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N.Net – Israeli psychologist and historian, world renowned genocide expert Dr. Israel W. Charny donated his personal library to the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI).
The library comprises about 700 books about Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide, AGMI director Hayk Demoyan said.
A separate room is planned to be prepared for the donated literature.
By Arutz Sheva
The Knesset will hold a ceremony to mark the memory of the Turkish genocide of Armenians, almost 100 years ago, on Tuesday.
MK Reuven Rivlin (Likud) said before the ceremony that he believes that “as human beings and as Jews, we must not ignore the catastrophe of another nation for any reason, including diplomatic considerations, important as they may be.”
“We will mark the annual memorial day for the massacre of the Armenian people regardless of the relations with today’s Turkey, which is an ally.”
Turkey is highly displeased with the Knesset’s decision to mark the day, as relations between the countries continue to be tense, despite a recent rapprochement brokered by U.S. President Barack Obama.
The genocide of the Armenians took place in the course of World War 1, and it is generally estimated that between 1 and 1.5 million Armenians were murdered, making up about one third of the entire Armenian people.
The massacre began when about 250 Armenian leaders in Istanbul were shot to death, on orders from the Turkish government. Later on, men, women and children were put to death on a daily basis in various ways, including forced marches that ended in their death from exhaustion, cold and hunger. Women and children were placed on boats and drowned at sea, or crucified. There is also evidence that children were put to death with poison gas in schools that were converted to death camps.
Turkey has consistently denied responsibility for the genocide, which is sometimes referred to as the Armenian Holocaust. Various events devoted to the subject, which were supposed to be held at the Knesset, were cancelled in recent years because of Turkish pressure.
Published on Apr 19, 2013 by Communications Department
On April 24, Armenians around the world will commemorate the 98th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Armenian Martyrs’ Day will be observed at St. Leon Armenian Cathedral with t
he celebration of the Divine Liturgy at 6:30 pm. “April 24, 1915, has been our people’s woeful path to Golgotha. However, April 24th is also the Armenian people’s vision of the nation’s Resurrection,” said His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America.
The solemn celebration of the Divine Liturgy will be followed by a Requiem Service and a flower-laying ceremony at the memorial cross-stone in the Turpanjian Plaza in honor of those who perished during the first Genocide of the 20th century.
Other commemorative events will include a candlelight vigil and a commemoration march for justice.
April 5 2013
Victims of the first major genocide of the last century will be remembered in churches across Wales this month.
An estimated 1.5 million Armenians were systematically exterminated during World War I in what was then Ottoman Turkey. Now, nearly 100 years later, the Church in Wales is officially recognising April 24 as Armenian Genocide Memorial Day by including it in its church calendar.
To mark the recognition, the Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, will take part in a special service of prayer at Cardiff’s Temple of Peace on April 22 with Bishop Vahan Hovhanissian, the Armenian Primate of Britain and Ireland. Representatives of the Embassy of the Armenian Republic will also be at the service during which 98 candles will be lit, to mark the 98th year of the genocide.
April 24 1915 was the date on which leading Armenian community leaders, journalists, authors, poets and churchmen in Istanbul were arrested by the authorities and deported to a death camp from which only a handful escaped with their lives. It is the day on which Armenians throughout the world remember the victims of the Genocide.
The Church in Wales, through Archbishop Barry, played a significant role in ensuring that a public memorial to the victims of the Armenian Genocide was placed in the garden of the Temple of Peace in Cardiff in 2007.
One of the speakers at the dedication of the memorial was Canon Patrick Thomas. He has a deep interest in Armenian culture, history and spirituality and has visited the Republic of Armenia five times since 2005. He is the author of From Carmarthen to Karabagh: a Welsh Discovery of Armenia. It was following his request that the Church in Wales officially recognised April 24th as Armenian Genocide Memorial Day.
Canon Thomas, who is Chancellor of St Davids Cathedral and Vicar of Christ Church, Carmarthen, said, “Honouring the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide is a very significant step by the Church in Wales. Whenever the horrific crime of genocide is denied or ignored it increases the possibility of future genocides. Both Armenia and Wales are ancient countries whose history has been shaped by the Christian faith. Adding Armenian Genocide Memorial Day to our church calendar will also strengthen the growing friendship between the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church and the Church in Wales.”
Canon Thomas has composed a prayer in both English and Welsh that can be used in Welsh churches on that day. It will be said for the first time at the service at the Temple of Peace on April 22. The service, organised by Cardiff Mission Parish, will begin at 4.30pm.
The prayer is as follows:
Almighty God,
whose light revealed in Christ can never be extinguished by the darkness of human actions,
we remember before you today the Armenian victims of genocide;
grant that the memory of their suffering may lead all peoples
to work together for a world set free from prejudice and hatred,
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.
