Author: Tvankchian Parkev

WHAT ABOUT AMERICAN, EUROPEAN GENOCIDES!
By Fareed Mahdy

Journal of Turkish Weekly
March 10 2010

ISTANBUL (IDN) – Did you ask yourself what would happen if the
Turkish parliament’s foreign affairs committee adopted a resolution
calling "genocides" the U.S. killing of American natives, the Spanish
extermination of aborigines in Latin America, the atrocious American
nuclear bombs on Japan or the U.S. wars on Vietnam, Afghanistan and
Iraq – just to mention some massive murdering perpetrated by Western
powers? Probably you did not.

Otherwise, you would have felt indeed astonished by the decision of
the U.S. Congress foreign affairs committee to brand as "genocide"
the death of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians under the Ottoman
Empire during the First World War, specifically between the years
1915 and 1918.

Moreover, the U.S. Congressional committee’s resolution, which was
approved on March 4, would have no clear justification. Apparently,
nothing new happened regarding this particular issue since the Foreign
Affairs committee adopted a similar resolution in 2007.

Why then a new resolution and why now?

There would be many possible explanations, such as the heavy pressure
of Armenian diaspora in the U.S., and the eventual U.S.

dissatisfaction with the new Turkish political and diplomatic
orientation, which has touched untouchable Israel and brought up
other unforgivable ‘sins’, such as stepping up Ankara’s relations
with Damascus and Tehran.

In fact, in less than one year, Turkey has gradually shifted its
policy from the trend to "westernisation" and obsessive aspirations
to join the European Union (EU) as a full member, for an increasing
"easternisation", with an active, energetic presence in the Middle
East.

No wonder, exhausted by EU mounting requirements leading nowhere –
French president Nicolas Sarkozy and former Belgian prime minister
Herman van Rompuy, now acting as the first full-time president of the
European Council, among other EU leaders, have declared that Turkey
will never be a EU member – Ankara had to opt for looking for its
interests somewhere else.

Moreover, the timing of the U.S. Congress resolution could not be
less appropriate for Armenian-Turkish new relations. Ankara has made
a huge effort to normalise its relations with Armenia, with which
it signed in October 2009 a series of protocols aiming at gradually
achieving cooperation and understanding ties between the two countries.

TURKISH REACTION

Ankara’s reaction to the U.S. Congressional resolution has been
immediate. In fact, it recalled its ambassador to the U.S., Namik Tan,
and condemned the U.S. Congress resolution to declare the killing of
Armenians by Ottoman forces in the First World War "genocide".

"We condemn this resolution which accuses the Turkish nation of a
crime it has not committed," Ankara said in a statement following
the Congress vote.

For his part, President Abdullah Gul of Turkey said the resolution had
"no value in the eyes of the Turkish people" and warned that it would
deal a blow on fledgling efforts to end decades of hostility between
Turkey and Armenia.

The U.S. Congressional resolution prompted popular condemnation
demonstrations in the streets of main Turkish cities.

TURKISH STRENGTH

In view of its key importance as an ally in the U.S. wars on Iraq,
Afghanistan and in Pakistan, as well as the fight against the
so-called global terrorism, its role in Middle East peace process
and as potential mediator in Iran nuclear standoff – let alone being
a reliable NATO ally, having sent more troops to Afghanistan, and
hosting powerful U.S. military bases on its territory, among other
strategic contributions – Turkey could not have reacted less furiously.

Ankara has stepped up its reaction calling on the White House not to
let the Congressional committee resolution be passed to and approved
by the whole House of the Representatives.

THE U.S. REPLY

Almost without delay, U.S. Secretary, Hilary Clinton, reacted to
Ankara’s call.

"I, Hillary Clinton, along with our President Barack Obama, we
mentioned very obviously that this decision by the Congressional
Committee of House of the Representatives is inappropriate," said
Clinton. She added: "We are against this decision. Now we believe
that the U.S. Congress will not take any decision on this subject."

The new tensions caused by the U.S. Congress can lead to anything
but facilitating peaceful, negotiated solutions to the Middle East
conflict and the nuclear ‘crisis’ with Tehran. Maybe it’s just about
that? (IDN-InDepthNews/06.03.2010)

ARMENIAN PEACEKEEPERS ENSURE THE SECURITY OF KUNDUZ AIRPORT

armradio.am
09.03.2010 18:16

>From February 14, 2010 divisions of the peacekeeping brigade of the
Armenian Armed Forces have been contributing to security in Kunduz
province of Afghanistan.

