In this fourth of what started as a three part series on LA Times coverage of interest to Armenians, let’s briefly visit Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Iran.
As you might guess, Iran gets lots of coverage, what with the whole “going nuclear” issue, the ongoing antipathy and tension between it and the U.S., its connections to Lebanon’s Hezballah, oil reserves, and the hot wars in abutting Afghanistan and Iraq. Whether this coverage is truly representative is an open question. Unsurprisingly, it betrays a U.S. establishment bias. It also lacks the Armenian component— that Iran serves as a lifeline for illegally blockaded Armenia and has played a balanced, if not Armenia-leaning role in the latter’s conflict with Azerbaijan. Of course this wouldn’t do, because then readers might not buy the “extremist Islamist” narrative used when describing Iran in the U.S. However, despite these flaws, my sense is LA Times readers probably get the best overall picture of Iran— better than Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kurdistan, and Turkey— albeit quite accidently.
While it might be hard to believe, Azerbaijan fares even worse than Armenia in the LA Times. Most of the coverage consists of the “news in brief” type—about missile shield placement, alleged plots foiled, one of its countless bellicose threats against Armenian that was actually reported, and an op-ed piece, editorial, and longer news piece— all betray a generally positive tone. Imagine! The op-ed piece refers to Azerbaijan as a “secular” and “cautious” country. The oil/energy theme is present as is the “tough” neighborhood this country finds itself in. The incompleteness of the coverage itself creates a bias that leaves Azerbaijan in a much more positive light than it deserves.
Georgia fares the worst. It might as well not exist. If the Russians hadn’t invaded it, and if its president wasn’t a megalomaniac, Georgia probably wouldn’t exist in the eyes of the LA Times’ editors. The war and protests are about all the coverage this misbegotten country elicits. While no one in their right mind would pity Georgia, it is important for people to understand how disruptive a course has been set by the leaders of this artificial construct of a state. Also lacking is coverage of the human and civil rights abuses heaped upon Armenians living in that part of “Georgia” that rightly belongs to the Republic of Armenia.
Where does all this leave us? Clearly, the LA Times coverage of matters important to Armenians is anemic and skewed. To counteract this, we must, as I mentioned earlier in this series of pieces, “lobby” the newspaper. We need a media policy and people implementing it who are competent to take on the righting of this poor coverage. In fairness, perhaps the relatively recent purchase of the paper by its new owner and the turmoil in the newspaper industry have made it difficult to continue on the positive track taken when the pro-Turkish editor was booted out and the term ‘genocide’ starting being used properly. We must remind the editors that they are here, at least in part, to serve the reading public of the LA basin/Southern California, of which the Armenian community is a significant part. Perhaps a partnership should be entered, with our community supporting the newspaper more, but on condition of more, and more accurate, non-State Department biased coverage.
Water has been rapidly disappearing in Cyprus since the 1970s, but conflict between Turkish and Greek communities means fixing the problem is not high on the political agenda. Alex Bell finds that Cypriots are now struggling for control of land that is slowly dying.
Here is a story: an old man from the Troodos hills of central Cyprus rises to his feet at a public meeting about the environment. He says that when he was young, his school teacher asked the class who could swim, and about half the hands went up.
Then the teacher said: “Who has been to the beach?” and this time, only two hands went up.
The moral of the story? I’ll come back to that in a moment.
We are in Nicosia, one of Europe’s last divided cities, and the focus of a bitter and bloody feud between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.
It goes back to 1974, when the island was divided, as Turkish troops invaded – following a collapse of the Cypriot government.
It goes back further, to 1963, when the UN mission began here – never to leave as it tried to keep the sides apart.
It goes back further still, to 1960, when the British left – knowing, surely, that claims of peace on this Mediterranean island, tucked in the armpit between Turkey and Israel, might never come to bloom. It keeps on going back and back…
Water war
I am here to cover a war – but not the one that has seen shabby oil drums erected in higgledy-piggledy piles as barriers dividing the city.
Water stocks have been hit by a series of droughts in recent years
The war I’m interested in is the water war – not an armed conflict, but a struggle nonetheless, between people and a rapidly disappearing resource.
The alarming thing, for those working to ease this new conflict, is that Cypriots don’t even seem to realise that hostilities between them and nature have begun.
Charalampos Theopemptou is the Greek Cypriot side’s Environment Commissioner, and it was he who told me the story about the old man in the classroom. He explains its meaning: that within living memory Cyprus was wet – there were plenty of rivers and lakes to swim in. Now, they are all gone.
The island has reached what geographers call Peak Water – when demand meets and then outstrips supply.
Peak Oil is already a familiar concept, and commands international attention. However, water, despite being central to life, is having a much harder time getting on to the political radar.
Dying land
Dig into the details of the current war and it seems to have less to do with fighting than it does with land.
The irony is that the Cypriots, all of them, are fighting over land, which is slowly dying
The issue that stalls peace talks is the question of houses and farms that were seized in the 1974 conflict. On both sides, people would like their houses back, or a cheque in compensation.
The gradual effect of increasing wealth, EU membership for the south, and the opening of the borders, has defused tension, and means that the eternal subject of property prices is now at the heart of the issue.
The irony is that the Cypriots, all of them, are fighting over land, which is slowly dying.
The famous trees of Cyprus are rotting on their waterless roots, turning to dry kindling as they stand in the blazing sun.
Ever since the 1970s, rainfall has been scarcer, meaning far less water reaching the reservoirs.
For the past four decades, getting enough water to the farms and the people has been a struggle.
The general dampness of nature is drying up, like a rag that is being wrung ever tighter.
This is why the European Commission believes Cyprus is the canary in the coalmine: what happens on this island is threatened to happen all across the drier parts of the continent.
Experts agree that this crisis can be tackled, but first you have to recognise it’s there – and that’s part of the problem.
Even the proposed solutions can be problematic.
Desert resort
Nicos Vassillou is a small man in his 70s with decades of experience planning and consulting for the Cypriot government. You might also call him a visionary.
He believes he has a way to solve Cyprus’s problems in one fell swoop – a plan for a pipeline from the Turkish mainland to Cyprus, which will not only meet current demand, but also supply extra to irrigate the parched fields.
Tourism is a key industry particularly in the Turkish-controlled north
As we talked in a hotel lobby, he painted me a picture of the island transformed back into a verdant paradise and one where peace might reign.
But the Cypriot government is sceptical – not least because this plan would hand control of the water supply to Ankara, its sworn enemy. And it seems that it still can’t quite believe the water will really run out.
It has put its money behind de-salination plants, powered by oil-fired electricity stations, which it hopes will supply the cities with water by 2012.
It has also regularly imposed water rationing – but has turned its back on water conservation and recycling schemes, or even fixing the leaking water pipes.
The irony is that Cyprus is already considered a kind of paradise by many people – its main business is tourism, and selling property to north Europeans looking for a warmer life.
The question is, will anyone want to come and swim here at all if the holiday resorts are no more than manufactured oases within a desert?
While the real, political war steals the headlines for now, the water war is threatening to steal the future of a place once known as the Green Island.
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Colonel General Safar Abiyev is the longest serving defense minister in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and one of the longest serving in the world.
Now just 60, he has headed the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry since February 1995. Over that time, Azerbaijan has raised defense spending from $97.2 million in 1999, to $175 million in 2004 to $1.5 billion last year.
Yet the spending of prodigious amounts of cash on state of the art military hardware has not resulted in the creation of an effective and battle ready army. On the contrary, the armed forces remain weak. Discipline is lax, morale low, and hazing endemic. The rank and file suffers from shortages of food, fuel, and such basic items as winter uniforms. The Defense Ministry is reputedly a hotbed of corruption. Why, then, is Abiyev seemingly viewed as indispensible?
Abiyev was born in Baku on January 27, 1950. He is a Lezgin. He graduated in 1971 from Baku’s Higher Military College, and in 1982 from the Command Faculty of the Frunze Military Academy in Moscow, and has spent his entire professional life in the armed forces.
Abiyev served briefly as acting defense minister from June — August 1993, immediately after the coup that toppled the Azerbaijan Popular Front government and paved the way for the return to power in Baku of former Communist Party of Azerbaijan First Secretary Heidar Aliyev. He was named defense minister in February 1995, four months after the failed bid by Suret Huseinov and Rovshan Djavadov to overthrow Aliyev — an undertaking in which the army reportedly sided with the leaders of the insurrection.
Azerbaijan has channeled into the defense budget a considerable amount of the proceeds from the export of its oil and gas. That trend intensified after Ilham Aliyev succeeded his father in late 2003. But much of the money has reportedly been embezzled. The independent daily “Ayna/Zerkalo” played a key role in the late 1990s and early 2000s in reporting on the efforts of former naval officer Djanmirza Mirzoev to publicize corruption within the armed forces. Mirzoev was arrested, tried and sentenced in 2001 to eight years’ imprisonment on fabricated charges of murder; Heidar Aliyev pardoned him in May 2004.
In addition to sporadic corruption scandals, hazing too has raised questions about discipline and professionalism in the armed forces. A scandal erupted in the fall of 2008 after two videos were posted on YouTube showing sergeants beating younger servicemen. The Defense Ministry reacted by denouncing them as a fake, but subsequently admitted that an investigation had confirmed that the mistreatment shown on the video clip had indeed taken place. Aydyn Mirzazade, who heads the parliament commission for defense and security, nonetheless denied there have any been any incidents of hazing in the armed forces.
At least five fatal instances of hazing have been reported in the media since December 2006. In the most recent, in January 2010, two privates reportedly shot four officers and then killed each other. Yashar Djafarli, chairman of the Organization of Retired and Reserve Officers, claimed in November 2008 that of over 40 servicemen who died not in combat or of disease since 2003, the majority either died from ill-treatment or committed suicide.
During Abiyev’s tenure as defense minister, Azerbaijan has signed military cooperation agreements with Turkey, the U.S., and Pakistan, among others. It was one of the first former Soviet republics to join NATO’s Partnership for Peace (PfP) program, but has for years remained equivocal over full membership of that alliance. In September 2004, NATO cancelled a conference in Baku after the Azerbaijani authorities refused to issue visas for Armenian officers who planned to participate.
This year, for the first time, the Defense Ministry budget does not allocate any funds for Azerbaijani participation in PfP activities or for Azerbaijan’s Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP).
Baku’s lack of real commitment to cooperation with NATO is paralleled by delays in formulating and making public a national defense strategy and in implementing radical reform of the defense sector. The International Crisis Group (ICG) noted those failings in a briefing in October 2008 that described the armed forces as “fragmented, divided, accountable-to-no-one-but- the-president, untransparent, corrupt and internally feuding.” Among other measures, the ICG urged greater oversight powers for the parliament; increased civilian control in the defense ministry; amending relevant legislation in line with international human rights requirements; and improving personnel management and training.
In light of the multiple weaknesses that detract from Azerbaijan’s defense capability, two inter-connected factors may explain Abiyev’s extended tenure.
