Turkish Forum

Tag: Ermeni Sorunu

  • U.S. Urges Turkey to Seal Border

    U.S. Urges Turkey to Seal Border

    turkish-forum

     

    A bigger Turkish border deployment would close off key transit routes for ISIS fighters in Syria, U.S. officials say

    By Adam Entous and
    Gordon Lubold in Washington, and
    Dion Nissenbaum in Istanbul
    Updated Nov. 27, 2015 8:34 p.m. ET

    The Obama administration is pressing Turkey to deploy thousands of additional troops along its border with Syria to cordon off a 60-mile stretch of frontier that U.S. officials say is used by Islamic State to move foreign fighters in and out of the war zone.

    The U.S. hasn’t officially requested a specific number of soldiers. Pentagon officials

    kaynak

  • Armenians Should Counter Azerbaijan’s Pressure on Israel to Deny the Genocide

    Armenians Should Counter Azerbaijan’s Pressure on Israel to Deny the Genocide

    sassounian3

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    As relations between Israel and Turkey have become increasinly strained in recent years, shifting from strategic alliance to outright hostility, many analysts began to wonder about the Israeli government’s uncharacteristically muted reaction to Turkish Pres. Erdogan’s anti-Semitic diatribes and anti-Israeli actions.
    Under these circumstances, Armenians and their supporters are puzzled by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s continued complicity in the Turkish government’s denial of the Armenian Genocide and the blocking of its recognition by the Knesset (parliament).
    Some Middle East experts offer two explanations of Israel’s puzzling stance:
    1) Despite the apparent bad blood between Israel and Turkey, the two countries continue their covert intelligence sharing and arms trade.
    2) Azerbaijan, Turkey’s junior brother, has taken an aggressive role in pressuring Israel not to recognize the Armenian Genocide by using as leverage its purchase of billions of dollars of advanced Israeli weapons, providing Israel much needed petroleum products, and a base in Baku to infiltrate and spy on Iran with which it has a 400-mile border.
    The Israeli government has become so overly sensitive to Azerbaijan’s diktats that during a recent visit by Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian to Jerusalem, Israel’s Foreign Minister rudely refused to meet with him. Only through a last minute intervention, Mr. Nalbandian managed to meet with the President of Israel.
    An article in the November 1 issue of The Jerusalem Post fully illustrates the extent of Israel’s kowtowing to Azerbaijan. At a time when most Western groups, including the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), refused to monitor Azerbaijan’s Parliamentary elections because of restrictions imposed by Baku, four Israeli Knesset members rushed to Azerbaijan to show their support for Aliyev’s despotic regime!
    The Israeli delegation, led by former Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, now chairman of the Israel-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Group, included ex-ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren, Sofa Landver, and Yoel Razbozov.
    The Jerusalem Post reported that Lieberman, as Foreign Minister, “worked to strengthen Israeli ties with Azerbaijan,” and quoted him saying in Baku that it is “an important country and a good friend of Israel…. Even in the time of the Soviet Union, [Azerbaijan] was known to treat its Jewish community well, and there is no anti-Semitism there. We must continue strengthening our relations with Azerbaijan.” Azernews also quoted him telling the Azeri Elections Media Center that Azerbaijan “is an example of democracy, stability, and successful foreign policy.” Most knowledgeable people would dismiss such ridiculous and false statements.
    One wonders why the former Foreign Minister is so anxious to whitewash Azerbaijan’s past and present practices of anti-Semitism? After the four Knesset members return from Baku, they should be asked to disclose the lavish gifts they must have received in appreciation for their rubber stamping of the fraudulent elections in Azerbaijan. Not surprisingly, Aliyev maintained its tight grip on power after his ruling party retained its majority in parliament, while the mainstream opposition boycotted last Sunday’s elections.
    The Jerusalem Post reported that “Azerbaijan is considered the Muslim country friendliest to Israel, and the two countries have close ties and significant trade. Azerbaijan is Israel’s biggest oil provider, and trade between the two countries reaches $5 billion, more than with France. In recent years, Lieberman, then-president Shimon Peres, and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon visited Baku.”
    In pursuing its arms for oil policy, Israeli officials have conveniently ignored Azerbaijan’s gross violations of human rights, lack of freedom of speech, and jailing of journalists and activists, including Leyla Yunus, head of the Baku-based Institute for Peace and Democracy, and investigative reporter Khadija Ismayilova of Radio Free Europe.
    While it might be somewhat understandable that Israel and Azerbaijan are pursuing their self-interests, no matter how reprehensible the means, Armenia must also pursue its own national interests and counter the actions of any country that jeopardizes its security and questions the Genocide. The Armenian government should make crystal clear to Israeli officials that by selling multi-billion dollar sophisticated weapons to Azerbaijan, they become responsible for putting at risk thousands of Armenian lives. Azerbaijani officials have publicly announced that they intend to use the arms acquired from Israel to attack Nagorno Karabagh (Artsakh) and Armenia.
    Lastly, Armenia should warn Azerbaijan that its unwarranted denials of the Armenian Genocide and pressures on other countries, such as Israel, to join its denialist cause, would further antagonize Armenians, making it impossible for them to accept any concessions on the Artsakh conflict.