The main mission of Armenian contingent is to provide security
in the Airport of Kunduz along with the German troops. As part of
everyday service the Armenian peacekeepers watch the airport and
its neighborhood, control the checkpoints and reveal the possible
challenges.

The Armenian brigade carries out its mission under the German Command.

Over the past three weeks the Armenian servicemen have won a high
appraisal for taking effective extra security measures at Kunduz
airport.

‘NO REASON’ FOR US ADMINISTRATION TO DEBATE ARMENIAN RESOLUTION
Akper Hasanov

news.az
March 9 2010
Azerbaijan

Ilgar Mammadov News.Az interviews Ilgar Mammadov, Azerbaijani political
scientist.

How would you comment on the adoption of the resolution recognizing
the killing of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey as ‘genocide’ in the US
House of Representatives Foreign Relations Committee?

Democracy is not a mechanism drawn up to generate decisions of genius,
but rather a mechanism that prevents governments from taking too many
foolish decisions. In that respect, the committee vote was a gross
error in the functioning of American democracy. On the other hand,
the vote showed that Armenia’s attempts to falsify history do not hold
anymore: in 2007 the Turkish and Azerbaijani view had less support
in the same committee. This year the draft resolution was passed by
a single vote – 23 against 22. It would be a particular shame for
the legislature to dictate the past when opinions are so divided,
not only among historians, but also among legislators themselves.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said during her visit
to Central America that the US Congress would not consider ‘the
Armenian resolution’. Does thismean that the congressmen who adopted
the resolution acted on their mercantile interests rather than the
national interests of the United States?

I do not see any reason for the US administration to keep this
resolution going. It needs to be stopped, not only from the point
of view of ethics and common sense, but also from the practical
perspective. America will compromise both its national interests and
its relation to global security and prosperity if it opts to satisfy
the appetites of a few voters living with this 19th century agenda.

Azerbaijan has shown an unprecedented level of solidarity with Turkey
on this matter, and this solidarity will only grow in the future.

Why do you think Howard Berman, chairman of the Foreign Relations
Committee, who said that he had been raising the issue of the Armenian
genocide for 27 years in Congress, ignored Turkey’s proposal to
Armenia on a joint study of the historical facts?He himself knows
the best answer to this question.

Do you agree with the thesis that the US recognition of the ‘Armenian
genocide’ will benefit Turkey, as it will remove the threat of
recognition that hangs over Ankara every year?

No, because all the efforts that the Armenian diaspora currently make
toward recognition of the myth would be directed towards claiming
‘retribution’ from Turkey. That would be even more inappropriate. The
sooner we – Turkey and Azerbaijan – finish this issue, the better
for us and for the US global mission, which we recognize.

NKR’S BAKO SAHAKYAN RELEASED CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE TO IWD

Panorama.am
14:03 08/03/2010

Society

Dear women,

I cordially congratulate you on the beautiful spring holiday of the
International Women’s day.

You deserve to be highly appreciated and honored. Due to your
self-sacrifice, love, wisdom and strength you have kept bright the
fire of family hearth, preserving and developing national values and
traditions, bringing up our rising generation. You are the symbol of
continuity of life and eternity of people.

The women of Artsakh are fated to defend the Motherland on par with
men, build free and independent state, take and active part in all
spheres of life in our Republic.

Dear women, mothers, sisters and daughters, we are endlessly
grateful to you for your kindness and tenderness, warmth and care,
for everything you do every day and every hour. I congratulate you
once again and wish you peace, robust health and prosperity. Be always
happy, beautiful and charming.

TURKEY SHOULD PAUSE BEFORE A MIRROR
Stephen Kinzer

guardian.co.uk
Monday 8 March 2010 18.42 GMT

Amid the finger-pointing, let’s recall how Turkey helped push the US
Congress committee toward its vote on Armenian genocide

Leftist Turks shout slogans during a protest outside the US embassy
in Ankara, Turkey, after a US congressional committee approved a
resolution branding the 1915 killing of Armenians a genocide.