The first is his absolute and unswerving loyalty to the Aliyev dynasty — first father Heidar and then son Ilham, whose ascent to the presidency was more by selection than election. The second is his role in an ongoing double act with Ilham Aliyev intended to expedite a solution on Azerbaijan’s terms to the Karabakh conflict.
Ilham Aliyev’s legitimacy and political future hinge to a considerable degree on his continued ability to convince the population that Azerbaijan will at some point succeed in wresting back control of the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. And in this exercise Abiyev’s support is crucial, if not indispensible.
Over the past decade, Abiyev has sporadically conjured the specter of a new war in Karabakh. He reasons variously that as a result of either Armenia’s refusal to compromise and withdraw unconditionally from occupied Azerbaijani teritory, or of the OSCE Minsk Group’s inability to draft a settlement plan that will satisfy all conflict sides, Baku will have no choice but to resort to military force. And he claims that Azerbaijan’s armed forces are fully capable of winning a new war.
A year and a half after the brief but devastating war in Georgia, the most recent belligerent statements by the Aliyev/Abiyev duo raise the specter of a new outbreak of hostilities in South Caucasus. Increasingly frustrated by the lack of progress towards resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and angered by Turkey’s embrace of tentative rapprochement with Armenia, Azerbaijani officials are again threatening a new war to restore Azerbaijan’s control over the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.
Moscow’s formal recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in the wake of the August 2008 war left Nagorno-Karabakh the sole “frozen” conflict in the South Caucasus. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and G-8 leaders have launched separate but complementary initiatives aimed at overcoming the remaining points of disagreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan and thus expediting the signing of a blue-print that could serve as the basis of a permanent settlement.
But Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev continues to alternate between reaffirming his commitment to a peaceful negotiated settlement, and threatening a new war in light of Armenia’s intransigent refusal to “compromise,” by which he means to withdraw unconditionally from seven districts of Azerbaijan bordering the NKR that are currently under Armenian control.
In most countries, the head of state’s traditional New Year’s address seeks to convey a message of cooperation, peace and prosperity. But this year, President Aliyev’s message was one of war. He warned that “Azerbaijan is strengthening its military potential,” which he claimed is “increasing day by day” and is “being strengthened in terms of weapons and equipment.” He then affirmed explicitly that Baku has the “military effectiveness” and will “use all the means at our disposal to solve the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.”
Abiyev expanded on that threat during a meeting on February 25 with the French Ambassador to Baku, Gabriel Keller. He warned that a “great war” in the region is becoming “inevitable.” He argued that since the 1994 ceasefire with Armenia that effectively “froze” the Karabakh conflict, “diplomacy has not achieved any concrete results.” “Azerbaijan cannot wait another 15 years,” Abiyev continued, adding that “now it’s the military’s turn, and the threat is growing every day.”
But there is a profound disparity between such militant rhetoric and the military reality. At one level, such words of war are no more than empty threats, as the exaggerated boasts of Azerbaijan’s military strength ignore the weakness of the Azerbaijani armed forces. Even so, despite the overwhelming superiority and defensive advantages of the Armenian side, the future trajectory of the military balance of power in the region favors Azerbaijan over the longer term.
But at another level, the bellicose warnings by the Azerbaijani leadership pose a very real threat to regional security and stability, insofar as they exacerbate latent tensions that have their own destructive dynamic. Specifically, they harden the defensive posture of the Armenian side, making any real resolution of the Karabakh conflict that much more difficult now, and making it even harder for Azerbaijan to adopt a more moderate position later.
In addition, such rhetoric steadily saps morale within the Azerbaijani military, which has yet to enjoy the benefits of increased defense spending.
Clearly, despite repeated injunctions from visiting U.S. and European diplomats, Azerbaijan has failed to learn the primary lesson from the Georgia war—that there is no military solution to what are essentially political problems. And for Nagorno-Karabakh, still excluded from the formal negotiating process, Azerbaijan’s bluff and bluster only serves to highlight the broad divide between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
In addition, such threats from Baku foster a perception that the Azerbaijani leadership is not ready for peace, and call into question the sincerity of its proclaimed commitment to international mediation efforts seeking a negotiated resolution of the Karabakh conflict.
Both Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian and Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian have responded to Baku’s threats with warnings of their own that any Azerbaijani attack against Armenia and Karabakh will be met by “serious counter attacks” and rebuffed.
The recent verbal spat and its possible repercussions have not gone unnoticed. Senior U.S. intelligence official Dennis Blair recently testified to the U.S. Congress that the chances of another Armenian-Azerbaijani war are only increasing, fuelled in part by Azerbaijani frustration over the U.S.-backed normalization effort underway between Turkey and Armenia.
The article is one-sided and aims at elaborating the sheer weakness of the Azerbaijani armed forces without telling the readers about “the overwhelming superiority and defensive advantages of the Armenian side”.
I can see why Richard Giragosian has penned such a one-sided piece, but to see Liz Fuller falling into that trap is regrettable.
The Azerbaijani armed forces suffer from inadequate discipline, corruption, low morale and hazing, but the Armenian military has been cut from the same cloth. So are the Georgian armed forces.
Armenia is weak, if not bankrupt, economically and in terms manpower is in a disadvantageous position. In the long-run, as you seem to acknowledge, the trajectory of military balance in the region favours Azerbaijan. This would materialize sooner if the Aliyev dynasty in Azerbaijan came to an end which is not unimaginable. A truly nationalist government with a proclivity towards Islamic values together with a better organized army will change the attitude of the Minsk Group, Russia and the United States towards the Karabakh issue for a host of strategic, economic and military reasons.
The notion that there is no military solution to the Karabakh issue and that Azerbaijan should learn a lesson from the Georgian war is false. You are mixing apples with oranges. In the Georgian war, Russia, a military superpower, was bashing a weak state. In a possible war over Karabakh, Azerbaijan and Armenia, which are more or less of the same weight, will be facing each other. No doubt, they will be backed by their friends and allies, and in this respect, Armenia does not have the upper hand. And, if Azerbaijan plays its cards right, it could muster the support of Iran too.
In short, your argument is flawed and a juxtaposition of the weaknesses and strengths of both countries in the military, political and economic domains would have given your piece the necessary weight.
In Response
by: Martin from: Los Angeles
March 14, 2010 20:39
Reply
The Armenian military is definitely weak when it comes to its budget and spending, but its soldiers are among the bravest and most disciplined in the world, which would defeat any army Azerbaijian puts together. The Azeri army remains demorilized from the clashes in the 90’s.
In Response
by: Henrik Dumanian from: New York
March 15, 2010 02:03
Reply
Actually Mr. Johnson, Giragosian’s observations are quite correct. As proof of the Armenian Army’s undeniable advantage over the Azeri army, we can only look to their previous encounter. The Armenian armed forces (which were less organized or trained) defeated an army three times the size of their own, which had access to better funds. No significant developments have occurred since 1994 to suggest that the Azeri army is more capable than they were in 1994, and none to suggest that the Armenians haven’t kept pace. They had both advantages you claim will give them victories the last time around — and we all know what happened las time.
Second, I do agree that a nationalist government in Azerbaijan would certainly be advantageous (at least one not linked to petro dollars) for the Azeris. But that dynasty will come to an end when and if the oil runs out. And when and if the oil runs out, Azerbaijin will lose its commodities based economic foundation, and with it any serious geopolitical usefulness for the powers that be (or at least any significance that Armenia cannot provide).
Thirdly, I would like to counter your claim about the Armenian army being cut from the same cloth. On the contrary, the two armies have very different histories and personalities. The Armenian army, according to both Russia and NATO, remains the most capable and mobile army in the immediate region.
And lastly, I would like to bring your attention to the military argument countering yours. Azerbaijan’s job is not only to have an army better trained, better funded, and bigger in size than Armenia’s (in fact some of those are true). Instead, Azerbaijan has to be able to carry out an offensive. As anybody who is slightly versed in military tactics can tell you, carrying out an offensive can in no way shape or form be succesful unless one side can OVERWHELM the other. Essentially, the Azeri army has to have about 4-5 people run through mines, barbed wire, and a hail of bullets and snipers, so that the 6th person can reach the trenches of the enemy without getting killed. That is why the Soviet Union had so many casualties. They were caught off gaurd in the beginning of the war, and thus had to carry out extremely costly counter-offensives.
Case in point, Mr. Giragosian is right — there is no military solution to the conflict that favors Azerbaijan (or army). It will at best preserve the status quo or change a few kilometers of position. If there was a military solution, the Azeri army would be attacking right now, not fluffing up its own feathers and trying to save face.
by: eddy
March 14, 2010 19:08
Reply
This article is just a summary of bellicose statements and war threats voice by the authorities in Baku! There is no mention that in the Republic of Azerbaijan, there is a well organized and by the state orchestrated Anti Armenian propaganda going on against Armenians. A hate campaign almost similar to the Nazi propaganda against the European Jews!
In case of war once again Azerbaijan will use Lezgins and other ethnic groups and foreign mercenaries as “cannon fodder“ and terrorist acts!
Vafa Guluzade the ultra nationlist ex advisor to Heidar Aliyev has voiced more than once (even in duty) that as long as an Armenia is living in Nagorno-Karabakh there can not be peace and so on..The same Azerbaijani administration, which Vafa Guluzade still unofficially belongs to, likes to give security guaranties to Nagorno-Karabakh (NKR) …. !!!
by: eddy
March 14, 2010 19:38
Reply
@David Jonhson
Every thing is possible. There is no secret that Azerbaijan is making real war preparation. Azerbaijan is even training “commandos” to enter Armenia to curry act of Terror and sabotage within Armenia in case of war . Alone in the last week Armenian has neutralized two Azeri commandos in Armenia!
If some countries/ or even UN regard Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan, nobody should be surprise or regard such a development against “international law” , if an Armenian form Nagorno-Karabakh becomes president in Baku, in case of war- as i said every thing is possible!!
by: eddy
March 14, 2010 19:53
Reply
Azerbaijan regards still NK as part of Republic Azerbaijan or people in NK as “Azerbaijani citizens” THEREFOR:
In case of war, defence army of Nagorno-Karabakh has every right to enter Baku or any other Azerbaijani city . We should not forget the way which Alive clan come to power – by a coup d’état !
In Response
by: alakbar
March 15, 2010 09:47
Reply
WOW! We are waiting for you. Come 🙂
by: RD
March 14, 2010 22:10
Reply
David, your puerile comments seem to focus on resolving the NKR conflict based on which country is militarily superior, now or in the long term (i.e. by the use of force). You seem to overlook the fact that the NKR conflict will not be resolved even if Azerbaijan re-claimed NKR again today. What does Azerbaijan think will happen? Azerbaijan will take over NKR with its expensive military hardward and the people of NKR will live happily ever after under Azeri rule? Azerbaijan should learn from the U.S. mistake in Iraq. The only solution to the conflict is a diplomatic one. Diplomacy may be difficult and frustrating but not as difficult and as costly as war. You and Azerbaijan will do well to remember Churchill’s quote: “Never, never, never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter. The statesman who yields to war fever must realize that once the signal is given, he is no longer the master of policy but the slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events”.
