BREAKING NEWS: European Parliament Adopts Bill Urging Turkey to #RecognizeGenocide

April 15, 2015 By administrator

European Parliament building in Brussels

BRUSSELS—The European Parliament on Wednesday unanimously adopted a resolution calling on Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide by “coming to terms with its past.

The joint text – agreed by parliament groups on Tuesday– also calls on “those EU member states that have not yet done so and EU institutions to recognize it”.

The resolution states that Turkey should “start a genuinely transparent public debate with a view to recognizing the genocide.”

The resolution also urges Turkey to “normalize relations … with Armenia.”

Turkey’s Permanent Delegation to the EU immediately responded by tweeting: “In its latest resolution the EP has once again been successful in alienating Turkey and the Turkish people. It acted as prosecutor, judge & jury.”

System of triumph down LYON CONCERT DEDICATED TO VICTIMS OF GENOCIDE

April 15, 2015 By administrator

LYON CONCERT DEDICATED TO VICTIMS OF GENOCIDE

System of a Down (SOAD) was full last night at the Halle Tony Garnier in Lyon, for his concert dedicated to the victims of the Armenian Genocide. The Californian metal band consisting of American Ameno give 7 concerts in Europe, the last will be held in Yerevan on April 23, on the occasion of the centenary of the extermination of the Armenians. Photo report of Jacques Avakian. Captions: Raphaële Tavernier.

Engaged, the four members of the metal quartet, all of Armenian descent, wanted to with this particular tour marking the centenary celebrations of the Armenian Genocide and also evoke the memory of the victims of 1915.

Make a strong political commitment, Lyon concert SOAD began so sensational via an animated video, recalled the Armenian Genocide.

The leader of System Of A Down, Serj Tankian,

The leader of System Of A Down, Serj Tankian, here on stage in Lyon, recently committed to maintaining recognition of the Armenian Genocide in the US House of Representatives.

The Californian metal band System Of A Down (SOAD) occurred this Tuesday, April 14, 2015 before thousands of fans, as part of his tour “Wake up The Souls” (waking souls).

Press Conference SOAD

“We are touched and honored to mark this solemn occasion by sharing our music with our French fans. The support we have received in France and throughout the world makes us hope that the international community will push the Turkish government to do what is right instead of what suits him politically. It is time for the truth and healing, not only for the millions of Armenians eager to justice, but also for the Greeks, Assyrians and other minorities who have also lost their lives. »

Wednesday, April 15, 2015,
Ara © armenews.com

Turkey in panic mode: Critical visit: Chavushoglu leaving for US amid genocide concerns

April 15, 2015 By administrator

Following Pope Francis’s statement on the Armenian Genocide, Turkey’s foreign minister is embarking on a trip to the United States for talks in an effort to prevent President Barack Obama from using ‘genocide’ in his April 24 address.

Commenting on Mehmet Chavushoglu’s plan, the Turkish Radikal describes it as a critical visit. The publication says that the Turkish official will invest his best efforts in preventing the US leader from repeating the Pope’s remark characterizing the 1915 killings of Armenians as genocide.

At meetings held earlier, the Turkish side warned of possible negative implications of the use of ‘genocide’ by President Obama.

The issue will now be on the agenda of Chavushoglu’s meetings with Susan Rice, a foreign policy advisor to Secretary of State John Kerry.

The Turkish publication has pointed to three possible scenarios that would cause new shifts in the US-Turkey relations.

1) The federal government’s opinion, which determines the US foreign policy, will become a powerful tool to rely on in the Genocide trials under way in the country’s courts;

2) Turkey will lose the restitution cases in case it the United States declares it a genocide perpetrator;

3) Obama’s move will serve as an example for other countries, pushing them to active efforts.

Recall of Turkish envoy widely publicized Pope’s affirmation of Armenian Genocide

April 15, 2015 By administrator

By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
TheCaliforniaCourier.com

Given the candidness of Pope Francis, it was not surprising that he clearly acknowledged the Armenian Genocide during the Pontifical Divine Liturgy at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on April 12.

The only person who was clueless about the Pope’s true intentions was Mehmet Pacaci, Turkey’s Ambassador to the Vatican, who had bragged to the Turkish press two weeks ago that he had convinced the Pope to reject all Armenian requests for the Genocide Centennial.

The Turkish Ambassador claimed that he had managed to:

— Cancel the Pope’s April 24 visit to Yerevan;

— Convince the Pope not to celebrate Mass at the Vatican on April 24;

— Eliminate the words ‘Armenian Genocide’ from the Pope’s address during the April 12 Vatican Mass.

The Turkish and Azerbaijani media reported Amb. Pacaci’s contentions as a major victory for Turkish diplomacy and a devastating defeat for Armenians.

Amb. Pacaci’s false claims were simply intended to impress his superiors in Ankara about his ‘good work.’ The truth is that the Pope had neither planned to visit Yerevan on April 24 nor celebrate Mass at the Vatican on that date. The Turkish Ambassador’s third claim that the Pope would not use the term ‘Armenian Genocide’ during his April 12 address, but would only offer “prayers for all those who lost their lives during the tragic events of 1915,” also turned out to be false!

