The blog contains articles and thoughts in English, Armenian and Arabic about Armenian issues, Artsakh-Karabakh issue, Armenian Genocide as well as the life of Armenians and Christians in Iraq and the Middle East.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Same old Turkish Trick: Make Promises, Get Praised, but Deliver Nothing
By Harut Sassounian Publisher, The California Courier Turkish leaders came up with a new ploy last week to impress world public opinion with fake magnanimity toward the country’s long-oppressed minorities. Prime Minister Erdogan signed a decree last Saturday that supposedly will return hundreds of buildings that belonged to Christian and Jewish community foundations or charitable trusts. There are currently 162 such trusts (vakfs) registered in the Republic of Turkey. Back in 1936, the Turkish government demanded that all non-Muslim foundations declare their property holdings. In 1974, Turkish courts illegally stripped these foundations from all properties acquired after 1936, and even some that belonged to them before that date. Last week’s decree requested the foundations to submit to the government within the next 12 months the list of properties confiscated from them -- now worth billions of dollars -- including schools, hospitals, orphanages, and cemeteries. If and when Parliament adopts this decree, the Turkish government is pledging to either return the seized properties or pay compensation for those sold to third parties. It is important to note that this decree does not cover the hundreds of thousands of private properties that were confiscated by the Turkish authorities from Armenians and other minorities during and after World War I. Before anyone starts thanking the Turkish leadership for its "kindness" or "fair mindedness" toward its non-Muslim citizens, one needs to scrutinize Ankara’s motives and anticipate its possible next steps. Although Erdogan’s ruling party has more than sufficient votes in Parliament to pass the proposed measure, no one should be surprised if this "generous" offer is considerably watered down in terms of the number and types of properties it covers and their current value, conveniently blaming these restrictions on the opposition parties! Erdogan’s previous promises to return confiscated properties to minority foundations were mired in bureaucratic red tape, causing lengthy delays and failure to honor almost all requests. Most probably Turkish officials decided to issue this decree after losing several major property claims filed by Armenian and Greek foundations in the European Court of Human Rights. Clearly, Turkey can ill afford to lose hundreds of similar lawsuits. Adnan Ertem, head of Turkey’s administration of charitable trusts, told Sabah newspaper that by dealing internally with non-Muslim foundations, the government would be able to avoid paying much larger sums, including damages and court costs, should it lose the lawsuits filed in the European Court. Ertem claimed that there are 370 confiscated properties that should be returned to minority foundations. More important than saving money, Turkey would spare itself the embarrassment of losing hundreds of court cases which would tarnish its reputation in the eyes of the world, particularly at a time when it is trying to join the European Union. In addition, Turkey has already scored a major propaganda coup by merely promising to return these properties. The international media has published glowing news reports of this "magnanimous" Turkish gesture, before a single piece of property has been returned to the minorities. No one should be surprised if Turkey uses this new decree as a propaganda tool to counter recent US congressional demands for the return of church properties to their rightful owners. Likewise, no one should be surprised if Turkish leaders brazenly demand that the Armenian, Greek, and Israeli governments reciprocate with a gesture of their own toward Turkey. Turkish officials should be reminded that by returning the confiscated properties they are not doing a favor to the religious minorities. Such misplaced gratitude would be akin to a robbery victim thanking a thief who for selfish reasons decides to return a small portion of what he has stolen. Even though the Turkish media has prematurely characterized the Erdogan decree as "historic" and "revolutionary," in practice, it is less enforceable than the Turkish government’s obligations under the Treaty of Lausanne which provides the country’s Armenian, Greek and Jewish minorities much greater protection under international law. While domestic laws can be amended at any time, Turkey’s international treaty obligations can not be restricted by governmental decree. Fearing for their own safety, none of the non-Muslim communities have dared to file a complaint with the United Nations or international courts, despite the fact that successive Turkish governments have violated the provisions of the Lausanne Treaty since its ratification in 1923. My advice to Turkey’s minorities would be not to withdraw their lawsuits from the European Court of Human Rights until they recover their confiscated properties or receive appropriate financial restitution. |
Monday, August 29, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
Saturday, August 13, 2011
New Armenian Church in Iraq
Starting on Monday, August 1st and ending on Monday afternoon, August 8th, 2011, His Eminence Archbishop Avak Asadourian, Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Iraq, paid a pastoral visit to the autonomous region of Kurdistan in Northern Iraq, mainly to inspect the work of our new Church which is being built in the village of Havresk (Hye Verejh) in the province of Duhok. On Thursday August 4th, Avak Serpazan traveled to the village of Havresk and met with the residents of the village in the “Levon Pasha” hall. During the meeting the Primate listened to the complaints of the villagers and offered some solutions regarding the problems.
His Eminence also visited the Armenian Communities of Erbil and Duhok cities in a non-official capacity. On Friday August 5th Serpazan Hayr delivered the sermon during the Divine Liturgy celebrated in the St. Nersess Shenorhali Armenian Church in Duhok city.
Because of rampant insecurity especially in Baghdad and Mosul cities since 2003, the Armenian communities in Iraq have been experiencing inner migration as is the case with other Christian denominations and minorities. This caused a number of our Armenian people to relocate into the Kurdish autonomous region of Iraq. Hence, our Diocese is faced with the obligation and Christian duty of building new churches for our faithful.
