Office of Mayor Farrah N. Khan#irvine Thank you to everyone who has reached out over the past few days. I have learned a lot and wanted to offer this apology to the #Armenian community. It’s imperative as leaders that we recognize when we miss the mark, commit to doing better, and build trust with those we’ve hurt.

@FarrahNK 2nd apology is a bit more meaningful than the first insulting, an apology. While it’s good to hear that you say that you’ll be committing to cut all ties with Genocide deniers, hope you do…

Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan apologized to the Armenian community Thursday night after a video surfaced earlier in the week of her speaking with a prominent Armenian genocide denier.

But the apology came just over 24 hours after Khan dismissed the complaints against her as a political attack – and over a month after one public commenter began pointing out their connection during his three minutes to speak to the dais at council meetings. 

Khan, who’s up for reelection this year, did not respond to requests for comment Friday morning. 

The Armenian genocide took place during World War I in the Ottoman Empire, with the Turkish government killing between 664,000 and 1.2 million Armenian people in “massacres and individual killings, or from systematic ill treatment, exposure, and starvation,” according to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum’s website. 

Ergun Kirlikovali, a former President of the Assembly of Turkish American Associations, has repeatedly denied that the Armenian genocide took place, including multiple times on his Twitter page over the last week, which he called it a “long discredited political claim.” 

His public stance against the genocide’s existence stretches back to at least 1987, when he spoke to the California State Senate Education Committee claiming that Turkish and Armenian people lived together in “peaceful coexistence for 600 years,” until near the end of the 20th century.

“You would be laughing at some of these stories,” Kirkliovali said about claims of the genocide. “The people are gullible, they take it.” 

Khan and Kirlikovali have been photographed together at a series of events over her time in office, including one Twitter post where she thanked him for hosting a holiday party and for “always mak(ing) me feel like I’m with family.” 

While Voice of OC was not able to locate the tweet in question where Khan posted about Kirlikovali feeling like family, when she was shown photos of the tweets at an Irvine City Council meeting last month she did not deny their authenticity. 

But tensions boiled over in the Armenian community after a video surfaced from November 2020, showing Khan meeting with Kirlikovali and LA Turkish Consul General Can Oguz. 

In the clip, one of the attendees offered Khan a box of Turkish delights, at which point Kirlikovali joked that if any Armenian people were to see the candy that she could eat them and they would vanish, which Khan followed up by saying she’d be sure to eat the candy in front of Armenian people. 

But others thought Kirlikovali’s comments were aimed at Armenian people and not the candy.

To view the full clip which was posted by Beyaz Gazete, a Turkish news outlet, click here. 

The Armenian National Committee of America’s Orange County branch reposted the video last Tuesday, adding subtitles, calling it “unacceptable and (the video’s) contents hurtful.” 

On Wednesday evening, Khan released a statement on her personal Twitter page calling the video “proof that my political opponents will do whatever it takes.” 

“This video purposefully mistranslates a conversation about candy through fake captioning to create this despicable attempt at distorting my views,” Khan wrote. “My record of calling out racism, acts of hate, and making it easier for victims of hate to report crimes stands on its own.” 

To view the statement and her recorded response, click here. 

Kirlikovali didn’t back down after Khan’s first video, posting multiple invitations on the Committee’s Twitter page inviting for people to debate him over the genocide’s existence in the comments.  

“Lies, slanders, deceiving, falsifying, threats, harassment, bullying, terrorism, screaming, begging. Have I covered all Armenian traits?” Kirlikovali posted. “Oh yeah, and backstabbing and assassinating. Have I said fraud?” 

While Kirlikovali’s Tweet is no longer posted in that thread, there is a note from Twitter where it was in the thread that a tweet was removed for violating the site’s content rules. 

After that, the Committee sent out a statement calling on their supporters to “take action against this hate speech and hold Mayor Khan accountable.” 

Following that post, Khan sent out a second video message, this time from her mayoral account, saying she had “learned a lot and wanted to offer this apology.” 

