Tag: Recep Tayyip Erdogan

12th president of Turkey

The Armenian Genocide Resolution is a Farce all Around”

Ermeni Tasarisi Elestirisi

ABD Temsilciler Meclisi Dis Iliskiler komitesinde Ermeni iddialarini iceren karar tasarisinin 04 Mart 2010 persembe gunu yapilan oylamada bir oy farkla kabul edilmesi ile baglantili olarak, yabanci medyada cok sayida yorum ve kose yazisi yayinlandi. Asagida, Henry Barkey’in Washington Post’ta yer alan makalesine yanit olarak bir fransiz arastirmaci Maxime Gauin’in okuyucu mektubunu aktariyorum. Gauin, bu yazisinda, jenosid iddiasinin neden temelsiz bir suclama oldugunu ozlu bicimde acikliyor.
Pulat Tacar [tacarps@gmail.com]

Turkish Forum danisma kurulu Uyesi,

Buyukelci (e),

UNESCO Türkiye Milli Komisyonu Başkan Vekili

MAXIME GAUIN’IN HENRY BARKEY’IN

WASHINGTON POST’TA CIKAN MAKALESINE

GONDERDIGI OKUYUCU MEKTUBU

“Mister Barkey,

Your article “The Armenian Genocide Resolution is a Farce all Around” https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/02/AR2010030202375.html?waporef=obinsite) is an interesting and iconoclast analysis; unfortunately, among the pertinent remarks, there is this big error:

“To be clear, the overwhelming historical evidence demonstrates that what took place in 1915 was genocide.”

1. Many respectable historians criticize the “genocide” label, including Roderic H. Davison, Gwynne Dyer, Edward J. Erickson, Michael M. Gunter, Paul B. Henze, J. C. Hurewitz, Yitzchak Kerem, Bernard Lewis, Guenter Lewy, Heath Lowry, Justin McCarthy, Andrew Mango, Robert Mantran, Jeremy Salt, Stanford J. Shaw, Norman Stone, Gilles Veinstein and Robert F. Zeidner.

2. There is simply no evidence of a genocide intent.

— Gwynne Dyer demonstrated as early as 1973 that Mevlanzade Rifat’s book is a crude falsification, and even Yves Ternon, strongly favorable to Armenian nationalists, considers this work as more than dubtious.

— The “Andonian documents” were proved to be forgeries, more than twenty-five years ago: Christopher Walker, who believed in 1980 to the authenticity of “Andonian documents” suppressed almost all references to this material in the second edition of his book (Armenia. The Survival of a Nation, London, Routledge, 1990), then wrote in an article that “doubt must remain until and unless the documents or similar ones themselves resurface and are published in a critical edition” (“World War I and the Armenian Genocide”, in Richard G. Hovannisian, [ed.], The Armenian People from Ancient to Modern Time, New York, St Martin’s Press, 1997, p. 247). Absolutely no effort in this sense was made since 1997: it is perhaps the best evidence that Andonian material is nothing but a forgery.

— The “Ten Commandments” are a another forgery. As early as 1973 Gwynne Dyer demonstrated that the authenticity is highly questionable. More recently, even the strongly pro-Armenian historian Donald Bloxham noticed (“Donald Bloxham replies”, History Today, July 2005, Vol. 55, Issue 7) : “Most serious historians accept that this document is dubious at best, and probably a fake. It was the subject of controversy some twenty years before Dadrian rediscovered it for publication in 1993. The document’s donor originally offered it for sale to the British authorities in February 1919, a time when numerous fraudulent documents were in circulation.”

The late Stanford J. Shaw, former professor of Turkish history at Harvard, University of California-Los Angeles and Bilkent noticed: “The British and French authorities to who they had been handed pointed out that they were at complete variance with Ottoman style and vocabulary and were obvious forgeries, as a result never using them in courts of law” (From Empire to Republic. The Turkish War of National Liberation. 1918-1923, Ankara, 2000, tome I, p. 316). Similarly, British historian Jeremy Salt, considers that the text is “certainly a fake” ).

— Ambassador Morgenthau’s story, which was not considered as a reliable source by actual American specialists like George Abel Schreiner and Horace C. Peterson, is refuted even by the personal archives of Morgenthau himself. See Ralph Elliot Cook, The United States and the Armenian Question, 1894-1924, Ph.D. dissertation, Flertcher School of Law and Diplomacy, 1957, p. 129; Heath Lowry, The Story Behind “Ambassador Morgenthau’s Story”, Istanbul, The Isis Press, 1990 (available online: http://www.eraren.org/index.php?Lisan=en&Page=YayinIcerik&SayiNo=19) and Guenter Lewy, The Armenian Massacres in Ottoman Turkey, Salt Lake City, University of Utah Press, 2005, pp. 140-142.

