Turkish Forum

Author: Harut Sassounian

  • National Security Adviser Bolton Exposes Trump’s Corrupt dealings with Erdogan

    National Security Adviser Bolton Exposes Trump’s Corrupt dealings with Erdogan



    John Bolton, Pres. Trump’s former National Security Adviser, published a fascinating book on his work at the White House from April 2018 to September 2019. His revealing book, “The Room Where it Happened: A White House Memoir,” shows why Pres. Trump is unfit for office and incompetent. Bolton emphasized repeatedly that everything Trump did was either to secure his reelection or for his own self-interest, contrary to the interests of the country. 

    Today we will focus solely on Trump’s unholy relationship with the dictator of Turkey, Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom Pres. Trump calls “The Sultan.” Turkey is mentioned 135 times in Bolton’s 570-page book. Erdogan is mentioned 95 times. This shows the importance the White House places on Turkey and Erdogan, Pres. Trump’s “close friend.” Surprisingly, neither Armenia nor Azerbaijan is mentioned in the book even though Bolton made a trip to both countries during his tenure.

    In “The Room Where It Happened,” Bolton compares Erdogan’s tone on a phone call with Trump to “Mussolini speaking from his Rome balcony,” describing the Turkish leader as a “radical Islamicist.”

    Erdogan, during his multiple visits to the White House and 20 phone calls with Pres. Trump, repeatedly raised the following three priority demands from Trump

    1) The release of Turkish businessman Reza Zarrab from arrest in the United States by appealing to Pres. Trump to drop the charges against him. Zarrab, with Erdogan’s blessing, had laundered $20 billion to Iran through the Turkish government-owned Halkbank to circumvent the U.S. sanctions on Iran;

    2) The extradition from the United States to Turkey of Fethullah Gulen, the Turkish cleric, who after his close alliance with Erdogan, split with him and became the Turkish President’s enemy number one. Erdogan falsely accused Gulen of leading the Turkish coup attempt in 2016.

    3) The acquiescence of Trump to withdraw US troops from Northern Syria, allowing Turkey to invade that area and eliminate the Kurdish population’s presence inside the Syrian border.

    Bolton related in his book that during the G20 summit meeting in Argentina on Dec. 1, 2018, Erdogan gave Trump a memo requesting that Zarrab be freed from U.S. jail. According to Bolton’s book, Trump told Erdogan that “he would take care of things, explaining that the Southern District [of New York] prosecutors were not his people, but were Obama people, a problem that would be fixed when they were replaced by his people.”

    When Bolton was dispatched to Turkey to warn Erdogan that he should not invade Northern Syria, Bolton received a last minute phone call from Pres. Trump asking him to refrain from telling the Turkish President that the U.S. troops will not withdraw from Northern Syria, even though most of the White House senior staff disagreed with the President’s decision.

    Trump also violated U.S. laws and congressional demands by refusing to sanction Turkey, a NATO member, for purchasing Russian anti-aircraft S-400 missiles.

    David Ignatius published an article in the Washington Post last week, titled, “Trump’s corrupt dealings with Turkey are some of the most startling stories in Bolton’s book.” Bolton recalls that he told Attorney General William P. Barr in April 2019 that Trump’s repeated efforts to help Erdogan showed his “penchant to, in effect, give personal favors to dictators he liked.” Ignatius described Trump’s corrupt dealings with Trump as “the clearest, most continuous narrative of misconduct by Trump that has yet surfaced.”

    Ignatius linked the Trump-Erdogan friendship to Trump’s “personal business interests. When he launched Trump Towers Istanbul in April 2012, his daughter Ivanka Trump tweeted thanks to Erdogan, the prime minister at the time, for attending. With them was a Turkish businessman named Mehmet Ali Yalcindag, whom Donald Trump described at the opening as a “great friend” of Ivanka. Kushner, her husband, was there, too.”

    Trump was surrounded by a group of pro-Turkish staff, such as his first National Security Adviser Michael Flynn who was forced to register as a foreign agent after it was revealed that Flynn’s consulting firm was paid $500,000 from a Turkish businessman who headed the state-run Turkish business federation. Flynn’s task was to get Gulen extradited to Turkey.

