Turkish Forum

Author: Harut Sassounian

  • Sassounian’s column of Dec. 2, 2010

    Sassounian’s column of Dec. 2, 2010

    California Officials Honor

    Republic of Artsakh and its President

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    By Harut Sassounian

    Publisher, The California Courier

    Bako Sahakyan, President of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabagh), just completed his third visit to Los Angeles. Unlike his previous two visits, he was received last week by prominent political figures as a Head of State, even though his country is not officially recognized by the international community.

    Pres. Sahakyan was in California for 10 days on the occasion of Armenia Fund’s annual Thanksgiving Day telethon that raised over $20 million to provide humanitarian assistance to the villages of Artsakh.

    In addition to visiting the local Armenian community and meeting benefactors, for the first time Pres. Sahakyan was welcomed by the City Councils of Los Angeles and Montebello, asked to speak before the World Affairs Council of Orange County, and invited to a State Luncheon held in his honor by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

    The Los Angeles City Council received Pres. Sahakyan and his entourage on November 19 and honored him with a proclamation and city resolution, highlighting his commitment to the independence of the Republic of Artsakh. Council member Paul Krekorian warmly saluted the President: “It is my distinct and proud honor to recognize Pres. Sahakyan, a true champion of freedom, justice, and liberty. He is a warrior who fought and paid in blood for the freedom and independence of his homeland and his countrymen.” The President was officially welcomed to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States, by Eric Garcetti, President of the City Council. Pres. Sahakyan thanked the Council members for the honor and invited them to visit the Republic of Artsakh. Several other Council Members also made welcoming remarks. It was heartwarming to see the flag of the Republic of Artsakh for the first time alongside the U.S. flag in the City Council Chambers during this special ceremony.

    Later that evening, Pres. Sahakyan addressed the World Affairs Council of Orange County, during a banquet in his honor at the Pacific Club in Newport Beach. This unprecedented event took place without a hitch, despite demands for its cancellation by Elin Suleymanov, the Consul General of Azerbaijan, the US Azeris Network, and a handful of Azeri and Turkish demonstrators.

    Pres. Sahakyan was next honored by Mayor William Molinari and the City Council of Montebello on Nov. 22. The Mayor welcomed the President and presented him a Proclamation. In response, Pres. Sahakyan expressed his gratitude for the sister-city relationship between Montebello and Stepanakert, the Capital of Artsakh. Later that evening, the President attended a reception in his honor organized by the local community at the Montebello Armenian Center.

    The following day, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa gave a State Luncheon at the Getty House for the President of the Republic of Artsakh — a special honor for visiting Heads of State. Before the luncheon, the Mayor met privately with Pres. Sahakyan and discussed bilateral relations between the Republic of Artsakh and Los Angeles, a sister city with Yerevan. In expressing his gratitude, the President invited the Mayor to visit Artsakh and Armenia. The luncheon was attended by the President’s delegation, Consul General of Armenia Grigor Hovhannissian, Councilman Paul Krekorian, City Council President Eric Garcetti, and Armenian community leaders.

    In a gracious gesture, Mayor Villaraigosa made an appearance on Thanksgiving Day at the telethon broadcast live on November 25, and urged viewers worldwide to contribute generously to the Armenia Fund’s humanitarian project of providing drinking and irrigation water to 200 villages in Artsakh.

    On November 24, Pres. Sahakyan met with a group of young professionals who made a commitment to support the opening of a special office to represent Artsakh in Los Angeles. The President welcomed the group’s initiative, stating that a formal announcement would be made shortly.

    Overall, Pres. Sahakyan’s visit to California was a resounding success, not only in raising a substantial amount of money for Artsakh’s humanitarian needs, but also in establishing valuable political ties with the cities of Los Angeles and Montebello, and the Orange County World Affairs Council, thereby strengthening Artsakh’s prospects for recognition by the international community as an independent state.