When a committee of the US Congress foolishly voted last week to brand
as genocide the 1915 slaughter of Armenians by Ottoman Turks, there
was plenty of blame to go around. Ethnic lobbies, big-money politics
and narrow-minded congressmen all played their part. Together they
poked a gratuitous stick in the eye of a valuable friend. Once again
America repeated its classic foreign policy blunder: do something that
makes you feel good now, but that in the long run actually undermines
American security interests.

Amid all this finger-pointing, however, it is only fair to single
out one other culprit for this misguided vote: Turkey itself. After
the vote, which was broadcast live on Turkish TV and followed as
passionately if it were a World Cup match, thousands of Turks took
to the streets in protest. They were right to be angry. As Turks try
to figure out who brought this insult upon them, though, they should
pause before a mirror.

Turkey has done three things that helped push the House foreign
affairs committee toward its vote. First, despite signing a highly
promising accord with Armenia last year, it has failed to close
the deal. Relations between the two countries remain frozen, partly
because of Turkey’s insistence on tying normalisation to a withdrawal
of Armenian troops from disputed Nagorno-Karabakh. The deal was to
have included a clause assigning questions about the 1915 massacre
to a committee of historians. If it had been signed and ratified, the
genocide issue would be off the table – and probably off Washington’s
agenda.

Second, Turkey suffers from a creeping image deterioration in
Washington. Some feel that Turkey has become too close to Iran, and
resent the vigour of Turkey’s opposition to sanctions on the Iranian
regime – especially important since Turkey holds a rotating seat on the
UN security council. These doubts might not have become as powerful
if Israel, Turkey’s old friend, had come to its rescue with lobbying
help on Capitol Hill, as it has in the past. But Turkish leaders
have sharpened their criticism of Israel lately, and the Israelis,
seeking to show that they too have cards to play in this game, did
not rush to help Turkey this time.

In considering not just the substance of its Middle East policy but
the style in which it is presented, Turkey would do well to balance
its relationships with Iran, Israel and the US more deftly.

Third and perhaps most profoundly, Turkey has brought itself to this
point by its refusal to confront what happened to Ottoman Armenians
in 1915. One reason Turks are so outraged at accusations made against
their ancestors is that they have little access to the historical
truth. Textbooks are distorted and politicians whip up nationalist
fervor for votes. "Why are we trying to cover up this horrible crime,
why are we trying to defend the murderers, to disguise their crimes,
why are we squirming to keep truth buried, even at the risk of being
humiliated?" the Turkish commentator Ahmet Altan asked in a column
after the vote in Washington.

"If you feel humiliated, you should take a hard look at yourself and
what you hide."

In the last few years, Turkey has emerged to play a new and highly
promising role in the Middle East and beyond. As a successful
Islamic democracy allied with the west, it can be a powerful force
for regional peace – and, not incidentally, a uniquely valuable
partner for the US. For Turkey to play the role it seeks as a broker
and conciliator, though, it it must continue to mature politically
and diplomatically. The vote in Washington should lead Turks to
reflection. A final accord with Armenia, a more elegant way of
balancing relations with Iran, Israel and the United States, and an
end to denial of what happened in 1915 would dramatically improve
both Turkey’s global stature and its ability to help stabilise the
world’s most volatile region.

St. Joseph News-Press, Kansas
March 6 2010

Vartabedian weighs in on congressional panel’s decision

WWI-era mass killings labeled `genocide’

By Jimmy Myers
Saturday, March 6, 2010

A congressional panel’s vote to label the World War I-era mass
killings by Turkish troops as `genocide’ caused a ripple in the
international relations world Thursday. A local man with Armenian
roots weighs in.

Dr. Bob Vartabedian’s grandparents escaped Armenia before the mass
killings began. His grandfather, who arrived in America in 1906 as a
16-year-old, sent money home and was planning to return one day, but
the village was wiped out. An estimated 1.5 million Armenians were
killed beginning in 1915.

Dr. Vartabedian, who is president at Missouri Western State
University, spoke to the News-Press as a private citizen not
representing the college.