By Benjamin Abtan New Statesman magazine
It has been 98 years since – following a premeditated plan with a methodic implementation – one million and a half Armenians were massacred in the Ottoman Empire. The Armenian people were the victims of a genocide which would soon serve as a gruesome reference for those that followed.
Today in Turkey, the mere enunciation of this historical fact still provokes ferocious opposition, sometimes even physical threats. Genocide denial serves as an encouragement to racism and hate against Armenians and other non-Muslim minorities. Some want to pretend that acknowledging the reality of the Armenian Genocide is an attack on all Turkish people and on “Turkishness”. It is not: it is a step towards justice.
Several years ago, the genocide of Armenians began to be commemorated in Turkey itself. The participants are still few but their number grows every day despite an official discourse of genocide-denial. Today, those among us who have taken part in these commemorations in Turkey are calling for solidarity beyond borders.
This year on 24 April – the widely recognised starting date of the massacre – we ask citizens, civil society leaders, antiracist activists, intellectuals and artists, of Armenian and other diverse origins, in Turkey and across the world, to unite in calling for the historical fact of the Armenian Genocide to be recognised at last.
Our shared initiative is one of solidarity, of justice, and of democracy.
It is an initiative of solidarity between all who fight for historical truth. Today the divide is not between Turks and Armenians, but between those who struggle for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, whatever their origins are and wherever they live, and those who promote denial. In a word, it is not a question of blood, but of ideas; not a question of origins, but of a common goal.
It is an initiative of justice. In the words of writer and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, “Genocide kills twice, the second time by silence.” Denial, then, is the perpetuation of genocide. Fighting against denial is trying to quell the trauma in Armenian communities from one generation to another. It is not an end to this part of history – because when it comes to genocide, there is unfortunately no true end – but it offers new generations the opportunity to look together towards the future.
Finally, it is an initiative for democracy. Echoing writer and Buchenwald survivor Jorge Semprun’s frequent reminder, democracy requires vitality from civil society. Strengthening Turkish civil society by establishing bridges with the rest of the European civil society is strengthening democratic values, thus combating racism and promoting human rights, in Turkey as well as in the rest of Europe.
In solidarity, for justice and democracy, for the respect of the victims and their descendents, we will commemorate together the Armenian Genocide on 24 April, in Turkey.
Signed by:
Benjamin Abtan, President of the European Grassroots Antiracist Movement – EGAM
Cengiz Algan & Levent Sensever, Spokespeople for Durde! (Turkey)
Alexis Govciyan , European President & Nicolas Tavitian, Member of the Board of the Armenian General Benevolent Union – AGBU (Europe)
Meral Çildir, Member of the Board of Directors & Ayse Gunaysu, Member of the Commission against Racism and Discrimination of the Turkish Association for Human Rights – IHD (Turkey)
Turkey Have secretly and successfully infiltrated USA military industrial technology and now becoming the major Arm supplier to the region,
Saudi Arabia’s top general sought opportunities for an arms imports deal from Turkey worth $2 billion during a visit to Ankara last week, a Turkish daily reported on Monday.
According to a report in the Vatan daily on Monday, Saudi Chief of Staff Hussein ibn Abdullah al-Gubayel discussed the details of a probable arms acquisition deal during his meeting with his Turkish counterpart over the past week in Ankara. Saudi officials are reportedly interested in orders for Turkey’s first domestically produced unmanned surveillance drone, the Anka, as well its first tank, the Altay combat tank. Al-Gubayel was received by President Abdullah Gül and Chief of General Staff Gen. Necdet Özel last week in Ankara.
A memorial dedicated to the victims of the Armenian genocide during WWI was inaugurated in Szeged, S Hungary, on Saturday, http://www.politics.hu reports.
The cross stone was erected in the Park of Christian Solidarity near Szeged cathedral.
Addressing the ceremony, goodwill ambassador Levon Sargsian (President Serzh Sargsian’s brother) welcomed that a memorial of this kind was unveiled in Hungary.
“Although the recent period has witnessed some difficult moments, they have been swept away like ash in the wind,” he said.
Although diplomatic relations between Armenia and Hungary were broken, ties between the two nations date back to centuries, Levon Sargsian said.
The ambassador stressed the need to pay tribute to the 1.5 million victims and fight to prevent similar atrocities anywhere in the world.
Addressing a letter to the participants, Hungarian Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi said that the two nations had been bound by centuries-long friendship, arising from a common Christian faith, common fate and the remarkable achievements of Armenians who had settled in Hungary.
Martonyi said that Hungarian-Armenian friendship should be further deepened and cooperation extended in all fields of life, including diplomatic relations.
Despite the regrettable cessation of political contacts, Hungary supports Armenia’s endeavour for integration into Europe and would welcome if talks on the association and free trade agreements were concluded at the Vilnius summit of the Eastern Partnership and the European Union, Martonyi.