In Response
by: serge
March 15, 2010 09:49
Reply
Who says that armenians will stay in NK if Azerbaijan liberates it?
by: leon from: USA
March 14, 2010 23:36
Reply
To Mr. David Johnson from London or David wannabe who is defending Islamic values!! Please post your real name next time.
truth is one sided!!
Everything listed here happened, didn’t it? There is constant war threat by Azerbaijan. Abiyev’ is loyal to Aliyev. There is major corruption in the Azeri armed forces. At the present the Armenian forces being on the defensive position are still superior despite the Azei spending; however, the future trajectory of the military balance of power favors Azerbaijan.
by: Emin A from: Azerbajian
March 15, 2010 00:05
Reply
David,
You obviously know nothing about the local politics.
Azerbaijan has its own land claims with Iran for starters and they are in dispute about rights to the Caspian oil reserves. Secondly they have historically sided with Armenia in the dispute, despite the religious link between them.
Thirdly the strength of the Armenian position is due to the mountainous terrain and the highly sophisticated S300 Air defence system and the training in which their servicemen received during soviet times.
And finally David you seem to ignore their social and military Alliance with Russia which has proven to be longstanding and they (Russia) have an established base in Armenian territory.
It seems to me you are also very one sided. I personally found the article very interesting.
by: Andrea Jackson from: USA
March 15, 2010 00:10
Reply
This article is a great article. And while Giragosian is an Armenian the truth speaks here. Look at the latest series of problems int he Azerbaijan’s Army. On the other hand, reports come out that the 11 years old son of Azerbaijan’s President buys 40 million dollar worth of property in Dubai while his father’s salary is less than half a million a year. How does this happen?
The authors are true, is there a military solution to a political problem? Hardly. If there was one, USSR would have won the war in Afghanistan long time ago.
In Response
by: To Andrea
March 15, 2010 09:51
Reply
Andrea, are you speaking about the truth in the article? for some reason, it says nothing about the mass desertion of hungry armenian soldiers across the front line. So many cases! Perhaps, due to the “high” morale in the Armenian army… hahaha
by: eddy
March 15, 2010 12:21
Reply
This not a hidden fact no longer! There are people in Baku ready to committee suicide
Azerbaijan is even training terro commandos to curry out act of sabotage and terror within Armenian, and create panic in Armenian in case of war.
We should not forget last year a bombe was placed near Armenian atomic complex- Terror groups which Azerbaijan is training today to use against Armenian should alarm other countries . Tomorrow, well trained terror groups from Azerbaijan will use there knowledge and experience against other countries (one should not forget terrorist and killers and other criminals from Afghanistan and else where, which were haired and paid by Azerbaijan to massacre Armenians in NK in the begining of 90´s). As I mentioned already Azerbaijan is testing the security of Armenian borders by sending special terror commandos to cross the border (and more)
NKR is a legal party to the current cease fire signed with Republic of Azerbaijan. NKR has ever right to launch a preventive war/operation against the criminal rulers in Baku and free the rest of “Azerbaijan “from rule of bandits, IN case NKR is convince that bandits in Baku are going to start a war against NKR in near future!
by: Barbarian from: Yerevan
March 15, 2010 12:43
Reply
The article simplifies the real situation. While not speaking about the bankrupt Armenian economy and the Armenian Cabinet of Ministers begging any instance for additional money, it too much focuses on problems in Azerbaijani army while ignoring the sustained problems in Armenian army, if there such an army indeed. I would rather call the Armenian army the shadow of the Russian army.
In any case, the shadow Russian army, oh sorry, the Armenian army, suffers from the similar problems of the Azerb army, but in a greater scale. The fact Armenian army positions are located in the mountainous areas doesn’t matter at all. Who told Armenians that the attack or the war will start from the front-line. Indeed Azerbaijani commandos are fully equipped and capable of starting the war and attack from the behind of the Armenian army. So guess, if your trenches will be of any help. They current front-line trenches strengthened by the armenian army will serve just as mass graves for unfortunate and hungry armenian soldiers.
The day when many armenian mothers will cry not so far. But the blame and full responsibility for the next battle fully lie on the armeinan nationalists and fundamentalists and those live and lived with the dream of big armenia.
Lis Fuller should not have fallen into the trap of the armenian journalist in developing this write-up.
by: Teymur Azeri
March 15, 2010 14:13
Reply
Yes, there is no long-term military solution to this conflict. Both sides have to work out a solution where long term peace is possible and rights of Azeri and Armenians are respected.
Separation of NK from Azerbaijan will be unjust if rights of Azeris who would return there are not guaranteed, respected and if they do not have real say in political process of Nagorno-Karabagh. Similarly, territorial integrity is not an absolute right if individual rights of Armenians in Azerbaijan are not respected. The solution must start from return of internal refugees to their homes, only then final political solution can follow.
I do find comments by some Armenian readers hypocritical. They support political solution only because Armenia has imposed military occupation on Azerbaijan. Had the reverse been true, they would advocate war.
On military side the Karabakh war was never one sided, In 1992 Azerbaijan army’s counteroffensive has taken back a good deal of occupied territory. As for the morale of Armenian side one should read an interesting article (in Russian) by N. Shahnazarian where she describes how Armenian civilian population was forced to stay in NK by Armenian militants at the gun point.
see
http://gusaba.ru/cntnt/festshrift/shahnazary.html
In April 23, 2010, The Armenian genocide museum opens a temporary exhibition titled “Armenian genocide: frontpage coverage”. The exhibition includes rare century old newspapers and magazines covering Armenian genocide on their frontpages.
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March 11, 2010 Today the delegation headed by President of OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Joao Soares visited Tsitsernakaberd …
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OUR DEAD HAVE NAMES
ASIA MINOR (as in 1920) – Select on the map the name of the city close to the birthplace of your ancestors. Rediscover the area where your parents and relatives were born and record the names of your family martyrs as an eternal remembrance. View Names of Martyrs, and speak with your relatives around the world.
Last martyr registered:FERNEZI
The Polish delegation visited Tsitsernakaberd
12.03.2010
Today the delegation of the Republic of Poland headed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk visited Tsitsernakaberd Memorial complex and laid a wreath at the monument of the Armenian genocide victims. Afterwards the Polish delegation took a tour in the Armenian Genocide Museum and Donald Tusk left a note in the Commemoration Book, where he noted “I bend down before all the victims of the Genocide. Poland lost millions of its citizens in the past century and thoroughly understands the Armenian’s grief”. Donald Tusk planted a fir at the Memorial Alley.
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The prominent filmmaker Emir Kusturitsa visited Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex
05.03.2010
Today the prominent filmmaker Emir Kusturitsa visited Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex. Filmmaker Emir Kusturitsa paid a tribute of respect to the victims of the Armenian genocide and put flowers at the memorial of the Armenian genocide. Afterwards Emir Kusturitsa planted a fir at the Memorial Alley. Emir Kusturitsa had a tour of the Armenian Genocide Museum, where he left a note in the Commemoration Book. Kusturitsa noted that “We became the victims of the same crime”. Emir Kusturitsa also interested in the first film about Armenian Genocide entitled “Ravished Armenia”, which demonstrates in the Museum.
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Vice-chairman of the Chamber of Deputies Vojtech Filip visited Tsisernakaberd
04.03.2010
The Czech parliament delegation headed by vice-chairman of the Chamber of Deputies Vojtech Filip visited Tsisernakaberd memorial complex and laid a wreath at the monument of the Armenian genocide victims. Afterwards the Czech delegation took a tour in the Armenian Genocide Museum and Vojtech Filip left a note in the Commemoration Book.
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The leader of the European People’s party Wilfried Martens visited Tsisernakaberd
04.03.2010
The delegation headed by the leader of the European People’s party Wilfried Martens visited Tsisernakaberd memorial complex and laid a wreath at the monument of the Armenian genocide victims. Afterwards the delegation took a tour in the Armenian Genocide Museum and Wilfried Martens left a note in the Commemoration Book.
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The presentation-discussion of the electronic version of the report of Jeffrey Robertson
03.03.2010
The presentation-discussion of the electronic version of the report of Jeffrey Robertson, entitled “Was there an Armenian genocide” took place in the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute’s hall after Komitas.
In 2007 the members of the Armenian community in London referred to a famous lawyer, an advisor of Queen, specialist in International legal issues relating to genocides Jeffrey Robertson, who presented his opinion in the separate report (2009, 3, November). Examining the documents of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Commonwealth, the famous lawyer reveals that the British Ministers, Parliament and people have been misguided for a long time and concludes “that the treatment of the Armenians in 1915 answers to the description of genocide”.
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Donation to the AGMI from AGBU Young Professionals of Los Angeles
25.12.2009
Every year the collection of the Armenian Genocide Museum is enriched with new and unique materials that greatly promote the research on Armenian Genocide and organization of museum exhibition. Those materials are mostly obtained with the support and donations of friends of the AGMI.
Donation made by “AGBU Young Professionals of Los Angeles” to the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute in 2009 enriched the museum collection with unique materials.
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Young Turks and Holocaust at Adana
11.12.2009
AGMI reprinted the little known book by Ferriman Duckett titled The Young Turks and the Truth about the Holocaust at Adana in Asia Minor during April 1909, which for the first time was published in London in 1913. The book is a valuable source on the Armenian massacres in Adana in 1909, which heralded upcoming genocide organized by Ottoman Turks. This book is a detailed account of the horrible massacres organized by Turkish authorities with the mass participation of the Turkish population of the Adana district.
The refference to the bloody and violent events was titled as Holocaust, since many victims were burned alive. The city of Adana and surrounding Armenian towns and villages also were set to fire.
In the introduction of the book Ferriman Duckett wrote:
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President of Latvia paid a tribute at Tsitsernakaberd
10.12.2009
President of the Republic of Latvia Valdis Zatlers and his spouse Mrs. Lilita Zatlers who are in Armenia by the invitation of the President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, visited Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex of the Armenian genocide. The Latvian delegation paid a tribute to the victims of the Armenian genocide and put flowers at the genocide memorial. The delegation took a tour of the Armenian Genocide Museum, where Mr. Zatlers left a note in the Commemoration book: “Human memory cannot be obliterated, as it remains forever and passes from generation to generation”. Afterwards the President of Latvia planted a fir at the Memorial alley.
