Author: Zaminian Bedik

ED ROYCE: ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION IS NOT AIMED AGAINST TURKEY

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.03.2010 20:50 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The state of California has already recognized the
Armenian Genocide; it is now US Congress’ turn, California Congressman
Ed Royce stated.

As he noted at US House Foreign Affairs hearing on H.Res.252, the
resolution aims at registering the fact of Armenian Genocide in
Ottoman Empire. "US dropped behind other countries in the world in
Genocide recognition issue," Ed Royce said.

At the same time, he noted that Armenian Genocide resolution is not
aimed against Turkey itself, but rather the crime against humanity
committed in the Ottoman Empire. "We have to recognize the Genocide
and resist outer pressure on the issue," the Congressman emphasized.

The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic
destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during
and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres, and
deportations involving forced marches under conditions designed to
lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths
reaching 1.5 million.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the
Genocide survivors.

To date, twenty countries and 44 U.S. states have officially recognized
the events of the period as genocide, and most genocide scholars and
historians accept this view.

IT WAS NOT THE UNITED OPPOSITION’S RALLY

stepan-safaryan
05:31 pm | March 02, 2010 |

Leaders of "Heritage" faction didn’t take part in the Armenian National
Congress rally and march yesterday. Instead, "Heritage" representatives
went to Myasnikyan statue to pay homage to the victims of March 1.

Why didn’t they join the ANC? In response, head of the "Heritage"
faction Stepan Safaryan told "A1+" that the supporters and members of
"Heritage" were free to choose where to go and many took part in the
Congress rally.

"It was not mandatory for the political party to be present as an
institutional unit. But that doesn’t mean that we are indifferent
or don’t respond to the events organized by the ANC," said Stepan
Safaryan.

As far as organizing a separate rally is concerned, Safaryan said that
the "Heritage" youth wing had set an hour. The representatives of the
older generation of the party members joined the initiative and paid
tribute to the citizens who risked their lives for the civil struggle.

Safaryan said that the reason why "Heritage" leaders were not at the
Matenadaran was that in addition to their speeches from time to time,
they have always been among the people.

"Yesterday was the rally organized by the ANC and not the united
opposition or Armenia’s opposition for us to be there."

HAK LAUNCHES RALLY IN YEREVAN

1/raly
07:04 pm | March 01, 2010 |

The Armenian National Congress (HAK) launched its rally holding a
minute’s silence for the victims of March 1, 2008. Present at the
rally are HAK leaders at the head of the country’s first President
Levon Ter-Petrosyan.

After making an opening speech HAK representative Aram Mnaukyan
summoned Alla Hovhannisyan, the mother of victim Tigran Khachatryan.

"Today would be a holiday for us if our sons were not slain brutally,"
said Mrs. Hovhannisyan.

She assured the ralliers that despite their grief, the families of
the victims would continue their struggle unless the last criminal
was jailed. Alla Hovhannisyan called on everyone to unite to be able
to disclose the assassinations and to take the struggle to the end.

Aram Manukyan read out Maestro Ohan Durian’s letter of condolence
to the relatives. The maestro saluted their unbreakable will and
determination to continue the struggle till the end.

AZERI HACKERS CRACKED XOCALI.NET WEBSITE

news.am
March 2 2010
Armenia

March 1-2, Xocali.net website was cracked from 81.17.90.144 IP
address owned by Bakinternet Network provider registered in Baku. The
Initiative to Prevent Xenophobia NGO issued the following statement:
"Xocali.net website exposing distortion of facts and falsifications
of Azerbaijani propaganda, was cracked on the day of its launching on
February 24. However, attacks became more widespread when Azeri media
directly voiced an appeal to crack the website. Simultaneously Azeri
media spread statements by Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Spokesman
Elhan Polukhov calling local citizens to be more active in resisting
Armenians on the Internet.

An attempt to block websites access is considered crime also in
Azerbaijan.

Initiative to Prevent Xenophobia declares that despite attempts
to block website access, the organization will keep on spreading
information available on Xocali.net as well as other news on
falsifications by Azeri propaganda.

