th centuries. The act is being likened to the Taliban`s
destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan in 2001, the
newspaper said.

The institute`s report is the first independent confirmation of what
Armenia has long alleged — that Azerbaijani authorities have razed
the cemetery since the two former Soviet republics began a border war
in 1988. The war ended in a cease-fire in 1994 but continues to
simmer.

Azerbaijan has repeatedly dismissed Armenia`s allegations and accused
Armenia of destroying hundreds of Muslim sites, the report said.

/article_1157385.php/News_Roundup

Philadelphia Inquirer, PA
April 23 2006

‘I have a lifetime of memories’Active in the Boy Scouts for 75 years,
George Kangian, 86, recently was honored by the group.

By Rusty Pray
Inquirer Staff Writer

The trophies George Kangian displays in his living room, the
mementoes he spreads out on his kitchen table, the thick scrapbook he
keeps in a safe place – all chronicle the life he chose to lead.

Kangian, who grew up in West Philadelphia and who has lived in Cherry
Hill for 40 years, has led a Boy Scout’s life – literally. Kangian,
86, has been active in the Boy Scouts on one side of the Delaware
River or the other for 75 years.

Seventy-five years is a long time to live, let alone be affiliated
with a single organization.

“I have a lifetime of memories,” he said. “I have no regrets.”

Southern New Jersey Council officials say that although Kangian is
not the oldest person in scouting in South Jersey – there’s a
100-year-old Eagle Scout – he is the longest continuously registered
official in the council. He is a commissioner who supervises 10
troops or Cub Scout packs in Cherry Hill.

The council recently honored him with an award for his years of
service.

“As a 75-year veteran of scouting, George has… impacted the lives
of thousands of youth and adults,” said Ron Pierson, the council’s
assistant executive. “Even with 75 years in scouting, George’s
passion for the program, and his desire to guide and inspire youth
and adults, has not waned.”

Impact is a two-way street. There is little in Kangian’s life that
was not influenced by the Boy Scouts. He and his wife, Mary, were
married 61 years ago at Northminster Presbyterian Church, where he
attended scout meetings as a youth. He named his only son, Robert,
after a scoutmaster he admired.

The Kangians also have a daughter, Marsha Marshall, who lives in
Haddonfield. His granddaughter, Alexandra Marshall, typed and edited
a short memoir he wrote of his years in scouting.

By Kangian’s estimation, he has spent 6,000 hours attending troop
meetings – not counting training, camping, or the time he has devoted
to various committees.

“I knew him growing up,” Mary Kangian said. “All he would do is talk
Boy Scouts, Boy Scouts, Boy Scouts. My mother asked me, ‘Why does he
go to Boy Scouts? How much do they pay him? I told her, ‘Mom, he’s
not paid.’ She said, ‘He’s crazy.’ ”

“When I was young, everybody thought I was an oddball,” he said.
“Now, I’m an old oddball.”

Kangian, the son of an Armenian immigrant, joined Troop 113 in 1931,
just 21 years after the Boy Scouts of America was incorporated in the
United States.

“I had two sisters, and I was the only boy in the family. I didn’t
want to be a sissy, so I joined the Boy Scouts,” said Kangian, an
Army Air Corps veteran of World War II who flew more than 50 missions
in Europe as a ball-turret gunner in a B-24.

Joining the scouts put him on the path documented by the markers he
keeps around him.

There’s the trophy from Troop 113 honoring him for 20 years of
service. There’s the plaque given to him by an Armenian Boy Scout
troop he visited while on vacation in Jerusalem. He said they were
refugees from Iraq and Iran.

Among the items in the thick scrapbook is an autograph from James E.
West, one of the founders of the Boy Scouts of America. Kangian got
West’s signature when he attended the first national jamboree in 1937
in Washington. There’s memorabilia of the troops he organized in the
city while working for the Philadelphia Housing Authority.

The memories remind Kangian why he stayed so long in scouting.

“If I’ve helped one boy or one leader, then I’m one very happy old
scout,” he said.

al/states/new_jersey/counties/camden_county/143928 11.htm

ITAR-Tass, Russia
April 23 2006

Russian Armenians indignant at student’s murder in Moscow.