“I apologize to the Armenian community for things that were said, that were felt. My intentions were never to hurt the community,” Khan said in the video. “My door is open to learn more and build on the trust we need to move forward.” 

Khan said she knows the genocide happened, and committed to “cut all ties with those who deny the Armenian genocide.” 

However, Khan’s statement didn’t address her relationship with Kirlikovali.

Eric Neshanian, a frequent critic of Khan’s, has spoken out at multiple city council meetings and in emails to the city criticizing Khan’s ties to Kirlikovali, including photos of Twitter posts that showed Khan at multiple events with Kirlikovali, including a meeting of her Mayor’s Advisory Council. 

While Voice of OC could not find those posts since Khan’s page only holds Twitter posts back to April 2021, she hasn’t publicly disputed those photos displayed by Neshanian during city council meetings.

Following Neshanian’s February 22 public comments that included photos from Khan’s Twitter page, Khan offered a short statement from the dais. 

“Mr. Neshanian is an Islamaphobe who feels ok to attack me and no other elected officials. Other elected officials at the same events, meeting the same people are never targeted. That’s sad, and that’s embarrassing,” Khan said. 

Many of the comments under her recent apology video still called for her to resign, pointing to her earlier statement of it being a political attack as evidence she only backtracked after pressure. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SANTA ANA, CA. MARCH 22, 2022

We were recently made aware of a November 2020 meeting Irvine Mayor, Farrah Khan had
with Mr. Ergun Kirlikovali, LA Turkish Consul General Can Oguz, and others where she and
Mr. Kirlikovali positively acknowledges, with dark humor, the pleasure of making Armenians
“disappear.” The event, and video footage, were solely covered in Turkish-language
websites, otherwise it would have been addressed at our meeting with Mayor Khan on
November 8. 7071.
Disparagingly, Mayor Khan has also appointed Ergun Kirlikovali to a Mayoral committee.
Kirlikovali has been previously identified as America’s most notorious denier or sympathizer
of the Armenian Genocide.

Let it be known that the City of Irvine, Orange County Board of Supervisors, State of
California and the US House of Representatives, Senate, and the President have all
recognized the Armenian Genocide, which affirms the historical facts of this tragedy.
On behalf of the Orange County Armenian community, we find this video unacceptable and
its contents hurtful. We condemn the appointment of a genocide denialist or sympathizer.
We have written to the Mayor seeking an apology as well as other steps to right this wrong.

Please contact her office & colleagues: (949) 724-6233 cm@cityofirvine.org & Irvine City Council (949) 724-6233 irvinecitycouncil@cityofirvine.org

The 107th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide will take place in Times Square, New York, on Sunday, April 24, 2022, from 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm. Join thousands in solidarity alongside noted politicians, academics, and artists to honor the victims of the Armenian Genocide, while advancing the fight towards global recognition. Special accolades will be given to U.S. President Joe Biden and members of Congress for standing on the right side of history and affirming the Armenian Genocide through formal recognition.

While over a century has passed since the first genocide of the 20^th century that claimed the lives of 1.5 million Armenian martyrs by the Young Turk Party of the Ottoman Empire, the Armenian Diaspora continues its unyielding efforts to remember, to honor, and to educate the world about this catastrophic event in history — a piece of history that not only goes unrecognized to this day by the Turkish government but is perpetuated with the recent war and ongoing conflicts in Artsakh.

In conjunction with the Times Square Commemoration, the Knights & Daughters of Vartan will again sponsor an annual global essay contest and Young Professionals event, 100 Years & Beyond, for the New York metro area.

The annual Armenian Genocide Commemoration in Times Square is sponsored by the Knights of Vartan and Daughters of Vartan, a national fraternal organization, and co-sponsored by the Armenian General Benevolent Union, Armenian Assembly of America, Armenian National Committee of America, Armenian Democratic Liberal Party, Armenian Missionary Association of America, the Armenian Bar Association, Tekeyan Cultural Association of Greater New York, and the Armenian Council of America; participating organizations include the Diocese of the Armenian Church, Prelacy of the Armenian Church, Armenian Missionary Association of America, Armenian Missionary Association, Armenian Evangelical Union, Armenian Catholic Eparchy, and several national Armenian youth organizations.