This house of worship is being built through the generous donation by the Association of Churches in Germany and Switzerland with the able coordination of CAPNI Foundation. We offer our appreciation for this Christian act of extending a helping hand.
During his visit Serpazan gave instructions regarding the progress of the work and offered some details pertaining to arrangements specific to our Mother Church.
It is important to note that due to limited funding we could not build this Church in an entirely Armenian architectural style. So we had to improvise for the greater glory of Almighty God. We hope this church to be completed early next year.
His Eminence was accompanied by the parish priests of our Churches of Zakho and Duhok, Fr. Artoon Khalatian and Fr. Masis Shahinian respectively. Also, accompanying Serpazan were two parish council members from Erbil.
Returning to Erbil, His Eminence presented his condolences to the families and relatives of recently departed two Armenian men on Saturday and Sunday August 6th and 7th in the community center.
We include some photographs of the visit, of the new Church under construction, and some of the Sunday School children in Havresk.
Divan of the Armenian Diocese of Iraq
Baghdad, Iraq
12 August, 2011
See the pictures at:
Friday, August 12, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Tuesday, August 09, 2011
Monday, August 08, 2011
Sunday, August 07, 2011
Saturday, August 06, 2011
Friday, August 05, 2011
Thursday, August 04, 2011
Wednesday, August 03, 2011
Tuesday, August 02, 2011
Erdogan Inadvertently Publicizes Armenian Territorial Claims from Turkey
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan's hysterical outburst at Armenia’s President last week had the salutary effect of publicizing to a worldwide audience Armenian territorial demands from Turkey!
By distorting and exaggerating Pres. Serzh Sargsyan's remarks to a group of schoolchildren in Dsaghgatsor, Armenia, on July 23, Erdogan created a gigantic mountain out of a molehill! Anyone who reads the Armenian President’s actual words would find it hard to believe that they could be the cause of Erdogan’s foaming at the mouth!
Krikor Hampartsumian, a Shahumian Middle School student from the Ararat Region, asked Pres. Sargsyan: "…I would be interested in knowing whether our future would be reminiscent of a German diplomat’s description of the Batum Agreement -- they gave us enough room to swim in Lake Sevan, but not enough room to dry up -- or a future that would see the return of Western Armenia along with Ararat?"
Pres. Sargsyan calmly responded: "It all depends on you and your generation. I believe my generation fulfilled its task when it was necessary in the early 1990’s to defend a part of our homeland -- Karabagh -- from enemies. We were able to do that…. My point is that each generation has its own task, and it must be able to carry it out, and carry it out well. If you and your peers spare no effort, and if those older and younger than you act the same way, we will have one of the best countries in the world. Trust me, a country’s clout is not always measured by its land mass. The country should be modern, secure, and prosperous. These are prerequisites that allow a nation to sit along with prominent, strong, and reputed nations of the world. We should all fulfill our duties, be active, industrious, and engage in good deeds. And we can accomplish that very easily. It would not be the first time in our history that we achieve it. I have no doubts about it, and I don’t want you to have any doubts either. We are a nation like a Phoenix that always rises from the ashes."
This simple exchange between the President and the young student was blown out of all proportion by Azeri and Turkish officials. Journalists in both countries tried to outdo each other in their hysterical attacks on Armenia, accusing Pres. Sargsyan of "urging Armenian youth to occupy Mt. Ararat and Eastern Turkey." Insulting adjectives were hurled at Armenia’s President by Turkey’s Prime Minister Erdogan, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinch, Minister Egemen Bagis, Pres. Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, and the Foreign Ministries of both countries. To incite the masses, protests were organized in Turkish cities where photographs of Pres. Sargsyan were burned!
Incredibly, Erdogan had the audacity of demanding an apology from Pres. Sargsyan. The Turkish Prime Minister’s score on failed demands for apology from the leaders of Israel, Germany, and Armenia now stands at 3 to 0. Erdogan should not hold his breath waiting for Armenia to apologize! Before making such an outrageous demand, Turkish leaders must first apologize for the 1.5 million victims of the Armenian Genocide, and return all confiscated Armenian properties, including Western Armenia and Mt. Ararat, as suggested by this erudite student who deserves to be honored by Armenian organizations as a role model for the young generation.
What was the real cause of the Turkish and Azeri hysteria? Did Erdogan have a bad translator or simply bad intentions? It is probably the latter. He delivered his outrageous remarks while standing next to Pres. Aliyev during a press conference in Baku last week. Erdogan may have wanted to impress his "junior brother" with his anti-Armenian zeal and provide a false justification to the international community for not keeping his word on the Armenia-Turkey Protocols and refusing to open the border with Armenia. He may have also intended to be excessively harsh so that no Armenian official would ever again hint at territorial claims from Turkey.
This episode demonstrates that papering over historical injustices by pressuring Armenia to sign defeatist Protocols will not eliminate the deeply-held grievances of a victimized people. The Armenian-Turkish confrontation will not be resolved until justice is done to the Armenian nation. Pursuing justice is the task of all Armenians, this generation and the next. There will be no peace for Turkey without justice for Armenians!
In addition to their gratitude to the impressive youngster and Pres. Sargsyan, Armenians should be thankful to Prime Minister Erdogan for his hysterical overreaction which helped bring Armenian territorial demands to the attention of the international media and the world community!
Monday, August 01, 2011
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