23.04.2006, 18.49

MOSCOW, April 23 (Itar-Tass) — The Union of Russian Armenians is
indignant at the murder of Vigen Abramian, 17-year-old freshman of
the Moscow Management Institute, at the Pushkinskaya metro station in
downtown Moscow.

The young man was killed in a Saturday brawl. Eyewitnesses said that
a skinhead wearing high boots lethally stabbed Abramian.

“We, the same as all citizens of the Russian Federation, are alarmed
and concerned about the unpunished series of ethnic hatred violence
in Russian cities of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Voronezh and others,”
says a statement signed up by President of the Union of Russian
Armenians and the World Armenian Congress Ara Abramian received by
Itar-Tass.

The right to live is the main human right, the statement said. “We
strongly urge law enforcement agencies to find and put to justice the
murderers of Vigen Abramian,” he said.

“The attack by skinheads is obviously a provocative act and an
attempt to cast a shadow on the image of our fatherland. The outbreak
of actions by fascist elements must be stopped,” the statement runs.

Georgian daily questions feasibility of Turkish Abkhaz resettling to Abkhazia

24 Saati, Tbilisi
18 Apr 06

Georgian newspaper 24 Saati has said that the leadership of breakaway
Abkhazia understands the risk of the ethnic Abkhaz population becoming
an “absolute minority” and sees the repatriation of descendants of the
19-century migrants from Turkey to Abkhazia as a solution. However,
the newspaper questions the feasibility of such a plan and notes that
it may cause problems not foreseen by the separatists or their Russian
supporters. The following is the text of Dimitri Avaliani’s article
“Abkhaz dream – prospects for repatriation with unknown results”
published in 24 Saati on 18 April; subheadings as published:

The Abkhaz authorities view the repatriation of descendants of the
Mohajirs [who were forced to resettle to Turkey in the 19th century]
as the way out of the demographic and political impasse.

“A part of the ethnic Abkhaz community in Turkey wants to return to
Abkhazia,” Sokrat Jinjolia, director of [the Sukhumi branch] of the
Caucasian Institute for Democracy, said during his visit to Turkey last
week. The Abkhaz delegation, which also included the chairman of the
[Abkhaz] state repatriation committee, Anzor Mukba, and the chairman of
the parliament’s defence and security committee, Garik Samanba, visited
Turkey to meet with representatives of the ethnic Abkhaz community.

“We travelled a lot in central Turkey and met with representatives
of the diaspora. The main thing for them is opening up the ways to
Abkhazia and knowing what is going on in their historical motherland,”
Jinjolia said.

According to Jinjolia, one of the deputy prime ministers of the
Republic of Turkey, members of the Turkish parliament, representatives
of the Turkish Foreign Ministry and the Russian Embassy to Turkey took
part in the meeting. He also said that representatives of the Turkish
authorities noted that Turkey supported only a peaceful settlement
of the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict.

“Representatives of the Abkhaz diaspora in Turkey expressed their
hope that the Russian authorities will make it much simpler to cross
the Russian-Abkhaz border, which will facilitate the arrival of the
Abkhaz diaspora in their historical motherland,” Jinjolia said.

The Russian authorities will no longer make Jinjolia beg for the
open border: By a decision of the Russian Border Guard Department,
as of last week, foreign citizens are allowed to cross the border at
the Psou checkpoint.

Demography as Abkhaz national idea

Nowadays, the main Abkhaz national idea is the survival of the ethnic
group. For them, survival is associated with “demographic supremacy”.

In the opinion of the overwhelming majority of the ethnic Abkhaz, the
perpetuation of the existence of the Abkhaz ethnic group is possible
only in conditions of demographic supremacy. From this point of view,
the Abkhaz perceive the mass expulsion of ethnic Georgians as the
“restoration of historical justice”. In other words, their view is
that the ethnic Georgians went back to where they came from, and this,
in the Abkhaz point of view, is entirely fair.