    Another pro-Turkish adviser was Rudolph W. Guliani, Trump’s personal lawyer, who contacted then U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara on Feb. 24, 2017, stating that he was traveling to Ankara as the representative of Zarrab. Guliani pressured the Justice Department for “some agreement between the United States and Turkey” for the release of Zarrab, according to Guliani’s statement filed in federal court. Trump fired Bharara in March 2017, but the case against Zarrab was continued by the new U.S. Attorney, Geoffrey Berman, who was also fired by Trump last week.

    Not surprisingly, Erdogan was angered by Bolton’s revelations. Fahrettin Altun, the Turkish presidency’s communications director, said on Twitter:  “Recent publication of a book authored by a high-level former U.S. official includes misleading, one-sided and manipulative presentations of our leader President Erdogan’s conversations with the US President Donald Trump.”

    Unfortunately, Bolton refused to testify in Congress during Pres. Trump’s Congressional Impeachment Hearings, even though it would not have made a difference. Just about all Republican Senators blindly follow Trump’s lead no matter how wrong he is. As Trump arrogantly proclaimed during the campaign, “I could stand in the middle of 5th Ave. and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose any voters.”

  • Armenian Patriarch Suggests Opening Greek Church for Christian and Muslim Worship

    Armenian Patriarch Suggests Opening Greek Church for Christian and Muslim Worship

    www.TheCalforniaCourier.com

    The recently elected Patriarch of Turkey, Sahak Mashalian, continues his controversial public statements thus antagonizing the Armenian community of Istanbul and Armenians worldwide. A few months ago he made critical remarks regarding the resolution adopted by the U.S. Congress recognizing the Armenian Genocide. 

    It is clear from the Patriarch’s statements that he wants to ingratiate himself to Turkish authorities and particularly Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Our repeated advice to him not to stick his nose in subjects that are not his responsibility has fallen on deaf ears. He does not seem to understand that he needs to remain quiet.

    The whole world is aware of the controversy revolving around Pres. Erdogan’s repeated statements to reconvert the Hagia Sophia historic church to a mosque. In 1935, Ataturk had changed the status of the mosque to a museum.

    Erdogan’s statements had raised a worldwide controversy particularly in Greece and among Greeks worldwide. Hagia Sophia was designated as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. Changing its status to a mosque will certainly anger people around the world.

    This is the controversy that the Armenian Patriarch has foolishly dived into, just to please Erdogan. In recent days, there has been a lot of criticism about the Armenian Patriarch’s controversial suggestion.

    Had the Armenian Patriarch any wisdom he would have first consulted with the prominent members of the Armenian community in Istanbul asking for their opinion. More importantly, he should have asked for the advice of the Ecumenical Greek Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. Furthermore, has the Armenian Patriarch thought about asking for the advice of Islamic leaders in Istanbul whether it would be acceptable for them to practice their Islamic religion in the same structure as the Christians? To our knowledge, there is no such site in the world and the reason is that this is an unacceptable practice for Muslims.

    The Armenian Patriarch’s heretical suggestion would also antagonize the Muslims in Turkey and President Erdogan. So much for the Patriarch trying to ingratiate himself to the Turkish authorities!

    Patriarch Mashalian is inadvertently supporting the change of the status of Hagia Sophia from a museum to a mosque with a private area set aside for Christian worshippers. The only thing the Turkish authorities will conclude from the Patriarch’s statement is that he is in favor converting the church to a mosque, ignoring his suggestion that a corner of the mosque be allocated for Christian worship. How would the Armenian Patriarch react if someday the Turkish government decides to convert the Armenian Akhtamar church near Lake Van (now officially classified as a tourist site) to a mosque, allowing a small room for Christian worship?

    To make matters worse, Patriarch Mashalian made his statement through a series of tweets. I wonder what prompted him to use the twitter to make such an announcement with serious consequences. “The Hagia Sophia should be opened to worship,” he said, stating that it is big enough for that purpose while suggesting a space for Christians. “Let the world applaud our religious peace and maturity. May Hagia Sophia become a symbol of the peace of humanity in our era.”

    The Patriarch further stated that humanity was praying for such unity and suggested sharing the dome of Hagia Sophia: “Even though our faiths are different, don’t we believe in the same God?” Having been a place of worship for Christians for 1,000 years and another 500 years for Muslims, he stated that Hagia Sophia won’t mind it. “Hagia Sophia was built with the labor of ten thousand workers at an astronomical cost,” he said pointing out that for over 500 years numerous repairs have been made on the iconic building by the Fatih Sultan Foundation. He stressed that their aim was to preserve it as a place of worship, “not just a museum.” He said it would be more fitting as a place of worship where believers could kneel down in prayer in awe of the structure, rather than a touristic site full of visitors rushing around.” The Patriarch’s statement was immediately publicized by the Turkish media.