  • To Ban Genocide Denial, Court Incites Armenians to Commit Violence

    To Ban Genocide Denial, Court Incites Armenians to Commit Violence

     

    Posted in: Column, Harut Sassounian

    In the case of Dogu Perincek vs. Switzerland, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) sustained in a 10-7 vote the Turkish politician’s right to free expression, finding that Swiss courts had wrongly convicted him for denying the Armenian Genocide.

    More importantly for Armenians, the Grand Chamber contradicted the Lower Chamber’s unwarranted opinion of Dec. 17, 2013, which had questioned the validity of the Armenian Genocide. On October 15, 2015, ECHR’s Grand Chamber rectified that jurisdictional issue, ruling that the Court was “not required to determine whether the massacres and mass deportations suffered by the Armenian people at the hands of the Ottoman Empire from 1915 onwards can be characterized as genocide within the meaning of that term under international law, but has no authority to make legally binding pronouncements, one way or another, on this point.” This was the judgment of the majority of 10 judges who ruled in favor of Perincek.

    The remaining seven judges, not only disagreed with the majority’s ruling in support of Perincek, but went on to set the record straight on the Armenian Genocide: “That the massacres and deportations suffered by the Armenian people constituted genocide is self-evident…. The Armenian genocide is a clearly established historical fact. To deny it is to deny the obvious. But that is not the question here. The case is not about the historical truth, or the legal characterization of the events of 1915. The real issue at stake here is whether it is possible for a State, without overstepping its margin of appreciation [limited room to maneuver], to make it a criminal offence to insult the memory of a people that has suffered genocide. In our view, this is indeed possible,” the seven judges wrote in their dissenting opinion.

    Nevertheless, the Grand Chamber still reached some unwarranted conclusions that defy logic and common sense. The majority of the judges advanced the meaningless argument that since 90 years had passed between Perincek’s statements and “the tragic events” of 1915, there was no need for Switzerland to regulate his speech. Supposedly, the passage of time had made his denial less traumatic on Armenians. As the dissenting seven judges pointed out, the majority’s position violates “the principle that statutory limitations are not applicable to war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
    The majority of the judges also put forward a questionable argument to justify why denying the Holocaust was a crime, and not a violation of freedom of expression. They considered Holocaust denial an “antidemocratic ideology” and “anti-Semitism,” whereas they claimed that Perincek’s denial of the Armenian Genocide did not result “in serious friction between Armenians and Turks” in Switzerland. Furthermore, while asserting that there was a direct link between Holocaust denial and many of the European “States which had experienced the Nazi horrors,” they found no such link between Switzerland and the Armenian Genocide.

    There are several problems in the Judges preceding arguments:
    – There should not be a double standard in dealing with denial of any genocide. If denial of the Holocaust is a crime, so should the denial of other genocides. The preferential treatment of victims of certain genocides, but not others, is shameful and disgraceful. As editor of a newspaper in the United States, I naturally support the highly protective American notion of freedom of expression rather than the European model of a more restrictive freedom of speech. However, regardless of which legal system one adheres to, discrimination among genocide victims is not acceptable.