— The Special Organization was accused by Arthur Beylerian, V. Dadrian and Taner Akçam to be a key of “racial extermination”, but only in using falsified quotations and in neglecting the archival material of this organization, as demonstrated by Guenter Lewy and Edward J. Erickson: https://www.meforum.org/748/revisiting-the-armenian-genocide https://www.meforum.org/991/armenian-massacres-new-records-undercut-old-blame

— The Turkish martial-courts of 1919-1920 violated all the basic rights of defense, and all their original material is lost, as explained by Guenter Lewy in his article and his mentioned before. See also Ferudun Ata, İşgal İstanbul’unda Tehcir Yargılamaları (“The Istanbul Trials of Relocation”), Ankara, TTK, 2005.

3. It is not true that Western sources support mostly the “genocide” allegations.

US journalist George Abel Schreiner, who traveled extensively in Anatolia, wrote that “Turkish ineptness, more than intentional brutality, was responsible for the hardships the Armenian subjected to” (The Craft Sinister: A Diplomatic History of the Great War and Its Causes, New York, G. Albert, 1920, pp. 124-125).

Swedish journalist G. H. Pravitz published an account of his trip in Eastern Anatolia then in Arab provinces, in his newspaper Nya Dagligt Allehanda, April 23, 1917. He concluded that there was no campaign of extermination and that all the allegations of massacres which he checked were false (http://www.tallarmeniantale.com/swedish-eyewitness.htm).

Heinrich Bergfeld, German consul in Trebizond, who served eight years in Turkey and spoke Turkish, checked rumors of “massacre” in his region, together with the US consul Oscar Heizer, on July 17, 1915: they concluded that the rumors were baseless; in other occasions, Bergfeld denounced crimes against other convoys of displaced Armenian, who indeed occurred this time (Guenter Lewy, op. cit., pp. 145-146).

William Peet, the American head of international Armenian relief effort in Istanbul, recalled that Talat Pasha “gave prompt attention to my requests, frequently greeting me as I called upon him in his office with the introductory remark: ‘We are partners, what can I do for you today?’” (Louise Jenison Peet, No Less Honor: The Biography of William Wheelock Peet, Chattanooga, E. A. Andrews, 1939, p. 170).

H. Philips, diplomat serving in US embassy of Istanbul, sent on September 1^st, 1916, a report concluding that atrocities were committed by local officials, without orders from central government (Guenter Lewy, op. cit., p. 231).

Otto Liman von Sanders, chief of German military mission in Ottoman Empire, and not exactly a Turkophile, explained that “In the execution of expulsions many of the terrible and damnable cases of ruthlessness may unquestionably be ascribed to the minor official whose personal hatred and rapacity gave the measures ordered from above enhancement of harshness that was not intended [by Ottoman government]” (Five Years in Turkey, Annapolis, U.S. Naval Institute, 1927, p. 157; translated from German by Carl Reichmann).

The report of General Harbord, approved by US Senate in 1920, does not mention any “extermination campaign” but war crimes from both sides (see the full text online: . The report of Emory Niles and Arthur Sutherland supports the same conclusion, with more details ).

Moreover, the compilation of German documents published by Johannes Lepsius in 1919 was proved to be not only selective, but also full of dishonest ellipses and even containing pure and simple manipulations of texts, as a systematic comparison between the originals of German archives and the published version demonstrates (Cem Özgönül, Der Mythos Eines Völkermordes, Cologne, Önel Verlag, 2005).

4. The “genocide recognitions” forget the crimes committed by Armenian nationalists.

— The crimes committed against the Armenian population herself.

Armenian Revolutionary Federation and Hunchakian Party killed many decent Armenians, who were loyal to Ottoman Empire, or at least, denounced the methods of gangsters used by revolutionary committees, including the Armenian chief of Ottoman police in Bitlis, assassinated in 1898, and the mayor of Van Bedros Kapamajian, assassinated in 1912 (see, among others: Kapriel S. Papazian, Patriotism Perverted, Boston, Baikar Press, 1934, pp. 13-18 and pp. 68-73; Justin McCarthy, “The Armenian Uprising and the Ottomans”, Review of Armenian Studies, 7-8, 2005).

The Armenian revolutionary committees claimed their responsibility in the massacres of Armenians of WWI, explaining that they organized insurrections and recruitment of volunteers for Russian an French army in guessing perfectly the tragic consequence (Gareguine Pasdermadjian, Why Armenia Should Be Free, Boston, Hairenik Press, 1918, p. 43; Aram Turabian, Les Volontaires arméniens sous les drapeaux français, Marseille, Imprimerie nouvelle, 1917, pp. 41-42).

— Then, the great massacres of Muslim and Jewish civilians.