    While the Consulate of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles spends hundreds of thousands of dollars annually on high-powered lobbyists to carry out anti-Artsakh propaganda, Pres. Sahakyan, with the assistance of the Armenian community, succeeded in effectively countering the Azeri campaign, without spending a single dollar!

  • Sassounian’s column of Nov. 25, 2010

    Sassounian’s column of Nov. 25, 2010

    Conference Participants Enthusiastically
    Support Elective Diaspora Leadership
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    By Harut Sassounian
    Publisher, The California Courier
    After much anticipation and lengthy preparations, the Institute of Armenian Studies at the University of Southern California (USC) held on November 20 a successful international symposium — “The Armenian Diaspora: Elective Leadership and Worldwide Structure.”
    The symposium was attended by 600 enthusiastic participants from throughout the United States, Canada, Russia, Australia, and Europe. The speakers were: Dr. Z.S. Andrew Demirdjian, Cal State University, Long Beach, “The Persuasive Power of Numbers: A Call for Political Clout”; Dr. Archalus Tcheknavorian-Asenbauer, Senior UN Advisor, Vienna, “Armenian Unity and International Politics”; Harut Sassounian, , “Proposal for a Popularly Elected Structure to Represent Diaspora Armenians”; Dr. Gaidz Minassian, Foundation for Strategic Research, Paris, “Toward a World Council of Armenians: Why, How, Who?”; Gov. George Deukmejian, “Personal Reflections of California’s First Armenian Governor”; Honorable Grigor Hovhannissian, Consul General of Armenia, Los Angeles, “Welcoming Remarks”; former U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Evans, “Maximizing Influence in a World of Nation-States: A Challenge for the Armenian Diaspora”; journalist/author Mark Arax, Fresno, “The Power of Speaking to the Media with One Collective Voice”; Dr. Levon Marashlian, Glendale Community College, “The Necessity and Difficulty of Establishing a Diaspora Congress”; Dr. Stephan Astourian, Univ. of California, Berkeley, “The Traditional Armenian Parties and the Problem of Pan-Armenian Coordination”; Dr. R. Hrair Dekmejian, USC and Dr. Nyree Derderian, Stanford University, “Models and Modalities of Creating a Trans-Diaspora Framework,” followed by a round table discussion between the speakers and the audience.
    My own remarks were an expanded version of the article I wrote nine months ago, proposing the creation of a democratically-elected structure that would represent all Armenians in the Diaspora.
    I stated that a growing number of Armenians have realized that a collective effort is necessary if they are to survive as a dispersed ethnicity detached from its homeland. Beyond the need to preserve the Diaspora’s vibrancy and cultural identity, Armenians share a common quest for justice from Turkey and a firm commitment for the security and economic prosperity of the twin Republics of Armenia and Artsakh. Armenians have finally concluded that they can benefit immensely from pooling their limited resources and jointly tackling common problems facing all Diaspora communities.
    As outlined in my February article, I elaborated about the framework of establishing an elected body that would legitimately represent Armenians throughout the Diaspora, except those in Armenia and Artsakh, who already reside in state structures with elected governments. Thus, for the first time in Diaspora’s history, Armenians would elect their own representatives or leaders, on the basis of one-man, one vote.
    I also suggested that elections be held by Armenian communities to choose one representative for each group of 20,000 Armenians. The collective body of 350 representatives from all electoral districts throughout the Diaspora would become the entity that can legitimately claim to speak in the name of all seven millions Armenians, outside of Armenia and Artsakh. Popular elections would encourage the silent majority to get involved in community affairs. This would be a dramatic shift from the current situation where a small number of individuals work around the clock, sacrificing their time and effort, while most Armenians, who are unaffiliated with any organization remain disengaged and disinterested. Should such grassroots elections succeed, large numbers of Armenians would feel empowered and energized, having actively participated in choosing their leaders.
    The academic symposium held on Nov. 20 is the first of many steps necessary before launching the ambitious initiative of creating a worldwide representative structure. A team of researchers should now explore and determine the optimum mechanisms to conduct such elections, estimate the demography of each community, establish qualifications for both voters and candidates, and recommend measures to prevent voter fraud.
    Conference participants were particularly interested in hearing Dr. Minassian’s presentation of a detailed plan unanimously approved by French-Armenian organizations to hold popular elections for a representative leadership early next year. The French experience could serve as a most valuable precedent for other Diaspora communities.
    It was made clear at the conference that a single electoral plan cannot be applied uniformly to all Armenian communities. Since each community lives in a unique legal and political environment, it would be necessary to devise an appropriate plan for selecting representatives in each country, in consultations with local leaders.
    It was interesting to note that when Prof. Dekmejian asked the audience if they favored an elective Diaspora structure, almost everyone raised their hands, indicating enthusiastic support for establishing a united Diaspora leadership framework.
    The proceedings of the symposium could be viewed on the following website:

