Serj Tankian live in Athens
Start: August 17 2010
Serj Tankian, frontman for System of a Down, is coming to Athens for a single and extremely unconventional concert on 17 August at Terra Vibe Park in Athens, Greece. The concert promises to be a truly special musical experience with the intense voice of Tankian, the soul of System of a Down. All the symphonic parts of the songs will be accompanied by the eight-member classical orchestra combined with a full electric band.
Tankian was born in Lebanon to Armenian parents and immigrated to the USA at a young age. After finishing university in 1995, he and three friends from the American-Armenian community created System of a Down. With musical influences from alternative rock, heavy metal, jazz and traditional Armenian music, they released their first album of the same name and quickly rose to fame.
Tankian writes songs and plays almost all of the instruments himself on his solo album, Elect the Dead, which was released in 2007 with the familiar rock sound of System of a Down, combined with traditional Armenian instruments. His lyrics are still political, anti-establishment, anti-war and against the interests of major powers.
Don't miss Serj Tankian on 17 August for a unique concert accompanied by an eight-member classical orchestra at Terra Vibe Park in Athens, featuring songs we loved for their political content from both the band's albums and his solo album. Serj Tankian Official Website: www.serjtankian.com
VIZA band is the opening act in Serj Tankian concert
Οι VIZA members K'noup - Vocals, 12 string guitar
Jivan Gasparyan Jr. - Duduk, Zurna
Orbel Babayan - Electric Guitar, Tar, Saz, Vox
Shant Bismejian - Electric Guitar
Andrew Kzirian - Oud
Alex Khatcherian - Bass
Suguru Onaka - Keyboards, Accordian
Chris Daniel - Percussion
Hiram Rosario - Drums
Influences:
Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Eastern European and Latin cultures.
Biography:
Viza has infiltrated the global music scene with an explosive sound of international rock. You can hear the blasts and screams from the depths of Eastern Europe to the deserts of the Middle East. Formerly known as Visa, Viza exchanged the audio passport with a carte blanche for invasion. Viza is a brigade of 9 international musicians from Los Angeles, integrating duduk, percussion and oud with the hard edge of rock. K'noup, the fearless leader and voice of Viza, commands the stage with charisma and stamina. With sold out shows in the US and Canada, Viza fans are also tuned in around the world. As Visa, the band released two EPs and two full length albums, along with an award winning music video. Viza is currently managed by Serjical Strike Management headed by Serj Tankian from System of a Down. Be on guard for the release of Viza’s Made in Chernobyl album and tour date announcements.
VIZA Official Website: www.experienceviza.com
Start date:
17 Aug 2010
Start time:
18:30
Venue:
Terra Vibe Park
37th km Athens-Lamia National Road, Malakasa
For more info visit: www.terravibe.gr
Tickets:
25€
Ticket House, 42 Panepistimiou Street
Tel: +302103608366
Opening Hours: Mon & Wen: 10:30-18:30
Tue, Thu & Fri: 10:30-20:00
Sat: 10:30-16:00
Closest Metro Station: Panepistimio, Line 2
Online Booking: www.ticketpro.gr | www.tickethouse.gr
Arto Apartian 1956 -2010
Farewell to a great Actor, Human and Friend of the most beloved members of our community, work and contributionw of the teaching will never be forgotten by the people who had the honor to be his friend and colleague and student.
The funeral services will be held Thursday, July 1, 2010 at 17:00 in the Church St. Karabed (St. John), 4 Praxagorou street in the Neos Kosmos, behind the Ledra Mariott Hotel in Syngou Avenue and will follow the burial at 18 : 00 in Vyronas cemetry.
http://www.sourpgarabed.gr
Works of Arto Apartianhttp://www.ordino.gr/actor_detail.asp?id=2160
Passed away on 19 May 2010 , Venerable Der Kegart Baboglian.
He was the spiritual father of the Armenian community of the Neos Kosmos, Karea and Kaisariani boroughs .
He was born April 25, 1924, with a secular name Sarkis, in the city of Aleppo in Syria. In October of the year 1963 was admitted to the Great House of Cilicia in
Monastery of the Patriarchate, and was ordained on 9 August 1964 to the rank of priest in diocese of Armenians in Athens, father Kegart was ordained by
Venerable Bishop of Armenians in Greece and later Patriarch of Cilicia and Echmiatzin, His Excellency Patriarch Karekin Sargisian in the historic
Church of Tourgoutiou region Neos Kosmos where he served from 1969 to 1996 under the Reverend Bishop of Greece Sahak Aivazian.
Participated in the creation of the parish of Sourp Garabet in Neos Kosmos, Karea and Kessariani as well as in the development of community infrastructure in education and culture. From young age he was a member of the Armenian scouts and the sports club Homenetmen, he was highly respected
and loving person throughout his life from all over Armenia Greek community and abroad.
Goodbye Der Kegart venerable father, your presence will always in our hearts and memories of believers and friends who created it.
Your memory is eternal.
Eva Rivas that will represent Armenia in Eurovision 2010, in Greece!
Together with her the popular armenian singer TATA
2 Concerts: Thessaloniki and Athens
Thessaloniki: April 3, 2010 in the "FOCUS" hall.
Athens : April 5, 2010 in the Olympic stadium of "Taekwondo"
in Paleo Falirio
for information : 0030 210 9575011
EUROVISION
The 2010 Eurovision participation by Armenia
Eva Rivas
ARMENIAN BLUE CROSS OF GREECE "SIRO BAZAR 2010"
March 2010 Athens
www.azator.gr
BEAST ON THE MOON
"POREIA" Theater
tel: 2108210991
The play is a social/political play by Richard Kalinosky. .
Director St.Livathinos, actors D.Tarloou,T. Koulieva,G.Biniaris,F.Moshatos,R.Bolotas. Translated by D. Tarloou
The stageworks and costumes by El. Manolopoulou and the music by H.Yayjian
http://www.athinorama.gr/theatre/data/performances/default.aspx?id=2007464
Swedish Parliament recognizes Armenian Genocide
11.03.2010
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Swedish Parliament recognized the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Empire in 1915 by 131 votes in favor and 130 against, Vahagn Avedyan, head of the Armenian Association of Sweden told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. "The debates lasted more than 5 hours," Avedyan said.
CNN shows Scream Bloody Murder documentary about Genocides
08.03.2010
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On March 7 CNN showed Scream Bloody Murder , a documentary about Genocides prepared by a known TV journalist, Christian Amanpour. The author tells about the Armenian Genocide, the Holocaust, the Genocide in Cambodia, Rwanda, Darfur, as well as the massacres of Kurds during Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq.
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.
Turkey and Armenia's Battle over History
Bob Simon Reports on the Longtime Feud Between Turkey and Armenia over Genocide
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.
(CBS) Wars are fought over oil, land, water, but rarely over history, especially about something that happened nearly 100 years ago. But that's what Turkey and Armenia are still fighting over: what to label the mass deportation and subsequent massacre of more than a million Christian Armenians from Ottoman Turkey during World War I.
Armenians and an overwhelming number of historians say that Turkey's rulers committed genocide, that its actions were a model for what Hitler did to the Jews. The Turks, meanwhile, say their ancestors never carried out such crimes, and that they too were victims in a world war.......
read more.....
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6253043n&tag=contentMain;cbsCarousel
US House Committee on Foreign Affairs adopted Armenian Genocide resolution
05.03.2010
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ US House Committee on Foreign Affairs adopted Armenian Genocide resolution (H.Res.252) (23 for; 23 against).
After it was put to the vote in Profile Committee, the Resolution will be submitted to the House of Representatives for final vote.
Similar procedure will be held at US Senate.
The Armenian Genocide resolution (H.Res. 106) was submitted to the House of Representatives by Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA), on January 30, 2007, during the 110th United States Congress. It was a non-binding resolution calling upon the US President to ensure that the foreign policy of the United States reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the United States record relating to the Armenian Genocide, and for other purposes. Upon its introduction it was referred to United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs where it passed a 27-21 vote and was sent back for a full house vote. On October 26, 2007, in a letter addressed to the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, four key sponsors of the bill, requested a debate on the bill in full House to be postponed.
The resolution affirming the U.S. record on the Armenian Genocide (H.Res.252) was formally introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Reps. Adam Schiff (D.-CA), George Radanovich (R.-CA), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D.-NJ), and Mark Kirk (R.-Ill) in 2009. It currently has 137 co-sponsors.
President of the Republic of Greece
HIS HOLINESS ARAM I MEETS THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GREECE
ANTELIAS, Lebanon On Friday 15, 2010, His Holiness Aram I arrived in Athens. At the airport he was met by the representatives of the government, Metropolitans and Bishops representing His Beatitude Ieronymos II, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, Bishop Khoren Doghramadjian, Prelate of the Diocese of Greece, Members of the Executive Committee of the Armenian Church and the ambassadors of Lebanon and Armenia.
After the salute of the Guard, His Holiness was led to the Presidential Palace. During their meeting His Holiness Aram I and the President spoke about the positive contribution of the Armenian community to the country and Greek society, and Catholicos Aram assured the president of the loyalty of Armenians in the diaspora to their adopted countries.