Also, the Biden administration formally recognize the Armenian genocide that took place a century ago. This will be the first U.S. administration to make this designation, and it’s not without controversy.

The United States has long struggled with the implications associated with this deeply polarizing issue — and the domestic and international complexities involved. But the U.S. acknowledgment of a genocide that began in 1915 reflects, fundamentally, an important shift in the 2021 relationship between the United States and Turkey.

What happened to the Armenians?

Between 1915 and 1922, up to a million Armenians in Anatolia were killed by Ottoman authorities. Many died in forced-labor battalions or en route to remote camps. Reports of these mass killings of Armenians were among the factors that compelled the United States to enter World War I. American missionaries had played an active role in educating and nurturing Armenian communities in the Ottoman Empire. News of the suffering compelled large numbers of American aid workers to journey to the Levant to aid in their care after the war was over.

Recently, the RA High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs Zareh Sinanyan visited France to have meetings with the Armenian community of France, but the meetings did not go smoothly. According to the information, Zareh Sinanyan violated the previously reached agreements of the inviting party with the Armenian company of France, as a result of which the Chief Commissioner of the Diaspora registered a poor agenda in France. Zareh Sinanyan’s visit was exclusively rejected by all the traditional, serious organizations of the Armenian community in France.

Pastinfo spoke with Murad Papazyan, Chairman of the Coordinating Council of the Armenian Society of France (CCAF), member of the ARF Bureau. – Mr. Papazyan, how did the traditional dinner organized by the Armenian community of France go recently? What were the main problems solved by this year’s event? – We have been organizing that dinner since 2014, every year the first person of the country, the president, participates in it. This time, for well-known reasons, Macron was not present, because he is busy with the issue of Ukraine. These days, as the President of Europe, he participates in the negotiations in Moscow, Ki, and Berlin. Despite his absence for good reasons, he had authorized the Prime Minister to attend the dinner, which we highly appreciate. This year, as in previous years, many deputies, ministers, artists, lawyers, journalists participated, with a total of about 450 participants. I must say that this year the dinner was also productive.

You know, it is a political work for us, during which we raise various issues concerning Armenia and Artsakh, naturally defending the interests of Armenia, the Armenian Cause, and Artsakh. In any case, here in France, our enemies, Turkey and Azerbaijan, during these years have not been able to increase their role enough to counterbalance our community. As for this year’s problems, due to the situation in Armenia over the past two years, we considered it necessary to focus on the country’s security issues, border issues, post-war issues, the issue of the danger of the corridor, which, in fact, threatens Armenia’s statehood. It also endangers the Armenian-Iranian border, which is of great importance for Armenia.

This time we also highlighted the importance of France’s role in the Minsk Group in the issue of recognizing Artsakh’s independence. Of course, the pro-Armenian position of the French Republic must be very important here, which we are sure will be continuous. In other words, despite all these problems, Armenia should not be left alone in international relations. – Speaking of “Hay Dat”, I can not but refer to Nikol Pashinyan’s problematic statements on this topic during the last press conference, according to which, I quote, the Republic of Armenia has never pursued a policy of “Hay Dat”. Never. ” I would like to know how you would comment on this wording, Mr. Papazyan. – I think this is a very dangerous, anti-Armenian statement. How to comment on this? Pashinyan is probably not aware of Armenian history, he does not know what “Hay Dat” and the Genocide are.

