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Alevis in Europe raise demand for genocide recognition

March 10, 2018 by administrator

It is time for the Turkish government to recognize the early 20^th century mass killings of Armenians and Alevis in the Ottoman Empire as a crime of genocide, a vice president of the European Alevi Unions Confederation said in Yerevan.

At a news conference on Friday, Eldar Klichkaya (who also heads the Federation of Alevis in France) called for a serious attitude and attention to their union’s declaration adopted ahead of the Armenian Genocide centennial back in 2015.

Klichkaya is in Yerevan together with a delegation of different Alevi organizations’ representatives from Europe. Earlier today, the guests visited the Armenian Genocide memorial in Tsitsernakaberd to pay respect to the big tragedy’s vicitms.

Klichkaya said they have also met with Vice Speaker of the National Assembly Eduard Sharmazanov (who is an ethnic Greek), and representatives of other ethnic minorities, including Yezidi and Assyrian parliamentarians and students.

He noted that despite the hundreds of years’ shared history, the Armenians and Alevis “know very little about each other today”.

“For many centuries, the peoples of Anatolia shared a common history. They derived food from the same soil and breathed the same air, and saw the same sun shining above their heads. And despite this harmony uniting the Alevis, Armenians, Kurds, Greeks and Assyrian-Chalcedonians, they [the Turks] always tried to eliminate this diversity, enforcing their policy of assimilation through the most brutal methods. They choked the country in tears and blood,” he said, quoting a paragraph from the document.

Klichkaya described their current visit as a unique gesture of paying their debt to Hrant Dink, the assassinated Turkish-Armenian editor-in-chief of Agos (Istanbul-based Armenian weekly) and the hundreds of other Armenians who lost their lives while defending the national cause for justice.

Koryun Nahapetyan, a French-Armenian public figure also attending the news conference, said they have been actively collaborating with Alevis over the past years (since Dink’s assassination) as part of their joint activities with the Turkish democrats, and representatives of other ethnic groups who suffered as a result of the Turkish government’s policies.

Aragats Akhoyan, a member of the International Association of Armenian Parliamentarians, said their first dialogues too, were with ethnic Alevis. “We are practically laying new foundations and outlining new frameworks today to allow the nations persecuted by the Turkish regime to get together again in an attempt to find and consider joint solutions. Their suffering was caused by the same instrument, i.e. – the Turkish nationalism,” he noted.

Beyond Catalonia, Independent movements in Europe, Basque, Scotland, Flanders, Padania, South Tyrol, Corsica

October 1, 2017 by administrator

Catalonia’s regional government plans to hold its independence referendum on Sunday. But separatist movements are not unique to Spain: Several other European regions have aspirations of becoming autonomous.

The fall of the Soviet Union and break up of Yugoslavia created several new countries in Eastern Europe. Borders in Western Europe, by contrast, have remained firm. Yet, this foundation is being challenged by a series of independence movements, some of which are militant. They have varying chances of success.

Catalonia

Nowhere in Western Europe is the call for independence louder than in Catalonia. The regional language was oppressed in the Franco years, but Catalonia has since achieved a considerable amount of cultural and political autonomy, including its own regional parliament. That is not enough for many of Catalonia’s 7.5 million residents. They want their own country, largely for economic reasons. They believe that the central state is sucking their wealth dry. The region that includes Barcelona accounts for 20 percent of Spain’s GDP.

On Sunday, the regional government wants to have a referendum. Spain’s conservative government led by Mariano Rajoy is firmly against it, calling it unconstitutional. The central government in Madrid is trying to block the referendum through the courts and by using police force.

Basque Country

Catalonia looks to its Spanish neighbors in Basque Country. It is the only region in Spain that does not send its tax revenue to Madrid to be shared across the country. Basque Country is responsible for its own taxation, sending just a small amount to the central government. However, it is a poorer region than Catalonia.

Like Catalonia, Basque Country was also oppressed by the Franco dictatorship. Its history has created a more militant push for independence, giving rise to ETA separatist group, which killed more than 800 people in 50 years of attacks. In 2011, the organization declared an end to violence.

Neither attacks nor talks have brought Basque Country closer to independence: Madrid rejects the idea as it does for Catalonia.

Scotland

Scotland has been part of the United Kingdom for more than 300 years, and many Scots have been less than happy about that. They already have their own parliament, and the Scottish National Party (SNP) has been pushing for full independence. The referendum in 2014 failed to achieve that, however, but independence sentiments were again stoked by the Brexit result in 2016. Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (SNP) reasoned that her country, which voted largely to remain in the EU, should not be forced to automatically leave the EU along with the rest of the UK. She is floating the possibility of another referendum for 2018, when the details of Brexit are clearer. But opinion polls show the result would likely be the same as in 2014.