CBS 60 MINUTES GENOCIDE BROADCAST AVAILABLE

2010/03/ 01 | 12:14

media

Here’s the link to the CBS 60 Minutes segment entitled "Battle Over
History" that aired on February 28, 2010.

Excerpt: The Armenians call it their holocaust – the 1915 forced
deportation and massacre of more than a million Armenians by the
Turks. But the Turks and our own government have refused to call
it genocide.

A monument stone dedicated to the memory of the victims of the
Genocide to be placed in Kiev

2010-02-26
e/id/591976/lang/en

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 25, ARMENPRESS: A monument stone dedicated to the
memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide will placed in Kiev.
Armenpress reports citing `Analitika’ news agency that one of the
regional councils of Kiev decided to take into consideration the
request of the Armenian community.

The monument stone dedicated to the 95th anniversary of the Genocide
will be placed in Odessa square.

ARMENIA RATIFIES CSTO SECURITY AGREEMENT

Interfax
Feb 24 2010
Russia

The Armenian parliament on Tuesday ratified a Collective Security
Treaty Organization (CSTO) agreement concerning the Collective Rapid
Reaction Force (CRRF).

During its debate in the Armenian National Assembly, chairman of the
regular parliamentary commission on foreign relations Armen Rustamian
said that the decision to use the CRRF must be based on consensus.

"Naturally, the CRRF is an additional leverage of security.

However, in the event of aggression Armenia must rely, first of all,
on itself only," he said.

The Armenian Parliament also ratified the CSTO agreement about the
basic principles for creating a system of hidden control of the
collective security system.

Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and
Uzbekistan are all apart of the CSTO.

ARMENIA MAY WITHDRAW FROM TURKISH-ARMENIAN PROTOCOLS

Today’s Zaman
Feb 25 2010
Turkey

The National Assembly of Armenia has passed amendments to the Armenian
Law on International Agreements that allow Armenia to rescind its
signature before the enforcement of a treaty, the Panarmenian news
portal reported on Wednesday.

Speaking about the bill, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian
said the bill refines internal procedures related to the suspension
of a treaty before its conclusion.

"According to the Vienna Convention, Armenia has the right to not
join an international treaty before its conclusion. The bill provides
a legal basis for Armenia to withdraw from a treaty at any stage of
its conclusion," Nalbandian noted.

During the briefing, one reporter asked if this bill should be
regarded in light of statements by Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan
on suspending the ratification of the Armenian-Turkish protocols
if Turkey chooses to delay the process. Nalbandian replied in the
affirmative. "Protocols are also international agreements, and
if necessary, this bill can also be applied in relation to them,"
Nalbandian said.

PRESS RELEASE
UCLA AEF Chair in Armenian History
Contact: Prof. Richard Hovannisian
Tel: 310-825-3375
Email: [email protected]

FEBRUARY 27, 2010

UCLA CONFERENCE ON ARMENIAN COMMUNITIES OF
ASIA MINOR TO HAVE STRONG VISUAL COMPONENT

UCLA. The Armenian Communities of Asia Minor from Adabazar, Bursa, and
Banderma to Kutahia and Konia will be featured at UCLA on Saturday, March
20. This is the 18th and final conference in the international series,
"Historic Armenian Cities and Provinces," sponsored by the Armenian
Educational Foundation Chair in Modern Armenian History and organized by
Professor Richard G. Hovannisian. The program will be held on the UCLA
campus in 1200 Rolfe Hall from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Among the presenters is Mr. Osman Koker of Istanbul, editor and
publisher of Mr. Orlando C. Calumeno’s extensive postal card collection
depicting the Armenian communities of the Ottoman Empire a hundred year ago
and before. His illustrated talk on Saturday morning is titled "From
Banderma and Erminikoy to Armash: Armenians of the Marmara Region." This
presentation will be complemented in the afternoon sessions with that of Ms.
Ruth Thomasian of the Project SAVE Armenian Photograph Archives, "Armenian
Communities of Asia Minor as Seen through the Photograph."