They also discussed the situation in the Middle East. His Holiness Aram I spoke of the importance of strengthening Christian presence in the Middle East, the cradle of Christianity, and at the same time intensifying existential dialogue with Islam.
They further discussed the long and fruitful relations between the Church of Greece and the Armenian Church. His Holiness emphasized the role of the church in the life of societies as promoter of dialogue, mutual understanding and moral values.
At the end of the visit, in recognition of the close ties between the two peoples, His Holiness Aram I honoured the president with the decoration of Prince of Cilicia’. The President offered to His Holiness a silvergilt Gospel cover representing the Annunciation.
His Holiness Aram I and his delegation left the Presidential Palace to join the Ambassador of Lebanon to Greece, who had organized a banquet in his honor.
Press Release of the Holy Synod of Greece
2010
Archived Press Releases
Visit of Mr. Aram Armenian Patriarch
Visit the Church of Greece out of 15 to 17 January 2010 His Beatitude the Patriarch of Cilicia Aram Mr. His Beatitude and escorts arrived at the Airport "Eleftherios Venizelos" Today January 15 the flight 251 of the MEA AIRLINES at 10:15. Welcomed by Representatives of the Church of Greece , represented by the Greek State, represented by the Armenian Church of Greece and the Armenians in Athens and the Ambassadors of Armenia and Lebanon to Athens.
At 11.00 took place formal Glorification of the arrival of the Archbishop of the Armenian Church in the Cathedral Church of St. Gregory the luminaire Square Koumoundourou 13.30 and will visit the President of Greek Republic Karolos Papoulias.
The next day, Saturday, January 16 at 11.00, His Beatitude the Patriarch of Cilicia Aram visit by the Mayor of Athens Nikitas Kaklamanis and at 12.30 the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Hieronymos the Archdiocese of Athens.
17.30 On His Beatitude Patriarch will perform the sequence of Vespers at the Church of St James in Nikaia,Pireas.
On Sunday, January 17 at 11:15 Patriarch of Cilicia that would leave the flight 251 of the MEA AIRLINES.
At the Press Office of the Holy Synod
http://www.ecclesia.gr
( free translated for armenians.gr)
April 24 marks the 94th Armenian Genocide and the demand is still alive, for recognition
of the 1.500.000 victims and the justice from Turkey the procedure of events organized by
the Armenian National Commitee of Greece you can find by clicking this banner.
ARMENIANS IN GREECE PROTESTED AGAINST I. ALIEV FOR THE RECOGNITION OF NAGORNO-KARABAH
17/02/2009
GREECE ARMENIANS PROTESTED AGAINST ALIEV
The President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliev who is currently paying his official working visit to Greece, has been met by the local Armenians with protests demanding “to stop aggressor’s approach towards Karabakh”. According to local “Azat or” (Free day) paper, President Aliev has had half an hour long separate meeting with the President of Greece Carlos Papulias, after which a range of agreements have been signed.
The both Presidents gave a press conference and the President of Azerbaijan mentioned that Azeri society is not against the President’s first visit to Greece. But the President of Azerbaijan mentioned that “Nagorno Karabakh conflict should be solved based on the principle of territorial integrity.” “The Presidential administration has been shocked after the anti-Armenian statements made by President Aliev,” reports
“Azat or”paper.
Source: Panorama.am
GREECE ARMENIANS PROTEST AGAINST ALIEV
click on picture to enlarge
Foreign Minister of the Hellenic Republic
Mrs Dora Bakoyannis,
Athens, Greece
Honourable Mrs. Minister,
On the occasion of the assumption of the Chairmanship of the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) by Greece, please accept our sincere wishes for the success of your mission, as the Chairperson of this very important International Organization for peace, safety, stability, crisis prevention and conflict resolution, in Europe and the neighbouring regions.
The statements and activities of the OSCE officials are always of particular interest to us, given the fact that, on an OSCE mandate, the Minsk Group has been formed, to seek a peaceful settlement of the issue of the, purely Armenian, former Autonomous Region of Nagorno Karabagh, in accordance with the principles of international law. It should be noted that, the annexation of Karabagh to Azerbaijan in the early 1920s, was the result of Stalin's arbitrary decision, while the population of Karabagh never accepted this arrangement. A just and lasting solution of the Karabakh issue must safeguard the safety and viability of both Karabakh and Armenia.
The initiatives of the Minsk Group and particularly the efforts of the three co-chairmen - USA, Russia, France -, in cooperation with the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan, have already resulted, last year in Madrid, to a framework of Basic Principles. Hopefully, in the forthcoming months, a final agreement may be reached, on the basis of the Madrid principles and the outcome of the recent Moscow and Helsinki discussions.
Consequently, Mrs. Minister, while we consider your attachment to the principles of international law as unquestionable, we were unpleasantly surprised by your statement to the Azerbaijani Trend News Agency on 25/12/2008, according to which, you "…firmly support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all States, within their internationally recognized borders." Thus, you have emphasized only one of the principles of the Helsinki Final Act, that of the territorial integrity, without making any reference to the other, equally important principle, that of the right for self-determination of the peoples.
Honourable Mrs. Minister,
You do realize, of course, that during the present delicate phase of negotiations, any statement in favour of the principle of territorial integrity only, contributes, on one hand, to the hardening of the Azerbaijani positions while, on the other, discourages the Armenian and Karabagh parties to continue their participation in the process, as the final result is considered predetermined.
Maintaining the delicate balance between the two basic principles is of fundamental importance in the Karabagh issue. The two principles are always mentioned in the statements of all the interested parties. A few days ago, on the 19th of January 2009, the EU Commissioner responsible for External Relations, Mrs Benita Ferrero - Waldner, on her visit to Armenia, stated that, "… We believe that the two sides should find a compromise solution, in accordance with the principle of territorial integrity and the right of nations to self-determination. The EU is ready to assist the peace process".
We believe, therefore, Mrs. Minister, that a statement of yours, as the Chairperson of OSCE, stressing both principles of international law, would contribute considerably to the right assessment of the issue.
Thank you in advance.
Yours sincerely,
ARMENIAN YOUTH FEDERATION
ARF Dashnaktsoutiun congress held on May 21-26 in Armenia
28 May 2008 - Yerevan - Yerkir) - Delegates from more than 30 countries participated in the ARF Dashnaktsoutiun congress held on May 21-26 in Armenia. The delegates discussed the party's activities for the past four years, and adopted resolutions for the four years to come. ARF Bureau representative Hrant Margarian spoke at a news conference held at the Christapor Mikayelian center on May 27.
He said the congress discussed thoroughly all the strategic Armenian issues. The congress elected the ARF Bureau, comprising 11 members: Hrant Margarian, Vahan Hovhannisian, Aghvan Vardanian, Davit Lokian, Levon Mkrtchian, Vigen Baghumian, Mkrtich Mkrtchian, Hakob Ter-Khachatrian, Vigen Hovsepian, Hayk Ohsakan, Mario Nalbandian.
"By electing the cabinet ministers to the Bureau, the congress surprised us," Margarian said, adding that the ministers will soon resign, and new ministers will be appointed. He said this was the ministers' decision. "Being a Bureau member is a higher position than that of a minister's, and they decided to resign to be able to fulfill their tasks in the Bureau," Margarian said.
25/5/2008
First place win for Russia (272 points),Ukrain (230 points) wins 2nd place, Greece (218 points) wins 3rd place and Armenia wins the 4th place.
Armenia with Sirusho and her song Qele, Qele received 199 points in the Eurovision 2008 final and left hopes for futrure.
Detail results:
1. Russia 272 |
2. Ukraine 230 |
3. Greece 218 |
4. Armenia 199 |
5. Norway 182 |
6. Serbia 160 |
7. Turkey 138 |
8. Azerbaijan 132 |
9. Israel 124 |
10. Bosnia & Herzegovina 110 |
11. Georgia 83 |
12. Latvia 83 |
13. Portugal 69 |
14. Iceland 64 |
15. Denmark 60 |
16 Spain 55 |
17. Albania 55 |
18. Sweden 47 |
19. France 47 |
20. Romania 45 |
21. Croatia 44 |
22. Finland 35 |
23. Germany 14 |
24. Poland 14 |
25. United Kingdom 14 |
click here to see the score for the 1st semi final
19/05/2008
Memorial Services and Marches where dedicated today, for the Pontian Genocite Day of May 19. The Armenian Community Representatives participatted to honor the memory of the Greek Genocite 400.000 victims that perished in 1921. The demand of the Pontian Genocite to be recognized by the Turkish State prevailed.
24/04/2008
April 24, commemorated in all over the cities of Greece where armenian communites exist. April 24th is the official Memorial Day for the 1.500.00 victims of the Armenian Genocite. There where memorials and protest marches with the participation of the Goverment, Political Parties Represenatives along with thousands of people rembering and demanding the recognition of the Armenian Genocite by the Turkish State.