    – Majority of the judges repeatedly claimed that since Perincek’s denial did not result in causing public disorder by the Armenian community, Swiss courts should not have convicted him. Ironically, by making such a dangerous assertion, the Grand Chamber is actually inciting Armenians to resort to violence to satisfy the Court’s requirement that genocide denial could only be criminalized if it is followed by some sort of violent reaction. Since Swiss-Armenians acted in a civilized manner by calling the police and filing a lawsuit instead of bashing Perincek’s head, they are now being told that their legal claim is invalid because they did not cause a public disturbance!

    – It is historically wrong to state that there was no link between Switzerland and the Armenian Genocide. Over 400,000 Swiss citizens signed a petition in 1890′s to protest the Hamidian massacres. Swiss missionaries saved countless orphans during the Genocide and helped provide new homes for them in Switzerland.

    Fortunately, the Grand Chamber did not require Switzerland to amend its laws on genocide denial, implying that the law was simply misapplied in Perincek’s case. Therefore, Greece, Cyprus, and Slovakia also do not need to change their laws on criminalizing denial of the Armenian Genocide.
    Thankfully, the Court rejected Perincek’s claim that he is entitled to 135,000 euros ($142,000) in damages and court costs.
    International lawyers Geoffrey Robertson and Amal Clooney, and Armenia’s Prosecutor General Gevork Kostanyan should be commended for their exceptional efforts in representing Armenia in Court and defending the truth of the Armenian Genocide.

  • “The Armenian Insurrection and the Great War” by Dr. Pat Walsh

    “The Armenian Insurrection and the Great War” by Dr. Pat Walsh

    BOOK REVIEW:

    “The Armenian Insurrection and the Great War” by Dr. Pat Walsh and Dr. Garegin Pastermadjian “Armen Garo” (A Cautionary Tale of Betrayal) ISBN 978-1-8722078-23-6 “Belfast Historical & Educational Society” 215 pages.
    INTRODUCTION: For those who undertake wide ranging, below the surface and cross referenced research on the “genocide fanfare”, which has been popular only in the last fifty years, there are some logical questions. These are generally never asked or answered when debating a hundred or hundred and fifty years’ old historical events which are likely to have been forgotten long ago. The very important reality is that the genocide allegations relating to over a century old events do not stand on any reliable documentary evidence, i.e. official reports, past memorandums or correspondence and alike… They are usually based on grand-mother stories and personal hearsay, even than not on dependable true eyewitness reports.
    Generally they are relied on the names of a few scholars who do not read widely or who would not refer to any document that will not suit their objective. A very recent example amongst the academic papers is <“Final Report – September 2014” prepared by “Armenian Genocide Reparations Study Group,” who express their thanks for the grant of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. The study was chaired by Henry C. Theriault; the members were Alfred de Zayas, Jermaine McCalpin and Ara Papian. The name of the report is “Resolution with Justice –Reparations for the Armenian Genocide.” Complete report can be viewed at: !>. Thesewriters seldom refer to books or documents of the relevant period, instead they rely on “persons who acknowledge generous grants”. So far we know that all documents presented as historical evidence on this claim have been proved to be false, doctored or fabricated!

    There are several names of “Armenian Heroes” who were the leaders of various revolutionary groups who committed murders, treacheries etc. They wrote books in their hay days, boasting about their bravery, relating to local revolutions, dedication to invading armies (Russian, French, British) and their extermination of the members of Muslim majority of the mother land. Such books or documents have been disappearing from main libraries and never brought to the attention or knowledge of the brainwashed diaspora. It should be noted that quite a number of Armenian dignitaries did not endorse the “revolutionary aims or tactics and tried to warn their people”, but they were disregarded or eliminated.
    Dr. Pat Walsh is actually a historian who studied the Irish – British relations in the past two hundred years and discussed the Imperialist mistreatments of Catholic Irish people by the Protestant British. These mistreatments had brought many calamities on the Irish farmers and desolation to Irish people. After the 1840s, nearly one million Irish people immigrated to USA and in 1900s, the “Irish born” Americans constituted about 43% of all immigrants who were accepted into USA. Dr. Walsh was even more surprised to learn that there were great donations as money and five ships of grain by another country to Ireland during those bad days of starvations, while the British made no exceptions on the “potato they were taking as tax”. For other books by Dr. Walsh please refer to <http://drpatwalsh.com/about/publications/>