    The first harsh reaction to the Patriarch’s naïve suggestion came from MHP (Nationalist Movement Party) leader Devlet Bahceli who ridiculed the idea that “Hagia Sophia is a mosque on Friday and a church on Sunday.”

    The Hagia Sophia Cathedral is one of the most significant religious sites particularly for Greeks. It was built in 537 AD by the Byzantine Empire. It was the world’s largest building and an engineering marvel of its time. Hagia Sophia was converted into an imperial mosque in 1453, following the Ottoman occupation of Constantinople, nowadays Istanbul. The mosque was then converted to a museum in 1935 by Ataturk’s decree.

    There is an interesting historical Armenian connection to Hagia Sophia. According to Wikipedia, “after the great earthquake of 25 October 989, which collapsed the Western dome arch, Emperor Basil II asked for the Armenian architect Trdat, creator of the cathedrals of Ani and Argina, to direct the repairs…. The extent of the damage required six years of repair and reconstruction; the church was re-opened on 13 May 994.”

    We want to conclude by reassuring our Greek friends that the Armenian Patriarch’s undesirable statement does not represent the wishes of the Armenian people.

  • Turkish Government Wastes $1.5 Million By Paying US Firm for Useless Lobbying

    Turkish Government Wastes $1.5 Million By Paying US Firm for Useless Lobbying

    On January 15, 2020, the Turkish government renewed a major contract with the Washington, D.C.-based U.S. lobbying firm of Greenberg Traurig for a total fee of $1,538,000 for one year ending on December 31, 2020. Greenberg Traurig has been lobbying for the government of Turkey for several years. The agreement was signed by Serdar Kilic, Turkish Ambassador to the United States, and Robert Mangas on behalf of Greenberg Traurig. Violating the requirements of U.S. law, a copy of the agreement was not submitted to the Justice Department’s Foreign Agent Registration Act office until May 31, 2020, almost five months after its signing. 

    Greenberg Traurig will distribute during 2020 most of the Turkish payment to several subcontractors which will assist in the lobbying effort. They are:

    1)    Capital Counsel LLC will be paid a fee of $432,000.

    2)    LB International will be paid a fee of $270,000.

    3)    Venable LLP will be paid a fee of $270,000.

    That leaves a net amount of $566,000 for Greenberg Traurig. Several other U.S. lobbying firms have been hired by the Turkish government for a number of years.

    The contract requires that Greenberg Traurig provide the following services to the Turkish government:

    “Lobbying and government relations services to Turkey, which shall consist of those services ordinarily and customarily provided in representing a foreign sovereign before the United States Congress and Executive Branch.

    These services shall include, but not be limited to:

    (a) Proposing and pursuing passage of legislation and other U.S. government action that promotes Turkey’s interests and provides a positive image of Turks, Turkey, and the United States-Turkey relationship;

    (b) Preserving and enlarging the Congressional Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans;

    (c) Educating Members of Congress and the Administration on issues of importance to Turkey;

    (d) Promptly notifying Turkey of any action in Congress or the Executive Branch on issues of importance to Turkey;

    (e) Preparing brief analyses of developments in Congress and the Executive Branch on particular issues of concern to Turkey;

    (f) Identifying official gatherings and social events to which Embassy personnel ought to attend, including to the extent possible, obtaining the necessary invitations;

    (g) Identifying and/or arranging speaking engagements locally and nationally for Embassy personnel or their appointed or suggested proxies in settings that will improve Turkey’s image and advance its causes on Capitol Hill. Such would be, if so directed by Turkey, coordinated with Turkey’s existing public relations service providers; and

    (h) Maintaining and forging alliances with other interest groups whose goals are similar to or shared by Turkey.”

    The contract further requires that Greenberg Traurig comply with the following requirements:

    “1) Personnel and Other Service Providers: Except as noted below, Greenberg shall compose its own team to achieve the best possible results in providing the services described above. It will provide Turkey at the earliest possible date a list of personnel, including an indication of their areas of expertise and/or how they will be utilized. This list will be updated from time to time as required.