INVITATION
PRESENTATION OF BOOK IN THESSALONIKI
The publications "Papazisi" and the Armenian National Committee of Greece have the honour you they invite, in the presentation of the bookand the distinguished Turkish writer, Mr Taner Aktsam titled, "A shameful action. The genocide of Armenian and the question of Turkish responsibility ",
that will be realised in Thessalonica, Monday of 14 April, hour 18:00, in the room of Armenian Cultural Centre "V. and V. Derzakarin" (Tsimski 139 and Antonios Kama'ra corner).
The book will present the Messrs.s:
Taner Aktsam Writer
Harris Kastanidis former minister, Deputy A Thessalonica of PASOK
Veniamin Karakostanoglou Diethnologos, Vice Mayor of Architectural and Topography of Municipality Thessalonica
The discussion it will coordinate the Journalist Mr Pavlos Nerantzis
PRESENTATION OF BOOK IN ATHENS
The presentation of book in Athens will be realised, Wednesday of 16 April and hour 18.30 m.m., in the room of Old Parliament of (Stage 13).
The book will present the Messrs's:
Taner Aktsam Writer
Evangelos Venizelos Professor, former minister, Deputy A Thessalonica PASOK
Kaspar Gkarampetian Chairman of Armenian National Committee Greece
Marios Evriviadis Professor of Panteios University
The discussion will coordinate Journalist mr. Serafim Fyntanidis
For this book and the Taner Akcam they said: "- A shameful action - it is the final narration of organised destruction of Ottoman Armenian, written from one courageous Turkish academician that has dedicated his life in the recording of makes. No future discussion on the history will ignore this book ".
- Orhan Pamuk, writer, Nobel of Literature.
SHORT CV
Altug Taner Akcam the Taner Akcam historian, sociologist and writer, was given birth on 23 October 1953 in the province Arntaha'n of Turkey. Afterwards his condemnation by Turkish court in imprisonment of nine years for his entanglement in the publication of student newspaper and after "it was adopted" in 1976 from the International Amnesty as detainee of conscience, it achieved him is ceded political asylum in Germany. It has syggra'bej ten scientific work and countless articles in Turkish, German and English. The Taner Akcam is the first Turkish academician that used states the term "Armenian genocide". Today it teaches in the Centre of Studies of Holocaust and Genocide in the University of Michigan of USA.
Serzh Sargsyan takes Armenia’s President office
09.04.2008 15:05 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/
On April 9, the inauguration of Armenia’s third President Serzh Sargsyan took place during a solemn parliamentary session in the State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet.
The President-elect swore on the RA Constitution and Gospel.
“Assuming the office of the President of the Republic of Armenia I swear: to fulfill the requirements of the Constitution in an unreserved manner; to respect the fundamental human and civil rights and freedoms; to ensure the protection, independence, territorial integrity and security of the Republic to the glory of the Republic of Armenia and to the welfare of the people of the Republic of Armenia,” he swore.
According to the RA Constitution, the inauguration is due 50 days after the presidential election.
Serzh Sargsyan won the February 19 presidential race with 52,8% of votes.
Deadly Fighting Erupts In Nagorno-Karabakh
Officials in Armenia and Azerbaijan have confirmed an outbreak of military clashes in two regions of the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh
Officials on both side confirmed multiple casualties, including two Azerbaijani soldiers killed.
At least one side said clashes were continuing.
The fighting appeared to be the most serious violation in years of the cease-fire agreement between Baku and Yerevan over the territory, which is dominated by ethnic Armenians and located within Azerbaijan .
The mood in Armenia was already tense, with a 20-day state of emergency declared in response to opposition-led protests over a presidential election in mid-February.
Skirmishes broke out in two separate districts of northwest Karabakh, with gunfire and shelling reported in three villages in the Terter and Goranboy regions.
Armenian and Azerbaijani officials have each blamed the opposing side for initiating the clashes amid conflicting reports about how they began.
Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian told RFE/RL's Armenian Service that Azerbaijani forces were responsible for initiating a "serious challenge to Armenian forces" and suggested more substantial military hardware was involved than had been in any previous violations of the 1994 cease-fire agreement that brought an end to major hostilities over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Oskanian accused Baku of striking at a moment when Yerevan is particularly vulnerable, with the state of emergency in place since government troops and police forcibly dispersed opposition protesters in clashes on March 1 that left at least eight people dead.
"We condemn this challenge, and we think that this is an attempt by the Azerbaijani side to exploit the current situation in Armenia ," Oskanian said. "Perhaps they thought we had focused all of our attention on our internal situation, and that this could provide them with a psychological advantage, but this hasn't proved the case."
Baku, meanwhile, rejects the accusation from Yerevan , saying it was Armenian forces who began the fighting. Foreign Ministry spokesman Khazar Ibrahim told RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service that he believed authorities in Yerevan devised the conflict in order to divert attention from the weekend chaos.
"This is a clear provocation by Armenia ," Ibrahim said. "They are trying to use the situation which is taking place in Yerevan after the elections and are trying to divert the attention of their citizens and population from the internal and domestic issues in order to seek an external enemy."
Tension has been chronic between Yerevan and Baku over the status of Nagorno-Karabakh. Internationally monitored negotiations to resolve the conflict have scored minor achievements, but a final resolution appears distant.
Armenian and Azerbaijani forces clashed over the territory in a 1991-94 war that displaced some 600,000 Azeris and left as many as 25,000 people dead. Both sides continue to claim the territory as their own.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has used his country's mounting oil wealth to stoke tensions further. He has funneled more than $1 billion into bolstering the country's defenses. On a trip to western Azerbaijan on March 3, Aliyev told reporters that diplomatic efforts "are not enough," adding that, "to resolve the Karabakh conflict, we have to be strong, we have to be ready to liberate our lands by military means, and we are ready."
The U.S. State Department reports that between 30-40 people die each year in Karabakh as a result of violations of the cease-fire. If confirmed, however, these latest clashes would be the worst fighting seen in the disputed territory in years, and come at a particularly delicate time in Armenian-Azerbaijan i relations.
Matthew Bryza, the U.S. co-chair of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) Minsk Group, which oversees negotiations on Nagorno-Karabakh, is currently in Baku , as is Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, the personal representative of the OSCE chairman in office. Both are holding talks with officials on restoring the terms of the cease-fire.
http://www.yerkirtv.org
Armenia PM wins presidential vote
February 21, 2008
YEREVAN: Thousands of protesters gathered in Armenia's capital yesterday claiming a presidential election was rigged to hand victory to Prime Minister Serzh Sarksyan, but Western observers called it broadly fair. Sarksyan has promised to continue the policies of outgoing President Robert Kocharyan, his close ally. The new leader's biggest challenges will be a simmering territorial conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan and frozen ties with Turkey.
Sarksyan took 52.86 percent of the votes, the Central Election Committee said, giving him enough to win outright in the first round. Nearest rival Levon Ter-Petrosyan, Armenia's first president after independence from the Soviet Union, had 21.5 percent. "Yesterday's presidential election in Armenia was conducted mostly in line with the country's international commitments," observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said in a statement.
Further improvements are necessary to address remaining challenges," it added. Earlier, Kocharyan congratulated 53-year-old Sarksyan on his victory in what he called free and fair elections. Ter-Petrosyan's supporters though refused to recognise the result and said they would protest until Sarksyan's victory was overturned. They said Tuesday's vote was marred by ballot-stuffing and intimidation of the opposition.
Between 15,000 and 20,000 protesters gathered at a rally in central Yerevan, chanting "Levon! Levon!" and "Serzh: leave!", a Reuters reporter said. They were preparing to march towards the Central Election Commission building. Police kept their distance from the protesters. "Once again we have had our usual shameful election," Ter-Petrosyan told the crowd. "Once again crude force has committed an act of violence against the will of the people." "We will proceed calmly and with restraint, and with no doubt
about our ultimate victory," he said.
Previous elections in Armenia have been followed by days of opposition protests alleging ballot fraud. A new round of protests will be a test for stability in a country which, in the 1990s, was rocked by political convulsions. Armenia is squeezed between Turkey and Azerbaijan in a region that is emerging as an important transit route for oil exports from the Caspian Sea to world markets, though Armenia has no pipelines of its own.
Analysts say the unresolved conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan over the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh could flare again into violence, possibly threatening a BP-led oil pipeline that runs next to the conflict zone. The first country in the world to adopt Christianity as the state religion, Armenia also has fraught relations with Turkey, in part because Ankara refuses to recognize as genocide the killings of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey during World War One.
Kocharyan, who is also 53, is barred by the constitution from serving a third consecutive term. He is expected to remain influential but has refused to disclose what role he wants until his replacement is inaugurated. He and Sarksyan, both natives of Nagorno-Karabakh and veterans of its 1990s separatist war there, are credited with overseeing a period of double-digit economic growth after economic meltdown under Ter-Petrosyan.
THE CONGRATULATORY LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS ARAM I
TO THE NEWLY ELECTED ARCHBISHOP OF ATHENS AND ALL GREECE HIS BEATITUDE IERONYMOS II
His Beatitude
Archbishop Ieronymos
Archbishop of Athens and All Greece
14, Ioannoy Gennadioy
115 21 Athens
Greece
Your Beatitude,
We heard, with great joy indeed, your election as Archbishop of Athens and All Greece. We greet, in the spirit of Christian love and fellowship, this event in the life of the Orthodox Church of Greece and in your ministry.