    Armenian sources never mention the name of Hovannes Katchaznouni, the Prime Minister of the Dashnakist Armenian Republic (May 30, 1918 to mid-August 1919) who made a confession at the 1923 Bucharest Congress of their Party. He detailed how they had been misguided by promises, over estimation of their strength and in short how and why they themselves caused the destruction of the Armenian People. This memorandum is written with political finesse, not mentioning much of their large crimes on Muslims. , even this minimum frankness was not tolerated by the Dashnakists who are now in control of ANCA, diaspora and all the major movements for a century!

    Garekin Pastermadjian (the Brave Armen) had the most remarkable life full of braveries for the Armenian Revolutionaries and their own people. He was born in 1868 in Georgia, but had his education in Istanbul and in 1896 he was one of the top leaders who raided the Ottoman Bank and took 160 persons as hostage for 48 hours (about 50 persons were killed by bombs and gun fire during the siege). The criminals were let free to go to France and Pastermadjian became a Doctor of Chemistry in Switzerland. He returned to Tbilisi, setting his own business. However, in the 1908 and 1913 Ottoman Parliamentary elections he was one of the 12 Armenians in the Parliament, representing Erzurum. He was offered a post in the cabinet which he turned down. While he was a Member of Parliament, he had organized a group of about 2000 cavalry Revolutionaries. Before WW-1 had started – for the Ottomans on November 2, 1915 – Pastermadjian and his forces were already on the Russian side of the border, offering their “guiding and reconnaissance services” to the Russian Army.

    Garekin Pastermadjian and his two books depict him as ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS Armenian Revolutionary Leaders. In my books I tried to give some examples of his deeds which I had included in my :<http://armenians-1915.blogspot.com/2008/10/2610-genocide-lies-need-no-archives.html> paper in 2008 which hardly caught any outside attention.

    I always felt somewhat unable of outlining the importance of this great Armenian Leader who was later made an ambassador to USA, playing an important role “in having USA recognize the young Armenian Republic”. He worked most actively and supported his claims with two excellent books in 1918, printed in Boston. After the surrender of the Ottoman Empire (Oct.30, 1918) he was one of the leaders to set up the “Nemesis Revenge Organization”. His endless efforts for the Armenian cause at the Paris and Lausanne Peace Conferences had no result and he died in Switzerland in 1923 by a heart attack in frustration!

    Dr. Walsh has made a very unusual and clever move when writing this book. He took Garegin Pastermadjian as co-author of his book. The contents and explanations given in detail leave no doubt about the treason of Armenian Revolutionaries and that even the Armenian Members of Ottoman Parliament were revolutionaries themselves in the service of the enemies and plotted against all the institutions of their home country. This example itself is sufficient to prove that the Ottoman Authorities had very good reasons and justifications to arrest about 235 Armenian dignitaries as late as April 24, 1915 and intern them in houses and prisons in Ankara – Cankiri region. Only this could enable them to stopping their contacts with Armenian revolutionaries, the supporting Patriarchate and the British-French Anzac forces who were to lend the following night.