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Wuali ad din Yakun vs. Recep Tayyip Erdogan
The reproach of a Muslim: A century old response to the modern statements
09.12.2009
Recently the Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan appeared with a statement saying that “A Muslim can never commit genocide”. It is more correct to say that even the Muslims condemned and protested against inhuman treatment of Armenians during the genocide. A vivid examples of such demarches could be the texts of the Persian writer Jamalzadeh, Arab lawyer Fayez al Ghusein and edicts of Mecca’s sheriff Hussein, and many others, who referred to horrible massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Turkey and expressed their anger, noting that the killing and violation of the innocent women and children are against the principles of Islam and Koran.
Horrible massacres of Armenians in Adana city in 1909 also created a protest among some Muslim and Turkish intellectuals. Among them was also Egyptian poet with Turkish origin, Wuali ad din Yakun, who published his little known protest letter in the Egyptian journal Moukhatan, on 16/29 April, 1909.
Those lines could be the best answer to the recent statements of the Prime Minister of Turkey.
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Ceremonial events dedicated to the 100th Anniversary of the Adana massacres in Antelias
30.10.2009
Two days conference dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Adana massacres was opened under the patriarchal sanctification and leadership of His Holiness Aram I on October 29, 2009 in the Catholicosate of Cilicia. The researchers from Lebanon, Syria, Armenia, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, France, Iran and other countries took part in this conference. The director of the Armenian Genocide Museum & Institute Hayk Demoyan also took part in it.
The first evening of the conference in the Catholicosate in Antelias also started the week “Dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Adana massacres”, which was symbolized with the opening of the new cross stone (khachkar) dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Adana massacres. After this ceremony the documentary photo exhibition consisting of nearly 60 photos presenting the massacres in Adana was opened. This exhibition has been organized with the assistance of the Armenian Genocide Museum & Institute, the Great House of the Cilicia and other archives.
An illustrated book published by AGMI
“Armenian Sport and Gymnastics in the Ottoman Empire”
13.10.2009
AGMI has published an illustrated book entitled “Armenian Sport and Gymnastics in the Ottoman Empire” (in Armenian, 220 pages) by Mr. HAYK DEMOYAN.
The history of sport and physical training among Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire is presented with more than five hundred photos.
The book refers to the activities of Armenian sport clubs established in Armenian populated cities of the Ottoman Empire, to the organization of Pan-Armenian Olympic Games, to the history of intensively developing athletic movement in Western Armenia and Cilicia, as well as refers to the sport unions of Armenian women, to sport competition and nationalism, to the establishment of Armenian scout movement. A separate chapter is dedicated to the Armenian sportsmen who fell victims to the Armenian Genocide.
The history of the development of Armenian sport and gymnastics in the Ottoman Empire takes its beginning from the end of 19th century, when the first athletic clubs and societies were established. Under the rule of the Sultan, being engaged in sports or athletics was strictly forbidden and those who broke this law were punished.
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UNFINISHED “NUREMBERG”
ON THE OCCASSION OF THE 90-th ANNIVERSARY OF THE TRIAL OF YOUNG TURKS
10.10.2009
After the 1918 Mudros armistice, in order to get rid of the disgraced government of the Young Turks and prevent the possible punitive actions by the victorious Allies, the newly-organized Ahmed Izzet Pasha government, decided to bring the leaders of the Young Turks and the members of the Committee of the Party of “Ittihat ve Terakki” before court for involving the Ottoman Empire in the war and organizing Armenian massacres.
According to the decisions of 16 December 1918, Enquiry Commissions were set up (General Chairman former Ankara Governer Mazhar Bey) for the purpose of collecting evidence such as encoded telegraphs, official writings, instructions, orders, as well as eye-witness accounts of the massacres of Armenians.
The provinces of the Ottoman Empire were divided into ten investigative districts; prosecutors, inquiring judges and secretaries were appointed for each district.
A number of ministers of the Young Turks’ Government, party leaders, regional secretaries, attorneys, governors, servicemen and other officials were arrested.
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AGMI received rare photos of Soghomon Tehlirian
08.10.2009
The photo collection of the Armenian Genocide museum-institute enriched with four exclusive photos of Soghomon Tehlirian, which kindly were donated by Levon A. Saryan, Ph.D. (Greenfield, Wisconsin, USA). All four represent family photos of Tehlirian.
Soghomon Tehlirian (1896–1960) was born in the village of Nerkin (Inner) Bagarij in Erzurum villayet of Western Armenia. He got his preliminary education in his birthplace and afterwards graduated in the Kedronakan (Central) college of Constantinople.
During the Armenian Genocide he witnessed the rape of his sisters and brutal killing of all his family members butchered by the Turkish gangs. During the death marches although he was injured and believed dead, he survived. Soghomon Tehlirian moved to Caucasus where he joined to the Armenian voluntary detachment of Andranik.
In 1921 Soghomon Tehlirian was involved in the assassination operations of the main organizers of the Armenian genocide called “Nemesis”. His main task became to hunt down and take revenge on Talaat pasha – the chief organizer of the Armenian genocide.
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Jean Jaurès – 150
(1859-1914)
07.10.2009
Jean Léon Jaurès (full name Auguste Marie Joseph Jean Léon Jaurès; 3 September 1859 – 31 July 1914) was a well-known French Socialist leader and Armenophil. Initially an Opportunist Republican, he evolved into one of the first social democrats, becoming the leader of the French Socialist Party in 1902.
In 1885 he was elected as a member of the French Parliament from Castres. During 1880s in the beginning of his political career he cooperated with the Republicans.
In 1904 with his efforts the “L’Humanite՛” was established.
For many times in his articles and public speeches Jean Jaurès severely criticized the suppressions and massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. In his November 3, 1896, February 22, March 15, 1897 speeches in the French parliament, he appeared with the condemnation of the Armenian massacres and the indifference of the Europe, particularly France towards the Armenian issue. In one of his speeches Jean Jaurès particularly mentioned:
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The Documents of the League of Nations Prove the Armenian Genocide
03.10.2009
The decision to create the League of Nations during Paris peace conference in 1919 was aimed to maintain peace and promote the spirit of cooperation among nations. The League of Nations started its activities on 10 January, 1920. According to the League Covenant the main organs of the organization were the Assembly, the Council and the Secretariat, headed by the Secretary-General.
From the very beginning Great Britain and France were playing the leading role in this organization. The headquarters of the League was in Geneva (Switzerland), where the assemblies were held. In 1939, after waging of World War II, the League of Nations stopped its activities being unable to fulfill its main goal and mission. Officially the League of Nations was dissolved in 1946, after the formation of the United Nations Organization.
For several times Armenian question was in agenda of the League of Nations. The Republic of Armenia, proclaimed in May 1918, applied to the League of Nations in May 1920 for full membership. After long discussions in regard to this application finally it was rejected. The US candidacy for the mandate of Armenia also was in agenda of the League of Nations.
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Famous rock stars at Tsitsernakaberd Memorial
02.10.2009
Ian Gillan, the lead singer and lyricist of “Deep Purple”, Tony Ayommy, “Black Sabbath” ‘s guitar player, Jeff Downs, the keyboard player of “Asia” rock group, as well as tennis-player, winner of 1987 Wimbledon male tournament Pet Kesh and “Rock Helps Armenia” project author and Australian “Do something” organization’s director John Din arrived in Yerevan on October 1, Thursday.
Today, world known rock stars visited Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex, paid a tribute of respect to the victims of the Armenian genocide and put flowers at the memorial of the Armenian genocide. The delegation took a guided tour in the Armenian Genocide Museum, where they left a note in the Commemoration Book.
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The Speaker of Belgian Senate paid a tribute at Tsitsernakaberd
02.10.2009
The delegation of the Belgian Parliament headed by the Speaker of the Belgian Senate Armand De Decker visited Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex. The Belgian delegation laid a wreath at Armenian Genocide monument and paid a tribute of respect to the victims of the Armenian genocide. Afterwards the Speaker of Belgian Senate took a tour in the Armenian Genocide Museum, where Mr. De Decker left a note in the Commemoration Book.
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POGHOS ARAPIAN – THE FATHER FOUNDER OF THE OTTOMAN PRINT MEDIA
26.09.2009
Poghos Arapian (Hovhannisyan) was born in 1742 in village Apudjekh near the city of Akn. During the reign of Sultan Selim III Poghos Arapian with his father moved to Constantinople where he was a hawker for a while, then he profoundly studied contemporary printing techniques from his father-printer Hovhannes Atsaturean. Gradually improving and supplementing Armenian fonts created by his father and developing his printing skills, Poghos Arapian also initiated the creation of lettering templates that became the basis of Georgian and Turkish printing.
In 1760s there were several printing houses in Constantinople that operated with interruptions and not completely. Each printing house had its own foundry, where the lead letter templates were moulded, but they weren’t sold because of strong competition. The printers did everything to prevent the expansion of Gutenberg’s invention and to hold their monopoly in that sphere.
In 1770s Poghos Arapian became so famous that in 1781 Georgian king Heracles II invited him to Tiflis. Here he initiated the creation of Georgian printed letters and established a printing house. After completing his work Arapian got 800 dahekan from Georgian king, a considerable sum for that time.
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THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE AND THE INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS
23.09.2009
Up until the middle of 19th century, there was no a neutral international humanitarian principle or organization to provide necessary treatment for those who were wounded on the battlefield during the war. In 1859 Swiss writer, public activist Henry Dunant witnessed the battle of Solferino and organized the provision of the relief assistance for wounded. In his book entitled “A Memory of Solferino” (“Un souvenir de Solferino”) which was published in 1862 he put forward the idea of the necessity of the formation of international voluntary relief organization to help wounded soldiers in the case of war. The international conference held in Geneva in 1863 paved the way for the establishment of international humanitarian law and the International Red Cross organization.
The International Red Cross consists of several distinct organizations: the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
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ARMENIANS IN THE OTTOMAN ARMY:
SERVICE AND DESTRUCTION
15.09.2009
The history of formation and development of Ottoman Empire is closely connected with the formation and development of its military system. The Ottoman Turks permanently were at invasive warfare, but at the beginning they did not have enough military strength being minority in the occupied areas. To use the military strength of their Christian subjects and to meet increasing needs of their troops, Sultans began to impose a special tax called devshirme – human tax. Moreover the so called penjek was imposed on war prisoners according to which one of each five from subject peoples had to be conscripted into the Ottoman army. The Ottoman rulers continually conscripted strong and healthy boys and teenagers who after being converted into Islam were sent to ajemi (inexperienced, unpracticed) troops, where they got military training and the strongest and battle-worthy ones were included in the yenicheri troops.
The yenicheri troops were created in 1361-1363 during the reign of Sultan Murad I and mainly were formed of Christians who were converted into Islam forcibly. Many generations of Armenian children were taken away from their native places to serve for the interests of the Ottoman state.
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Armenian genocide and fears of modern Turkey
25.08.2009
In occasion of the 70th anniversary of Molotov-Ribbentrop pact signed in August 23, 1939
At first blush, one may ask what is the relation between Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (where Poland was divided between Nazi Germany and Soviets, and Baltic states came under Soviet rule), and the Armenian-Turkish issue? Historical evidence clearly shows that the approbation of such agreements by Bolsheviks initially occurred 19 years before this Nazi and Bolshevik fatal Pact.