We are confident that your election will open a new page in the modern history of the Orthodox Church of Greece.
As you know, long-standing relations exist between the Greek and Armenian Churches, and between our two nations. It is our firm expectation that with your election these relations will further develop and expand. With your predecessor, the late Archbishop Christodoulos we have developed fraternal re¬lations and personal friendship. We look forward, with the same spirit of broth¬erly love, to continue our ecumenical collaboration.
We warmly congratulate your election and pray the Almighty God to strengthen you spiritually and physically as you prepare to assume this major re¬sponsibility as head of the Orthodox Church of Greece.
His Grace Bishop Khoren Doghramadjian, the Primate of the Armenian community in Greece will represent us at the enthronement ceremony. We look forward to meeting you in the near future to express our love and fellowship in person.
Yours in Christ,
ARAM I
CATHOLICOS OF CILICIA
Church of Greece elects a moderate as new Archbishop
Church of Greece elects a moderate as new Archbishop
Soft-spoken reformist Ieronymos, Bishop of Thebes, chosen in 2nd vote
Senior Orthodox Holy Synod elected a moderate and popular churchman, Bishop Ieronymos of Thebes, to succeed Archbishop Christodoulos, who passed away last month.
more
HIS HOLINESS ARAM I EXPRESSES CONDOLENCES ON THE DEATH OF ARCHBISHOP OF ATHENS AND ALL GREECE CHRISTODOULOS
Archbishop of Athens and All Greece
HIS HOLINESS ARAM I EXPRESSES CONDOLENCES ON THE DEATH OF ARCHBISHOP OF ATHENS AND ALL GREECE CHRISTODOULOS
ANTELIAS, Lebanon - Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Christodoulos passed away yesterday. His Holiness Aram I expressed his condolences in a letter sent to the Holy Synod. Hereunder the text of the letter:
Holy Synod
Orthodox Church of Greece
Athens, Greece
Dear members of the Holy Synod,
We came to learn with deep sorrow the passing away of His Beatitude Archbishop Christodoulos, the head of the Orthodox Church of Greece.
His Beatitude played a significant role in giving a new vitality to the Orthodox church of Greece in its evangelistic, social and ecumenical witness. He opened a new page in the modern history of the church, particularly in respect to the active role of the church in the life of people. His strong commitment to the Gospel values and the traditions of his church will be always remembered by the people and by all those who came to know him.
A close relationship and collaboration were established between us on for?mal and personal levels. His Beatitude has always expressed his great apprecia?tion for the dedication of the Armenian community of Greece for the prosperity and progress of Greece.
On this sad occasion, on behalf of our people and church and personally I would like to express our deepest condolences to Holy Synod, to state authorities and to the people of Greece.
May God accept the soul of His Beatitude in His heavenly kingdom.
We have delegated the Primate of our community in Greece, His Grace Bishop Khoren Doghramadjian to represent us at the funeral.
Your in Christ
ARAM I
CATHOLICOS OF CILICIA
7 December 2007
With medal of the "Golden Cross" were honoured the minister of National Defence Mr Vangelis Meimarakis, the minister of Internal, Public Administration and Decentralisation Mr Prkopis Pavlopoulos at the event of Armenian Scouts for the 95 years from its foundation in Constantinople . The Armenian Scouts have presence in our country for 85 years, honoured Mr Meimarakis as respect of recognition on the contribution of the Ministry of National Defence in the straggle of Armenian Nation, but also for the hospitality and education that provides in compatriots officers from Armenia in the military facilties of Greek Armed Forces.
In his greetings, Mr Meimarakis, reported the very good relations between Greece and Armenia and in the common principles, values, ideal and visions that link the two nations, stressed the consolidating role of Armed Forces of the two countries, with their deterrent force can impose the peace in the region.
"Greece was the first country that recognized the Genocide of Armenians from the Ottoman Empire, it was the country which recognized the independence of Armenia, was the country which collaborated immediately also with good will with the new Armenia. We proceed in order to consolidate the peace and the safety in the region ", said the Minister of Defense.
Finally, the Minister pointed out the important activity that tdevelop the scouts in the frame of Armenian community, via their contribution in preserving and transferring the history and culture of Armenian people.
The event was honoured with their presence. The Prelate of the Armenian Orthodox Church in Greece, His Eminence Bishop Khoren Toghramadjian,the former chairman of Parliament of Greece , Mr Apostolos. Kaklamanis, Mr. Vahram Kazhoyan ~ Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Armenian in Greece, as well as representatives of State and Army.
Successfully performed the event of the Chorus "AGOP PAPAZIAN", under the directions of ms Rouzanna Kirkoryan as well as the children's chorus "Megri'" under the directions of Mr Koar Tsimanian, of HAMAZKAIN Armenian Cultural and Educational Association in the Athenian Theatre of Municipality Athenians in Neos Kosmos Athens. The event was honoured with their presence, The Prelate of the Armenian Orthodox Church in Greece, His Eminence Bishop Khoren Toghramadjian Mr. Vahram Kazhoyan ~ Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Armenian in Greece, the Mayor Mr Stelios Mbenetatos of Nikaia Town, as well as other official and people.
Armenia interested in developing relations with Greece
09.11.2007
PanARMENIAN.Net
November 9, newly appointed Greek Ambassador to Armenia Ioannis Korinthios handed copies of credentials to Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian.
Assessing highly the level of the Armenian-Greek relations, Minister Oskanian said Armenia is interested in strengthening and developing political and economic ties.
The parties also discussed implementation of joint projects, the RA MFA press office reported.
PRESS BULLETIN
The Armenian National Committee Greece greets the decision of Committee of Exterior Affairs of American Parliament of Representatives that recognizes the Genocide of 1.500.000 Armenian from the Turks 1915.The decision was received yesterday 10 October 2007, a date that will be supposed it remains engraved in the history, because it proves that neither the Turkish blackmails, neither the pseudedilemmas of American government can withhold the truth.
92 years afterwards, 1.500.000 victims of Turkish attrocities waits for the complete compurgation.
The yesterday's resolution comes in consequence in a lot of resolutions of recognition from National Parliaments and International organizations.
The Armenian National Committee of America in collaboration with the majority of freely thinking American politcians, simple citizens and the Armenian community of U.S.A., will fight the text of recognition to pass and in the Session of Parliament of Representatives.
We believe that these efforts of all of fights will promote and will overcome each political expediency, as it became and now with the approval of decision 106.
The same will continue acting all the Armenian up to their complete compurgation.
ARMENIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE GREECE
Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918 * Fax. (202) 775-5648 * Email.anca@anca.org
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release ~ 2007-10-10
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian ~ Tel: (202) 775-1918
UPDATED: HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE ADOPTS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION
Watch the Video and Take Action NOW!
WASHINGTON, DC – With a vote of 27 to 21, the influential panel of the U.S. House of Representatives took a major step toward ending U.S. complicity in Turkey’s denial of the Armenian Genocide, adopting H.Res.106, the Armenian Genocide Resolution, despite an intense campaign of threats and intimidation by the Turkish government and its lobbyists in Washington, DC, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
The Committee decision opens the way for full house consideration of the measure.
“The Foreign Affairs Committee’s adoption today of the Armenian Genocide Resolution represents a meaningful step toward reclaiming our right - as Americans - to speak openly and honestly about the first genocide of the 20th Century, free from the gag-rule that Turkey has, for far too long, sought to impose on our nation’s elected officials,” said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA. “As Americans, we must always remain free to speak openly about human rights and should never outsource our nation's foreign policy - or our morality - to another nation.”
Voting in support of the measure were Representatives Gary Ackerman (D-NY), Howard Berman (D-CA), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Steve Chabot (R-OH), Jim Costa (D-CA), Joseph Crowley (D-NY), William Delahunt (D-MA), Eliot Engel (D-NY), Eni F. H. Faleomavaega (D-SM*), Elton Gallegly (R-CA), Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), Gene Green (D-TX), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Ron Klein (D-FL), Tom Lantos (D-CA), Donald Manzullo (R-IL), Michael McCaul (R-TX), Donald Payne (D-NJ), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Edward Royce (R-CA), Linda Sanchez (D-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Albio Sires (D-NJ), Christopher Smith (R-NJ), Diane Watson (D-CA), Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), and David Wu (D-OR),
Voting against the measure Gresham Barrett (R-SC), Roy Blunt (R-MO), John Boozman (R-AR), Dan Burton (R-IN), Russ Carnahan (D-MO), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), Luis Fortuno (R-PR), Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX), Bob Inglis (R-SC), Connie Mack (R-FL), Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Brad Miller (D-NC), Mike Pence (R-IN), Ted Poe (R-TX), Illeana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), David Scott (D-GA), Adam Smith (D-WA), Thomas Tancredo (R-CO), John Tanner (D-TN), and Robert Wexler (D-FL). Representatives Ron Paul (R-TX) and Joe Wilson (R-SC) did not vote.