Any aspiration of the Abkhaz towards national sovereignty and any
ideology of achieving it was unimaginable from the very outset without
getting rid of the main obstacle – the ethnic Georgian majority. At the
same time, any mention of “ethnic cleansing” gives rise to an extremely
negative reaction and protest among the Abkhaz, despite the fact that
this phrase, which is “ugly” in their opinion, precisely describes
what they did to the ethnic Georgian population of Abkhazia and what
is recognized at present as the main achievement of the Abkhaz victory.

The issues of the recognition of Abkhazia’s status, its political
system or civil rights are not as pressing to Abkhaz society as the
“demographic issue”.

However, at the same time, the demographic situation in modern-day
Abkhazia clearly shows that there is still a long way to go towards
achieving the main goal of the Abkhaz ethnic group. Back during [the
first separatist president Vladislav] Ardzinba’s rule, a “census”
was conducted that “established” the size of the population that was
advantageous to Sukhumi’s policy. According to that “census”, 320,000
people resided in Abkhazia, that is to say, more than a half of the
people who lived there before 1992 (whose number used to be more
than half a million). This was done to enable the Abkhaz authorities
to declare their policy an expression of the will of Abkhazia’s
population and reaffirm their legitimacy. However, in late 2003
[as published, should be 2004], during the scandalous presidential
election, the Abkhaz themselves put an end to this “trick” because
they had to calculate the real number of voters before the highly
contested and very important election. It emerged that, in reality,
Abkhazia’s population did not exceed 150,000-160,000.

Even against the backdrop of the decrease in population, the Abkhaz
are still a minority. At present, Abkhazia’s population consists of
three roughly equal groups, not only in terms of ethnicity but also in
terms of political orientation. These are the ethnic Abkhaz themselves,
some supporting the idea of Abkhazia’s sovereignty and others favouring
integration with Russia; the Russian-speaking population, which is
clearly of pro-Russian orientation and in which ethnic Armenians
dominate; and the ethnic Georgian population of Gali District with
its pro-Georgian orientation.

At present, ethnic Abkhaz are prevalent in the government bodies and
hold the highest posts, which does not reflect the real proportion
of the different ethnic groups. How long can this situation continue?

Migrants of Armenian origin already reside in Abkhazia, mainly in Gagra
District. The modern-day Abkhazia, whose population has decreased
several times over the last 14 years, is a complete “desert” from
the demographic viewpoint. However, for now, the difficult social,
economic, and crime situation hinders the cultivation of this desert
by foreign migrants.

Given the current situation, this state of affairs bodes nothing good
for the Abkhaz nation. If Abkhazia’s sovereign status is legitimized
and lawful investments start coming in, which is the goal of Abkhaz
policy today, the region will be flooded by migrants from Russia and
other CIS countries for the simple reason that the growing economy
will need a big workforce.

And this will affect Abkhaz politics no matter what. The ethnic Abkhaz
will gradually find themselves in a position from which they are now
desperately trying to get out from – in an absolute minority.

And putting an end to the domination of ethnic Abkhaz in the positions
of power will then become just a matter of time. Abkhazia will be
transformed into a Russian-speaking country in which the Abkhaz
themselves will wield very little influence. They will have much
less possibility to take part in governing their own country than
they had before 1992.

In other words, the Abkhaz will lose even the illusory advantage
which they now perceive as the main achievement of the victory they
attained at the cost of great sacrifice.

Repatriation – a threat or a new political lever?

The Abkhaz pin great hopes on the return of the descendants of the
Mohajirs, who live in Turkey and some Middle Eastern countries and
whose ancestors were deported from Abkhazia in the late 19th century
by the Russian Empire. Sukhumi has announced that their repatriation
is an official priority. The Abkhaz community is united and is part
of the Adyg-Cherkess diaspora that is quite influential in the
Middle East and especially in Turkey. There are reports that the
Abkhaz community is a few-hundred-thousand strong. This is a huge
demographic resource for the Abkhaz. However, the majority of these
people are not enthralled at the prospect of going back to their
historical motherland. At any rate, despite the fact that they have
common ancestors with the modern-day Abkhaz, they are people with a
completely different mindset, effectively a different ethnic group.

To many of them, although Abkhazia is their ancestral motherland,
it is not associated with the place of permanent residence.