`It’s difficult for me to be unbiased about it,’ he said of growing up
hearing his grandfather’s stories about what he dealt with in Armenia,
how he escaped, and how difficult it was for him to experience the
death of his family. His grandmother’s father, a minister, was one of
the early victims of violence against Christians, leaving the rest of
the family (his grandmother had four younger sisters) to escape to
America on their own.

Dr. Vartabedian, who has several friends who are Turkish, took a
couple of courses in Armenian history, which he said were more
objective than his grandfather’s `tragic commentary.’ But what he came
away with would still clash with his Turkish friends’ interpretation.

`I’m sure from the Turkish perspective, it’s digging up old wounds,’
he said of the congressional panel’s action, which prompted Turkey to
pull their ambassador in Washington, D.C. `I certainly would not want
any of this to reflect badly on today’s Turkish people.’

Dr. Vartabedian said it’s an issue more for the historians than those
who can’t be objective about it. It’s a very `perceptual thing,’ he
said, of how Armenians and Turks view the situation.

`You can’t forget history,’ he said of the typical Armenian response.
`Certain things happened in history that can’t be forgotten and can’t
be swept under the rug. From a Turkish perspective, it could be that
the past is the past and we have to move on.’

rtabedian-weighs-congressional-panels-decision/?lo cal

Reforms in the pension system urgent

armradio.am
06.03.2010 13:39

Issues related to the reformation of the pension security system were
discussed during the consultations at the President’s Office,
featuring the heads of all interested agencies.

President Sargsyan said the system inherited from Soviet times does
not meet the requirements of the time, therefore there is an urgent
necessity to reform the sphere.

Deputy Minister of Social Security Artem Sargsyan and Deputy Minister
of Finance Vardan Aramyan presented the primary directions of the
program of reforms, stressing that the most important is the
introduction of the accumulation system, which will ensure the welfare
of the citizens after retirement.

According to them, the proposed model has taken into consideration the
experience of pension reforms of the contemporary world.

Summing up the results of the consultations, President Sargsyan
instructed the heads of corresponding agencies to hold discussions on
the issues discussed, assess the risks, work out clear guarantee
mechanisms.

The Head of State emphasized the necessity of the reforms, noting that
they could serve as an important guarantee of success.

Targeted News Service
March 4, 2010 Thursday 12:52 AM EST

House Committee on Foreign Affairs Moves Armenian Genocide Resolution

WASHINGTON

Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif. (40th CD), issued the following news release:

Today, the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed H.Res.252,
recognizing the Armenian Genocide, by a vote of 23-22. Rep. Ed Royce
(R-CA) a long-time supporter of the resolution, issued the following
statement:

"I’ve worked on this issue since I was in the state Senate in
California, where I authored a resolution recognizing the Armenian
genocide, the first of any such state and my resolution passed in
California a generation ago.

Now it is time for Congress to act.

"When I was young I knew a survivor. He was the sole survivor from his
village and he himself would have been slaughtered had not a neighbor
hid him when he was a child.

"This resolution focuses singularly on the United States record of the
Armenian genocide. As the text indicates our national archives are
filled with thousands of pages documenting the premeditated
extermination of the Armenian people. Our own Ambassador to the
Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau, recalled in his memoirs, the
Ottomans "never had the slightest idea of reestablishing the Armenians
in a new country" knowing that "the great majority of those would…
either die of thirst and starvation, or be murdered by the wild
Mohammedan desert tribes."

"Again, to use his words as an eyewitness to history, he said it was a
campaign of race extermination of the Armenian people.

"The United States has been a global leader in promoting human rights
around the world. On the issue of the Armenian Genocide, however, we
lag behind.

The French, Swiss, Swedish, Germans, and even the Russian governments
recognize the Armenian Genocide. As a global leader in human rights,
it is imperative for the U.S. to stand on principle and recognize the
annihilation of the Armenians as "genocide."

"This resolution does not reference the government of Turkey. It
references the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish government was not involved
in this, the Ottoman Empire was.

"It is important that this Committee doesn’t loose sight of truth vs.
propaganda, right vs. wrong. While the Armenian Genocide was the first
of the 20th century, the blind eye cast to the slaughter of Armenians
was a point used by Hitler, who asked, "Who after all speaks today of
the annihilation of the Armenians?" He pointed this out when he was
being internally challenged on his policies.