Haig Shiroyan, an Ottoman Armenian who became an US citizens, wrote in his Memories: “The Russian victorious armies, reinforced by Armenian volunteers, had slaughtered every Turk they could find, destroyed every house they penetrated” (Smiling Through the Tears, New York, 1954, p. 186). Niles and Sutherland, in their report mentioned before, noticed: “Armenians massacred Musulmans on a large scale with many refinements of cruelties” and that “Armenians are responsible for most of the destruction done to towns and villages”.

Ottoman archives are full of first-hand accounts about atrocities committed by Armenian volunteers, including burning of babies, cutting of women’s breast, etc.; many documents were translated into Western languages: https://louisville.edu/a-s/history/turks/Documents2.pdf https://louisville.edu/a-s/history/turks/turcs_et_armeniens.pdf Archeological excavations, carried out in Eastern Anatolia thanks to documents and very old survivors, discovered several thousands of skeletons, from 1986 to 2003, identified thanks to specific clothes, small Korans, bullets, and, for the last mass graves, thanks to DNA tests.

— Finally, the Armenian terrorism which supported the “recognition movement” — and was supported by ARF, Hunchak and some personalities of Ramkavar/AGBU. Armenian terrorists killed at least 70 persons, wounded more than 500, and perpetrating 160 attacks by explosives.

One of the Armenian terrorist groups was simply a branch of ARF (Francis P. Hyland, Armenian Terrorism: the Past, the Present, the Prospects, Boulder-San Francisco-Oxford, Westview Press, 1991, pp. 61-62; Gaïdz Minassian, Guerre et terrorisme arméniens, Paris, Presses universitaires de France, 2002, pp. 28-37 and 106-109; Yves Ternon, La Cause arménienne, Paris, Le Seuil, 1983, pp. 218-224). ARF of Californian and elsewhere celebrates the racist murderer Hampig Sassounian, sentenced to life by Californian justice, currently in a Californian jail (among many other examples: www.asbarez.com/45716/sassounian-thanks-community-for-continued-support/ www.asbarez.com/46446/more-than-70-000-raised-for-hampig-sassounian-defense-effort/ www.fra-france.com/print_article.php?id=56).

Mourad Topalian, one of the most active Armenian American lobbyists, former president of Armenian National Committee of America, was sentenced in 2001 to 37 months of jail for illegal storing of war weapons and explosives, linked to a terrorist organization. Vicken Hovsepian, principal leader of ARF in USA, was sentenced in 1984 to six years of jail for participation to an attempt of bombing.

Who recalled the terrorist past activities of these peoples during the debate about “genocide” resolution?

In hoping to read more balanced accounts of WWI and Armenian terrorism in your articles,

Regards,

Maxime Gauin,

Paris”

March 10, 2010
Bashing Turkey’s Army

I.H.T. Op-Ed Contributor

By ASLI AYDINTASBAS

Published: March 1, 2010

ISTANBUL — I should be rejoicing. Dozens of Turkish Army officers and retired generals have been rounded up this past week on suspicion of plotting against the elected government led by the Islamic-inspired A.K. Party.

The 5,000 pages of documents that landed on the doorstep of a small anti-military paper in late January have suggested the officers planned to bomb Istanbul’s historic mosques, shoot down Turkish air forces jets and round up thousands of suspected Islamists in stadiums to provide a pretext for a coup.

Never mind that the military says the plan was a “simulation exercise,” a scenario based on the possibility of internal conflict following the onset of the Iraq war. Turkey’s immensely powerful military has carried out four coups against elected governments in the country’s short history.

While the military has been the major modernizing force in creating a pro-Western secular republic out of the ashes of the Ottoman Empire during the last century, its hard-line interpretation of secularism and its role in politics seem outdated to many Turks today.

So I should be cheering the arrests, celebrating with the far left and the Islamist right that forces of democracy have triumphed.

But somehow I find myself with the larger Turkish public nervously wringing my hands, a mere bystander in what seems to be a power struggle between the military and what the Economist calls “a rising class of overtly pious Anatolians symbolized by the A.K. government.”

Since 2007, we have seen dozens of men in uniform being interrogated, detained and arrested on various coup allegations that range from convincing to far-fetched. Charges and documents have usually been leaked to pro-government newspapers before they made it onto prosecutors’ desks.

In some of these cases — most notably a related case known as Ergenekon, in which about 200 people are already in detention — fact and fiction seem to have blended in such a way that opposition journalists, former generals and organized crime leaders find themselves in the same jail for months for membership in an organization whose existence they were unaware of.

Problems in due process are exacerbated by the widespread use of wiretaps by law enforcement officials. Some 119,000 people — including journalists, generals and judges — have been had their phones tapped over the past three years. Recordings of private conversations sometimes end up on the Web.

So when the military chief of staff, Gen. Ilker Basbug, complains about an “asymmetrical psychological war on the army,” many Turks are sympathetic. (Soon after he said that, a secret recording of his conversation with a group of officers appeared on a pro-government newspaper Web site.)