“We want to thank Chairman Lantos, who scheduled this measure for consideration by the Foreign Affairs Committee and voted for its passage, Adam Schiff and George Radanovich, the lead authors of this legislation, Brad Sherman and Ed Royce, who spearheaded the panel’s adoption of the legislation, Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone and Joe Knollenberg, who generated the broad-based bipartisan support for H.Res.106 and Armenian American Congresswoman Anna Eshoo – all of who have worked tirelessly as the resolution moves toward passage by the full House of Representatives.”
Introduced on January 30th by Rep. Adam Schiff along with Representative George Radanovich (R-CA), Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI), the Armenian Genocide resolution calls upon the President to ensure that the foreign policy of the United States reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the United States record relating to the Armenian Genocide. The resolution is cosponsored by 226 Members of Congress from 39 states. A similar resolution in the Senate (S.Res.106), introduced by Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) currently has 32 cosponsors, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (D-NY).
Over the past nine months, Armenian Americans and human rights advocates have joined with Members of Congress in educating their colleagues about the Armenian Genocide and the importance of proper recognition of this crime against humanity. The ANCA has mounted several national grassroots initiatives including the highly successful “Click for Justice” and “Call for Justice” campaigns as well as the “End the Cycle of Genocide” Advocacy Days, cosponsored with the Genocide Intervention Network.
Expanded coverage will follow.
House Foreign Affairs Adopts Armenian Genocide Resolution
11/10/2007
A US congressional committee recognized as genocide the 1915-17 mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks despite President G. Bush’s objection. The relevant text, which is not binding, was voted by 27 members of the committee, while 21 voted against. Now, the text will be discussed at the House of Representatives. The State Department expressed its dissatisfaction over the vote.
19/09/2007
The New Government
The new government was sworn in before the President of the Hellenic Republic Karolos Papoulias at 11:00 Wednesday, while the new cabinet holding its first meeting later and the new ministers will assume their posts. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis will hold a series of meetings with some top ministers after 13:00. Minister of Foreign Affairs Dora Bakoyannis will be the first to visit the prime minister, to be followed at 13:15 by Deputy Minister Yiannis Valinakis, Petros Doukas and Theodoros Kassimis. At 14:00, Mr Karamanlis will meet with caretaker Interior Minister Spyros Flogaitis and at 14:15 caretaker State Minister Rodolfos Moronis. At 15:00, the prime minister will meet with the Interior & Public Order Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos, to be joined at 15:30 by Deputy Ministers Athanasios Nakos, Christos Zois and Panagiotis Hinofotis. Finally, Mr Karamanlis will meet with National Defence Minister Evangelos Meimarakis at 16:00, to be joined by Deputy Ministers K. Tasoulas and G. Plakiotakis.
The New Government
Economy and Finance Minister George Alogoskoufis, Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis, National Defence Minister Evangelos Meimarakis, Environment Minister George Souflias, Employment Minister Vassilis Magginas, Health Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos and government spokesman and Minister of State Theodoros Roussopoulos will remain in their posts.
Evripidis Stylianidis will be the new Education Minister, Andreas Likourentzos and Spyros Taliadouros Deputy Education Ministers; Christos Folias the new Development Minister, Stavros Kalafatis and George Vlachos Deputy Development Ministers; Alexandros Kontos Rural Development Minister, Konstantinos Kiltidis Deputy Rural Development Minister; Sotiris Hadjigakis Sotirios Justice Minister; Michalis Liapis the Culture Minister and Yiannis Ioannidis Deputy Sports Minister.
Finally, Hadjidakis Konstantinos will be the new Transport Minister, Aris Spiliotopoulos Tourism Minister and Margaritis Jimas Macedonia-Thrace Minister.
27/08/2007
Death toll rises above 60 as Greece goes up in flames
PM points to arsonists for worst fires on record; Ancient Olympia saved
Fierce wildfires continued to ravage the Peloponnese and other parts of the country yesterday as authorities confirmed that at least 61 people have died since Friday, marking the worst such disaster in Greeks’ living memory.
It was feared that the death toll would rise as rescue services yesterday were unable to access several villages that were surrounded by flames.
Dozens of people were reported to be trapped in villages in the western Peloponnese, Corinth, Evia and other areas.
Super Puma rescue helicopters airlifted elderly citizens and children from the worst-hit villages, including in the area of Zacharo, where some 37 people have died. One of the most heartrending discoveries for rescue workers in the area was that of the charred body of a mother hugging her four children. The bodies of several villagers were found in the wreckage of a collision between a firefighting truck and a convoy of cars that had apparently been trying to flee the blaze.
Many villagers yesterday used hoses and buckets in a vain effort to douse raging flames threatening their homes as they waited for fire service support to arrive by air and land. In several cases, fire support arrived too late, villagers claimed.
Water-dropping aircraft from 11 countries, pledged on Saturday, assisted efforts by the Greek fire service and army to extinguish the widespread blazes yesterday. Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis yesterday expressed her thanks for some 31 aircraft pledged by EU nations, Israel and the USA.
Winds had abated from the gale force strengths they had reached on Saturday but were erratic.
A blaze that broke out in Ancient Olympia burnt forestland around the archaeological site but did not harm the museum or artifacts, the Culture Ministry said. Villages near the ancient site were still burning late yesterday.
A blaze that broke out on the slopes of Mount Hymettus, northeastern Athens, on Saturday morning, burning at least one home, was contained before it could cause further damage. Municipal officials claimed to have discovered gas canisters and rags soaked in petrol near the site of the blaze and locals said they heard explosions prior to the fire.
Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis declared a national state of emergency on Saturday. “Our country is experiencing an indescribable tragedy,” he said in a televised address.
Karamanlis made it clear that his government believes the unusually high number of fires was evidence of plans by arsonists to create mayhem.
“I’m in rage,” said the premier. “So many fires at the same time in so many parts of the country, this cannot be a coincidence.”
PASOK leader George Papandreou said the ruling conservatives were looking for excuses to cover up their lack of organization.
“The government is playing at being the victim and talking of conspiracies to cover up its responsibility for the breakdown of the state,” said Papandreou. “Greeks do not feel safe.”
However, Public Order Minister Vyron Polydoras backed Karamanlis’s claim. The minister said last night that Greece faced an “asymmetrical threat.”
He did not expand on what he meant by this but echoed the prime minister’s thoughts that the evidence pointed to a concerted effort by arsonists, without suggesting what might be their motives.
The government yesterday put out a bounty of between 100,000 to 1 million euros for information leading to the arrest of each alleged arsonist.
A 65-year-old man was arrested in Oitylos, Evia, on suspicion of arson and multiple murders. A 76-year-old woman was taken into custody for causing a fire in Zacharo through negligence. Four people were arrested on a building site in Mesorachi, Evia, for alleged arson through negligence.
Dozens of other people have been detained for questioning in various parts of Greece.
Meanwhile, the government announced yesterday a series of financial measures to help those affected by fires. These include an emergency payment of 3,000 euros for those who lost property and a 10,000-euro payment to the closest relative of anyone who was killed by one of the fires.
A special fund was also set up so individuals could make donations. Anyone wanting to donate money can so by visiting the branch of any commercial bank and making a deposit in Account No 2341103053 of the Bank of Greece.
News in Armenia
President Papoulias visit to Armenia
President Karolos Papoulias began a three-day state visit to Armenia on Tuesday with talks with Armenian President Robert Kocharian.
"Turkey should consider that it cannot pursue accession to the European Union with an occupation force amounting to 35,000 in a European Union member-state,(Cyprus)" President Papoulias said during his meeting with President Kocharian.
"Both our countries border with Turkey and I believe that we share the will for the strengthening of its democratic institutions. Greece has supported the accession course of Turkey from the beginning, because we deeply believe that the EU sets the framework of principles and rules that necessitate respect for international law, respect for democracy and the human rights of minorities. However, we expect Turkey's full compliance with all the criteria and prerequisites of the EU concerning respect for human rights and religious freedoms," the President of the Republic added.
Asked whether there is a question of Armenia joining the NATO alliance, President Kocharian replied categorically that there is no such question since, as he said, this would not serve his country's security.
Referring to the level of bilateral relations between the two countries, President Kocharian thanked the Greek side for the many programmes it is implementing in Armenia and in particular in the sectors of defence and agriculture, while expressing the desire for coooperation to be extended to other sectors as well.
Addressing the Armenian President earlier, President Papoulias referred to the "martyred times that the two countries experienced in the 20th century due to a common cause" and pointed out that "we do not forget the (Armenian) genocide in 1915 and we are proud that under the conditions prevailing at the time the Greeks were among the few peoples who gave asylum to the Armenians."
President Papoulias also focused on the conflict between Armenians and Azeris over Nagorno Karabakh, saying that Greece supports a peaceful solution to differences.
"We believe that the framework of the Minsk Group of the OSCE is the best for a solution to the problem and we believe that at the present time conjuncture the involvement of any other agency would be counter-productive," he said.
Greece, according to data revealed in the framework of talks, is the third biggest investor in Armenia with about 214 million dollars invested in capital, with Russia coming first and the United States second.