In the late 1920s, the secret agreements between Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey and Vladimir Lenin, Bolshevik and Kemalist troops, jointly launched military aggression against the Republic of Armenia. As a result of this war, Armenia was forced to sign humiliating agreements with both aggressors and as a result ceased to exist shortly afterwards. Eastern territories of the Republic of Armenia were annexed by Turkish troops and later were attached to the Republic of Turkey. The larger part of Armenia was Sovietized by Russia and became a part of the USSR in 1922.
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The president of Serbia visited Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex
28.07.2009
By the invitation of the president of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, the president of the Republic of Serbia, Boris Tadic arrived to Armenia on July 28 for a two day official visit.
In the framework of his official visits, the president of Serbia visited also Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex; laid a wreath at the monument to the victims of the Armenian Genocide. The Serbian delegation paid a tribute of respect to the victims of the Armenian genocide and put flowers at the memorial of the Armenian genocide. Then the president of Serbia planted a fir at the Memory Alley.
The delegation took a tour of the Armenian Genocide Museum, where Mr. Tadic left a note in the Commemoration Book.
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The history of the establishment of Armenian and Turkish Theaters in the Ottoman Empire
07.07.2009
Historic evidence shows the establishment and the first 50 years of the development of the Turkish theater are strongly connected with the activity of Ottoman Armenians. The proof is that Armenians and Greeks were the first to bring any innovations from Europe to the Ottoman Empire. The 1850s are considered for Ottoman Armenians as the period of cultural revival. Armenian schools, publishing and media, sciences and literatures all experienced an awakening following the innovation and modernization in the important centers of the Armenian culture, such as Constantinople and Smyrna.
At the same time, numerous young Armenians graduated from the famous European universities. They imported many new ideas and innovations from Europe. Among these innovations, was theater; Armenian welcomed it with great enthusiasm, especially by Armenians from Constantinople.
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The president of Cyprus visited Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex
07.07.2009
At the invitation of the president of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, the president of the Republic of Cyprus Dimitris Christofias, accompanied by his spouse Mrs. Elsi Christofias, arrived to Armenia on July 6 on a two day state visit.
Mr. Dimitris Christofias, accompanied by the high-ranking officials of RA and Cyprus visited to the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex. The Cyprian delegation paid a tribute of respect to the victims of the Armenian genocide and put flowers at the memorial of the Armenian genocide. Then the president of Cyprus planted a fir at the Memory Alley. The delegation took a tour of the Armenian Genocide Museum, where Mr. Christofias left a note in the Commemoration Book: “The condemnation of the Armenian genocide is a duty of the modern world as a whole. Cyprus was and will always be alongside with Armenia in the struggle for the recognition of the Genocide committed by the Young Turks against the Armenian genocide”.
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Apostle Bartholomew’s burial site still is a restricted area
02.07.2009
Armenian Apostolic church was founded by two Apostle’s St. Bartholomew and St. Thaddeus, who where martyred during their mission in the southern regions of historical Armenia in the first century A. D. The St. Thaddeus’s shrine is currently on the Iranian territory and the Armenian monastery St. Thaddeus built over it is currently a popular pilgrimage place for Christians and Moslems. The government of Iran gives importance to the preservation of country’s Christian heritage and the Armenian Monastic ensembles is added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
The monastery of St. Bartholomew (now in the South-East of Turkey) was built in the 4th century at the site of the martyrdom of the Apostle Bartholomew. The burial site of the Apostle Bartholomew was inside of the Cathedral, which was the important pilgrimage place for Armenians before the genocide.
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Antony Krafft-Bonnard – 140
(1869-1945)
02.07.2009
Krafft-Bonar was born in a family of a pharmacist in city Aigle, canton Vaud, Switzerland, in June 15, 1869. He graduated from school in Laussane, in 1888, and then he studied theology in Lozano, Berlin, Paris till 1893. From 1893 to 1919 he was spiritual director (clergyman) in different settlements of Switzerland. Later he left the church and completely devoted himself to the Armenian question and the solution of number of problems of Armenian genocide survivors. He got married in 1894, had 4 children – 3 daughters and a son, who also joined to activities of Armenophiles, as their father.
Krafft-Bonnard started his Armenophile activities from 1896, when he had a speech on horrifying consequences of Hamidian massacres in village Begnin, Switzerland, where he was pastor. Impressed with the stunning appeal of Krafft-Bonnard several Swiss families expressed willingness to adopt Armenian children who became orphans after Armenian massacres in the Ottoman Empire. Soon with the efforts of Bonnard an institute was found in village Begnin called “Armenian hearth”, the aim of which was to shelter and take care of hundreds of Armenian refugees in Switzerland. Cooperating with George Cote, the founder of Armenophile activities in Switzerland, Krafft-Bonar was actively engaged in works of organization “Swiss society of migration and patronage of Armenian orphans” and became its president from 1896.
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Mikheil Saakashvili visited Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex
25.06.2009
The president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili, who arrived to Yerevan with an official visit, accompanied by the high-ranking officials of RA and Georgia, visited to the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex. The Georgian delegation paid a tribute of respect to the victims of the Armenian genocide and put flowers at the memorial of the Armenian genocide.
After the entire president Saakashvili watered the fir planted by him at the Memory Alley several years ago during his visit to Armenia.
Online exhibition
Armenian Genocide: front-page coverage
23.06.2009
Armenian genocide has always been in the spotlight of Armenian as well as foreign media. The role of global media coverage is vital in the sense that it touches upon numerous issues concerning Armenian genocide. Especially notable are English, Russian, French and American coverage and publications on issues pertaining Hamidian massacres, Adana atrocities and of course, the Genocide of 1915-1922.
Publications with particular photos are predominantly remarkable for they convey valuable information about genocide as a phenomenon, its process and consequences. Foreign media publications condemning the violence of Ottoman power against Armenians serve as an indirect evidence of the fact that the Turkish atrocities were indeed genocide committed against Armenians.
The online exhibition on front-page coverage of the Armenian genocide by the foreign media is presented first time. The coverage of the issue began appearing in the beginning of the 19th century and continues finding its place in the modern day media publications.
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The young historians from the CIS in AGMI
18.06.2009
The 4th International Summer School of the young historians from the CIS countries on the theme of “History of Daily Routine in the Study of History in the CIS Countries” is held in Yerevan from 15-21 June.
On June 18 the participants of the Summer School arriving to Yerevan from RF, Moldova, Belarus, Ukraine, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, etc. visited the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex. Young historians put flowers at the memorial of the Armenian Genocide; took a tour in the Armenian Genocide Museum.
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Foreign Minister of Estonia paid a tribute of respect
11.06.2009
The Foreign Minister of Estonia Urmas Paet paid a working visit to Armenia. The delegation headed by the minister Mr. Paet visited the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex. The guests from Estonia paid a tribute of respect to the victims of the Armenian genocide and put flowers at the memorial of the Armenian genocide.
The director of the Armenian Genocide Museum – Institute, Dr. Hayk Demoyan told the details of the story of the Armenian Genocide.
The President of Croatia visited Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex
22.05.2009
On the invitation of Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan today the President of Croatia Stjepan Mesic paid an official visit to Armenia. Mr. Mesic accompanied by the Minister of Justice of RA, the Mayor of Yerevan and the director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, visited the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex.
The president of Croatia, who is the first time in Armenia, put a wreath at the memorial of the Armenian Genocide; took a tour in the Armenian Genocide Museum. The director of the Museum Mr. Hayk Demoyan represented the story of Armenian Genocide to the president of Croatia.
At the end S.Mesic left a note in the museum’s Commemoration Book: “I bend down before all the victims of human violence”.
Greek community pays tribute of respect
19.05.2009
The Greek community of Armenia leaded by Greek ambassador to RA Ionise Carintios visited the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex and put flowers at the memorial of the Armenian Genocide victims on 19th of May, on the anniversary of the genocide of Greek in Pontus.
During the atrocities committed by Turks against 700 thousand Greeks in Pontus from 1916 to 1923 approximately 353 thousand fell victims, the other part took refuge in Greece, Armenia and other countries. According to the words of I.Carintios nobody has the right to forget such a crime. “Unless Turkey doesn’t accept its crime, we must do our best to get the civil society informed about it”,- he said.
Lecture series by Prof. Vahakn Dadrian in AGMI
08.05.2009
On May 5, 6 and 7 AGMI organized series of public lectures with the participation of the famous Armenian-American historian, professor of sociology and leading expert in the Armenian Genocide studies, Prof. Vahakn Dadrian.
The main goal of the AGMI public lectures is to inform the broad audience about the scientific opinions and new researches in the sphere of the genocide studies.
In his presentations Professor Dadrian touched upon following topics:
“Unfinished “Nuremberg”: Young Turk criminals in the Republican Turkey’s political elite”. Prof. Dadrian thoroughly touched upon the issue of the engagement of Ottoman military and civil officials in committing of massacres, stressing on the issue of the connection of the Armenian Genocide and the creation of Kemalist military-political establishment in the early period of Republican Turkey.
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The First Lady of RF visited Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex
05.05.2009
The First Lady of the Russian Federation, Svetlana Medvedeva, arrived in Yerevan at the invitation of the First Lady of Armenia, Rita Sargsyan.
Rita Sargsyan and Svetlana Medvedeva visited the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex and put flowers at the memorial of the Armenian Genocide victims. The First Ladies took a tour of the Armenian Genocide Museum afterwards, where the First Lady of RF left a note in the museum’s Commemoration Book, next the note of President of RF D. Medvedev: “Were are mourning together. The horrifying pages of history make us think about the eternity. I whish the best to the staff of the museum-institute, and the prosperity and peace for all Armenians.”
A liturgy for the victims of the Armenian Genocide
24.04.2009
Today is the day of commemoration of innocent victims of the Armenian Genocide. This year marks the 90th anniversary of April 24 as a day of commemoration. A special committee was formed in Constantinople, in March 1919, by a group of Ottoman Armenian intellectuals who survived the Armenian Genocide. The main goal of this committee was the organization of commemoration ceremonies dedicated to the 4th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Due to the efforts of these people the memory of the victims of Armenian Genocide was commemorated among the Armenians of Constantinople for the first time in 1919. Since the first commemoration of the Armenian Genocide victims in Istanbul, April 24 officially was adopted as “Day of Mourning and Commemoration”. And up to now every year since early morning hundred of thousands of Armenians from Armenia and its vast Diaspora have been marching to Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex, Yerevan to remember all who perished 94 years ago during the Armenian Genocide.