Don’t get me wrong. Turks are sensible people. We do not want the military meddling in politics, even to fend off Islamic radicalism, thank you. We can do that ourselves at the ballot if necessary.

But we also do not like politicians messing with the nation’s most revered institution. The arrests and wiretaps have certainly tarnished the military’s image as an invincible constant in politics. But the army continues to be by far the most “trusted” institution for Turks, most of whom grow up with the motto “Every Turk is a soldier.”

For all its faults on the domestic scene, the Turkish military — NATO’s second largest after America’s — has been the leading force behind Turkey’s prestige and Western orientation in a lousy neighborhood. The military gave us our freedom in the battle of independence in 1923; it has kept us on the right side of history during the Cold War and fought off Kurdish separatism — albeit often with the wrong methods. A decade ago, the generals made a strategic decision not to stand in the way of Turkey’s advance toward membership in the European Union — a process that involves curbing the army’s own power.

Do the generals need to give up more? Sure. The Turkish military needs to undergo a significant psychological transformation, accepting that stewardship of the secular democracy is best handed over to civic institutions. The generals have to understand that their supremacy in political life is over.

That said, humiliating men in uniform with allegations that at times seem choreographed for a political vendetta do not give me confidence about the path ahead. Unlawful detention and politically motivated trials used to be the methods of the military in its campaign against Islamists and Kurdish nationalists. They are not how a democracy deals with its past.

While fighting the generals, the government is not moving forward on legal reform, a new constitution or freedom of speech. The judiciary, the business world and society seem deeply polarized. The A.K. government’s disdain for its critics and its intimidation of the media hardly make me confident about the next episode in this drama.

Asli Aydintasbas is a columnist for the Turkish daily Milliyet.

March 9, 2010
Armenian-Americans Should not Allow Obama and Clinton to Bury Genocide Bill

It was bad enough that Pres. Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had failed to keep their campaign pledge to reaffirm the facts of the Armenian Genocide. They sunk to a new low last week, when Mrs. Clinton announced that she and the President opposed adoption of the Armenian Genocide resolution by the full House, following its passage by the Foreign Affairs Committee.

When asked by journalists why she and the President have reversed course on this issue, Mrs. Clinton unabashedly replied: “Well, I think circumstances have changed in a very significant way…. We do not believe that any action by the Congress is appropriate and we oppose it.” She added that the administration does not believe the full House “will or should” vote on the resolution. How can the facts of a genocide that took place 95 years ago change overnight? In reality, nothing has changed except Secretary Clinton’s moral compass, assuming she had one to begin with!

It is shameful that the Obama administration is caving in to threats from a third world country that needs the U.S. more than the U.S. needs it. As Aram Hamparian, the Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of America said last week: “Turkey does not get a vote or a veto in the US Congress!” Neither does the U.S. President nor the Secretary of State, on a non-binding congressional resolution.

A White House spokesman announced last week that the presidents of Turkey and United States had spoken by phone on the eve of the Committee vote. Soon after, Mrs. Clinton warned Committee Chairman Howard Berman that “further congressional action could impede progress on normalization of relations” between Turkey and Armenia. Strangely, Mrs. Clinton seems to have appointed herself as supreme arbiter of what’s in Armenia’s best interest, while Armenian-Americans and Armenia’s leaders have repeatedly declared that they support the adoption of the genocide resolution. Indeed, Mrs. Clinton has put herself in the ridiculous position of knowing better than Armenians what’s good for them!

After claiming for months that the Armenia-Turkey Protocols have no preconditions and not linked to any other issue, Mrs. Clinton now asserts that the Protocols pave the way for a commission that is supposed to study the facts of the Armenian Genocide. “I do not think it is for any other country to determine how two countries resolve matters between them,” she stated. This confirms the worst fears of Armenian opponents of the Protocols. Clearly, the Secretary believes that ratification of the Protocols would prevent consideration of the Armenian Genocide issue by third parties. This is precisely what the Turkish side had been stating, to the dismay of most Armenians. Interestingly, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu made a similar announcement last week, expressing his surprise that the Armenian Genocide resolution is once again on the agenda of the U.S. Congress. All along, the intent of Turkish leaders has been to stop third parties from raising the Armenian Genocide issue, as they drag out the Armenia-Turkey reconciliation process.

It was no accident that almost all Congressmen, who spoke against the genocide resolution in the Foreign Affairs Committee, used the lame excuse that their opposition to this bill was prompted by a desire not to undermine the Protocols which ostensibly would bring Armenian-Turkish reconciliation. Despite their sugar-coated rhetoric, those who opposed the resolution and supported the Protocols were in fact acting against Armenia’s best interests on both counts. The Protocols are now dead and buried anyway, thanks to Turkey’s refusal to ratify them, unless Armenia accepted extraneous preconditions.