Others on the program include Prof. Richard Hovannisian, with an
overview of the Armenian communities of Asia Minor; Prof. Peter Cowe of UCLA
on the Konia community during the Seljuk period; Ms. Dawn MacKeen of Los
Angeles on Adabazar; Mr. Ara Melkonian of London on Bardizag; Dr. Barbara
Merguerian of Boston on Laura Farnham and schools for Armenian girls in
Adabazar and Bardizag; Dr. Hasmik Khalapyan of Yerevan State University on
the role of the theater among the Armenians of Asia Minor; Dr. Arpi
Vardumyan of the Matenadaran in Yerevan on the Armenian musical culture of
Kutahia; and Prof. Simon Payaslian of Boston University on the demise of the
Armenian communities in Asia Minor.

The conference is supported by the UCLA Center for Near Eastern
Studies, Center for European and Eurasian Studies, Bob and Nora Movel Fund,
and the Organization of Istanbul Armenians. It is open to the public at no
charge. Parking is available in lot 5, entrance from Sunset Blvd at Royce
Drive (between Westwood Blvd. and Hilgard Ave, with a fee). Limited free
street parking is available on Hilgard Ave. and on Westholme Ave. between
Hilgard and Warner. For UCLA parking maps, see:
x.htm

For additional conference information: [email protected]
ATTACHED PHOTOGRAPH: The Armenian Monastery and Seminary of Armash

TO BAN KI-MOON: AZERBAIJAN COMMITS MASS KILLINGS OF ITS CITIZENS

Aysor
Feb 24 2010
Armenia

In connection with the anniversary of the mass killings and massacres
of the Armenian population in Azerbaijan’s cities of Baku and Sumgait,
Ambassador Karen Nazarian, Armenia’s resident representative to
the United Nations, has issued a message to UN Secretary General
Ban Ki-moon.

The statement refers to the crimes and acts of false interpretations,
made by the Azerbaijani officials, a spokesperson for Armenia’s
Foreign Ministry said.

"Azerbaijan keeps on representing itself as a victim of the so-called
‘Armenian aggression’, releasing fake and false information in relation
to the issues of those mass killings, including falsification of
evidences of the Azerbaijani sources of those years," said in the
statement.

Ambassador Nazarian appeals to the known interview of former president
of Azerbaijan, Ayaz Mutalibov. He quotes Ayaz Mutalibov’s saying in
relation to the issue of Khojaly, when former president says of the
opposition in Azerbaijan, which planned to overthrow the ruling regime
of Azerbaijan. Ayaz Mutalibov describes that despite the warnings by
the Armenian side on the upcoming attacks on Khojaly, the Azerbaijani
soldiers hadn’t let them evacuate via special corridor. Former
president said in his interview that the Azerbaijani opposition
committed massacres of the civil population of Khojaly village in
order to seize power.

Nazarian’s letter also contains the report by the Helsinki Watch, made
in September 1992. The Helsinki Watch reports appeals to the evidences
by the Azerbaijani population, who told that Azerbaijani soldiers shot
the civil population preventing them to reach the gate to the corridor.

"When met the peace and constitutional claims of people of the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic for self-determination, Azerbaijan’s
government armed groups of pogrom-makers, who committed massacres of
the civil Armenian population of Sumgait.

"Becoming the first case of the crimes of such kind throughout the
Soviet Union, these mass killings were included in the case files
for trials.

"As soon as Azerbaijan received an independence [after collapse of
the Soviet Union], the county’s government released the convicted
defendant and even recognized them as national heroes.

"The Helsinki Watch report makes clear that all these developments
had a key objective to scare the Armenians, who lived in other regions
and towns of Azerbaijan.

"The 1988-1991 mass killings and crimes against Armenian population
of Kirovabad (Ganja) and other towns of Azerbaijan were more massive
and barbaric, and led to acts of genocide of Armenians. More that
half a million survived Armenians were objected to deportations,
losing their homes and property.

"These crimes were followed by armed attacks against people of the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

"For the first, last and all the time it should become clear
that Azerbaijan itself launched a war of aggression against the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Here in Armenia we believe that the best
solution in this situation is to restore the legitimate claims of the
people of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic to provide certain inalienable
right of nations to self-determination," said in the statement.