    Dr. Walsh, instead of using one of the books of Pastermadjian; he copies and quotes verbatim the “Memorandum of Armenia and Her Claims to Freedom and National Independence” submitted by Senator Henry Cabot Lodge (Republican). He was always at odds with everything President Wilson (Democrat) was implementing, including his “fourteen points”, wish to organize League of Nations and anything that would not suit the American Independence. The Memorandum is dated December 15 or 23rd of 1919, and printed by the “Washington Government Printing Office, 1919.” Hence it is a document as strong and colossal as the Washington Monument. Why Turkish sources never used this “monumental document” has no explanation or excuse, other than exposing the “huge black holes of knowledge of Turkish scholars, writers and politicians” on this subject for a century.
    The Memorandum details the Turkish Armenian Relations and causes of disagreement etc. Pastermadjian claims that out of 18.000.000 Ottoman population 2.100.000 were Armenians. This has no supporting evidence. We have a report prepared directly by the Joint French-Armenian Land Distribution Committee dated March 1, 1914, giving the total population as 1.280.000, confirmed by other official records which cite even lower figures. In 1912 the Armenian Patriarchate had declared the census as 1.425.000 Armenians. How this number was increased to 2.100.000 (despite claimed massacres, epidemics, starvation) should be explained by Armenians. More interestingly, there is in existence a clear map of the Armenian territorial claims from Eastern Black Sea coast cities down to the Mediterranean, including Alexandretta and Cilicia. Looking at today’s Turkey, one can easily see that Armenians claimed 40% of today’s Anatolia, “freed of all non-Christian elements” (in fact 80% of the settled people). We widely hear today that Turks killed 1.5 million Armenians during the relocation period (150 days which will average 10.000 killed every day, buried in stadium size graves, dug by some 5000 workers every day). No such graves were ever found or documented, nor any massacres eye witnessed by any neutral persons. Again the scholars and others claiming that 1.5 million were killed (out of 1.3 million), must explain which Armenians were to be settled in this huge area when they supposedly had already been annihilated. The NONSENSE of this Genocide palaver is not much different than hiding an elephant in a room.
    Year 1919 has several important dates for the Armenian agenda. Some of these can be pinpointed chronologically as below:
    a- Armenian Republic founded on 28.5.1918 under Ottoman Protection, with special treats but Armenian leaders such as Keri, Dro, Antranig refute the accord and continue their cleansings of Muslims in their regions.
    b- The Ottoman Empire surrenders on 30.10.1918; next month on 30.11.1918 Armenia revokes the treaties, grabs Ardahan, Kars provinces with the permission of the British in Persia.
    c- Pastermadjian was sent as Ambassador to USA with letter of the Patriarch in July 1918 to search for American aid and recognition; he edits two books in October 1918 in Boston.
    d- Late December 1918, Pastermadjian submits the Armenian claims to the US Senate through Mr. Lodge, which are fully quoted in the first part of the book.
    e- On Feb.26, 1919, the Armenian Delegation submits a Memorandum to Paris Peace Conference with similar requests signed by Aharonian and Boghos Nubar.
    f- Antranig comes late for the Paris Conference, continues to London; on June 19, 1919 a large conference is arranged with high praises of all British dignitaries who had provoked Armenians!
    g- US send Captain Emory Niles and Arthur Sutherland in July 1919 to make a survey in the war struck zones (U.S. National Archives Ref. 184.021/175) Constantinople, Aug. 16, 1919, gives details on Armenian atrocities and damages.
    h- General Harbord and a mission of about 40 people were ordered by the President on August 1, 1919 to make a survey in Anatolia and Armenia and prepare a report to support “American mandate on Armenia.” The Mission travels for one month in the region, meets Mustafa Kemal, travels to Batum, Armenia and returns to Istanbul preparing a very comprehensive report in late October 1919, paradoxical to the expectations of the President and Senate, and giving details of such a burden on USA for no reason or advantage whatsoever.
    i- Senator Lodge presents the Claims of Armenia to the US Senate in the second half of December 1919 which contradicts the findings and advises of General Harbord.
    j- General Harbord’s Report is presented by Mr. Lodge as late as mid April 1920 to the US Senate.
    Among the many “documented facts” there are three points Pastermadjian admits and which go unnoticed. The first point is that “250.000 Turkish Armenians were sent by Russians to Siberia”. We know from several sources that at least 250.000 – 300.000 Turkish Armenians had immigrated to Russia with the Russian Army. The U.S. Near East Relief Report gives this number as 500.000. This immigration is confirmed by Russian records as well. When the Dashnakist Armenian Republic was founded (under Turkish protection on May 28, 1918) their population was 885.000 (instead of 500.000 Russian Armenians) which shows that about 385.000 (or less) Armenians were those who took shelter in Russia. After 30 months in December 1920 this population had dropped to 690.000, evidencing that 195.000 Armenians (mostly from Turkey) died in Armenia under their own government. This is never mentioned but the Soviet document by Armenian Historian stands open.
    The second important point is that when Russians occupied Eastern Anatolia and Turkish Armenians who had taken refuge in Russia, the Russians permitted only about 25.000 to return. Russians did not trust Armenians and they were to settle Cossacks in the evacuated villages (to control Armenians).
    The third important detail is that when Armenians left, they had left behind in bundles and boxes of their valuable items, duly labeled and evidenced by receipts because “they were to return when the war was won by the Ottomans”. All these boxes and bundles were stored inside an Armenian Church or cathedral under lock and guard and no one was permitted to enter. However, when the Russian Commander General Kaledine enters the city and hears about these stored goods, he enters the Cathedral and opens the boxes and bundles. He gets a few carts loaded for him. After him, other officers share what was left and this became a “looting order” in the absence of museums of today.
    After this self explanatory report of the “Armenian Ambassador to USA, Garekin Pastermadjian”, Dr. Walsh starts his “forensic style studies and explanations”. Let us not forget that several important points of this Pastermadjian’s Memorandum in the US Senate bears great similarity to the “Memorandum of Feb. 26, 1919, presented by the Armenian Delegation to the Paris Peace Conference”, co-signed by A. Aharonian and Boghos Nubar, representing the Armenian Republic.
    These documents are never referred to by “G” scholars or defenders! They have never seen the League of Nations Official Gazette of Sept.21, 1929 in which this Organization affirms that 200.000 Armenians died in fights against Turks, in the service of the enemies. The elephant is under palavers.
    Dr. Walsh starts his section of study, “A Cautionary Tale of Betrayal” and provides an excellent analysis not only of the “end result of Armenian victimization claims” but also going back to the earlier revolutions, the effect of American Missionaries, the very strong British destabilization and the concessions they had to make to Russia when sharing the Ottoman Empire, “because Britain needed land forces which they did not have”. They controlled all seas and oceans, but needed man power so they finally promised Istanbul and Bosporus to Russia, while they were going to keep the Dardanelles Straight for themselves. The information and references Dr. Walsh has included “in this forensic study of historical facts” are all new and coherent.
    I do not know which persons or authorities will thank Dr. Walsh for this concise, double or triple cross checked excellent study. Dr. Walsh surprised me with another act by dedicating this valuable study to my name. This may be because of my age or my highlighting this very important Armenian hero in some of my writings. Thank you Dr. Walsh for your monumental contribution to the “G” history!
    Sukru Server AYA