As regards development aid provided by Greece over the period between 1997-2005, it amounted to 26.6 million dollars, while with the signing of a bilateral strategic cooperation document in 2007 covering the 2008-2011 period, another 8 million dollars will be provided.
President Papoulias will be meeting with President Kocharian again on Wednesday and afterwards with the prime minister. He will then be planting an olive tree at the Armenian genocide monument and later on he will be receiving representatives of the Greek community in Armenia.
New government formed in Armenia
President of Armenia Robert Kocharian signed a decree on June 8 on the formation of the new government, the Presidential Press Office reports. The make-up of the new cabinet is listed bellow.
Minister of Territorial Administration and Deputy Prime-Minister Hovik Abrahamyan (RPA);
Minister of Justice, RA Deputy Prosecutor General Gevorg Danielyan; Minister of Environmental Protection Aram Haroutounyan (appointed by the President); Minister of Defense -Michael Haroutounyan (appointed by the President); Minister of Foreign Affairs Vartan Oskanian (appointed by the President); Minister of Energy Armen Movsissyan (RPA); Minister of Finance and Economy Vardan Khachatryan (RPA); Minister of Healthcare Harutyun Qoushkyan (Prosperous Armenia); Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Aghvan Vardanyan (ARFD); Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Armen Grigoryan (RPA); Minister of Urban Development Vardan Vardanyan (Prosperous Armenia); Minister of Transport and Communication Andranik Manoukyan (RPA); Minister of Culture Hasmik Poghosyan; Minister of Trade and Economic Development Nerses Eritsyan (RPA); Minister of Agriculture Davit Lokyan (ARFD); Minister of Education and Science Levon Mkrtchyan (ARFD); Minister, Chief of Staff of the Government Manouk Topuzyan.
Yesterday the President signed the decree on appointing Serzh Sargsyan as the Prime Minister of Armenia.
Armenian Artist Hrair Sarkissian "Unfinished" from 26 April - 29 June 2007
Diaspora Aritists participate in the
1 st Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art!
The State Museum of Contemporary Art, with the support of the Ministry of Culture of Greece, is organizing the 1 st Biennale of Contemporary Art on the 21 st of May until the 30 th of September 2007.
This international initiative by the Ministry of Culture aims to place Thessaloniki and the entire country in general, into the Biennale art network.
Under the general title of "Heterotopias", the main body of the exhibitions and the artistic activities is accompanied by a series of parallel events, embracing a wide range of the artistic creation. The objective of this project is the public's familiarization and participation with the current art scene, thus providing the audience with a convenient and friendly access to spaces which are not restricted to the museum's walls.
The work is exhibited in the Yeni Tzami
In 2001 Anna Barseghian and Stefan Kristensen founded a cultural organisation based in Switzerland and Armenia. This organisation aims at promoting the developments of Armenia as a zone of cultural dialogue and at supporting the contemporary art of local artists and intellectuals.
The project titled “Armenography” came into being following interviews that these two conducted with people living inside or outside of Armenia, in places that are of particular symbolic and historical significance for this nation such as Aleppo (the first place where survivors of the 1915 Genocide fled to), Beirut (which at one point was considered to be the “capital” of the Armenian diaspora), Istanbul (one of the numerous centres of the Armenian community, at least in the 19th century), Yerevan (the capital actual independent of Armenia) and now Thessaloniki and Athens.
Furthermore, in two videos Armenian intellectuals living in the west (e.g. the director Atom Egoyan and others.) express their views on the identity, ideology and life of the artists of the diaspora. Lastly, in a separate and secluded room, there is a screening of a travelogue on an equally forbidden geographic area: the part of Western Armenia that belongs to Turkey. This is the part they call “the fatherland”, which constitutes a holy pilgrimage for many Armenians living inside or outside of the borders.
As Barseghian and Kristensen point out in a relevant text: “Armenography is far more than a mere delineation of the scattered existence of a nation. It is an attempt to contribute to the search for models that will help to construct an identity and culture that will combine three imperative needs: the active redefinition of the past, instead of the regurgitation of stereotypes, the development of collective structures, without which cultural production would be impossible, and the prevalence of individual research over any group values”.
The works are exhibited at the Warehouses C and B1
“My work is associated with a complexity of messages: with my self, with the symbolical values of the world, with the socio-political conditions and the environment in which I live in”.
Anna Boghiguian, a painter of Armenian descent, lives in Cairo, the city with which she is more artistically engaged with. She creates mainly landscape paintings, with no respect to right dimensions or proportions, having the painted buildings, roads and people intertwine with each other, trying to show in this way the noise and the crowdedness of the city. The buildings are placed on top of the other, crowded, collapsing in an ephemeral painting, a snapshot not very touristy, but of a woman who is judging in a pitiless and cruel manner. The creation of a moment in the city’s life, abolishes the concept of the city’s beauty, monumentality and at the same time its historicity, producing in such a manner free, timeless and spaceless landscapes, in the limits between personal recordings and social criticism. Therefore, the elimination of every recognition, neutralizes the landscape, developing in such a manner the “city of the artist’s mind”, her personal imaginary city.
Greeks press charges over Turkish flag burnt in Armenian demo in Salonika April 24
23.05.2007 18:53 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/
A Turkish flag was burnt on April 24 during a demonstration in front of the Turkish consulate in Greek town of Salonika. The demonstration was dedicated to the 92nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide by the Ottoman Empire. Prosecutor of Salonika has pressed charges in connection with this fact. If identified via photographs and video shot during the demonstration, persons who are guilty will face justice, RFE RL reports. Greek parliament recognized the Armenian Genocide in 1996.
Armenian Genocide issue – subject of active discussions in Bulgarian society
23.05.2007 19:21 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Genocide issue is a subject of active discussions in the Bulgarian society, Bulgarian Ambassador to Armenia Stefan Dimitrov stated to journalists. “Resolution of this issue is useful not only for Armenia, but also for the humanity in general,” the diplomat stated. He said though the bill on the Armenian Genocide was not approved by the Bulgarian Parliament in 2006, however the process of realizing the importance of this issue began to develop much more active. Dimitrov noticed the Bulgarian Parliament paid tribute to the victims of the Armenian Genocide, and of course realizes the necessity to resolve the Armenian Genocide issue as soon as possible. “As a historian I believe in the history and I am sure it will sort things out,” Dimitrov said.
A number of events were held in connection with the 92nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire on April 24, 2007 – the Remembrance Day of the Genocide victims, in Bulgaria, particularly in Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas.
The next day by Bulgarian Parliament Speaker Georgi Pirinski’s offer at the beginning of the ordinary session of the parliament lawmakers honored the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims with a minute of silence. Then one of deputies introduced a declaration worked out by “Bulgarian People’s Union” faction. The document recognizes and condemns the Genocide. Currently a process of gathering signatures is on the way in the Bulgarian National Assembly. By doing that initiators want to include the declaration in the agenda of the parliament.
Armenian community of Lebanon not in danger yet
23.05.2007 13:45 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The situation in Lebanon, especially in the south, remains tensed, Shahan Kankhadaryan, the editor-in-chief of the Azdak Armenian-language newspaper told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. The Armenian community of Lebanon not in danger yet, but it’s hard to say anything for certain, he said.
“We have cancelled all events dedicated to the 80th birthday of our newspaper, because nobody can ensure security of our guests,” Mr Kankhadaryan said. The Armenian community will not yield to pressure and provocation. It will keep aside from the recurrent conflict, he added.
Amid the tension over battles in a refugee camp in Lebanon, a second explosion in as many days has rocked a suburb of Beirut May 22. A bomb went off overnight in a parking lot in the mainly Sunni Muslim district of Verdun.
Some 20 civilians and 29 soldiers are reported to have been killed.
An earlier report said Fatah al-Islam had claimed responsibility for the explosion, but that was later denied by the group. As the Lebanese government held an emergency session and appealed for national unity, Syria publicly denied any links with Fatah al-Islam.
No Armenian citizens among victims of terror act in Ankara
23.05.2007 18:44 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ There are no Armenian citizens among victims of the terror act in Ankara, RA MFA Acting Press Officer Vladimir Karapetyan told the PanARMENIAN.Net journalist.
A blow occurred on May 22 near the entrance of an overcrowded trade center during rush-hours, in the result of which 6 people were killed and more than 100 wounded. Turkish authorities think Kurdish militants have committed the terror attack.
Governor of Ankara Kemal Onal stated a suicide bomber caused the blast. According to forensic experts the bomber, Guven Akkus, a 28-year-old man from central Turkey, had strapped plastic explosives to his body. The governor also informed method and type of explosives used suggested the man was from a Kurdish separatist group.
Armenian Memory conference to be held in Lyon
23.05.2007 14:15 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A European scientific conference titled Armenian Memory will be held in Lyon under the aegis of the French Ministry of Education and Science May 25-26.
Hilda Tchoboian, the chairperson of the European Armenian Federation (EAFJD) told a PanARMENIAN.Net that scientists, historians and experts from France, Armenia and other states will attend the conference.
The conference will result in establishment of the Center of Armenian Memory for creation of a network of similar centers throughout France and other European states.
Armenian Genocide Memorial Events in April.