Contrary to Amb. Pacaci’s real or imaginary pressures on the Vatican, the Pope made an explicit and lengthy reference to the Armenian Genocide at St. Peter’s Basilica on April 12 which was broadcast worldwide on TV networks, the radio, newspapers, and the internet. In attendance were Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan, Catholicos Karekin II, Catholicos Aram I, Patriarch of Armenian Catholics Nerses Bedros XIX, and thousands of worshippers from dozens of countries. Here are excerpts from the Pope’s remarks:

“In the past century our human family has lived through three massive and unprecedented tragedies. The first, which is widely considered ‘the first genocide of the 20th Century’, struck your own Armenian people, the first Christian nation, as well as Catholic and Orthodox Syrians, Assyrians, Chaldeans and Greeks. Bishops and priests, religious women and men, the elderly and even defenseless children and the sick were murdered. The other two were perpetrated by Nazism and Stalinism. And more recently, there have been other mass killings, like those in Cambodia, Rwanda, Burundi and Bosnia. It seems that humanity is incapable of putting an end to the shedding of innocent blood…. Dear Armenian Christians, today, with hearts filled with pain, but at the same time with great hope in the risen Lord, we recall the Centenary of that tragic event — that immense and senseless slaughter — whose cruelty your forefathers had to endure. It is necessary, and indeed a duty, to honor their memory, for whenever memory fades, it means that evil allows wounds to fester. Concealing or denying evil is like allowing a wound to keep bleeding without bandaging it!”

Pope Francis had repeatedly spoken about the Armenian Genocide as a Cardinal in Argentina, and had included three references to that issue in his 2010 book, “On Heaven and Earth.” On June 3, 2013, shortly after his election, Pope Francis described the Armenian Genocide as “the first genocide of the 20th Century.”

The Vatican had first referred to the Armenian mass killings on Sept. 10, 1915, when Pope Benedict XV sent a letter to Sultan Mahomet V, asking him to stop the wholesale massacres of innocent Armenians. Twice, on Nov. 9, 2000, and Sept. 27, 2001, Pope John Paul II and Catholicos Karekin II issued joint statements acknowledging the Armenian Genocide.

Not surprisingly, the Turkish government reacted angrily to the Pope’s latest reference to the Armenian Genocide, and immediately recalled its Ambassador from the Vatican. Amb. Pacaci may now get fired for having falsely claimed that he had succeeded in silencing the Pope on the Armenian Genocide issue. Meanwhile, the Turkish government’s overreaction and the Pope’s refusal to apologize for his remarks made international headlines on TV networks, websites and newspapers around the world.

The long-planned Turkish efforts to undermine the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide have been drowned out by the extensive media attention to the Kardashians’ maiden visit to Armenia and the Pope’s courageous reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide right before April 24.

WASHINGTON: Chairman Royce Makes Statement on Genocide Centennial

April 15, 2015 By administrator

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman, Rep. Ed Royce

WASHINGTON—On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the following statement in advance of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

“One-hundred years ago, Ottoman authorities began their calculated attack on the Armenian community. The cold, systematic execution of so many people, and the subsequent indifference by the international community, set a chilling precedent for other genocidal leaders of the twentieth century. There is no statute of limitations for such horrors. The need to atone for these atrocities remains as strong today as it was in 1915. The 1.5 million innocent men, women, and children whose lives were taken demand recognition.

“I urge President Obama to acknowledge those tragic events for what they were – the first genocide of the twentieth century. I also call upon Turkey to come to terms with this dark moment in its history to heal lingering tensions among its people, improve relations with Armenia, and promote stability in the region.”

Chairman Royce is an active member of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian issues. Earlier this month, he co-signed a letter to President Obama urging him to acknowledge the Armenia genocide on its 100th anniversary. In April of last year, Royce led a bipartisan delegation to Armenia where the delegation commemorated the 99th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and placed a wreath at Dzidzernagapert, the national memorial to the Genocide.

Czech parliament panel passes Genocide centenary resolution

April 15, 2015 By administrator

Czech parliament

The foreign relations committee of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic unanimously passed Tuesday, April 14, a resolution commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the press office of the Armenian Foreign Ministry reported.

Citing the UN Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, as well as the resolutions of the legislative and executive authorities of the states and international organizations that have already recognized the Genocide (European Council, Uruguay, Canada, France, Sweden, Lithuania, Poland, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Argentina, Russia, Venezuela, Slovakia, Vatican and others), the document condemns the policy of genocide denial.

Urging the international community to prevent crimes against humanity, Czech lawmakers offered condolences to Armenians across the globe and also honored the memory of the mass killings of Assyrians, Pontiac Greeks and Yezidis.

The Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres, and deportations involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the Genocide survivors.

Present-day Turkey denies the fact of the Armenian Genocide, justifying the atrocities as “deportation to secure Armenians”. Only a few Turkish intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and scholar Taner Akcam, speak openly about the necessity to recognize this crime against humanity.

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, the Italian Chamber of Deputies, majority of U.S. states, parliaments of Greece, Cyprus, Argentina, Belgium and Wales, National Council of Switzerland, Chamber of Commons of Canada, Polish Sejm, Vatican, European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.