What does it mean that the Republic of Armenia has never pursued the policy of “Hay Dat”? What is it? One of the issues, moreover, at the state level, together with the ambassadors accredited, the ARF Bureau, was the international recognition of the “Hay Dat”։ Genocide. It was during those years that dozens of countries internationally recognized, condemned, and condemned the crime committed by Turkey in 1915. I repeat this was the foreign policy adopted at the state level by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in those years. Now how does Nikol Pashinyan state that “Hay Dat” or the Genocide was not part of the policy pursued by the Republic of Armenia? Is that person aware of the Armenian reality, the Armenian history, does he have an idea of ​​the problems of the Genocide or the demands, I do not know … In any case, he will not succeed. Let him know this. – We talked about the split, Mr. Papazyan, the other day the Chief Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Zareh Sinanyan was in France, whose visit to that country, as we understood, did not go so smoothly. What was the reason? – Mr. Sinanyan simply ugly violated the initial agreement we had, which we had reached in October last year. The impression is that he intends to create problems within the French-Armenian community. We asked him to come back

He owes his tour to attend the annual CCAF dinner in February, which I told you about above. In addition, we agreed that his visit to France will be organized by the CCAF. At the same time, we made it a condition that he did not have working relations with our rival organization here, and did not participate in public meetings with them. We are talking about two newly established organizations that are trying to compete with the CCAF, to weaken our position here. In fact, these two organizations are weak, but they try to hinder in every way the activities of Armenian organizations, which already have a traditional and great reputation in the French-Armenian community. Why were they created when the CCAF had achieved great success for years in favor of Armenia, Artsakh, and Hay Dat? It turns out that these organizations receive credit from Mr.

Sinanyan, which speaks of nothing but the fact that Sinanyan was sent here on a business trip to divide the French-Armenian community. When we learned in January that Zareh Sinanyan had not respected our initial agreement to participate in the meetings announced by those organizations, we contacted him and demanded that they be canceled, which was rejected. We informed that if he does not cancel those meetings, we will renounce our agreements. In response, we were told what to do. We also withdrew the invitation sent to him by the CCAF for dinner. He was deprived of the opportunity to attend the CCAF dinner, where 450 influential people were present: ministers, deputies, presidential candidates, mayors, etc.

I will say only one thing here, in any case, Mr. Sinanyan should know that he will not be able to drive a wedge between the role and value of the role of traditional Armenian organizations, which this person is obviously striving for. He will simply fail in his shameful mission. – Mr. Papazyan, recently here in Armenia, the issue of amending the Mother Law, the Constitution, has been actively circulated, according to which, according to disturbing news, the current authorities are going to abandon the issue of the Armenian Genocide և Claim in favor of Turkey. We also know that the united Armenian Diaspora, in particular the pro-Armenian organizations of France, the United States and their pro-Armenian policy pursued for decades, is a great obstacle for Turkey to get rid of that shameful historical burden. Doesn’t Sinanyan’s behavior during his visit to France suggest this? “Of course you are right.” Of course, we know such aspirations of Turkey.

We also know that the united Armenian Diaspora, yes, is a big obstacle for Turkey to cancel the issue related to the Genocide. If the humiliating, very dangerous preconditions dictated by Turkey to open the borders with Armenia are acceptable for the Armenian authorities, then the Diaspora will certainly not give its consent to it. The issues of the “Hay Dat” genocide are not only issues on the Armenian agenda, but also pan-Armenian issues. It is here that Nikol Pashinyan’s problematic “anti-Armenian rhetoric by nature” on “Hay Dat”‘s “Genocide issues, as well as their efforts to drive a wedge to weaken the role of the Diaspora” becomes clear. What Turkey failed to do a hundred years ago, it is trying to do now with its dictated agendas, which is nothing but the final failure and weakening of Armenia. This is the dream of the Azerbaijani side to put its paw on Syunik in the south of Armenia. I have to repeat again, they will not succeed in this. – Mr. Papazyan, what is the primary problem of the French-Armenian community at the moment? – Our priority has always been to identify pro-Armenian global issues and to provide pro-Armenian solutions within the framework of our opportunities. Our problems are not for the discussion of narrow and small issues, what did Sinanyan say, what do the new and weak organizations created in our community want from us, we do not even pay much attention to why they try to compete in every way և weaken the role of already established և reputable organizations. Our problems have been: the issues that are of great importance for our homeland – “Hay Dat”, border security, international recognition of the Genocide issue and fair reparation, we will not give up our adopted policy.