"The lesson of the genocide is an argument I first learned from my
father who served with General Patton’s 3rd Army and later the 7th
when they cut through Germany and finally liberated the concentration
camps at Dachau. He had his brother’s camera and he documented on film
the ovens with bodies stacked like cord wood, the rail cars and
trenches filled with the dead in the holocaust. Still, he finds the
need to use those photographs, even today, as he confronts those who
deny that genocide.

"History is a continuum. Yesterday impacts today, which impacts tomorrow.

It’s much harder to get tomorrow right if we get yesterday wrong. The
world’s strength to oppose killing today is made greater by
accountability, for actions present, but also past. It’s weakened by
denial of accountability of past acts. Not recognizing the Armenian
Genocide, as such, weakens us.

"For the sake of genocides past and present, I urge the passage of
this bipartisan resolution. 1.5 million Armenians were murdered,
500,000 were removed from their homeland. Passing this resolution will
be a victory for human rights."

Deutsche Welle , Germany
March 6 2010

Armenian genocide resolution will boost Turkish hardliners, says expert

The resolution will result in a backlash for Turkish-Armenian
reconciliation efforts The genocide resolution by a US House Committee
is counterproductive, says the former chairman of the Turkish
delegation of the European Parliament. But Ankara could have easily
avoided the showdown.

Joost Lagendijk is a senior advisor at the Istanbul Policy Center.
>From 1998 to 2009 he was a member of the European Parliament for the
Dutch Greens. Lagendiijk chaired the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary
Committee between 2004 and 2009.

Deutsche Welle: Turkey immediately recalled its ambassador from
Washington in protest over the vote of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee that labels Turkey’s massacre of Armenians a genocide and
warned of further negative consequences for US-Turkish relations. What
other measures could Turkey take to protest against the resolution?

Joost Lagendijk: What has happened in the past, because we have been
here before, is that Turkey threatend to stop cooperating with the US
in Afghanistan or even went as far as threatening not to allow the
Americans to use Turkish air bases which the Americans will have to do
when they withdraw from Iraq. So there are all kinds of issues that
the Turks could threaten to put pressure on the Americans.

The US also needs Turkey’s support in the UN Security Council for
tougher sanctions on Iran. Do you think that Turkey is in fact
prepared to carry out all those threats?

In the case of Iran, it’s the US putting pressure on Turkey. There are
rumors that Obama might say to Turkey that he is willing to disregard
the Foreign Affairs resolution if and when Turkey votes with the US in
the Security Council in favor of sanctions against Iran. So there is
pressure being exerted from both sides.

The US wants Turkey on its side on Iran and one way of doing that is
saying if you vote with us, we will not do what the House committee
wants us to do as has happened in the past. Threatening of course,
that if Turkey doesn’t vote with the US in the Security Council, Obama
might go all the way and do what the Foreign Affairs Committee wants
him to do.

Bildunterschrift: GroÃ?ansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:
The air base in Incirlik, Turkey is a major hub for US missions in
Iraq and Afghanistan
The Obama administration is in a difficult situation regarding the
genocide resolution. During his campaign Barack Obama said that as
president he would recognize the genocide, but shortly before the vote
the administration warned that the bill’s passage could severely
damage relations with an important NATO ally. As in the past, the
White House could pressure the House Speaker to not send the
resolution to the full House for a final vote. Do you think Obama
should and could intervene like that?

I guess in the end he will because in the next couple of months the
Obama administration will need Turkey mainly to organize a proper
withdrawal from Iraq. The best and quickest way do to so is through
Turkish airbases.

That is probably the reason why the Obama administration in the end
will do what the Bush and Clinton adminstrations did, saying please
don’t take it to the floor, please don’t vote on it in the full House
because it could get us into trouble with Turkey. I guess they will as
a result of serious arm-twisting by Turkey with its threats to withold
support from the American withdrawal from Iraq.

In the end, when Turkey votes with the US in the Security Council, I
think Obama will decide not to push it and will ask the speaker of the
House not to allow a full vote.

In most countries, the image of the US has improved dramatically since
Barack Obama took office, but not in Turkey. Why is that and how will
this vote effect Turkish feelings about the US?