While Armenian-American voters cannot settle their score with Pres. Obama this year, since he is not on the ballot in November, 18 of 22 opponents of the resolution are! Armenian-Americans should do everything in their power to prevent the re-election of all those who voted against the genocide resolution on March 4: Russ Carnahan (D-MO), Gerald Connolly (D-VA), Michael McMahon (D-NY), Mike Ross (D-AR), Brad Miller (D-NC), David Scott (D-GA), Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Ron Paul (R-TX), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Mike Pence (R-IN), Joe Wilson (R-SC), Connie Mack (R-FL), Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), Michael McCaul (R-TX), Ted Poe (R-TX), Bob Inglis (R-SC), and Dan Burton (R-IN). Bill Delahunt (D-MA) and John Tanner (D-TN) are retiring from Congress. Gresham Barrett (R-SC) is running for Governor, while John Boozman (R-AR) is a candidate for the U.S. Senate. The latter two should be opposed in their new campaigns.

In addition, Armenian-Americans should campaign against the re-election of Steve Cohen (D-TN), Ed Whitfield (R-KY) and Kay Granger (R-TX), for sending a joint letter to Foreign Affairs Committee members urging them to vote against the genocide resolution. All three are members of the congressional Turkish Caucus.

The next culprits are CEO’s of five major American aerospace and defense companies: Lockheed Martin Corp., Boeing Co., Raytheon Co., United Technologies Corp., and Northrop Grumman Corp. They sent a joint letter to the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee urging him to reject the Armenian Genocide resolution, in order not to jeopardize their sales to Turkey. These CEO’s have committed not only an immoral act by placing a higher premium on profits — blood money — over human rights, but also ignored the fact that Turkey cannot forego its purchases from their firms, because by doing so it would only weaken itself. Armenian-Americans should counter these firms by staging demonstrations in front of their headquarters and factories. Those employed by these firms should communicate their anger to the CEO’s of these firms. Stockholders should go to the next annual meeting of these companies to make their concerns known and seek removal of the CEO’s. Similar protest actions should be taken against the Aerospace Industries Association, which represents more than 270 member companies. The AIA sent a separate letter to Congress against the Armenian Genocide resolution.

The Congressmen and companies who opposed the resolution on March 4 should pay a heavy price for their immoral act. Ignoring their negative votes and letters would encourage them to oppose the resolution again, when it reaches the House floor. If Armenian-Americans could cause the defeat of just one of these scoundrels in November, the rest of them will get the message that voting against genocide recognition can cost them their political careers. They will then think twice before casting such a vote.

As far as Pres. Obama and Secretary Clinton are concerned, Armenian-Americans should not allow them to dictate to the U.S. Congress. Given the fact that most Americans are disillusioned with the failed policies and unfulfilled promises of the Obama administration, all elected officials nationwide are seriously worried about their re-election. This is the perfect time to demand action from politicians and punish those who do not cooperate. Armenian-Americans should contact their representatives in every congressional district throughout the country, even in remote areas, and tell them that unless they support the genocide resolution, they will not get their vote in November. Politicians would rather listen to the voices of their constituents than to Pres. Obama who is the main cause for their seats being in jeopardy. Therefore, the fate of the resolution is ultimately in the hands of Armenian-Americans. If they work hard and get enough congressional supporters, Speaker Pelosi would have no choice but to bring the resolution to the House floor, regardless of what the administration tells her to do. Otherwise, voters who are angry on many other issues could toss out of office the incumbents, jeopardizing her own speakership!

Armenian-Americans should not forget to express their profound gratitude to Chairman Howard Berman (D-CA) and 22 other Congressmen who voted for the resolution on March 4. They are: Gary Ackerman (D-NY), Eni Faleomavaega (D-American Samoa), Donald Payne (D-NJ), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Eliot Engel (D-NY), Diane Watson (D-CA), Albio Sires (D-NJ), Gene Green (D-TX), Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Shelley Berkley (D-NV), Joseph Crowley (D-NY), Jim Costa (D-CA), Keith Ellison (D-MN), Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), Christopher Smith (R-NJ), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Donald Manzullo (R-IL), and Edward Royce (R-CA), Elton Gallegly (R-CA), and Ron Klein (D-FL). The Armenian community should enthusiastically support their re-election.

Finally, some Turkish circles are consoling themselves simply because the resolution was adopted by a difference of one vote. Since House Committee members who opposed the resolution for unrelated reasons explicitly stated that they did not dispute the facts of the Armenian Genocide, the vote could have been 45 to 0, not 23-22, in terms of genocide acknowledgment — a great victory for the truth and a major defeat for Turkish denialists and their backers. No one should be surprised therefore, if in the coming days Turkish leaders cancel the multi-million dollar contracts of their failed lobbying firms!