Flanders

The pro-independence leader of the New Flemish Alliance, Bart De Wever, leads Belgium’s current Chamber of Representatives. Wever is convinced Belgium will one day break up and his Flemish-speaking Flanders region would be economically better off without the country’s other region, majority French-speaking Wallonia.

If that were to happen, there would be little of Belgium left: It would lose more than half of its people and economy, calling into question Brussels’ status as EU capital and NATO headquarters, as well as the future of Wallonia. The leftover Belgian region could then be absorbed by France, Luxembourg or even Germany. At the moment, however, there are no immediate plans for a Belgian break up.

Padania

The secession movement in northern Italy is purely financially motivated. The region is Italy’s industrial powerhouse and banking center, producing most of Italy’s GDP. Many in the north feel their poorer compatriots to the south make off with their hard-earned money. The Lega Nord party in the 1990s wanted a complete split from the rest of the Italy, calling their region “Padania,” referring to the Po river valley. Since then, the focus has shifted away from a clean break and towards more control over finances.

South Tyrol

Even further north in Italy is the region that belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the end of the First World War. There followed a period where South Tyrol was Italianized under Mussolini, before gradually gaining more political and linguistic autonomy after the Second World War. Now the prosperous region is allowed to keep and control most of its revenue.

South Tyroleans were largely satisfied with this arrangement, but separatist sentiments were stirred up by the debt crisis. After Greece, Italy has the highest amount of debt in the Eurozone. Many in South Tyrol didn’t want to have anything to do with the problems of Italy’s central government in Rome.

Corsica

France has long tried to deny the island of its local language and fought strongly against independence movements. The National Liberation Front of Corsica (FLNC) tried to pressure France by force, attacking representatives and French state symbols. The separatist group announced an end to hostilities in 2014, but the potential for conflict remains. French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin made some cautious proposals in the 2000s to allow for some autonomy. This was strictly opposed by the opposition. They feared other regions would then want to break away, too. The central government in Paris tends to pay little regard to regional languages, which are viewed as a danger to national unity.

Source: http://www.dw.com/en/beyond-catalonia-separatist-movements-in-western-europe/a-40761144

Armenia: Hidden treasure: Lake Sevan listed as affordable tourist destination in Europe

June 25, 2017 by administrator

,The international payment system Mastercard has rated Lake Sevan an undiscovered holiday destinations in Europe, offering affordable prices in an incredible landscape.

In the ranking published by Business Insider, foreign tourists are highly recommended to visit the Sevanavank monastery situated on the north-western peninsula.

The list of hidden treasures, including also Brest Belarus, Gjirokaster, Albania and other interesting destination, was compiled based on records by bloggers and tourists who visited different sites, as well as the Master data.

The full list, with the relevant information, is available here

Turkey steering Religious divide, Turkish FM warns of ‘holy wars’ in Europe in remarks on Dutch elections

March 16, 2017 by administrator

Europe will soon be the site of “holy wars,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Chavusoglu said on March 16, in Ankara’s first comment on the general elections in the Netherlands that saw the victory of Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s Liberal VVD, Hurriyet Daily News reports.
“Now the election is over in the Netherlands … When you look at the many parties you see there is no difference between the social democrats and fascist [Geert] Wilders. All have the same mentality. Where will you go? Where are you taking Europe? You have begun to collapse Europe. You are dragging Europe into the abyss. Holy wars will soon begin in Europe,” Çavuşoğlu said.

Meanwhile, French presidential front-runner Emmanuel Macron hailed the election defeat of far-right Dutch candidate Geert Wilders on March 16 as a win for ‘progressives’, but there was no immediate reaction from his rival Marine Le Pen.

“The Netherlands is showing us that a breakthrough for the extreme right is not a foregone conclusion and that progressives are gaining momentum,” said Macron, 39, who pledges to modernize French politics and transcend traditional left-versus-right divisions.

Council of Europe issues Level 1 alert on trial of blogger Lapshin in Azerbaijan

March 7, 2017 by administrator

The Platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists of the Council of Europe today released a statement issuing Level 1 alert over the trial of Israeli-Russian Blogger Aleksandr Lapshin in Azerbaijan.