It’s true that in opinion polls one of the countries where the US is
most unpopular is Turkey. It’s pretty amazing the extent to which
there is this anti-American feeling. Obama as a person is relatively
popular, especially compared to his predecessor Mr. Bush of course,
but the US as such is still quite unpopular. Most people think it has
to do with the invasion of Iraq by the US. The fact that at that point
in 2003 Turkey did not want to cooperate caused serious problems at
that moment in time.

Bildunterschrift: GroÃ?ansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:
The mass killings of Armenians in 1915 under Ottoman rule are still
unresolved between Turkey and Armenia
But it’s hard to explain the extent to which this unpopularity remains
and to be honest I haven’t read any really satisfactory explanation
apart from the invasion of Iraq. Compared to the popularity of the US
10 or 15 years ago, there is a quite dramatic change that still needs
a proper explanation.

The Armenian genocide resolution is not new in Turkish-American
relations, but comes up regularly in Congress. To an outsider, Turkey
always seems very defensive and hard-line on the issue. It’s
parliament still hasn’t ratified a peace accord with Armenia. Couldn’t
it take a lot of steam out of the issue, if it was perceived as more
proactive and open about reconciliation with Armenia?

Definitely. I agree with those who criticize Turkey for slowing down
this whole process that they started themselves with Armenia last
year. The Turkish government signed with the Armenian government these
protocols that would establish normal diplomatic ties, that would open
the borders and, what is important for the current issue, would set up
a committee of historians to look into the tragic events of 1915 to
establish what really happened.

Had those protocols been ratified already by the Turkish parliament, I
am sure that we wouldn’t be in the situation that we are in now. So
yes, it’s true the Turkish government should have pushed more and
should have used its majority in the Turkish parliament to go for
ratification.

Unfortunately, there is a traditional link now made by the government
between ratifying these protocols and solving the Nagorno-Karabach
issue (disputed region in Azerbaijan, populated mainly by ethnic
Armenians – ed.).

I think it’s an unhealthy link and I hope that this situation will
also bring some more pressure on Turkey to be more forthcoming. If
these protocols had been signed, the relations between Turkey and
Armenia would have improved, and I am almost sure that the Foreign
Affairs Committee in the House of Representatives would not have voted
on a resolution like this.

Interview: Michael Knigge
Editor: Rob Mudge

,,532445 0,00.html

L’Express, France
5 Mars 2010

Génocide arménien: la Turquie en colère contre les Etats-Unis
Par LEXPRESS.fr avec Reuters, publié le 05/03/2010 à 08:05

La commission américaine des Affaires étrangères a voté une résolution
pour reconnaître le génocide arménien. Mais Ankara n’apprécie pas, et
rappelle son ambassadeur…

Barack Obama pourra désormais utiliser le mot de "génocide" pour
évoquer le massacre. La commission des Affaires étrangères de la
Chambre des représentants américaine a reconnu le statut de génocide
au massacre des Arméniens par les forces ottomanes pendant la Première
Guerre mondiale.

Une décision qui a provoqué la colère de la Turquie."Le peuple turc et
nous-mêmes sommes extrêmement vexés", a déclaré un député turc à la
presse à Washington après le vote. Ankara a aussitôt rappelé son
ambassadeur aux Etats-Unis pour consultations. Le Premier ministre
turc, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, s’est inquiété des conséquences de cette
décision sur les relations entre Ankara et Washington et sur le
processus de réconciliation entamé avec l’Arménie.

L’embarras d’Obama

"Nous apprécions cette décision au plus au point. Il s’agit d’une
preuve supplémentaire du dévouement du peuple américain en faveur des
valeurs humaines universelles et d’un pas important dans la prévention
des crimes contre l’humanité", se félicite de son côté le ministre
arménien des Affaires étrangères.

L’affaire risque d’être embarrassante pour Barack Obama, qui souhaite
entretenir de bonnes relations avec la Turquie. Un Etat membre de
l’Otan et un relai essentiel des Etats-Unis au Proche-Orient, en Iran
ou en Afghanistan. Il ne faudrait pas non plus s’aliéner la communauté
américaine d’origine arménienne à l’approche des élections de
mi-mandat, en novembre…

e/genocide-armenien-la-turquie-en-colere-contre-le s-etats-unis_853095.html