    2) Additional Costs and Expenses: Should Greenberg incur extraordinary costs and expenses on Turkey’s behalf that are not otherwise contemplated in the fees described above, Turkey shall reimburse these costs provided that Turkey gives explicit advance approval.

    3) Monthly Reporting and Quarterly Performance Assessment: Greenberg shall provide monthly a written report to Turkey succinctly describing its work on Turkey’s behalf. Such reports need not include calculations of the time spent by the individual members of the Greenberg team. Further, every three months, or as often as Turkey may desire, Greenberg shall present to Turkey a written assessment of its performance during the preceding period. If, upon reviewing the assessment, Turkey is not satisfied with Greenberg’s performance, Turkey may, at its sole discretion, terminate this Agreement according to the terms stated herein.”

    The Turkish public and opposition parties should be aware that their government has wasted hundreds of millions of dollars of their taxes over the last few decades to pay American lobbying firms. Most of this money has been spent with no benefit to Turkish citizens at a time when the country’s economy is in shambles, the Turkish Lira has dropped in value precipitously and Turkey owes hundreds of billions of dollars to foreign banks.

    Despite the gargantuan amounts of money spent on lobbying in the United States, last fall the House of Representatives (overwhelmingly) and the Senate (unanimously) adopted resolutions recognizing the Armenian Genocide. The U.S. lobbying firms are experts in siphoning money from their foreign clients. They talk a good game, present rosy reports, but at the end of the day, they accomplish very little!

    Neither the Armenian government nor Armenian-American organizations in Washington, D.C. have hired lobbying firms thus saving their funds for more productive work. Armenians do not need lobbyists to convince the U.S. government that their cause is just. No matter how much money the Turkish government spends, it will never be able to whitewash its dirty laundry of past and present-day crimes!

  • An Incredible Armenian Who Retrieved Armenian Orphans from the Syrian Desert

    An Incredible Armenian Who Retrieved Armenian Orphans from the Syrian Desert

     

    Parnag Shishigyan is a heroic Zeytountsi who retrieved hundreds of Armenian orphans from Arab families in the Syrian desert after the Armenian Genocide. His name is not known to most Armenians. Therefore it is worthwhile to focus attention on his life and his good deeds. He is buried in the little town of Hovdashad, a few miles outside of Yerevan.

    Last month, Zarmik Sargsyan from Yerevan posted on her Facebook page a very moving tribute to Parnag Shishigyan after visiting his grave. The only reference to his unique accomplishment is a booklet published 30 years ago by Hagop Jghlyan whose family he had rescued. The book was aptly titled, “A Life Left in the Shadows.” Sargsyan attempted to take Shishigyan’s life out of the shadows and present him to the public at large.

    From April 10 to May 18, 1915, the heroic town of Zeytoun in Cilicia was depopulated. The men were herded into the infamous Ottoman Turkish “Labor Battalions.” On the road to Deir Zor, Syria, 14-year-old Parnag, ignoring the snakes and scorpions around him, spent days cuddling the corpse of his mother who was killed by the sword of a Turkish soldier. He was rescued by a Bedouin Arab from the Shammar tribe, who, after digging a grave in the sand for Parnag’s mother with his dagger, placed the young boy on his horse and took him to his home.

    Young Parnag who already knew Armenian, German and Turkish, soon also learned Arabic. Besides herding sheep and camels, Parnag, renamed Ahmet El Jezza, taught the tribesmen how to write in Arabic. He became very popular in the region because of his diligence, humility, and serious demeanor.

    Soon, in the course of herding sheep, Parnag came across in the desert many Armenian children adopted by local Arabs. He reminded them of their Armenian heritage and began to write down their names and places of residence in a notebook.

    In 1924, 23-year-old “Ahmet”, as a trusted and literate young man, was asked to deliver a herd of sheep bought by wealthy Arabs from Aleppo. Once in Aleppo, he was surprised to see Armenian signs on store fronts and people speaking in Armenian. He was offered a job and a place to stay by local Armenians, but he turned down the offers, saying he had a family in the desert and could not abandon them. He then showed to an Armenian shoemaker his notebook listing the names and places of Armenian children living in the desert with Arab families. He had promised himself to gather these Armenian children, help them marry each other and find their relatives, if still alive. It was a very difficult task. Most of the children, having lived with Arab families for several years, did not remember their heritage and did not know that there were other Armenians still in existence. But Parnag persisted despite the obstacles.