Source: Pastinfo

Nikol Pashinyan, who has traditionally started the government sessions in recent months with positive signals about the unblocking, either consciously lies about the expected prospector has no deep understanding of the economic and political geography of the region. Against the background of the work of the commission of deputy prime ministers, which has been going on for more than a year, it is still not clear by what nodes the infrastructure left in the blockade in our territory will be connected to other means of transport communication. To date, there is no clear calculation of what positive change in the costs of businesses will be caused by these new infrastructures.

The promises of an imminent economic flight are, of course, ridiculous, as no regional project is integrated into Armenia’s infrastructure, instead, they are an integral part of the communication channels between Azerbaijan and Turkey. It turns out that the unblocking of Armenia is first of all economically beneficial for those two countries, as they get the opportunity to connect directly with each other. No information has been provided yet as to whether during the trilateral talks it was clarified how the infrastructures will be connected, for example, the Yeraskh-Julfa-Ordubad-Meghri-Horadiz railway, which was so drummed by Pashinyan.

The most important issue is the safety of transportation in the territory of Azerbaijan, surely no one can guarantee it, in that case who needs such an unprotected road or railway? Its supposed economic value is completely zero except for security. Meanwhile, the guarantee of security and the sovereignty of infrastructure should have been the starting point of the negotiations.

The catastrophic economic downturn in 2020, the unrecorded double-digit economic growth in 2021 and a number of other macroeconomic indicators do not inspire grounds for optimism at all. Against this background, if Armenia liberalizes trade with neighboring countries and de facto enemies, the national economy, first of all, agriculture, will simply collapse. The Turkish economy is even more diversified than the Russian market, out of competition with local products. Azerbaijan’s economy, in turn, is three times larger than Armenia’s. In case of opening the borders, it will be practically impossible to resist this hostile expansion, reasonable restrictions and supporting the domestic producers in every possible way must be declared a priority. If not,

The Azerbaijani capital is confidently aiming to enter the Armenian market in case of a successful outcome of the bilateral negotiations. This means that our national goal should be to give high growth rates to the domestic economy, at least to compete with neighboring countries, and in some cases to win. If our society was solvent and stood out with its national ideology, it would pay more for domestic products and thus resist the soft invasion of the enemy. Unfortunately, society is neither solvent nor a bearer of national ideology.
What happens? We agree on the issue of the Armenian Genocide, but we do not see any danger or threat in opening the border, friendship with the Turks, consumption of Turkish goods and services? Meanwhile, the important thing is the behavior conditioned by the national consciousness, which is in fact distorted and is completely in the realm of hostile desires.

David Sargsyan

Opinion by Josh Rogin

Washington Post: Members of the U.S. Senate often have conflicts of interest, both business and personal. But never before has our country experienced a senator who has dual citizenship, served in a foreign military and maintains deep ties to the other nation where he holds citizenship — one where the leader is notorious for punishing those who cross him. Mehmet Oz — more commonly known by his television name of “Dr. Oz” — has myriad connections to Turkey and the world of its autocratic president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, that are causing concern in Washington and beyond.

Oz’s young candidacy for Pennsylvania’s seat has been portrayed in the press as quirky or stumbling or controversial, mostly because of Oz’s various comments over the years as television’s most famous doctor. But Oz’s bid to win the GOP primary in May is serious. His campaign is spending millions on television ads. He has near 100 percent name recognition and a huge social media following. The latest polls show him as the front-runner, 11 points above former Treasury Department official and hedge-fund executive David McCormick and 12 points above President Donald Trump’s ambassador to Denmark and former actressCarla Sands.

As the prospect of “Senator Doctor Oz” becomes plausible, several reports have questioned Oz’s national allegiances and detailed his ties to elite business and political circles in Turkey. Experts on Turkey say that while Oz’s Turkish and Muslim heritage would be a positive contribution to the diversity of the Senate, it’s legitimate to worry about the extent to which his assets and family members in Turkey would provide Erdogan with leverage over the future senator.