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THE RELENTLESS MEMORY OF AMERICA & THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
18.04.2009
The current turmoil within Turkey’s politics renders this an excellent opportunity to ask whether the recognition of the Armenian genocide at the hands of Ottoman government is important simply for the sake of establishing historical justice or proving a series of events that establish historical facts. Neither US House of Representatives nor Senate should believe any harm could befall the US-Turkish strategic partnership or even escalate Armenian-Turkish relations to a much-anticipated detente in the future. The very problem lies within the representation and interpretation of the issue. Wrong assumptions often result in wrong perceptions. And in this world, perception is reality.
But being of sound mind and in order for us not to get caught up in trivial assumption and perceptions we should stop and find out who actually benefits from the recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide? The answer is a surprising one: The American people and their memory. Unfortunately, the topic of the Armenian Genocide and its consequences are not taught in most US public schools and Universities. Nevertheless, every American citizen should know that his or her country became a champion in world history. Americans provided humanitarian assistance and very necessary food aide for all those suffering Christians: i.e., Assyrians, Greeks and most of all Armenians who suffered the ravages of WWI and the genocidal policies of the Turkish government.
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“Armenian Golgotha”: a story based
on the memories of an eyewitness of the Armenian Genocide
17.04.2009
The other day was republished “Armenian Golgotha” by Grigoris Balakian, translated by Peter Balakian with Aris Sevag. “Armenian Golgotha” is the most dramatic and comprehensive eyewitness account of the first genocide of XX century.
The book was originally published in Armenian in two volumes as Armenian Golgotha: Episodes from the Armenian Martyrology from Berlin to Zor, 1914-1920 (Vienna: Mekhitarist Press, 1922) and Armenian Golgotha, Volume 2: Episodes from the Armenian Martyrology from Berlin to Der Zor (Paris: Imprimerie Araxes, 1959.)
On April 24, 1915, the priest Grigoris Balakian was arrested along with some 250 other intellectuals and leaders of Constantinople’s Armenian community. Is was the beginning of the Ottoman Turkish government’s systematic attempt to eliminate the Armenian people from Turkey; it was a campaign the continued through World War I and the fall of the Ottoman Empire, by which time more than a million Armenians had been annihilated and expunged from their historic homeland. For Grigoris Balakian, himself condemned, it was also the beginning of a four-year ordeal during which he would bear witness to a seemingly endless caravan of blood.
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ADANA MASSACRES 1909: UNKNOWN SCENES OF THE TRAGEDY
15.04.2009
The Adana Massacre was the second series of large-scale massacres of Armenians to break out in the Ottoman Empire. The atrocities committed in the province of Adana in April 1909 coincided with the counter-revolution staged by supporters of Sultan Abdul Hamid (Abdul-Hamid) II (1876-1909) who had been forced to restore the Ottoman Constitution as a result of the 1908 Young Turk Revolution led by the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP). A prosperous region on the Mediterranean coast encompassing the old principality of Cilicia, once an independent Armenian state between the eleventh and fourteenth centuries, the province of Adana had been spared the 1890s massacres. The disturbances were most severe in the city of Adana where a reported 4,437 Armenian dwellings were torched, resulting in the razing of nearly half the town and prompting some to describe the resulting inferno as a “holocaust.” The outbreaks spread throughout the district and an estimated 30,000 Armenians were reported killed. While attempts at resistance in Adana proved futile, and Armenians in smaller outlying villages were brutally slaughtered, two towns inhabited mostly by Armenians organized a successful defense. Hadjin (Hajen in Armenian) in the Cilician Mountains withstood a siege, while the 10,000 Armenians of Dortyol (Chorkmarzban in Armenian) held off 7,000 Turks who had surrounded their town and cut off its water supply.
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European officials paid a tribute of respect
07.04.2009
The delegation headed by the Co-chairperson of the EU-Armenia parliamentary cooperation commission Marie Ann Izler Beginn, visited the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex and put flowers at the memorial of the Armenian Genocide victims. Then the guests took a tour in the Armenian Genocide Museum, where Hayk Demoyan, director of the AGMI, introduced them the history of the Armenian Genocide.
The guests touched upon Armenian-Turkish relations, history of the Armenian Genocide and issue of importance of the prevention of genocides. At the end of the tour questions and answers followed.
At the Origins of Commemoration:
The 90th Anniversary Declaring April 24 as a Day of Mourning and
Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide
31.03.2009
2009 marks the 90th anniversary of April 24 as a day of commemoration. Here is the history of this important event:
A special committee was formed in Constantinople, in March 1919, by a group of Ottoman Armenian intellectuals who survived the Armenian Genocide. The main goal of this committee was the organization of commemoration ceremonies dedicated to the 4th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The committee, known as “The April 11th Board of Ceremonial Mourning” consisted of 13 members including Yevphime Avetisian, Zaruhi Galamkarian, Mari Stambulian, Perchuhi Parsamian, Miss Arpiar, Tigran Zaven, Merujan Parsamyan, Hakob Siruni, Gevorg Mesrop, Tagvor Suqiasian, Dr. Barsegh Tinanian, Shahan Perperian and Hovhannes Poghosian. Due to the efforts of these people the memory of the victims of Armenian Genocide was commemorated among the Armenians of Constantinople for the first time in 1919. Armenian writer, publicist and public figure Hakob Siruni wrote in his memoirs: “The mourning ceremony became a tradition. Since then, the 24th of April was adopted as a symbol of mourning.”
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Genocide Scholars Urge Obama to recognize Armenian Genocide
21.03.2009
WASHINGTON (A.W.) – Earlier this month, the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) sent a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to recognize the Armenian Genocide.
The letter, signed by IAGS president Gregory Stanton, read:
“Dear President Obama:
We write this open letter to you as the leading international organization of scholars who study genocide. As April approaches, we urge you to “refer to the mass slaughter of Armenians as genocide in your commemorative statement,” as you urged President George W. Bush to do in a letter dated March 18, 2005.
On January 19, 2008 you voiced your conviction “that the Armenian Genocide is not an allegation, a personal opinion, or a point of view, but rather a widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical evidence.” We hope that you will be able to affirm that conviction this April.
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“Auction of Souls”: the first genocide movie ever made
26.02.2009
On the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the “Ravished Armenia”, the AGMI has issued a memorial postcard and has created an on-line exhibition at official web-site of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute.
“Ravished Armenia”, one of the first documentary memoirs of an eyewitness of Armenian Genocide was published in 1918, in New York. In this book Arshaluys (Aurora) Mardiganian, a girl from Chmshkatsag, Armenian populated town in the Ottoman Empire, gave a detailed account of the terrible experiences she endured during the deportations. At the age of fourteen Arshaluys was beaten and tortured in harems of Turkish officials and Kurdish tribesmen.
The book “Ravished Armenia” was completed when American Committee for Armenian and Syrian Relief offered to create a film based on the scenario of the book and all the profit, which later on reached $30 million, would be given to 60.000 Armenian orphans in the Near East for relief purposes. In 1918, at Metro Goldwin Mayer studio, director Oscar Apfel made “Auction of Souls” silent film, which actually became not only the first movie on the Armenian genocide, but also the first genocide movie ever made. More than 10.000 Armenian residents of Southern California, including 200 deported children, participated in the scenes.
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The Foreign Minister of Georgia Grigol Vashadze visited Tsisernakaberd Memorial Complex
21.02.2009
The Foreign Minister of Georgia Grigol Vashadze visited the Tsisernakaberd Memorial Complex and put flowers at the memorial of the Armenian Genocide victims. The Foreign Minister of Georgia and his delegation take a tour of the Armenian Genocide Museum, where Mr. Vashadze left a note in the museum’s Commemoration Book: “It’s a very regrettable that the peoples couldn’t learn lessons from the history till now”.
Official Website Of The Armenian Genocide Museum & Institute (AGMI) Wins Grand Prix in Pan-Armenian Website Competition
17.01.2009
Yerevan, Armenia–The Third annual Pan-Armenian website competition took place in Yerevan from November 15th- December 25th, 2009. The current competition was devoted to the 500th anniversary of Armenian printing. Exactly 377 entries were submitted for competition.
The official website of the Armenian Genocide Museum & Institute (AGMI) www.genocide-museum.am received the Grand Prix. AGMI also was nominated as a winner in the “E-Science” category. This achievement grants the AGMI website to take part in the World competition of websites.
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New revealed Italian documents on the Armenian genocide
23.12.2008
The Armenian Genocide Museum – Institute has published diplomatic documents of the Historical-diplomatic archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy on the Armenian Question 1913-1923 from the series of “Armenian Genocide: diplomatic documents” being published by AGMI.
The only Great Power of those times is Italy in which’s archives preserved documents on the Armenian question and the Armenian Genocide till the last times were almost unknown to the Armenian society. At the beginning of 2005 by the intercession of the Embassy of Armenia in Italy, we’ve got permission for researching these documents in the Historical Diplomatic Archive of the Ministry of foreign affairs of Italy.
The researches showed that the documents concerning to the Armenian people are deposited under the name Armenia. This fact is very interesting, as we see that the territory on which were living Armenians in the Ottoman Empire was comprehended as Armenia.
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Director of the AGMI met with the Armenian community in Paris
19.12.2008
Paris, France–On December 18th, 2009, Dr. Hayk Demoyan, the Director of Armenian Genocide Museum & Institute at Alex Manukyan Cultural Center lecturing on the current developments in the Armenian-Turkish relations, focusing on a new dynamics and challenges.
During the meeting, Dr. Demoyan touched upon the new progress being made within Armenian-Turkish relations today, the aims of Armenian side, the new conceptual approaches to the focal issues of genocide recognition, as well as the necessity to develop a general Armenian approach. He also briefed about the present activities and future plans of the AGMI.
The representatives of Armenian organizations and the Paris Armenian community were present at the event. Dr. Demoyan also engaged the audience in a brief question and answer session at the end of the discussion.
“Prior to the Auction of Souls”
A graphical novel about a survivor of the Armenian Genocide
10.12.2008
On December 10, the presentation of the graphical novel “Prior to the Auction of Souls” novel by Tigran Mangasaryan, sponsored by Sossi Ghazarian took place in the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute’s hall named after Komitas. The book is written on the basis of the eyewitness of Armenian genocide Aurora Mardiganyan’s memoirs titled as “Ravished Armenia”, which was first published in 1918 in New York in English. In one of the first documentary memoirs of the eyewitness of Armenian genocide, the author, survivor of the Genocide Arshaluys (Aurora) Mardiganyan from Chmshkatsag gave a detailed account of the terrible experiences she endured during the genocide.
In 1918 in California, at “Metro Goldwin Mayer” studio, director Oscar Apfel made a silent film “Auction of Souls”, which actually became the first genocide movie, based on Aurora Mardiganyan’s memoirs. The premiere of the “Auction of Souls” was held on February 16, 1919, in Plaza Hotel, New York under the auspices of Oliver Harriman and George Vanderbilt, members of American Committee for Armenian and Syrian Relief.
Tigran Mangasaryan’s graphical novel was published in connection with the 90th anniversary of the shooting of “Auction of Souls”.