The Memorial Events for the 92 Years for the Armenian Genocide will be held in the City of Athens and the City of Thessaloniki.
April 24, is the Official National Memorial Day in Greece, for the Armenian Genocide.Voted by the Greek National Parliament.
From: April 19, 2007 till April 24, 2007
The events will include Memorial Services, Exibits , Information Activities, Speeches and Marches to Commemorate the tragic events of the Armenian Genocide, during the Ottoman Period and the
Denial of Recognition from the Turkey till our days. Deadly Denial that try to silence even in 2007 the voices, such as the armenian-turkish citizent and journalist Hrant Dink that try to mention and bridge the gap of the history between armenian and turkish people, reconciliating with the facts of the attrocities that took place during 1915 and lead to the perishing of 1.500.000 armenian souls turkish citizents and the destruction of the monuments and relics of Christianity in Anatolia.
Officials of the Greek Government , the Greek Pariament, Municipalities and Organizations, together with members of the Armenian Community in Greece
Main events will be held Sunday 22 of April 2007 :
In Athens:
Αttikon Hall
With the presence of Goverment Repesentatives, Greek Parliament, Judiciary Heads, Political Parties, Municipality and Local self Government as well as Representatives of the Armenian Communities. Central Speaker will be mr Ioannis Varvitsiotis, Member of the European Parliament and Head of the EuroParliamentary Group of the New Democracy Greek Party of the European
Popular Party. Following the event will be silent march toward the Monument of the Unknown Soldier in Syntagma Square under the Greek Parliament and will set wreaths in the Memory of the Victims of the Armenian Genocide.
in Thessaloniki:
"I.Vellidis" Congress Hall
Central Speaker mr Ioannis Kasoulidis. Member of the European Parliament and former Foreign Minister of Cyprus State.
Following the event will be silent march toward the Monument of the Heros of the Army, and will set wreaths in the Memory of the Victims of the Armenian Genocide.
ANCA MARKS PONTIAN GREEK GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY.
Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street, NW, Washington , DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918 * Fax. (202) 775-5648 * Email.anca@anca.org
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release ~ 2007-05-19
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian ~ Tel: (202) 775-1918
ANCA MARKS PONTIAN GREEK GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY
Joins with Assyrian and Greek Communities in Seeking Justice for Turkey 's Genocidal Crimes
WASHINGTON, DC - The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) joins with Pontian Greeks - and all Hellenes around the world - in commemorating May 19th, the international day of remembrance for the genocide initiated by the Ottoman Empire and continued by Kemalist Turkey against the historic Greek population of Pontus along the southeastern coast of the Black Sea .
"We join with the Hellenic American community in solemn remembrance of the Pontian Genocide, and in reaffirming our determination to work together with all the victims of Turkey 's atrocities to secure full recognition and justice for these crimes," said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA.
The Ottoman Empire , under the cover of World War I, undertook a systematic and deliberate effort to eliminate its minority Christian populations. This genocidal campaign resulted in the death and deportation of well over 2,000,000 Armenians, Assyrians, and Greeks.
The Pontian Genocide has been formally acknowledged by Greece and Cyprus and, within the United States , by the states of New York , New Jersey , Florida , South Carolina , Massachusetts , Pennsylvania , and Illinois , among others.
Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan died on March 25.
Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan died from infarction on March
25 afternoon.
Andranik Margaryan was born in Yerevan on June 12, 1951.
In 1972 he graduated from the Technical Cybernetics Department of the Yerevan State Polytechnic Institute, qualified as a Computer Engineer.
1972-74 Science Fellow, later Senior Engineer in Yerevan Branch of Union Scientific Research Institute of Gas Industry 1977-78 Senior Engineer in Scientific Research Institute of Energy of Armenia
1978-79 Head of Electronic Computer Division in Electric-Technical Factory
1979-90 Head of Electronics Division in Republican Information-Computer Center at Ministry of Trade
1990-94 Head of Information Division in National Department for Special Programs
1994-95 Junior Science Fellow in State Engineering University of Armenia
1995-1999 Member of the First Convention of the National Assembly
From 1999 Member of the National Assembly, Head of "Unity" Faction
From May 2000 Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia fter the 2003 elections, Prime Minister Margaryan remained in office and headed the Coalition Government formed as a result of the
elections.
Andranik Margaryan was married, had two daughters, one son, and five grandchildren.
Memorial services for Hrant Dink were held
The Armenian National Commitee of Greece, on Sunday March 4 2007 and 11:30 am ,at St. Gregory the Illuminator Church,had a 40 days memorial litourgy for Hrant Dink the Armenian Journalist that was assasinated on January 19 2007 in Turkey. The services were under the excellency of honorable Mr. Horen Archibishop of the Armenian Orthodox Church of Greece, representatives of the Greek Goverment, and The Greek Orthodox Church of Greece, the Armenian Ambassador in Greece,as well as representatives from all the political parties of Greece and the Greek Press Union.In the memorial also was attended by representatives of Armenian Greek communities from others cities of Greece and many people. The speeches that followed from the speakers were focused on the Hrant Dink's sacrifice for the principles, that he use to stand for, Democracy, Freedom and Recognition of the Genocide.The bright and brave example he set to pursue the truth no matter, what the cost is and the conditions that exists. Turkey has to stop the Denial of the Genocide and to reconiciliate with its historical facts, in order to advance as a modern european nation towards the European Union , giving its minorities freedom of expression and safety, and not repeat the mistakes of its past. We all are Hrant Dink......
Over 100.000 people attended the funeral of Hrant Dink.
Over 100.000 people attended the funeral of Hrant Dink.
The head of the Armenian Church in New York City, Hajak Barsamian attended the funeral of journalist Hrant Dink, as the representative of Cathalicos Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch of All Armenians on Tuesday.
Following the ceremony that took place at the Virgin Mary Armenian Church, the funeral of Dink was brought to the garden of Patriarchate of Turkish Armenians that is across the church. Here, Barsamian made a speech in Armenian after the chants.
The religious leader said, people are suffering for the big loss of an innocent intellectual who was using his pen for belief, justice and freedom. Barsamian continued that they expect Turkey to punish those who committed this crime in the harshest way and to reveal those who are behind this murder.
German Alliance 90/The Greens party co-chairman Claudia Roth, who was among the participants of the ceremony, said that high participation to the funeral and reactions of the people are positive. Thousands of people showed their support for democracy with this ceremony, said the party chairwoman.
-ARTICLE 301 SHOULD BE ANNULED-
Roth called for annulment of Article 301 of Turkish Penal Code as soon as possible, saying this article strengthens nationalistic movements.
Turkey-EU Joint Parliamentary Commission Co-Chairman Joost Lagendijk said this murder is an indicator that the Article 310 should be abolished, adding that Hrant Dink was not only an important person for Turkey but also for Europe.
Turkish State Minister & Deputy Premier Mehmet Ali Sahin and Turkish Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu represented Turkish government in the ceremony in the Virgin Mary Armenian Church.
MPs from Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Republican People`s Party (CHP); some religious representatives; journalists; and some diplomats including U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Ross Wilson, the U.S. Consul General to Istanbul Deborah Jones, German Ambassador to Ankara Eckart Cuntz and Greek Consul General to Istanbul Alexis Alexandris and Armenian Deputy FM Armen Gregosian were among the participants of the funeral.
HRANT DINK'S DEATH REACTIONS
Protests have been all over the world about the political murder of the armenian turkish editor Hrand Dink who standed for the democratic reforms in Turkey and the recognition of the Armenian Genocite, and who was trying to evolve the understanding beteen armenian and turkish nations.In Greece there were also\protest about the killing of Hand Dink in both cities Athens and Thessaloniki, infront of the Turkish Emabassy and Consulate.
EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION
for Justice and Democracy
Avenue de la Renaissance 10 B-1000 Bruxelles
Tel: +322 732 70 26
Tel/Fax: +322 732 70 27
Email: contact@eafjd. org
PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release
January 19, 2007
Contact: Vartenie ECHO
Tel: +322 732 70 26
TURKEY KILLS HRANT DINK
Hrant Dink, the editor-in-chief of the bilingual Armenian and Turkish weekly Agos, has been assassinated this afternoon in front of his office in Istanbul . The circumstances of the crime are still not clear, but reportedly one person, at least, is involved. Mr Dink has been shot at six times.
Hrant Dink had repeatedly criticized Turkey for its treatment of its ethnic minorities and the outright denial of freedom of speech. He was considered in Western countries as a champion of the cause of modernisation of present-day Turkey .
"We condemned this hateful assassination" declared Hilda Tchoboian, the chairperson of the European Armenian Federation.
In a country where the system of education and the political culture moulds the minds of the people with hatred towards the Non-Turkish citizens of the country and where racism is rampant with extreme-right organizations occupying a place of honour, this is a sad reminder that things are far from changing in today's Turkey . This vile murder proves once again that racism has deep roots in Turkey ", declared Hilda Tchoboian.
The Federation notes that, among a dozen dissidents to the Turkish State line, it is precisely the one with an Armenian origin who was targeted by the murderers. The Federation asserts that the Turkish State has an undeniable responsibility for this murder by the mere fact of having perpetuated articles 301 and 305 of the Turkish Penal Code. The Federation also condemns the Turkish authorities for their incapacity in providing adequate security for journalists and intellectuals.