    The shoemaker Panos, President of the Rescue Committee of Armenian orphans from Arab and Kurdish tribes, was stunned. During the last few months, the Committee had barely rescued a couple of children, and now Panos was seeing an entire notebook full of Armenian names.

    After returning to his tribe, Parnag kept sending list after list of Armenian children to Aleppo. The Rescue Committee would then go to the desert, pay off the tribesmen and take the Armenian children to Aleppo or Beirut.

    Eventually, the Syrian government allocated two villages in the desert to Armenians. Parnag got married to an Armenian woman by the name of Wadha who later changed her name to Siranoush. Respecting their adoptive Arab parents, they agreed to have the marriage ceremony performed by a Muslim Sheikh. The couple planned to have an Armenian wedding later on. Parnag’s four Arab “brothers” were not happy that he was leaving them to go and settle in the new Armenian village of Tel El-Brak. They divided the family belongings into five. Parnag took with him 100 sheep, five camels, a horse, a rifle, and household items.

    Parnag brought the hundreds of Arabized Armenians to his village, gave them Armenian names and arranged their marriages. He organized the young men of the village to collect the bones of Armenian martyrs from Deir Zor, Raqqa, around the Euphrates and Khabour rivers and the tragic cave of Sheddedeh. Parnag held a memorial ceremony for the souls of the deceased!

    The two Armenian villages in the desert soon prospered. They formed a sports organization and a music band. In 1947, when Parnag became aware of the mass migration back to Soviet Armenia he decided to return to the homeland! He left all his possessions behind except for one thing, his Arabian horse, which he donated to a horse ranch after arriving in Armenia.

    Parnag’s family settled in Hovdashad, a village near Echmiadzin where he worked as a farmer. His wife, Siranoush, had five more children in Armenia. Even though Parnag had retrieved hundreds of Armenian children, he always thought of the hundreds of other children who were not, including his wife, Siranoush’s sister.

    In the Hovdashad cemetery, there is a statue of Parnag in Arabic attire. The house that Parnag built in 1956 in that village is now like a museum, where his clothes and his photos are displayed. Facebook writer Zarmik Sargsyan recalls that Parnag’s great-grandson Hagop was married in Los Angeles on April 17, 1997, in the presence of his seven siblings. It is ironic that the descendants of the man, who had sacrificed so much to rescue Armenians and moved to the homeland, now live far away from Armenia, in Los Angeles!

    Armenians both in Armenia and the Diaspora should visit the village of Hovdashad and Parnag’s grave to pay tribute to the man who retrieved hundreds of Armenian orphans and returned them to their heritage.

  • Turmoil in Turkey on Letter by Gulen Recognizing the Armenian Genocide

    Turmoil in Turkey on Letter by Gulen Recognizing the Armenian Genocide

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    A major controversy erupted in Turkey last week after a pro-Erdogan Turkish Islamist magazine “Gercek Hayat” (Real Life) claimed that the controversial Turkish Imam Fethullah Gulen had written a letter on May 6, 1965 acknowledging the Armenian Genocide. The letter is included in a special 176-page edition of the magazine which belongs to the editorial group of the pro-government newspaper “Yeni Safak,” owned by the family of the Turkish president’s son-in-law.

    Gercek Hayat’s article also accused of collaborating with Gulen, the Chief Rabbi of Istanbul Isahak Kahleva, Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew, former Armenian Patriarch of Turkey Shnorhk Kaloustian, the CIA, NATO, Zionists, Hillary Clinton, Pope John Paul II, and former Turkish leaders Ismet Inonu, Bulent Ecevit and Suleyman Demirel.

    Gulen escaped to the United States in 1999. Later on, he and President Erdogan became antagonists after a lengthy collaboration during which Erdogan had used Gulen’s contacts and resources to come to power. In 2016, after the attempted coup d’état in Turkey, Erdogan accused Gulen of being the mastermind of the coup. Erdogan jailed and fired tens of thousands of Gulen’s followers. Since then Erdogan has made repeated requests to the U.S. Government to have Gulen extradited to Turkey, where he faces certain death. The United States rejected Erdogan’s requests. Even those accused of associating with Gulen, who were living outside of Turkey, were kidnapped by Erdogan’s secret agents and brought back to Turkey to face harsh charges.