March 9, 2010
Deputy Chief of Staff to the President of Armenia, Vigen Sargsyan Undermines Armenia’s National Security

By Appo Jabarian

Executive Publisher / Managing Editor
USA Armenian Life Magazine

In February, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President of Armenia Vigen Sargsyan visited the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC, to discuss the prospects and “potential benefits of normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia,” according to the CSIS website.

During the question-and-answer session, in response to a question from Mr. Kazari of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Washington, DC, Mr. Sargsyan astonishingly said the following regarding the current Armenian-Azeri border: “All those important parts of the borders can be de-blocked. Our immediate borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan have nothing to do with the territories around Nagorno Karabagh.”

He continued: “Now as far as the occupation, our concerns are very much in favor [of] … what is important [is that] the president of Armenia [Serzh Sargsyan], who was the Minister of Defense of these territories, has always stated that he does not think of these territories as historic Armenian lands. He always stated that these territories have to return to Azerbaijan when the settlement of Nagorno-Karabagh is found.”

In reference to the controversial former Foreign Minister of Armenia, Mr. V. Sargsyan added: “Vardan Oskanyan’s reference to the word of ‘occupied territories’ [ignited] big internal discussions on what he has to do” to mitigate the negative outcome in the mass media.

As many readers recall, in September 2007, I had called for Mr. Oskanyan’s resignation or dismissal as Foreign Minister of Armenia. The article was disseminated through several news outlets around the globe.

In that article, I wrote: “Oskanyan has been Foreign Minister for too long, without having achieved any substantial gains for Armenia. Furthermore, Armenia squandered away many valuable opportunities for diplomatic gains in the international arena and even sustained self-inflicted damages thanks to Mr. Oskanyan’s mishandling of several cases at the United Nations and elsewhere. It is absurd that the foreign minister … mislabels the liberated Armenian lands as ‘occupied’ territories. … Isn’t it time for a change? The political landscape is shifting. We need more proactive leaders in Armenia.”

Is Mr. V. Sargsyan aware that the territories surrounding mountainous Artsakh have always been part of Armenia?

The now-liberated territories around Artsakh are part of the entire Region of Artsakh that extends to the Kura River, just east of the border between the Republic of Artsakh and the former Soviet Socialist Republic of Azerbaijan.

As Mr. V. Sargsyan should know, the Artsakh Region along with Nakhitchevan was arbitrarily carved out of the 1918-1920 independent Republic of Armenia. These regions were part of Armenia up until its takeover by the Soviet occupation forces in November 1920.

In 1921, soon after Sovietization, Armenia was subjected to the process of “Stalinization” when the infamous Soviet Dictator Josef Stalin “gifted” the entire Region of Artsakh with its lowlands and highlands; and Nakhitchevan to the then newly created Soviet Republic of Azerbaijan.

Presently, the Republic of Azerbaijan continues to illegally occupy 1) The northern Artsakh district of Shahumian; and Gandzak (Kirovabad); 2) the outlying lowlands that extend to Kura River; and 3) Nakhitchevan.

One wonders if Pres. Serzh Sargsyan is aware of his Deputy Chief of Staff V. Sargsyan’s latest serious international blunder (to say the least), undermining Armenia’s national security interests during a lecture in Washington, DC.

By using the misleading term “occupation,” Mr. V. Sargsyan should feel ashamed for having committed an act of blasphemy against the memory of thousands of innocent Armenian victims of the 1988 Azeri pogroms in Baku, Sumgait and Gandzak/Kirovabad and their deportation staged by Azerbaijan.

Mr. V. Sargsyan also disrespected the memory of countless freedom fighters that liberated Artsakh from the Azeri yoke during the Artsakh Liberation War (1991-1994) which was in response to the 1988 Azeri crimes against defenseless Armenians.

While still on the job, Mr. Sargsyan should steer away from or remain unswayed by the influence of neo-con enablers in various academic/diplomatic circles, such as the one inside the Fletcher School of Diplomacy which he graduated from.

Interestingly, during recent years, the Fletcher School of Diplomacy has been serving as the farming grounds for spineless Armenian diplomats, among them former Foreign Minister Oskanyan.

To President Serzh Sargsyan’s credit, as soon as he took the helm of Armenia’s leadership in 2008, he decommissioned Foreign Minister Oskanyan because of his dismal performance.

It would only be logical, if Pres. Sargsyan were to deal with Mr. V. Sargsyan, the way he dealt with Mr. Oskanyan. May be, Mr. V. Sargsyan should not even wait – he should present his letter of resignation sooner rather than later.