  • Sassounian’s column of Nov. 18, 2010

    Sassounian’s column of Nov. 18, 2010

    U.S. Documents Reveal Pres. Bush’s
    Duplicity on the Armenian Genocide
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    In a highly informative book, “Children of Armenia: A Forgotten Genocide and Century-long Struggle for Justice,” Michael Bobelian has exposed important, but little known facts about the long history of attempts to get the Armenian Genocide recognized by the United States.
    One of Bobelian’s more notable revelations is the apparent contradiction between Vice President George H. W. Bush senior’s promise to the Armenian-American community to acknowledge the Genocide after he is elected President and his administration’s agreement with Turkey to block such an acknowledgment.
    While running for President in 1988, Vice President George Bush issued the following statement: “The United States must acknowledge the attempted genocide of the Armenian people in the last years of the Ottoman Empire, based on the testimony of survivors, scholars, and indeed our own representatives at the time, if we are to ensure that such horrors are not repeated.” Bush is the only Vice President who has made such a pledge on the Armenian Genocide.
    After assuming the presidency in January 1989, however, Pres. Bush ignored his commitment on the Armenian Genocide, and actively tried to persuade the U.S. Congress not to recognize it. Within months of his election, Bush wrote to Senators Bob Dole and George Mitchell, and Congressmen Tom Foley, Richard Michel, Richard Gephardt, Janet Mullins, and Richard Lehman, informing them of his opposition to the pending congressional resolution on the Armenian Genocide.
    On April 20, 1990, Pres. Bush issued his only “Presidential Message” on the occasion of “Armenian Remembrance Day,” without, however, using the term “Armenian Genocide.” He spoke about “…the terrible massacres suffered in 1915-1923 at the hands of the rulers of the Ottoman Empire. The United States responded to the victims of the crime against humanity by leading international diplomatic and private relief efforts…. On this 75th anniversary of the massacres, I wish to join with Armenians and all peoples in observing April 24, 1990 as a day of remembrance for the more than a million Armenian people who were victims. I call upon all peoples to work to prevent future acts of inhumanity against mankind, and my comments of June 1988 represent the depth of my feeling for the Armenian people and the sufferings they have endured.”
    Over the years, analysts have offered different explanations as to why recent U.S. Presidents (except for Ronald Reagan) have not kept their promises to recognize the Armenian Genocide. Bobelian revealed that in 1987, a year before Vice President Bush made his promise to the Armenian-American community, the United States and Turkey had signed an extensive military and economic agreement, according to which the American government pledged to oppose any “inappropriate actions,” such as the pending congressional resolution on the Armenian Genocide.
    During the official signing ceremony held at the State Department on March 16, 1987, Secretary of State George Shultz and Turkish Foreign Minister Vahit Halefoglu exchanged letters extending through December 1990 the bilateral Defense and Economic Cooperation Agreement that had been in effect since March 29, 1980. According to this agreement, the United States made a commitment to provide high levels of military and economic support for Turkey. More significantly, Washington agreed to “vigorously oppose inappropriate actions which would be harmful to healthy U.S.-Turkish relations, to U.S.-Turkish military cooperation or to our efforts to provide security assistance to Turkey based on the needs of the Turkish Armed Forces.”
    When the 1980 agreement expired in 1985, the Turkish government cleverly dragged out the negotiations for its extension, while escalating its demands from the United States. After a series of diplomatic exchanges that lasted two full years, the Turkish side succeeded in extracting more and more concessions from the U.S., including the commitment to block congressional resolutions on the Armenian Genocide.
    Vice President Bush must have known in 1988, when he made his deceptive promise on the Armenian Genocide, that the United States government had already signed an agreement with Turkey in 1987, pledging to “vigorously oppose inappropriate actions” that would damage U.S.-Turkish relations.
    After Pres. Reagan’s Proclamation of April 22, 1981 and the two House resolutions adopted in 1975 and 1984 acknowledging the Armenian Genocide, the Turkish government had good reason to insist on language in the 1987 agreement to block any further acknowledgments of the Armenian Genocide.
    The Turkish scheme worked! Breaking his pledge to the Armenian community, Pres. Bush successfully lobbied the Senate in 1990 to prevent the passage of a resolution on the Armenian Genocide.