    Under these circumstances, when a pro-Erdogan magazine accused the leaders of religious minorities and others in Turkey of associating with Gulen, they became rightly concerned about their physical well-being and possible attacks on their religious and cultural institutions.

    Regarding Gulen’s letter, published by the Turkish magazine, addressed to the former Armenian Patriarch, it has been published several times before by the Turkish media.

    Here are excerpts of Gulen’s May 6, 1965 letter: “I have known Armenian families and individuals during my childhood and working positions. I will not stop cursing the Great Genocide committed against Armenians in 1915. I know that among the people killed and massacred were many highly respected individuals, for whose memory I bow with respect. I curse with great grief the massacre of the sons of the Great Prophet Christ by ignorant individuals who call themselves Muslims.”

    The Turkish magazine reported that in response Shnorhk Patriarch thanked Gulen, stating that the country needs preachers like him: “We believe that the fraternal ties will remain intact in our sacred country where there are valuable and fair-minded preachers like you.”

    Gulen’s purported 1965 letter is typed on a paper that appears yellowish, making it look authentic. In 2013, while in the U.S., Gulen issued another statement which said: “The Ittihadists committed the wrong policy. It is up to us to correct the wrong policy of the Ittihadists. That is why we should be in a very good dialog with Armenians and other nations. For the sake of a dialog, we should use every opportunity in the best possible way.”

    The good news is that the religious leaders of minority communities in Turkey had the courage to harshly criticize the Turkish magazine. The Armenian Patriarchate issued a statement in which it “regretted the false accusations against Shnorhk Patriarch. Such writings under the umbrella of freedom of the press cause pain to us and can lead to horrible consequences. These falsehoods are worrisome to the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey and the Armenian community. Racist manifestations, as elsewhere, also seen in this country, make it impossible to escape from their consequences…. Such baseless mud-slinging is unacceptable to us. We believe that the relevant authorities will stop this injustice and hope that the rules will be enforced, taking the necessary steps against the authors.”

    The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate also condemned the Turkish magazine calling the published information “completely false and biased…. The publication of these claims cause distress among Christians, Jews and Muslims and are particularly serious and irresponsible, because they undermine the unity of our people…. Such information is extremely dangerous and could be the cause of dangerous acts of racism and intolerance. The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew feels very bitter and resentful for the accusations that have been made against him, despite his efforts for the good of our country.”

    The Jewish community in Istanbul also criticized the Turkish magazine: “We condemn the discrimination and provocation caused by these publications, with baseless accusations against our Chief Rabbi. These hate publications are damaging Turkey. For our part, we hope for an immediate restoration of the truth against these publications of hate — through correct information and legal means — as they influence our Turkey, of which we are an integral part.”

    Meanwhile, the Armenian member of the Turkish Parliament, Garo Paylan, referred the controversy to the Parliament by writing to the Vice President of the country, Fuat Oktay: “Can’t the expressions of hatred used periodically by the news media close to the Turkish President result in crimes based on hatred?”

    I would like to conclude with three key points:

    1) Fethullah Gulen was the ally of Erdogan before the latter asserted his dictatorial powers. The publications close to Erdogan, rather than blaming the leaders of minority religions and others, should first of all blame Erdogan for his long years of association with Gulen!

    2) If Gulen’s letter is authentic, he has done nothing wrong. He has simply acknowledged the truth about the Armenian Genocide. Erdogan is the one to be blamed for lying about the Armenian Genocide!

    3) The minority communities in Turkey are terrified by the article in the Turkish magazine because they know that there are plenty of extremists in Turkey who will resort to horrible acts of violence against Armenians, Assyrians, Greeks, Jews and Kurds. Their fear is justified. These minority community leaders should be commended for boldly speaking out against the threatening article in the Turkish magazine.

  • Libya’s Interim Government Recognizes The Armenian Genocide Once Again

    Libya’s Interim Government Recognizes The Armenian Genocide Once Again

    By Harut Sassounian
    Publisher, The California Courier

    Libya’s Interim Government recognized the Armenian Genocide on April 24, 2020, for the second year in a row. On April 19, 2019 the provisional government had issued a similar recognition.