  • Harut Sassounian: ” Let’s Kick Genocide Denialist Bill Shuster out of Congress”

    Harut Sassounian: ” Let’s Kick Genocide Denialist Bill Shuster out of Congress”

    Re: Let’s Kick Genocide Denialist Bill Shuster out of Congress

    Harut Sassounian
    Publisher, The California Courier
    www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

    Sassounian has finally gone raving mad, attacking American Congressmen and threatening to get them chucked out of Congress. Sassounian has not only confirmed his intolerance and blood-thirsty attitude having no respect for Americans who are the hands feeding him.

    Clearly Sassounian has reached the end of his useful life and hence it would be a sheer waste of time to try and warn him about beginning with the end in mind! He has been working very hard climbing on his “Genocide-Ladder” only to discover that it’s leaning on the wrong wall. What a pity and waste of efforts.

    If he only took some time to carefully consider what he would want to be said about him at his funeral, then he would find the definition of his “Genocide-Success”! What is he after? Revenge, fame, achievement, land or something else?

    I am totally convinced that Mr. Sassounian is hopelessly trapped in his mythological “Genocide-Paradigm”. Unless he changes the way he sees his situation, there will be no way out. If he should be looking for examples of change in paradigm, then the case of Enver Sadat (Egypt) would be ideal. He too swore never to shake an Israeli hand, as long as Israel occupied an inch of Arab land. However, having decided to change: he visited the Knesset and made the Camp David Accord possible.

    Yes, it is possible Mr. Sassounian, you can do it if you want.

    Regards

    Kufi Seydali