The statement notes that Aleksandr Lapshin was detained in Minsk, Belarus, on 15 December 2016, at the request from Azerbaijan and extradited to Baku on 7 February 2017.

“Lapshin faces a maximum sentence of eight years in prison on charges of illegally crossing Azerbaijan’s state borders during his April 2011, October 2012, and June 2016 visits to Nagorno-Karabakh, and for making “anti-state calls to the public” and criticizing Azerbaijani policies,” reads the statement.

It is noted that currently Alexander Lapshin is in the Kurdakhani Pre-trial Detention Centre of the Baku Investigative Prison Nr 1.

A first convoy from Europe arrives in Iran via Armenia

November 26, 2016 by administrator

The first convoy arrived in Iran from Germany via a new multimodal transit route connecting Iran and Europe via the Black Sea, said the secretary of the Iranian International Transport Association Golyamhossein Amiri, according to Iran.ru .

Iran.ru said that this new road could replace in the future that which crosses the territory of Turkey. “Two freight containers have arrived in Iran via the Armenian border,” – said Amiri. “The containers were shipped from Hamburg via a relatively short route,” – said the official.

“Over the last two years we have had problems at the Turkish border when it comes to transporting goods from Europe. This has prompted us to enter into negotiations with several other countries for alternative routes “- said Golyamhossein Amiri.

Tehran and Ankara have long been involved in a transit dispute related to the different fuel prices in the two neighboring countries. In addition, transit trucks have to wait long hours to move from Turkey to Iran. The queue at the border often reaches 15 kilometers. The agreements signed by the customs officers of the two neighboring countries are unable to solve this problem.

The security of goods in transit is another issue that hinders the transport of goods by Turkey. In Turkey, several Iranian lorries have been the victims of voluntary fires.

The Iranian government advised truckers to take two different routes: one by Azerbaijan, Russia and Belarus, and the other by Armenia, Georgia, the Black Sea, Romania and Bulgaria. “The cost of transport through the [new] path seemed to be less than 1-2% [compared to the Turkish itinerary],” Amri said.

Saturday 26 November 2016,
Stéphane © armenews.com

Armenia first country in Eastern Europe accredited to Climate Adaptation Fund

November 15, 2016 by administrator

The Climate Adaptation Fund is paving new ways towards expanding vulnerable communities’ access to financial resources across Armenia, the first country in Eastern Europe allowed to benefit from its Direct Access program.
According to a press release by the Ministry of Nature Projection, the Environmental Project Implementation Unit was accredited as the fund’s 25th body responsible for a national program.

The Climate Adaptation Fund is a pioneering initiative providing developing countries’ access to climate resources, and enabling them to elaborate and implement directly accredited projects through national offices to ensure a sustainable adaptation to the changing climate.

“We are really enthusiastic about being the first country in Eastern Europe and South Caucasus to receive the fund’s accreditation. It is a very important achievement that will allow us to implement landscape adaptation projects,” said Gevorg Nersisyan, the director of the Project Implementation Unit.

Since Armenia is a mountainous country, it is more vulnerable to climatic changes which cause such phenomena as landslides, which, in turn, destroy the habitat of biodiversity.

“All this affects the country’s economic and social progress, particularly agriculture. As a mountainous country, Armenia lacks cultivable lands,” Mr Nersisyan said.

Improvement of land management will be of essential importance to both the areas in question and the neighboring territories, thus ensuring stability of biodiversity. It will help development of tourism and recreation areas, which, in turn, facilitate Armenia’s economic and social progress.

Armenian Renaissance Ahead of Europe

October 18, 2016 by administrator

On the left: Holy Mother pleads for duke Vasak and his sons. Vasak’s book of gospels, 13th century. On the left: Madonna of Mercy, Piero della Francesca

The Renaissance in Armenia started long before it arrived in Europe. Humanistic ideas characteristic for Renaissance were not re-opened in Armenia but ‘crystallized’ in line with the Christian norms. In Armenian reality, this period was the continuation of pre-Christian ideas, which evolved into new practice, giving birth to new art and outlook.

PanARMENIAN.Net – “The Armenian Renaissance can be divided into two periods,” art critic Anush Hakobian says. “These are the medieval time lasting from the 10th to 14th century and the classical period of the 18th century. We can say that the first period starts with the poetry of Grigor Narekatsi (Gregory of Narek), who dares to begin a dialogue with God.”

The European Renaissance, in turn, marks the transition from the medieval ideology that infringes on human dignity towards antique vision basing on ancient views, where the human being is the central figure of the creation. This is the period when a man’s heavenly nature is revived. He is no more a kneeling and crooked slave but a part of God’s intention.