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“A people in Exile”
AGMI has released a new book on the Armenian Genocide
05.12.2008
AGMI published memories of Swedish missionary Alma Johansson, eyewitness of the Armenian Genocide, with the Armenian, English and Russian texts in one volume.
Swedish missionary Alma Johansson was born in 1880. In 1901, as an activist of Swedish women missionary movement she left for Western Armenia to provide humanitarian assistance to Armenians who suffered Hamidian massacres. In 1910-1915 Johansson was in the city of Mush where she was involved in care of Armenian orphans in the orphanage of German Deutscher Hulfsbund missionary organization.
From 1923 to 1941 Johansson was involved in relief work in Salonika, helping Armenian refugees sheltered in Greece. With the efforts of Johansson a manufacture was founded in Salonika.
Alma Johansson was an eyewitness of the Armenian Genocide; her eyewitness testimonies were published in two small volumes in Swedish – “A People in Exile” (1930) and “The Life of Refugees” (1931).
Both in these volumes and her reports to German and American diplomats Johansson testifies about the massacre and deportation of Armenians committed by Turkish authorities of the Ottoman Empire and the poor condition of refugees who survived the massacres.
Damon Wilson, vice president and director of the Atlantic Council Program on International Security, was interviewed by Leyla Tagiyeva of Azerbaijani news site News.Az about U.S.-Turkey relations in the context of NATO and its role in the Caucasus region.
Click here for the article “NATO ‘open to closer partnership with Azerbaijan”
The full text of the interview appears below
The Armenian diaspora creates many problems in US-Turkey cooperation, which can be seen by the decision of the House of Representatives’ Foreign Relations Committee to recognize as ‘genocide’ the killings of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey. Is the US able to withstand this pressure in cooperation with strategic partners such as Turkey?
US-Turkish cooperation is premised on common interests and shared values within the context of the NATO alliance. This means that while there can be ups and downs in the relationship, the strategic partnership is enduring and can withstand these political tensions.
May Turkey withdraw permission for the Incirlik air base after the decision of the US House committee?
Turkey is a sovereign nation and therefore has the right to determine whether and how US forces can operate on Turkish soil. As Turkey’s democratic ally, the US respects its decision-making. It is important to point out that Turkey’s interests are also served by the US presence at Incirlik.
May Turkey become closer to the Muslim world after the political problems with the US and Israel?
Turkey’s population is predominantly Muslim and therefore it is only natural that Turkey should seek to develop strong ties to the Muslim world. But this can be achieved without sacrificing its relations with the United States, or even Israel.
Turkey is an active member of NATO and a strategic ally of Azerbaijan. The Turkish authorities always say that they would be happy to see Azerbaijan in NATO. Is this realistic in the near future?
It is up to Baku to determine the nature of the relationship it seeks with NATO. The alliance remains open to closer partnership with Azerbaijan, and I encourage stronger ties.
Turkey has been playing a very active role on the Karabakh settlement between Azerbaijan and Armenia. There is even a Turkish initiative to establish a Stability and Cooperation Platform in the Caucasus. What kind of role can NATO play in the region, if one is possible after the war between Russia and Georgia?
NATO can be a stabilizing presence in the region through its members and its partners. Key to regional stability is the sovereignty of each nation in the region. Each state should be able to make decisions about its own future and the relations it seeks with other states and organizations. Stability will not result from recognizing a Russian sphere of privileged interests in the region.
Russia’s recognition of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia complicated the ethnic situation in the entire Caucasus by creating favorable conditions for the exacerbation of ethnic self-consciousness among many groups and for the manipulation of some of these groups by various countries both in the region and beyond.
The activities of the Circassians who hope to unite the members of their ethnos into a single republic have attracted a great deal of attention, but developments in Samtskhe-Javakhetia, a Georgian region populated largely by ethnic Armenians have not, although for many reasons, what is going on there may have even greater immediate consequences.
At the start of this year, the Georgian authorities – as they have in the past sought to prevent the situation in Samtskhe-Javakhetia from getting out of hand – arrested several activists, who Armenians said are completely “innocent.” But almost at the same moment this exchange occurred, an unusual declaration by Dashgyn Gulmammadov, the president of the National Assembly of Azerbaijanis of Georgia, was released.
That declaration [1] called for Georgia to be transformed into a confederation of Georgians, Abkhazians and Ossetians. But despite its Azerbaijani origin, it did not call for ethnic Azerbaijanis to gain autonomy, limiting itself to the demand that in this new state, Azerbaijani should be one of the state languages. A similar idea surfaced during the Russian-Georgian war of last August. At that time, its authors were citizens of the Russian Federation and an ethnic Azerbaijani from Iran now living in Sweden.
And this declaration, by a strange coincidence appearing at the time of the Javakhetia events but one not strange at all if these groups are being manipulated by Moscow and Yerevan, also called for giving the ethnic minorities of Azerbaijan, in particular the Talysh, Avars and Lazgis, similar rights. By putting out such statements, those who issue them and even more the people who are orchestrating this hope to weaken and fragment Georgia and Azerbaijan and to limit the options of both Tbilisi and Baku.
Confirmation of this is provided by the following: During the most recent arrests in Samtskhe-Javakhetia, Armenian commentators hurried to accuse Azerbaijan of being behind events there. In this way, Yerevan sought to take steps to give it greater freedom of action in the future. First of all, since Javakhetia organizations, in the opinion of Georgian experts, are directed by the Armenian special services and Russia, then the shift in rhetoric toward Georgia regarding its citizens of Azerbaijani nationality beyond any doubt indicates who compiled the “Azerbaijani” declaration.
Moscow is interested in the further dismemberment of Georgia and consequently views the efforts of the Javakhetia Armenians as a completely logical next step. Azerbaijanis, on the other hand and as Georgians recognize, do not have separatist ambitions and remain loyal to the Georgian government. Changing that by a few declarations of the type cited above won’t shift them from that.
Consequently, it should be obvious that claims to the contrary are simply intended to provide cover for Armenian plans. Equally indicative of what is going on is that the exacerbating of the ethnic situation in Georgia has slowed the process of the return of Meskhetian Turks to their historical lands in Samtskhe-Javakhetia, a return that Armenians of that region oppose.
And the sponsors of this exploitation of ethnic minority aspirations have promoted their ideas via scholarly conferences about these communities, propaganda about the dangers of Pan-Turanism and the assimilation of peoples living in Azerbaijan, and the creation of websites which speak out in defense of the rights of ethnic communities living there, to name just a few. Lazgis, Udins, Tats, Jews, and Kurds who alongside Azerbaijanis and Turks at the beginning of the 20th century were killed by the thousand by Dashnaks have suddenly been transformed into the brothers of the Armenians. Indeed, Armenian websites are ready to post materials about the interrelationships of the indigenous peoples of Azerbaijan with the power structure which exists in this republic and about the means of expanding relations between them and the Armenian people. [2]
The latest and especially gratuitous example of this involves the dissemination by the Armenian information agency Panarmenian.net of reports about “Jewish pogroms” in Sumgait this month, events which someone at the agency or somewhere else invented out of whole cloth. There were no such “pogroms.” But reports that they were, however false, may help the Armenian lobby in the United States to push through a Congressional resolution about the Armenian genocide. And it is possible that they were directed at complicating relations between Israel and Turkey.
Armenia, even as it remains in occupation of Azerbaijani territory, has always sought to convince the world that the rights of ethnic minorities are not protected in Azerbaijan and consequently that it would be unthinkable to return the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh to a position in which they would be threatened by discrimination and destruction. The ethnic minorities of Azerbaijan and “the defense of their rights” thus remain under the constant control of political operatives in Armenia.
Unfortunately, this effort is often supplemented by the dispatch of Islamic groups and even criminal elements into Azerbaijan where they pose as “defenders” of the interests of ethnic Daghestanis. Indeed, the appearance in Daghestan of the youth movement Anti-Turan, the goal of which is the struggle with the spread of Turkish throughout the Caucasus, is a measure of the lengths Armenia and its Russian backers are prepared to go to promote anti-Azerbaijani attitudes. [3]
Notes
[1] Regnum (2009), ‘Настало время добиваться своих национальных целей: президент Национальной ассамблеи азербайджанцев Грузии’, January 30, available at (accessed February 12, 2009).
[2] E.g. explore .
[3] Khabal.info (2009) ‘Заявление молодежного патриотического движения “Анти-Туран”’, January 18, available at (accessed February 12, 2009).
Azerbaijani Defense Minister Safar Abiyev, 2004
Today the delegation of the Republic of Poland headed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk visited Tsitsernakaberd Memorial complex and laid a wreath at the monument of the Armenian genocide victims. Afterwards the Polish delegation took a tour in the Armenian Genocide Museum and Donald Tusk left a note in the Commemoration Book, where he noted “I bend down before all the victims of the Genocide. Poland lost millions of its citizens in the past century and thoroughly understands the Armenian’s grief”. Donald Tusk planted a fir at the Memorial Alley.
Today the prominent filmmaker Emir Kusturitsa visited Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex. Filmmaker Emir Kusturitsa paid a tribute of respect to the victims of the Armenian genocide and put flowers at the memorial of the Armenian genocide. Afterwards Emir Kusturitsa planted a fir at the Memorial Alley. Emir Kusturitsa had a tour of the Armenian Genocide Museum, where he left a note in the Commemoration Book. Kusturitsa noted that “We became the victims of the same crime”. Emir Kusturitsa also interested in the first film about Armenian Genocide entitled “Ravished Armenia”, which demonstrates in the Museum.
The Czech parliament delegation headed by vice-chairman of the Chamber of Deputies Vojtech Filip visited Tsisernakaberd memorial complex and laid a wreath at the monument of the Armenian genocide victims. Afterwards the Czech delegation took a tour in the Armenian Genocide Museum and Vojtech Filip left a note in the Commemoration Book.
The delegation headed by the leader of the European People’s party Wilfried Martens visited Tsisernakaberd memorial complex and laid a wreath at the monument of the Armenian genocide victims. Afterwards the delegation took a tour in the Armenian Genocide Museum and Wilfried Martens left a note in the Commemoration Book.
The presentation-discussion of the electronic version of the report of Jeffrey Robertson, entitled “Was there an Armenian genocide” took place in the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute’s hall after Komitas.
Every year the collection of the Armenian Genocide Museum is enriched with new and unique materials that greatly promote the research on Armenian Genocide and organization of museum exhibition. Those materials are mostly obtained with the support and donations of friends of the AGMI.
AGMI reprinted the little known book by Ferriman Duckett titled The Young Turks and the Truth about the Holocaust at Adana in Asia Minor during April 1909, which for the first time was published in London in 1913. The book is a valuable source on the Armenian massacres in Adana in 1909, which heralded upcoming genocide organized by Ottoman Turks. This book is a detailed account of the horrible massacres organized by Turkish authorities with the mass participation of the Turkish population of the Adana district.