The Abkhaz authorities are trying hard to make their demographic
dreams come true. The latest visit by the Sukhumi delegation to Turkey
served this purpose too. However, the prospect of the Mohajirs’ return
raises many questions which Sukhumi itself finds hard to answer. What
will the mass resettlement of citizens of Turkey and Arab countries
bring to Abkhazia? What will the repatriates’ attitude towards
the Russian-speaking and ethnic Georgian population of Abkhazia,
or even towards the modern-day ethnic Abkhaz, be? Will the Islamic
factor gain strength? Will this signify Abkhazia’s “Turkization”,
its transformation into Turkey’s satellite and active promoter of
Turkey’s interests?

An increase in the number of Turkish-oriented population will naturally
strengthen Turkey’s influence on internal Abkhaz politics.

Russian interests will be damaged substantially in any case. In
contrast to the modern-day Abkhaz population, the potential repatriates
are not connected with Russia in any way except through negative
historical experience. The likelihood is quite high that Russia will
“dig its own grave” in the Caucasus: Instead of a “friendly” separatist
entity created with its support, a hostile region will emerge on its
border and it will become the main base for North Caucasian separatism.

What prospects will this scenario create for Georgia? The Abkhaz
authorities and Abkhaz population are today radically opposed to the
return of the Georgian refugees to their own homes. They cite many
reasons for this, although the main reason is their fear of becoming
an absolute minority again. However, it is quite possible that their
resistance will not be so radical if, together with the refugees,
some of the descendants of the Mohajirs will also return, which will
make the Abkhaz population feel “demographically safe”.

The issue of the Abkhaz repatriates raises numerous questions. What
does their return mean to Georgia in terms of the conflict
settlement? How will Sukhumi’s policy change towards Georgia or
towards Russia if the repatriates come to power? What are the risks
and advantages for Tbilisi? Is it actually possible to drive Russia
out of Abkhazia? Georgia may be faced with these questions, in all
their complexity, in the future.

PRESIDENT OF GEORGIA TO HAVE ADVISOR FOR NATIONAL MINORITIES’ INTEGRATION ISSUES FROM NOW ON

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 19 2006

AKHALKALAK, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Position for
President’s Advisor for Integration Issues was created in the staff
of the President of the country to make working out of the ethnic
minorities’ integration policy of Georgia more effective. And Anna
Zhvania was appointed on that post. According to Anna Zhvania, in
the affair of working out the policy of the national minorities’
integration, representatives of those minorities will probably be
involved. Especially for that as well as for acquaintance purposes,
A.Zhvania envisages to visit Samtskhe-Javakhk and Kvemo Kartli
soon. The “A-Info” agency reminds that another state institute, the
State Ministry on Integration Issues (Minister Zinaida Bestayeva)
functions in Georgia for settling the issue of integration of the
national minorities. But the latter was mostly engaged in the issue
of the South Osetia.

UN MEMORIAL ARMENIEN PROFANE A LYON

Le Figaro
18 avril 2006

Des inscriptions niant le genocide armenien de 1915 redigees en
francais et en turc ont ete decouvertes sur des stèles du memorial qui
lui est dedie a Lyon. Ce monument devait etre inaugure lundi prochain.

–Boundary_(ID_U1YJavmC0sXa8g+Aa3E53Q)- –

NGOS DISCUSSED RAMIL SAFAROV’S SENTENCE

Democratic Azerbaijan
April 17 2006

Recently ’round table’ hosted by a number of MPs together with NGO
chiefs devoted to sentence passed on Ramil Aliyev, senior lieutenant
of Armed Forces of Azerbaijan incriminated in murder of Armenian
officer Gurgen Margarian, was held.

13 April Budapest city court under the chairmanship of Judge Vasguti
Andrasha sentenced Azerbaijani lieutenant to life imprisonment. Azay
Guliyev, a MP, president of Forum of National NGOs, informed that
such court decision was unexpected for all. “If today in Europe the
defendant could be sentenced to the Capital Punishment, our lieutenant
would be sentenced to death penalty. Europe does not recognize the
right of State sacrificing of thousands victims. We are against this
decision and consider that not only Ramil Safarov but Azerbaijan
is sentenced to life imprisonment. This decision is the attitude of
Hungary and Europe toward Nagorno-Garabagh conflict”.