"This deliberate act aims at maintaining the Armenian community in a climate of terror in order to show them that freedom of expression can have no place in Turkey, especially concerning the Armenian genocide, and that the community should not overstep its limits", added Hilda Tchoboian.
"We also say that any attempt by the Turkish government of capitalizing on Hrant Dink's assassination to promote a liberal image in Europe through public sympathizing would be the height of cynicism. The Turkish authorities would be well advised to refrain from such cheap opportunism which would have no currency whatsoever in Europe ", concluded Hilda Tchoboian.
Δελτίο Τύπου της Αρμενικής Εθνικής Επιτροπής για τη δολοφονία του Χράντ Ντίνκ.
Η Τουρκία σκότωσε τον Χράντ Ντίνκ
Ανακοίνωση Τύπου
Ο Χράντ Ντίνκ, εκδότης της δίγλωσσης εβδομαδιαίας αρμενικής εφημερίδας «Αγκός» που εκδίδεται στην Κωνσταντινούπολη, δολοφονήθηκε μπροστά στα γραφεία της εφημερίδας του. Οι συνθήκες του εγκλήματος παραμένουν ασαφείς.
Σύσσωμη η αρμενική κοινότητα της Ελλάδας και η Αρμενική Εθνική Επιτροπή Ελλάδας καταδικάζουν απερίφραστα την ωμή αυτή πράξη βίας.
Ο Χράντ Ντίνκ βρισκόταν στο στόχαστρο των εθνικιστικών κύκλων της γειτονικής χώρας λόγω της κριτικής στάσης που επέμενε σθεναρά να κρατά, σε σχέση με τη συμπεριφορά της Τουρκίας απέναντι στις μειονότητες της χώρας και τη συνεχή καταπάτηση της ελευθερίας του λόγου.
Σε μια χώρα που το εκπαιδευτικό της σύστημα και η πολιτική της κουλτούρα κατευθύνουν τις σκέψεις των πολιτών της σε μίσος και άρνηση για τους μη ομοεθνείς συμπατριώτες τους, η εγκληματική πράξη της δολοφονίας του Χράντ Ντίνκ είναι μια ακόμη απόδειξη των ρατσιστικών ακραίων πεποιθήσεων που συνεχώς αναμοχλεύονται από ακραίες εθνικιστικές οργανώσεις. Η αποτρόπαια αυτή πράξη αποκαλύπτει ότι η Τουρκία βρίσκεται πολύ μακριά από τα ευρωπαϊκά δεδομένα, ενώ είναι σημαντικό να τονίσουμε πως μια χώρα που βρίσκεται σε πορεία ένταξης πρέπει να αντιμετωπίσει και να αναγνωρίσει το παρελθόν της.
Η δολοφονία του Χραντ Ντίνκ αποκαλύπτει ότι η Τουρκία συνεχίζοντας την άρνηση της Γενοκτονίας, με τις αυξανόμενες απειλές και την πολιτική τρομοκρατίας που ασκεί, εξακολουθεί να καλλιεργεί το μίσος και πεισματικά να αρνείται την παραδοχή της ιστορικής πραγματικότητας.
Η Αρμενική Εθνική Επιτροπή Ελλάδος εις μνήμην του Χράντ Ντίνκ διοργανώνει καθιστική διαμαρτυρία μπροστά απο την Τουρκική Πρεσβεία τη Δευτέρα 22 Ιανουαρίου 2007 στις 7μμ.
ΑΡΜΕΝΙΚΗ ΕΘΝΙΚΗ ΕΠΙΤΡΟΠΗ ΕΛΛΑΔΑΣ
ΑΝΑΚΟΙΝΩΣΗ ΤΗΣ ΟΡΓΑΝΩΣΗΣ HEC
A Non-Profit Organization Registered in the US
Representing 35,000 Hellenes and
34 Hellenic associations in the US and abroad
January 20, 2007
The Executive Council of the Hellenic Electronic Center (HEC) wish to extend their sympathies and support toward our grieving Armenian brothers following the brutal and unprovoked murder of Hrant Dink by a Turkish extremist in Constantinople. We wish to express our admiration and respect to the bravery of Mr. Dink who fought for justice and historical truth in advocating for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide. His example will serve as an inspiration to writers who use words as their weapon against the brutality and terror which are the characteristics of authoritarian governments such as those like Turkey.
Mr. Dink was the victim of the terrorism that is rampant in Turkey, that is both tolerated and supported by the Turkish authorities. The hatred of the Armenian, Assyrian, and Greek minorities in Turkey up to the present day is a reality demonstrated by Ankara's Genocide denials. The tragic and horrible murder of Mr. Dink by a fanatical extremist has as its origins the official Genocide denial that is the official stance of the Turkish government.
We extend our condolences to the family of Mr. Dink, and more than ever we are greatly concerned for the remaining members of the Armenian, Assyrian, and Greek communities inside Turkey.
HEC Executive Council
TAKE ACTION SEND AN EMAIL ABOUT HRANT DINK SACRIFCE, TO RECOGNISE THE ARMENIAN GENOCITE VISIT ANCA WEBSITE
LIGHT A GENOCITE CANDLE FOR HRANT.....
Vatican Unveils Monument of Saint Gregory the Illuminator
Pope John-Paul II, along with Armenian Church officials, attended the official inauguration of the statue of Saint Gregory the Illuminator in the Vatican on January 19.
The almost 18 feet high statue was placed in the last remaining empty niche along the walls leading to St. Peter's Basilica, which house the statues of famous saints. It is situated at the site where visitors wait to climb the cupola.
An almost two-foot gilt bronze Armenian Cross is situated in the right hand of the statue, and a Holy Bible in the left. Two Armenian crosses and Saint Gregory's adorn the statue's vestment.
The Latin and Armenian inscription on the pedestal reads, "Saint Gregory Illuminator of Armenia 301."
On his trip to Armenia to mark the 1700th anniversary of the conversion of the Armenian nation to Christianity, Pope John-Paul II became inspired by a visit to Khor-Virab where Saint Gregory was confined, crouched in the dark for 13 years.
Thus, at the urging of the Armenian catholic Patriarch Nerses-Bedros XIX, the Pope pledged to do his utmost to erect, in the Vatican, a statue of the Saint Illuminator of the first Christian nation.
The contructor of the statue was artist Khachik Kazandjian from Paris, who recently created a 30 feet high monument of Alfred Nobel. That statue is in the center of the city of Sevran where Nobel lived and worked. Kazandjian is also a founding member and the First President of the Society of Armenian Artists of France.
Reference to Armenian Genocide to be included in turkish textbooks
Turkey's Education Ministry recently announced that elementary-level history textbooks will, for the first time, include reference to the genocide committed against the Ottoman-Armenians. The textbooks, however, will include both, what Turkey refers to, the "Armenian version" of the genocide, and an "official" government sanctioned version of the events.
The chairman of the Education Ministry's committee on textbooks, Moustafa Safran, explained that the inclusion of the genocide arose from the fact that Armenians have insisted that the events that occurred between 1915-1923 qualify as "genocide." In order to address the issue, Safran said, the committee decided to include both the Armenian and Turkish perspectives--a move allowing students the information necessary to form an educated opinion--according to the committee.
Safran noted his committee realizes that it is impossible nowadays to shield Turkish school children from "Armenian claims," and that it is their intention to bolster the government's position on the issue by including archival Ottoman documents, which reportedly prove that the genocide never occurred.
Safran's committee has also decided to exclude incendiary remarks such as "we crushed the Greeks," and be particular in its definitions of "heroes" and "traitors." Textbooks will note that numerous Kurdish tribes assisted Mustafa Kemal's efforts in establishing a "modern" Turkey.
Meantime German DPA news agency reported that pressure from Turkey has resulted in the removal of a reference to the Armenian genocide from a German school curriculum.
The eastern German state of Brandenburg has eliminated half a sentence on the Armenians included in ninth and tenth grade history classes after a Turkish diplomat complained to state Prime Minister Matthias Platzeck, the newspaper Die Welt reported.
In a chapter entitled "War, Technology and Civilian Populations" the school book text said "for example, the genocide of the Armenians population of Anatolia." That passage has now been removed from school textbooks, the newspaper said.
Platzeck met regularly with Turkish diplomats and was "steeled" against their influence, the newspaper quoted him as saying. The prime minister added that genocide was too important an issue to be dealt with in just half a sentence. "Brandenburg's curriculum was the only one in Germany which up until now included a reference to the murder of the Armenians," said Die Welt.
The head of the Central Committee of Armenians in Germany, Schavarsh Ovassapian told Die Welt the move was "a scandal." "It is depressing, if what's in schoolbooks in Brandenburg can be dictated from Ankara," he said.
"Armenika" the greek language bimonthly magazine of the Armenian Community of Greece.
News in Armenia
Pope John-Paul II, along with Armenian Church officials, attended the official inauguration of the statue of Saint Gregory the Illuminator in the Vatican on January 19. 