  • Sassounian’s column of Nov. 4, 2010

    Sassounian’s column of Nov. 4, 2010

    VP Biden’s Sensational Revelation of
    Phone Calls with Pres. Sargsyan

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    Armenians worldwide were scandalized last week by Vice President Joe Biden’s revelation that Pres. Sargsyan had told him: “look, do not force this issue [Armenian Genocide recognition] now, while we are in negotiations [with Turkey].”

    Biden’s statement posted later that day on YouTube — www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-vVX2B1H3k — was so shocking that most Armenians refused to believe that Pres. Sargsyan would have discouraged the American President from recognizing the Armenian Genocide! Some went as far as to question if the speaker shown on video was really Biden, and if his words had been altered. Others wondered about the identity of the young man conversing with Biden, suspecting him to be an impostor or a foreign agent.

    Given the far-reaching consequences of the words attributed to Pres. Sargsyan, his press secretary immediately issued a categorical denial. Two days later, the US Embassy in Armenia issued a clarification/retraction. Taking into account these confusing and contradictory statements, I will try to shed some light on the lesser known aspects of this episode:

    1) The young man speaking with VP Biden on YouTube is not an impostor. He is an Armenian-American activist.

    2) It is not widely known that right after Pres. Obama issued his April 24, 2009 commemorative statement, Biden phoned three prominent Armenian-Americans. He informed them that Pres. Obama had omitted the Genocide word from his statement after Pres. Sargsyan gave his consent during a phone call with the Vice President. Clearly, Biden was using his conversation with Sargsyan to excuse Pres. Obama’s failure to keep his campaign promise to Armenian-Americans.

    3) Biden repeated the same statement last week, this time on video. He was trying to win over Armenian-Americans to support Democratic candidates in the tightly contested November 2nd elections. When the young man asked Biden what message did he have for the Armenian community which was “burned” or deceived by Pres. Obama, the Vice President reassured him that the administration was “not backing off” from its promise on the Genocide. He added: “The Turks have to come to the realization of what the reality is.” Biden then conveniently blamed Sargsyan for Pres. Obama’s lack of acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide. The Vice President concluded his comments by cynically stating with a chuckle: “Reality has a way of intruding.”

    4) Armen Arzumanian, Pres. Sargsyan’s press secretary, issued a prompt rebuttal, stating that the President “did not use the expression ascribed to him in the video, directly or indirectly.” Arzumanian boldly called upon the White House to release the transcripts of the two phone conversations between Pres. Sargsyan and VP Biden in April 2009.