According to him, in order to appeal to the Court of Appeal should
be developed an Action Plan.

At the round table Tatiana Cheladze, the journalist underlined that
the problem would not get such scales, if in due time it was not
linked with politics: “That time I’ve already said that there was not
essential to link this incident with politics, it can damage Ramil
Safarov himself. Even lieutenant’s father requested about it mass
media. But despite the all requests, to the sitting of the court has
been brought posters with different slogans that led to involuntary
examination of this matter from the point of politics. You see its
result”.

Following T. Cheladze A. Guliyev noted that we should manage to
control our emotions: “This point requires cold-blooded attitude.

Since ever we have been told just without any deeds”.

Zahid Oruj, a MP informed that the Coordinating Board in due time
noted that this problem should promote to unification of society but
not its break. According to him, currently it’d be inexpedient to
prefer new charges, as it can damage Ramil Safarov: “Such conflicts
are underlying for Armenian-Azerbaijanian conflict. We always say
that the battle field is a place wherein the Armenian insults the
Azerbaijanian disrespecting for its national flag. Thus, this sentence
is passed not only to Ramil Safarov but to Nagorno-Garabagh for which
we are struggling”.

Z. Oruj told that holding pickets of protest at the streets and city
squares should be permitted. Sahib Mammadov, human rights defender
informed that throughout two years numerous mistakes were allowed, as
it is wrong to prefer the charges: “I think that this issue requires
more careful attitude. All we know that Hungarian trial acted not
impartial. But if we say directly about it, we’ll fail. Europe does
not allow to influence upon court. It’d be better, if we present
it as mistake of trial. Let’s say that it is a mistake that should
be withdrawn”.

Sahib Safarov, lieutenant’s father informed that the results of
activities done for two years make hope for the best. According to
him, it should be developed action plan to be done in future: “Ramil
called me and said that he expected such sentence. Now we have to
wait for the Court of Appeal to be held a year later. For this year
we have to do our best not to repeat mistakes which were used by
the Armenians”. S. Safarov preferred a charge against mass media:
“Recently Ramil was sentenced. As it known, there is a chance of
extradition. It has been repeatedly informed and printed, what is
the meaning to put the same questions in response to which to receive
the same answers? The Armenians demand more severe punishment based
on our informations”.

R.Safarov’s father touched upon the interview given to BBC by
editor-in-chief of “Daily Azerbaijan” (“Gundelik Azerbaycan”) Eynulla
Fatullayev who had repeatedly informed that the court passed a just
sentence: “They are words neither Armenian lawyers, nor judge, nor
Public Prosecutor. It was said by Eynulla Fatullayev. Ramil Safarov
suffered punishment but E. Fatullayev does not leave him alone. But
we should not forget that my son is Azerbaijanian, and any sentence
passed to him is equal to sentence to Azerbaijan. Now I want to address
E. Fatullayev and asked him: Ramil is sentenced to life imprisonment
and now you are satisfied, or don’t you agree with this sentence?”

Addressing once again to mass media S. Safarov requested them to act in
accordance with the circumstances and previously think over every word.

At the end of meeting the Coordinating Board for R. Safarov’s rights
adopted a statement. The document says that the Board will actively
operate for protection of our lieutenant’s rights as a sign of protest
against unjust decision of Budapest court. The statement is expected to
send to the highest legislative body of Hungary, and also international
human rights organizations.

/vis/vis.pl?s=001&p=0055&n=001420&g=

DAYS OF ARMENIA TO START IN ROSTOV REGION

ArmRadio.am
17.04.2006 11:10

In the framework of the Year of Armenia in Russia Days of Armenia will
start today in Rostov region. On this occasion an official delegation
headed by RA Minister of Territorial Administration Hovik Abrahamyan
has already departed for Rostov.

Members of the delegation will meet the Governor of Rostov region
Vladimir Chub and representatives of the Armenian community. They
will visit the “Saint Cross” museum of Russian-Armenian friendship,
the Museum of History of Kazaks of Don and Mother Cathedral of
Novocherkask.