President of the Republic of Latvia Valdis Zatlers and his spouse Mrs. Lilita Zatlers who are in Armenia by the invitation of the President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, visited Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex of the Armenian genocide. The Latvian delegation paid a tribute to the victims of the Armenian genocide and put flowers at the genocide memorial. The delegation took a tour of the Armenian Genocide Museum, where Mr. Zatlers left a note in the Commemoration book: “Human memory cannot be obliterated, as it remains forever and passes from generation to generation”. Afterwards the President of Latvia planted a fir at the Memorial alley.
Recently the Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan appeared with a statement saying that “A Muslim can never commit genocide”. It is more correct to say that even the Muslims condemned and protested against inhuman treatment of Armenians during the genocide. A vivid examples of such demarches could be the texts of the Persian writer Jamalzadeh, Arab lawyer Fayez al Ghusein and edicts of Mecca’s sheriff Hussein, and many others, who referred to horrible massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Turkey and expressed their anger, noting that the killing and violation of the innocent women and children are against the principles of Islam and Koran.
Two days conference dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Adana massacres was opened under the patriarchal sanctification and leadership of His Holiness Aram I on October 29, 2009 in the Catholicosate of Cilicia. The researchers from Lebanon, Syria, Armenia, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, France, Iran and other countries took part in this conference. The director of the Armenian Genocide Museum & Institute Hayk Demoyan also took part in it.
AGMI has published an illustrated book entitled “Armenian Sport and Gymnastics in the Ottoman Empire” (in Armenian, 220 pages) by Mr. HAYK DEMOYAN.
After the 1918 Mudros armistice, in order to get rid of the disgraced government of the Young Turks and prevent the possible punitive actions by the victorious Allies, the newly-organized Ahmed Izzet Pasha government, decided to bring the leaders of the Young Turks and the members of the Committee of the Party of “Ittihat ve Terakki” before court for involving the Ottoman Empire in the war and organizing Armenian massacres.
The photo collection of the Armenian Genocide museum-institute enriched with four exclusive photos of Soghomon Tehlirian, which kindly were donated by Levon A. Saryan, Ph.D. (Greenfield, Wisconsin, USA). All four represent family photos of Tehlirian.
Jean Léon Jaurès (full name Auguste Marie Joseph Jean Léon Jaurès; 3 September 1859 – 31 July 1914) was a well-known French Socialist leader and Armenophil. Initially an Opportunist Republican, he evolved into one of the first social democrats, becoming the leader of the French Socialist Party in 1902.
The decision to create the League of Nations during Paris peace conference in 1919 was aimed to maintain peace and promote the spirit of cooperation among nations. The League of Nations started its activities on 10 January, 1920. According to the League Covenant the main organs of the organization were the Assembly, the Council and the Secretariat, headed by the Secretary-General.
Poghos Arapian (Hovhannisyan) was born in 1742 in village Apudjekh near the city of Akn. During the reign of Sultan Selim III Poghos Arapian with his father moved to Constantinople where he was a hawker for a while, then he profoundly studied contemporary printing techniques from his father-printer Hovhannes Atsaturean. Gradually improving and supplementing Armenian fonts created by his father and developing his printing skills, Poghos Arapian also initiated the creation of lettering templates that became the basis of Georgian and Turkish printing.
Up until the middle of 19th century, there was no a neutral international humanitarian principle or organization to provide necessary treatment for those who were wounded on the battlefield during the war. In 1859 Swiss writer, public activist Henry Dunant witnessed the battle of Solferino and organized the provision of the relief assistance for wounded. In his book entitled “A Memory of Solferino” (“Un souvenir de Solferino”) which was published in 1862 he put forward the idea of the necessity of the formation of international voluntary relief organization to help wounded soldiers in the case of war. The international conference held in Geneva in 1863 paved the way for the establishment of international humanitarian law and the International Red Cross organization.
The history of formation and development of Ottoman Empire is closely connected with the formation and development of its military system. The Ottoman Turks permanently were at invasive warfare, but at the beginning they did not have enough military strength being minority in the occupied areas. To use the military strength of their Christian subjects and to meet increasing needs of their troops, Sultans began to impose a special tax called devshirme – human tax. Moreover the so called penjek was imposed on war prisoners according to which one of each five from subject peoples had to be conscripted into the Ottoman army. The Ottoman rulers continually conscripted strong and healthy boys and teenagers who after being converted into Islam were sent to ajemi (inexperienced, unpracticed) troops, where they got military training and the strongest and battle-worthy ones were included in the yenicheri troops.
In occasion of the 70th anniversary of Molotov-Ribbentrop pact signed in August 23, 1939
By the invitation of the president of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, the president of the Republic of Serbia, Boris Tadic arrived to Armenia on July 28 for a two day official visit.
Historic evidence shows the establishment and the first 50 years of the development of the Turkish theater are strongly connected with the activity of Ottoman Armenians. The proof is that Armenians and Greeks were the first to bring any innovations from Europe to the Ottoman Empire. The 1850s are considered for Ottoman Armenians as the period of cultural revival. Armenian schools, publishing and media, sciences and literatures all experienced an awakening following the innovation and modernization in the important centers of the Armenian culture, such as Constantinople and Smyrna.
Krafft-Bonar was born in a family of a pharmacist in city Aigle, canton Vaud, Switzerland, in June 15, 1869. He graduated from school in Laussane, in 1888, and then he studied theology in Lozano, Berlin, Paris till 1893. From 1893 to 1919 he was spiritual director (clergyman) in different settlements of Switzerland. Later he left the church and completely devoted himself to the Armenian question and the solution of number of problems of Armenian genocide survivors. He got married in 1894, had 4 children – 3 daughters and a son, who also joined to activities of Armenophiles, as their father.
Armenian genocide has always been in the spotlight of Armenian as well as foreign media. The role of global media coverage is vital in the sense that it touches upon numerous issues concerning Armenian genocide. Especially notable are English, Russian, French and American coverage and publications on issues pertaining Hamidian massacres, Adana atrocities and of course, the Genocide of 1915-1922.
The 4th International Summer School of the young historians from the CIS countries on the theme of “History of Daily Routine in the Study of History in the CIS Countries” is held in Yerevan from 15-21 June.
On May 5, 6 and 7 AGMI organized series of public lectures with the participation of the famous Armenian-American historian, professor of sociology and leading expert in the Armenian Genocide studies, Prof. Vahakn Dadrian.
Today is the day of commemoration of innocent victims of the Armenian Genocide. This year marks the 90th anniversary of April 24 as a day of commemoration. A special committee was formed in Constantinople, in March 1919, by a group of Ottoman Armenian intellectuals who survived the Armenian Genocide. The main goal of this committee was the organization of commemoration ceremonies dedicated to the 4th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Due to the efforts of these people the memory of the victims of Armenian Genocide was commemorated among the Armenians of Constantinople for the first time in 1919. Since the first commemoration of the Armenian Genocide victims in Istanbul, April 24 officially was adopted as “Day of Mourning and Commemoration”. And up to now every year since early morning hundred of thousands of Armenians from Armenia and its vast Diaspora have been marching to Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex, Yerevan to remember all who perished 94 years ago during the Armenian Genocide.
The current turmoil within Turkey’s politics renders this an excellent opportunity to ask whether the recognition of the Armenian genocide at the hands of Ottoman government is important simply for the sake of establishing historical justice or proving a series of events that establish historical facts. Neither US House of Representatives nor Senate should believe any harm could befall the US-Turkish strategic partnership or even escalate Armenian-Turkish relations to a much-anticipated detente in the future. The very problem lies within the representation and interpretation of the issue. Wrong assumptions often result in wrong perceptions. And in this world, perception is reality.
The other day was republished “Armenian Golgotha” by Grigoris Balakian, translated by Peter Balakian with Aris Sevag. “Armenian Golgotha” is the most dramatic and comprehensive eyewitness account of the first genocide of XX century.
The Adana Massacre was the second series of large-scale massacres of Armenians to break out in the Ottoman Empire. The atrocities committed in the province of Adana in April 1909 coincided with the counter-revolution staged by supporters of Sultan Abdul Hamid (Abdul-Hamid) II (1876-1909) who had been forced to restore the Ottoman Constitution as a result of the 1908 Young Turk Revolution led by the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP). A prosperous region on the Mediterranean coast encompassing the old principality of Cilicia, once an independent Armenian state between the eleventh and fourteenth centuries, the province of Adana had been spared the 1890s massacres. The disturbances were most severe in the city of Adana where a reported 4,437 Armenian dwellings were torched, resulting in the razing of nearly half the town and prompting some to describe the resulting inferno as a “holocaust.” The outbreaks spread throughout the district and an estimated 30,000 Armenians were reported killed. While attempts at resistance in Adana proved futile, and Armenians in smaller outlying villages were brutally slaughtered, two towns inhabited mostly by Armenians organized a successful defense. Hadjin (Hajen in Armenian) in the Cilician Mountains withstood a siege, while the 10,000 Armenians of Dortyol (Chorkmarzban in Armenian) held off 7,000 Turks who had surrounded their town and cut off its water supply.
2009 marks the 90th anniversary of April 24 as a day of commemoration. Here is the history of this important event:
WASHINGTON (A.W.) – Earlier this month, the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) sent a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to recognize the Armenian Genocide.
On the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the “Ravished Armenia”, the AGMI has issued a memorial postcard and has created an on-line exhibition at official web-site of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute.
Yerevan, Armenia–The Third annual Pan-Armenian website competition took place in Yerevan from November 15th- December 25th, 2009. The current competition was devoted to the 500th anniversary of Armenian printing. Exactly 377 entries were submitted for competition.
The Armenian Genocide Museum – Institute has published diplomatic documents of the Historical-diplomatic archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy on the Armenian Question 1913-1923 from the series of “Armenian Genocide: diplomatic documents” being published by AGMI.
Paris, France–On December 18th, 2009, Dr. Hayk Demoyan, the Director of Armenian Genocide Museum & Institute at Alex Manukyan Cultural Center lecturing on the current developments in the Armenian-Turkish relations, focusing on a new dynamics and challenges.
On December 10, the presentation of the graphical novel “Prior to the Auction of Souls” novel by Tigran Mangasaryan, sponsored by Sossi Ghazarian took place in the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute’s hall named after Komitas. The book is written on the basis of the eyewitness of Armenian genocide Aurora Mardiganyan’s memoirs titled as “Ravished Armenia”, which was first published in 1918 in New York in English. In one of the first documentary memoirs of the eyewitness of Armenian genocide, the author, survivor of the Genocide Arshaluys (Aurora) Mardiganyan from Chmshkatsag gave a detailed account of the terrible experiences she endured during the genocide.
AGMI published memories of Swedish missionary Alma Johansson, eyewitness of the Armenian Genocide, with the Armenian, English and Russian texts in one volume.