“Renaissance is an evident breakthrough of thought and practice as compared to the Middle Ages. It is a cultural trend that influenced the intellectual life of the early period of modernity. Emerging in Italy in the 16th century and spreading across Europe, this epoch left its mark in literature, art, philosophy, politics, science, religion and other. The outstanding figures of Renaissance were guided by humanism, while artists strived towards realism and depiction of human emotions,” Hakobian says.

On the left: Holy Mother pleads for duke Vasak and his sons. Vasak’s book of gospels, 13th century. On the left: Madonna of Mercy, Piero della Francesca

“I would like to emphasize that Renaissance was also remarkable for the development of scientific thought, which gave impetus to the development of civilization. For example, Grigor Tatevatsi (14th century) dissertated about colors, giving a scientific explanation to the structure of color and introduces the notion of 5th element – the or – which symbolizes God’s presence. It should be noted that such kind of ideas emerged in Europe in the 16th century.

The peculiarity of the first period of Armenian Renaissance is freedom, which, unlike medieval Europe, was not reduced to church doctrine. The clergy did not hamper the development of ideas as a continuation of evolved thought.

Meanwhile, medieval concept of politicized Christian thought spared no effort to keep the flock in mystical fear and obedience. Basilicas, which symbolized faith, presented a lot of visual effects with a purpose to attract the flock and at the same time suppress the human mind: statues, frescos, stained glass windows, etc. The concept of Armenian church architecture implied austerity and spirituality along with developing architectural styles: cross-buildings, domed basilicas, Zvartnots-like temples,” Hakobian says.

Miniatures had a special place in Armenian Renaissance, specifically during the Cilician era, when new art rules were developed, namely the elements of secularism and ‘humanization’ of sainthood, a process that started in Europe only two centuries later.

Ankara decided to break its cultural ties with Europe because of the Armenian Genocide

October 15, 2016 by administrator

Turkey, following a unilateral decision, came out of the “Creative Europe” program, which supports the areas of culture and media in Europe. Negotiations began with the European Commission officials to arrange the release of the Turkey program to June 1, 2017. This decision was taken by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The department decided to withdraw from Creative Europe, because the program supported the musical project “Aghet” in commemoration of the Armenian Genocide during his centenary. This program has contributed to the culture and arts in Turkey.

Creative Europe is a framework program that the European Commission launched in 2014 with the objective of supporting the sectors of culture and media. It is expected that this program runs until 2020; it is to the financial support of 2500 artists and workers in this sector, 2,000 cinemas, 800 films and 4,500 translations of books, with a budget of 1.46 billion euros. For 2016, it is expected that an insurance system for small sector activities is in place.

While all cultural creation initiatives of EU member countries may join this program, the EU non-member countries can also benefit if they meet certain criteria. Thanks to an agreement between Turkey and the European Commission, Turkey has provided financial support of the program and the culture and arts initiatives in Turkey had benefited from the program’s financial resources.

In 2015, Turkey was to pay about 2.4 million euros to the program. Leaving the program, Turkey will not give any money and initiatives of culture and arts in Turkey will no longer be able to benefit.

“Ask them yourselves”

In an interview with Agos, the spokesman for the European Commission for Education, Youth, Sports and Culture, Nathalie Vandystadt said that negotiations on the release of the program began: “Although this creates a situation deplorable, the Commission respects the decision of Turkey. You should speak with Turkey officials to get more information about the reasons for their output. “ And the delegation to Turkey from the European Commission, for its part, made no statement. The agreement between Turkey and the European Commission was signed by the Ministries of the European Union and the Ministry of Culture. The withdrawal request is however after the Foreign Ministry. Officials of the department “Creative Europe” at the Ministry of Culture said it is the Foreign Ministry following the case and that it was their decision.

According to sources who have spoken at the Agos newspaper, the “concern” of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs began a year ago. After the program has announced that the musical project “Aghet” would be supported to the tune of 200,000 euros, the ministry has begun to address the situation. The sources said the ministry was very concerned about the concerts and the way the project was announced on the website of the European Commission.