    While this recognition may surprise many people because there is hardly a single Armenian living in Libya, there are, however, geopolitical reasons for taking such an action. Ever since the toppling and killing in 2012 of Muammar Gaddafi, the leader of Libya, the country has been in constant turmoil with various military factions fighting each other to rule Libya.

    The officially recognized government of Libya is limited around coastal Tripoli and Misrata, while most of the Libyan territory is occupied by the Interim Government led by military leader Khalifa Haftar. The internal civil war has been considerably expanded by the interference of external powers in Libya’s domestic affairs. Turkey and Qatar have supported the Central Government with Islamic fighters and military hardware, while the Interim Government has been endorsed by Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

    The countries on the opposing sides in Libya are also involved in diplomatic clashes and mass media wars. Last month Saudi Arabia announced that it was blocking access to Turkish news agencies and websites. In return, Turkey blocked Saudi and Emirati news outlets. Furthermore, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan supports the Muslim Brotherhood, while Saudi Arabia, Egypt and UAE are opposed to the Muslim Brotherhood. Egypt and Turkey have been feuding ever since the pro-Muslim Brotherhood President of Egypt Mohammed Morsi, supported by Turkey, was toppled in 2013. Egypt, Saudi Arabia and UAE have asked their citizens to boycott Turkish products and travel to Turkey.

    These various regional and internal feuds have prompted the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the Libyan Interim Government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on April 24, 2020. Here is the text of the announcement translated into English:

    “We recall today the genocide of the Armenian population by Turkey which falls on April 24 of each year. The State of Libya commemorates this anniversary in implementation of Government Decision No. 238 of 2019, which approved this day as a national day to revive it.

    “Turkey’s criminal actions against the Armenian people by burning, deliberate killing, forced deportation, and other ugly acts contrary to all divine laws is a crime against humanity and it must be recognized and granted an official apology to the Armenian people and compensate them for the pains that these massacres have caused which cannot be forgotten from the memory of Armenians and the whole world. As we condemn this crime devoid of any element of humanity, we again call upon the countries of the world to recognize this heinous crime.

    “It is today’s Turkish government, in its new situation, which commits crimes against the peoples of the world by its blatant interference in their internal affairs. Perhaps what it carried out yesterday by bombarding the city of Tarhuna [Libya] with missiles and drones, killing children, the elderly and women, destroying humanitarian convoys, food and medical aid, fuel tanks, bringing in mercenaries and supporting terrorists are other crimes added to a chain of Turkish crimes against people and confirms to the whole world the extent of Erdogan’s arrogance and his disregard for all international laws and norms.”

    On April 19, 2019, the Libyan Interim Government had issued a similar statement through its Foreign Ministry which reads as follows:

    “The Interim Government officially adopted a resolution in March recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

    “On 24 April 1915, the Ottoman authorities rounded up, arrested, and deported from Constantinople (now Istanbul) to the region of Ankara, 235 to 270 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders, the majority of whom were eventually murdered.

    “This was followed by the deportation of women, children, the elderly, and the infirm on death marches leading to the Syrian Desert. Driven forward by military escorts, the deportees were deprived of food and water and subjected to periodic robbery, rape, and massacre.

    “The final death toll of the genocide is reported to be 1.5 million.”

    It should not be surprising that the Libyan Interim Government has issued a statement on the Armenian Genocide because it serves its anti-Turkish political agenda. It would have been more surprising if such an announcement would be made contrary to its own interests.

    All countries cater to their national interests. The Armenian government must also act in a similar manner. Libya is a good example. This is the second year in a row that its Interim Government has recognized the Armenian Genocide. What has been the reaction of the Armenian Government? We are not aware of any public comment to this effect. Wouldn’t it be proper for the Armenian Foreign Ministry to issue a statement welcoming the Libyan announcement? Someday the Interim Government may become the legally recognized government of Libya. Now is the time for Armenia to establish friendly relations with Libya. As Turkey has been isolating Armenia from its neighbors by its blockade and its anti-Armenian economic and diplomatic efforts, Armenia in response should join hands with supportive countries and isolate Turkey to whatever degree it can.

    By establishing good relations with the Libyan Interim Government, Armenia would also be in a good position to affirm its relations with Egypt and the United Arab Emirates and mend its non-existent relations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I am sure these countries would appreciate the friendly hand extended by the Government of Armenia.

    Libya’s Interim Government Recognizes

    The Armenian Genocide Once Again