To listen to Mr. V. Sargsyan’s comments at CSIS, please fast-forward to the last 5 minutes of his remarks, by using the following link: ).
Audio file icon is located under the heading: “Audio: The Prospects for Armenia-Turkey Normalization: The View from Yerevan”

March 8, 2010

US Congress panel ‘Armenian genocide’ vote wrong

Baroness Sarah Ludford Ingiliz Liberal Party Avrupa Milletvekili – soyledikleri cok guzelkendisine tesekkur edelim assagidaki yazisi icin (emaili var)

Haluk
Turkish Forum, Ingiltere

YONETIM KURULU ADINA

—–Original Message——————————————————————————————
From: Sarah Ludford MEP (Lon) <Office@sarahludfordmep.org.uk>
To: grassroots@turkishnews.com; turkish-forum-advisory-board@googlegroups.com

Sent: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 10:02
Subject: US Congress panel ‘Armenian genocide’ vote wrong

NEWS RELEASE

BARONESS SARAH LUDFORD

MEP Liberal Democrat MEP for London

www.sarahludfordmep.org.uk

Date: Monday 8 March 2010

Contact:

Sarah Ludford or Sonia Dunlop +44 (0)20 7288 2526 or Mobile +44 (0)7970 795 278

Email: office@sarahludfordmep.org.uk

US Congress panel ‘Armenian genocide’ vote wrong

London Liberal Democrat MEP Sarah Ludford, the party’s European justice & human rights spokeswoman and vice-chair of the European Parliament delegation to the United States, has strongly criticised the vote by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives to label the treatment of Armenians in 1915 as ‘genocide’.

She said: “Both the US and the EU have backed the welcome moves to set up a joint commission of historians from Turkey and Armenia to try and establish the truth about the tragic and large-scale wartime deaths almost a century ago. It makes no sense for outsiders in Europe or America to wade in with hobnail boots and prejudge the outcome of that sensitive exercise.”

“That there were deportations which entailed atrocities and deaths of many Christian Armenians is not in doubt. But the precise actions, the 1915 war context, and the extent of reciprocal killings of Muslim Turks all need to be better understood.”

“The term genocide has a very narrow meaning under the 1948 Convention: the deliberate intent to destroy an ethnic, national, racial or religious group. It is deeply irresponsible to use that term without establishing the full facts about the Armenian case and to leave the suspicion that politics or even religious prejudice is a motive.

That is why as an MEP I have always refused to define the events of 1915 and preferred to await the conclusion of honest and objective research. That is not a cop-out, it is acting with integrity.”

“The Congressional vote was won by the narrowest of margins, 23 to 22. I hope that in those circumstances wisdom will prevail, with Congressmen heeding the call of President Obama and Secretary Clinton not to progress this to a vote of the full House.”

END

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The Right Honourable Sarah, Lady Ludford MEP

Member of the European Parliament for London
Incumbent
Assumed office 1999

Born	14 March 1951 (1951-03-14) (age 58)
Nationality	British
Political party	Liberal Democrat
Spouse(s)	Steve Hitchins
Alma mater	London School of Economics

Sarah Ann Ludford, Baroness Ludford (born 14 March 1951) is a Liberal Democrat Member of the European Parliament and a nonvoting member of the House of Lords (where her voting membership is suspended during her MEP tenure).

She was made a Life peer as Baroness Ludford, of Clerkenwell in the London Borough of Islington in 1997.

A former councillor in the London Borough of Islington, and married to the former leader of the council, Steve Hitchins, she was elected as a Member of the European Parliament in the European Parliament election, 1999 and re-elected in 2004 and in 2009 representing London.

Because of the change in the rules of the European Parliament, she is not entitled to sit in the Lords due to her re-election to the European Parliament in the 2009 election. In October 2008, Parliament’s rules were changed so that if a member of the Lords were elected as an MEP, their right to sit and vote in the Lords would be suspended. This satisfies the new European Parliament rules and hence, Lady Ludford, the only person to whom this applies, is not allowed to vote in the Lords while an MEP.

She is a member of the Liberal Democrat groups Friends of Israel and Friends of Turkey.

[edit] External links

Sarah Ludford MEP official site
Sarah Ludford profile at the European Parliament
Sarah Ludford profile at the site of the Liberal Democrats

Ludford: Senatonun Kararı ‘Korkunç’

Avrupa Parlamentosu Üyesi İngiliz Milletvekili Sarah Ludford, ABD Temsilciler Meclisi Dış İlişkiler Komisyonu’nun Aldığı Kararı Eleştirdi. Kararın Yanlış Olduğunu Söyleyen Sarah Ludford, “Türkiye Ve Ermenistan Bu Olayın Araştırılması Için Bir Tarih Komisyonunun Kurulması Konusunda Anlaşmışken, Soykırım Iddialarını Yargılamak Ne ABD Ne De AB’nin Işi Olmalı.” Dedi.