Nothing new

Before the concert in which the Dresden Symphony Orchestra interpret “Aghet”, officials from the interior ministry had contested the chapeau of the concert and they strove to make changes. In response to Turkish pressures, the spokesman of the European Commission said in a statement: “The European Commission temporarily suspends, because of the reactions that the words used in the text have caused. In the following days, a new blurb will be issued. “

In the suspended text [in effect, censored, ndt], the focus was on the genocide and other massacres and violations of human rights in Turkey. In the second version, the word “genocide” was also used, the European Commission had put a footnote on page reads: “the Commission is not responsible for any textual content downloaded or proposed. Such content expresses the author’s views (or authors). “ Still, this was enough point for the ministry decided to simply withdraw from the program. While this decision has begun circulating recently, sources in Brussels and Ankara said it was not a recent event.

Markus Rindt, the head of the Dresden Symphony Orchestra fat a statement before the concert saying that Turkey demanded the withdrawal of financial support given to the orchestra. The Commission has not responded to this request and it was after this that the foreign ministry has accelerated the withdrawal process. “Aghet” consists of symphony concerts planned in Dresden, Istanbul, Yerevan, Belgrade and Madrid in collaboration with various orchestras. In addition to artistic performances, discussion sessions and workshops are planned. Composers Cow Sharafyan, Zeynep and Helmut Oehring Gedizlioglu contributed to this program. 14 musicians from Europe, 6 soloists and vocal group of Armenia and Turkey are included in the concerts, which are supported by three orchestras. Anadolu Kultur | Anatolian Culture] Turkey, Serbia Orchestra Without Borders and the Theatre of Dresden, Germany, support the project. The composer and guitarist Marc Sinan also participates in the program, which is the last part of a trilogy reflecting the cultures of Anatolia and the Caucasus.

We talked to contributors musicians. The composer Marc Sinan and the head of the Dresden Symphony Orchestra told us: “This is a Turkish artists punishment attempt taking our peaceful art project for pretense.” Under the title “Notes of one who remained silent,” Zeynep Gedizlioglu composed a new work included in the project Aghet; She said: “I think this project is based on peace and dialogue. The meeting that we made and the dialogue we hired were immediate, sincere, genuine and human. For most of us, it was beyond what we had imagined. “

What is the real aim?

Creative Europe is essential for most of the initiatives of culture and arts in Turkey, because it is almost impossible to carry most projects without support of that kind. Vasif Kortun, Director of Research and Programs Salt Istanbul, said that they had knowledge of the decision as they were preparing to renew their program at The International, a confederation of museums, which is the most great confederation in Europe for the establishment of a long-term and viable model for public museums. Salt, as a member of this confederation, had the opportunity to benefit from the funding sources of Creative Europe, to work with five museums and access to archives and collections of these museums. The administration of The International issued a statement entitled “Breaking Bridges – The withdrawal of Turkey Creative Europe”, disapproving of the decision to disengage, Vasif Kortun said he could that they have taken the Aghet project as an excuse, adding: “We could express discomfort towards this particular project, rather than withdraw from the program in its entirety. However, they chose to do so. It could be that the real purpose is to pressure financially to various institutions. This is what happens in India, China, Egypt and Russia in recent years. I would have hoped that Turkey follow the example of democratic countries instead of those … “.

The Foundation for Culture and Arts Istanbul (IKSV) also had projects and has benefited from the program and they have also the backlog. The Director General of IKSV Gorgun Taner said, “the budget of the Ministry of Culture is pleased to 0.5% of the state budget. Creative Europe is a program that would have been advantageous for us, even non-EU members. While resources diminish the culture of the day, such support should not be avoided. “

Fatih Gökhan Diler

AGOS newspaper

Translation Gilbert Béguian

Time for Armenia’s ‘historic role’ to connect Europe with Asia – Caroline Cox

October 15, 2016 by administrator

Armenia, which is at the intersection between Europe and Asia, has real chances to build good bridges between the two continents, Baroness Caroline Cox of the British House of Lords said today in Yerevan.

Speaking at the Eurasian Cooperation’s first international conference, the baroness called particularly for stronger efforts towards raising the country’s “pivotal role” in making the Eurasian Economic Union a “smart region”.
The baroness said she is absolutely confident that the country can now return its one-time status of a connecting bridge, opening the gateway between Russia and the United States, and the Arab countries.
Noting that she has 85 times visited Armenia since the 1990s war over Nagorno-Karabakh, Ms Cox said she now sees a real progress inspiring belief about a prosperous future.
Meantime, she admitted that the country faces objectively reasoned impediments due to closed borders with the eastern and western neighbors (Azerbaijan and Turkey). But the baroness said she doesn’t think that the problem is absolutely insurmountable. In her words, “the moment has now arrived for building the historic bridge.”

Source Panorama.am