    5) On October 29, the US Embassy in Armenia reacted by announcing that during his two phone conversations with Biden in April 2009, “Pres. Sargsyan did not raise the issue of the content of Pres. Obama’s statement for Armenian Remembrance Day or seek a delay in consideration of House Resolution 252.” This carefully worded statement was meant to soothe the Armenian government’s severe irritation at Biden’s surprising disclosures.

    It would have been far more informative, however, had the U.S. government released the transcripts of the two phone conversations between Pres. Sargsyan and VP Biden. The Armenian side could have also clarified matters by releasing its transcripts of the phone calls, if they were taped, or a summary record. Furthermore, since the two leaders were using an interpreter, it would be interesting to compare Pres. Sargsyan’s Armenian words with those translated into English – which was what Biden actually heard!

    In the absence of a transcript, outsiders have no knowledge of what was actually said during these phone calls. Yet it is clear that starting in early 2009, Obama administration officials were pressuring the Armenian government to sign an agreement with Turkey, so they could use it as an excuse for not recognizing the Armenian Genocide. And that is exactly what happened, when Armenia and Turkey signed a preliminary agreement, “a roadmap,” on the eve of April 24, 2009. Pres. Obama quickly capitalized on it. In his “Armenian Remembrance Day” statement, he avoided the word genocide by claiming that Armenia and Turkey “have agreed on a framework and roadmap for normalization.”

    The controversy regarding what Pres. Sargsyan may have told Vice President Biden is one more unwelcome outcome of the Armenia-Turkey Protocols. However, the video had the unintended side effect of raising the Armenian Genocide issue to the highest echelons of the U.S. government and received coverage by worldwide media. A week before the Armenian activist’s conversation with Vice President Biden, Armine Babayan of Los Angeles also had an important personal encounter. She had the rare opportunity to speak directly with Pres. Obama about the Armenian Genocide during his campaign stop in Las Vegas. Turkish denialists must not be too pleased that within one week the President and Vice President of the United States were reminded of their unfinished agenda on the Armenian Genocide

  • USC Symposium on Armenian Diaspora Unity

    USC Symposium on Armenian Diaspora Unity


    LOS ANGELES—The University of Southern California Institute of Armenian Studies is planning a symposium titled “The Armenian Diaspora: Elective Leadership & Worldwide Structure,” with the purpose of identifying strategies to promote Armenian unity. The daylong symposium will take place on Saturday, November 20, at USC’s Town and Gown.
    Speakers at the conference are: Gov. George Deukmejian; former U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Evans; attorney Mark Geragos; California Courier publisher Harut Sassounian; journalist/author Mark Arax; Prof. R. Hrair Dekmejian, USC; Prof. Stephan H. Astourian, University of California, Berkeley; Dr. Gaidz Minassian, Foundation for Strategic Research in Paris; Archalus Tcheknavorian-Asenbauer, Senior Advisor, United Nations, Vienna; Prof. Levon Marashlian, Glendale Community College; and Prof. Andrew Demirdjian, California State University, Long Beach.
    The presenters at the symposium will explore the possible establishment of a unity framework that could represent Armenians worldwide, except those in Armenia and Artsakh, who already have elected governments. Such a collective body of elected representatives could legitimately claim to represent Diaspora Armenians.
    “Armenians are great believers in unity. Actually, they are obsessed with it. Yet, despite all the talk about unifying the Armenian people, writing fiery poems and singing patriotic songs about the benefits of unity, this most cherished dream remains elusive. Even in perilous times, Armenians have remained at odds and marched to the beat of different drummers,” says Harut Sassounian, publisher of the California Courier.
    A transnational organization could create for the first time an elected leadership with political and economic clout capable of promoting Armenian interests, preserving cultural values and defending Armenian rights.
    The symposium is open to the public and will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., on the USC Campus. Complimentary breakfast and lunch will be served, and refreshments will be provided throughout the day.
    For reservations or further information, please contact the USC Institute of Armenian Studies: armenian@college.usc.edu.
  • Sassounian’s column of October 14, 2010