1915 Yıllarında Büyük Toplulukların Göçe Zorlandığı Bir Sırada Acı Ölümlerin Yaşandığını Belirten Ludford, “Bu Sırada Çok Sayıda Hıristiyan Ermeni’nin Öldüğünden Hiç Kimsenin Şüphesi Yok. Ancak 1915 Olayları Daha İyi Analiz Edildiğinde Müslüman Türklerin Öldürülmesi Olayının Da Anlaşılması Gerekiyor.” Ifadesini Kullandı.

Soykırım Sözünün 1948 Konvansiyonu’na Göre Çok Net Bir Anlamı Olduğunu Sözlerine Ekleyen Ludford, Bir Milleti, Irkı Ya Da Dini Bir Grubu Kasten Ve Sistematik Bir Şekilde Ortadan Kaldırma Durumunda Ancak Soykırımdan Bahsedilebileceğini Söyledi. 1915 Yılındaki Ermeni Iddialarını Araştırmadan Ve Konuyu Bilmeden Bu Sözcüğü Kullanmanın Tam Bir ‘Sorumsuzluk’ Olduğunu Vurgulayan Ludford, “Bir Milletvekili Olarak Ben Bu Yüzden Her Zaman 1915 Olaylarını ‘Soykırım’ Olarak Adlandırmaktan Kaçındım Ve Bu Konudaki Bağımsız Araştırmaların Sonucunu Bekledim. Bu Sorumluluktan Kaçma Ya Da Bir Uydurma Değil. Bu Dürüst Olmak Demektir.” Diye Konuştu.

Dış İlişkiler Komisyonu’nun Bir Oy Farkla Bu Kararı Aldığını Hatırlatan Ludford, Sağ Duyunun Galip Gelmesini, Kongre Üyelerinin ABD Başkanı Barack Obama Ve Dışişleri Bakanı Hillary Clinton Ile Birlikte Bu Tasarıyı Temsilciler Meclisi’ne Gelmesini Engellemeyi Umduğunu Dile Getirdi.

March 8, 2010

Mikhail Gorbachov: Nagorno-Karabakh cannot be part of Azerbaijan

11:00 / 03/06/2010 The first and last president of the Soviet Union
Mikhail Gorbachov admits that Nagorno-Karabakh was in a lamentable
state in 1980s, but the authorities did not pay any attention to the
region. `It was even impossible to get in touch with, say, Yerevan,
and Nagorno-Karabakh was not financed,’ Gorbachov said in his
interview with RFE/RL.

Speaking of the ways of settling the conflict, the former Soviet
leader pointed out that nobody wins in such conflicts. `An agreement
should have been reached, and we would have resolved the problem
somehow in late 1980,’ Gorbachov said.

`For example, I proposed republic status for Nagorno-Karabakh. The
then Azeri authorities ‘ I think Vezirov ` were on the point of
agreeing, but the plan failed. May be the problem could be resolved at
that time, but we cannot imagine Nagorno-Karabakh as part of
Azerbaijan now,’ Gorbachov said.

`We can hear new calls for war now. But a new war must not be allowed
in Nagorno-Karabakh. Negotiations are the only way out. War must be
ruled out; otherwise, great powers will be involved,’ he said.

`I think measures should have been taken to grant status to
Nagorno-Karabakh. Economic assistance should have been rendered as
well. People should have been enabled to keep touch with Yerevan. We
allocated funds for Karabakh later, I do not know how they were spent.
At that time they told me I loved Armenians and did not love
Azerbaijanis. Nonsense!’ said Gorbachov.

On the occasion of the 28th anniversary of perestroika (the policy of
reconstructing the economy, etc., of the former Soviet Union under the
leadership of Mikhail Gorbachov), the Gorbachov Fund released a
report. According to the authors, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is
among the causes of the USSR’s collapse. The authors points out that
the problem was the result of erroneous policy at the dawn of the
Soviet state.

T.P.

March 8, 2010

Tag: Recep Tayyip Erdogan

The Armenian Genocide Resolution is a Farce all Around”

Ermeni Tasarisi Elestirisi

Bashing Turkey’s Army

Armenian-Americans Should not Allow Obama and Clinton to Bury Genocide Bill

Deputy Chief of Staff to the President of Armenia, Vigen Sargsyan Undermines Armenia’s National Security

US Congress panel ‘Armenian genocide’ vote wrong

Baroness Sarah Ludford Ingiliz Liberal Party Avrupa Milletvekili – soyledikleri cok guzelkendisine tesekkur edelim assagidaki yazisi icin (emaili var)

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BARONESS SARAH LUDFORD

MEP Liberal Democrat MEP for London

US Congress panel ‘Armenian genocide’ vote wrong

[edit] External links

Ludford: Senatonun Kararı ‘Korkunç’

Mikhail Gorbachov: Nagorno-Karabakh cannot be part of Azerbaijan