Armenia unilaterally suspended diplomatic relations with Hungary last August after an Azeri officer, serving a life sentence for murdering an Armenian officer in Budapest, had been repatriated to his homeland where he had been released.
16:51, 22 April, 2013
YEREVAN, APRIL 22, ARMENPRESS. On the eve of the Armenian Genocide’s 98th commemoration, Memco Inc. has updated and released the Armenian Genocide Virtual 
Museum tour at http://www.genocide-museum.am. The Public Relations Service of Memco Inc. Company informed “Armenpress” that the virtual visit facilitates the visitors to visit the Armenian Genocide Museum—Institute from across the globe, to take a tour of the monument as well as the museum itself where documents and images of the perpetrations is displayed. Additionally, in remembrance of the victims of the genocide the visitors can place flowers by the eternal flame.
To view the aforementioned content the visitor is required to download and install a viewer (MiaPlayer) for a high-quality interactive experience. Once installed, the visitor may follow the easy instructions and navigate the entire scene. The visitor is presented with the choice of visiting the Genocide Museum during the day or the evening hours accompanied with the lasting music of Komitas as performed by the renowned Komitas Quartet.
Per Mr. Garen Melikian’s words, the President and CEO of Memco Inc., “… as someone who lives in the United States and could not attend the ceremony every year, I wanted to participate and make my presence permanent”. He goes on to say, that “by creating a virtual environment of the monument and the museum we wanted to offer the diaspora Armenians, as well as concerned non-Armenians, the opportunity that is readily available to our compatriots in Armenia. For them to visit Tsitsernakabert and pay their respect to victims of the genocide”, added Melikian.
It must be noted that the creation and maintenance of the Armenian Genocide Virtual Museum is a charitable contribution made by Memco Inc. in honor of the resilience and everlasting endurance of the Armenian people for the recognition of their pain and celebration of their life.
The 98th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide will be remembered this week in Fresno with a series of events, including a visit by a former U.S. ambassador to Armenia who spoke out about the genocide, The Fresno Bee reported.
Nearly a century after 1.5 million Armenians were killed by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923, the U.S. government still fails to label the ethnic cleansing as a “genocide.”
The G-word was the “inappropriate” term and the event’s history was so taboo it couldn’t even be discussed, said former U.S. ambassador to Armenia John Marshall Evans, who held the post from 2004 to 2006.
Evans challenged that taboo in a 2005 speaking tour in California where he first described the Ottoman Empire’s assault as a genocide — an act that thrust him into an uncomfortable position with his bosses.
“After I leveled with California audiences about the Armenian Genocide in February 2005 … I returned to Armenia as ambassador, but was required to issue a statement to the effect that what I had said was ‘inappropriate,’ ” Evans said.
“The fact that the subject was treated as taboo meant that it could not even be discussed,” he said. “That had to change, even if it cost me my job.”
Evans, a career foreign service officer, was recalled from his ambassador’s posting in Armenia before the end of his planned three-year assignment. He retired from the foreign service 18 months after his genocide remarks.
Evans continues to speak out about the genocide and calls for everyone to face the hard issues of history and be understanding. “I believe the failure of the world to deal with the issue has continuing deleterious consequences,” he said.
Evans will be the keynote speaker for Tuesday’s memorial commemorating the 98th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide at the Pilgrim Armenian Congressional Church.
Source: Panorama.am
It looks like NATO Patriot missile systems split Turkish society. Recently the cleavage has become more sharply defined. Growing dissatisfaction with foreign military 
presence in Turkey leads to social unrest, according to an article written by French writer Fransua Borle.
“Particularly something serious might happen next week. Mass protest actions against Patriot missiles and possible NATO military intervention in Syria are planned. According to Turkish media and information obtained from social networks these actions will be carried out on April 23.
Turkey tries to prove itself as a part of the Western world. However a large amount of population does not want Turkey to be used in promoting interests of Washington and Brussels in the Middle East. Public discontent that resulted in protest actions against the deployment of Patriot missiles that we’ve witnessed in recent months clearly show that.
Now the situation is becoming even more tense. Early this week Turkish patriotic movement called Turkey Youth Union has carried out a large-scale hacker attack on Turkish mass media. Activists from Turkey Youth Union are known for beating German soldiers and other anti-NATO protest actions. This time they placed their banners on the main pages of Turkish media resources websites.
According to Turkish media and social networks hackers also attacked fax machines of Turkish citizens including politicians and other public figures urging them to join protest marches planned on April 23
I would not recommend you to visit Turkey in the near future. It’s not safe in there for Americans and Europeans nowadays. A lot of people in Turkey don’t like us there and it seems they are ready to take violent actions,” the article reads.