    Sassounian’s column of October 14, 2010

    Turkish Foreign Ministry Should Remove
    Lies from its Website and Issue Apology
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    Turkish officials have been misrepresenting the facts of the Armenian Genocide for years. Even though this is saddening and even sickening, it is not surprising. Wrongdoers usually cover up their guilt and proclaim their innocence.
    What is truly surprising is that the descendants of victims of the Armenian Genocide, having been accustomed to such Turkish distortions, no longer see the need to put up a vigorous fight against denialist “historians,” politicians, diplomats, and reporters.
    Why is it that descendants of the Jewish Holocaust go to great lengths to counter denialist historians, neo-Nazis, and other revisionists, while Armenians seem to be oblivious to those who distort their own tragedy? Is it because they are simply tired of hearing the same old Turkish lies year after year or do they feel powerless to put an end to these distortions?
    Earlier this year, the House Foreign Affairs Committee adopted a resolution on the Armenian Genocide by a slim 23-22 majority. Regardless of what excuses the 22 members came up with for voting against this resolution, the fact is that when the time came to stand up and acknowledge the truth, they did not have the moral fortitude to be counted among the righteous! Instead they chose to side with the liars, deniers, and mass murderers!
    And what has been the Armenian reaction to the despicable behavior of these 22 members of Congress? No outrage was expressed by Armenians! Not a single Armenian official condemned these scoundrels in Congress. Where is the organized effort by Armenian-Americans to target for defeat the Congressmen who voted against the Armenian Genocide resolution and are running for reelection on November 2nd?
    Imagine what would have happened if a single member of Congress had voted against a resolution on the Holocaust! Would Israel’s leaders and Jewish-Americans have remained silent? They would have rightly done everything in their power to ensure that such a member of Congress is not reelected!
    The question is not whether the Armenian-American community is as influential or powerful as the Jewish-American community. Regardless of its actual political prowess, the Armenian community must mount a vigorous campaign to defeat its political opponents. Once word spreads in Congress that anyone who votes against the Armenian Genocide would be targeted for defeat, those immoral and spineless members of Congress would quickly conclude that denying the Genocide for a fistful of Turkish Liras is not in their own best interest!
    Here is another blatant example of genocide denial that has gone unnoticed and unchallenged by Armenians and the international community. The Turkish Foreign Ministry’s website includes countless distorted statements on the Armenian Genocide. The website provides deceptive responses to innocently-worded questions, such as: “What happened in 1915? What is the total number of the Armenian deportees? Did all the Armenian deportees die? Is it a crime to describe the events of 1915 as ‘genocide’ in Turkey and are the ones whom (sic) argue this exposed to legal investigation?”
    On its website, the Turkish Foreign Ministry goes to absurd lengths in a vain attempt to make Turkey look good by claiming that “Turkey is the only country where the events of 1915 can be discussed in a free manner!”
    The website also makes the false claim that “there is no one in Turkey now who has been tried or prosecuted due to the reason that he/she described the events of 1915 as ‘genocide.’” The Turkish Foreign Ministry conveniently forgets that Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was tried and found guilty for using the word “genocide” in an interview. He met a worse fate than serving a jail term. He was shot and killed! Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk was also charged under the infamous Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (“Insulting Turkishness”) for stating that one million Armenians were killed! After intense international pressure, however, the charges against Pamuk were dropped, and subsequently reinstated! Many other Turkish journalists and writers have been taken to court for writing about the Armenian Genocide.
    There should be a concerted effort by Armenian officials, Diaspora Armenians, and the international community, demanding that the Turkish government immediately remove those insulting lies from the Foreign Ministry’s website and issue an apology to Armenians.
    Until then, no Armenian official should have any contact or meetings with Turkish leaders. Just imagine if the German Foreign Ministry’s website stated that the Holocaust never happened! Would Israel’s leaders have carried on business as usual with Germany?