“Oz’s dual citizenship — and his reluctance to renounce Turkish citizenship — will keep the FBI and security managers up at night,” said Michael Rubin, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. “And it is fair game to question Oz’s judgment embracing the most reactionary elements in Turkish society.”

Oz has said he keeps his Turkish citizenship to facilitate his ability to oversee care for his mother in Turkey, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. He once served in the Turkish army to maintain dual citizenship. For U.S. government employees and contractors, giving up dual citizenship has often (but not always) been a requirement to obtain top security clearances — but those restrictions don’t apply to members of Congress.

On the question of Oz’s business ties, National Review laid out a detailed list of instances in which he interacted with individuals and organizations closely linked to Erdogan or doing the Turkish leader’s bidding in the United States. For example, Oz spoke onstage at the 2019 New York conference of the World Turkish Business Council (DEIK) — a group from which many Western companies have distanced themselves since Erdogan’s government took control of it in 2014.

Also in 2019, Oz was the “special guest” at a fundraiser for the Turkish American National Steering Committee (TASC), whose co-chair is Turkish American attorney Gunay Evinch, a registered agent of the Turkish government. Evinch’s law firm allegedly worked with Turkey’s Washington embassy to compile dossiers on Erdogan’s critics inside the United States, including those associated with exiled religious leader Fethullah Gulen, who resides in Pennsylvania.

Late last year, TASC’s Twitter account was temporarily suspended for allegedly organizing an online smear campaign against the other Turkish-born celebrity in the news these days, NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom. (TASC argued that the suspension was a violation of its free speech.) Freedom, whose father was jailed by Erdogan for his association with Gulen, has been an outspoken critic of the Erdogan regime. Last year, after many years of being pursued by the Erdogan government, Freedom became a naturalized U.S. citizen.

“People need to understand that Dr. Oz is in Erdogan’s pocket. And whatever Erdogan wants, that’s what Dr. Oz is going to do,” Freedom told me. “So, if Dr. Oz gets into the Senate, it’s like Erdogan’s arm will be in the Senate.”

In an interview, Oz rejected that assertion and insisted he isn’t concerned whether Erdogan likes his positions or not. To be sure, Erdogan likely doesn’t like some of the stands Oz is taking during this campaign, including his defense of Gulen and his opposition to Turkey’s purchases of advanced missile systems from Russia.

“Gulen cannot be touched,” Oz told me. “There are no credible allegations that he was involved in the coup. He will stay in Pennsylvania.”

Oz explains his interactions with top Turkish businessmen and political figures over several years as totally normal for a Turkish American celebrity of his stature. He was participating as a member of the Turkish American community, not as a politician, he told me. Oz said he does not know Evinch and has had no contact with him other than onstage at the 2019 DEIK event.

“I hadn’t even really gotten engaged in any of this until I decided to run for the Senate, and I’d never been politically involved in Turkey in any capacity. I didn’t even donate money to these organizations,” Oz told me.

It’s not exactly a satisfying answer. Oz is not unaware of international politics. He traveled to Israel in 2013 at the height of Turkey-Israel tensions. In 2018, he visited Syrian refugee camps as part of a humanitarian aid mission, commendably. The Oz campaign now says he was “unaware” that these Turkish organizations had become so politicized when he associated with them. That, if true, is its own problem.

This primary campaign will likely be ugly, and it will be difficult to separate the good-faith concerns from the bad-faith attacks on Oz. In the coming months, Oz will be required to disclose more information that will show whether he has fully disentangled himself from whatever business ties Erdogan might see as leverage against a U.S. senator — and voters will make their own judgments.

“Is he really an agent of the government? There’s not really any evidence of that,” said Steven Cook, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. “But if Oz has business connections that rely on being in the good graces of the government, there are legitimate questions about his views on these issues.”

Opinion by Josh RoginJosh Rogin is a columnist for the Global Opinions section of The Washington Post. He writes about foreign policy and national security. Rogin is also a political analyst for CNN. He previously worked for Bloomberg View, the Daily Beast, Foreign Policy, Congressional Quarterly, Federal Computer Week and Japan’s Asahi Shimbun newspaper.