Chilean Parliament adopts resolution on Armenian Genocide

April 15, 2015 By administrator

Chilean Parliament

The House of Representative of the Chilean Parliament adopted a resolution on the Armenian Genocide. The Resolution N 324 received 78 votes in favor, 1 vote against, still 3 votes abstaining.

The resolution mentions about the solidarity to the Armenian nation and condemns the 1915 Armenian Genocide.

In fact, the Chilean Parliament has no member of Armenian descent.

The only Muslim MP Fuad Chahin, who is Palestinian by descent, also voted in favor.

The Senate, which is the upper house of Chilean Parliament, adopted a resolution on the Armenian Genocide on 5 June 2007.

EU: Parliament set to vote on resolution to commemorate 1915 events as ‘genocide’

April 14, 2015 By administrator

Members of the European Parliament take part in a voting session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on March 11. (Photo: Reuters)

Following Pope Francis‘ remarks characterizing the slaughter of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War I as “the first genocide of the 20th century,” the European Parliament is set to vote during its plenary session on Wednesday on a resolution to officially commemorate the centennial anniversary of the “Armenian genocide,” in a move that would be perceived by Turkey as another slap in the face.

European parliamentarians in Brussels will debate the mass killings of Armenians under Ottoman rule in 1915 and then vote on a resolution to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the tragic events.

On Sunday, the pope uttered the word “genocide” to describe the 1915 events during Mass, prompting a strong reaction in Turkey.

Last week Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgiç told reporters that Turkey feels the European Parliament’s decision to vote on the Armenian resolution recognizing the 1915 events as “genocide” is wrong. Bilgiç said, “We are taking the necessary steps,” but did not elaborate.

It is widely expected that the European Parliament will adopt the resolution. The European Parliament’s annual human rights and democracy report last month called on EU member states to legally acknowledge the Armenian “genocide.”

An increasing number of EU members and national parliaments recognize the resolution, which states, “The year 2015 marks the centennial of the Armenian genocide perpetrated in the Ottoman Empire.” It also points out that Turkey and Armenia have embarked on a process of diplomatic normalization by signing protocols in 2009 in Zurich, stressing that “the importance of keeping alive the memories of the past is paramount, since there can be no reconciliation without the truth and remembrance.”

The resolution pays tribute to the “memory of the one-and-a-half million innocent Armenian victims who perished in the Ottoman Empire,” and calls on the European Commission and European Council to join the commemoration. It also condemns all crimes against humanity and genocide and strongly deplores any attempts at denying such crimes.

The European Parliament resolution also asks for the establishment of an “International Remembrance Day for Genocides” and stresses that the timely prevention and effective punishment of genocide and crimes against humanity should be among the main priorities of the international community and the EU.

“Genocide is genocide. It happened. We can understand Turkey is very sensitive. We, as Europe, struggle for human rights, human dignity as part of our priorities. We do not do these things in the name of being against Turkey. We have taken the same approach and applied it to self criticism. This is our history. Thousands of Armenians have been killed and this is part of our human history. There is no benefit to deny the Armenian genocide,” Tajani was quoted as saying.

source: zaman

Vatican Pope Francis calls Armenian slaughter ‘genocide’ (Video)

April 12, 2015 By administrator

Pope Francis calls Armenian massacre ‘genocide’

Pontiff’s comments are likely to anger Turkey, which denies that the killings 100 years ago during the fall of the Ottoman empire constituted genocide.

Pope Francis has described the mass killing of Armenians 100 years ago as a genocide, a politically explosive pronouncement that could damage diplomatic relations with Turkey.

During a special mass to mark the centenary of the mass killing, the pontiff referred to “three massive and unprecedented tragedies” of the past century. “The first, which is widely considered the first genocide of the twentieth century, struck your own Armenian people,” he said, quoting a declaration signed in 2001 by Pope John Paul II and Kerekin II, leader of the Armenian church.

“Bishops and priests, religious women and men, the elderly and even defenceless children and the infirm were murdered,” the pope said.

Historians estimate that as many as 1.5 million Armenians were killed in a wave of violence that accompanied the fall of the Ottoman empire. Despite the massacre being formally recognised as a genocide by Italy and a number of other countries, Turkey refuses to accept it as such.

Reports in Turkey on Sunday said the Vatican’s ambassador to Ankara had been summoned to the foreign ministry to explain the pope’s remarks.

Although the pope chose to quote a predecessor rather than speak in his own words, he told Armenians there was a duty to remember to killings.

“We recall the centenary of that tragic event, that immense and senseless slaughter whose cruelty your forebears had to endure. It is necessary, and indeed a duty, to honour their memory, for whenever memory fades, it means that evil allows wounds to fester,” he said in St Peter’s Basilica.

During the mass Pope Francis also declared a 10th-century Armenian monk, St Gregory of Narek, a “doctor of the church”. The mystic and poet is celebrated for his writings, some of which are still recited each Sunday in Armenian churches.

The pope was joined at the Vatican by a number of Armenian dignitaries, including the president, Serž Sargsyan, and the head of the Armenian Apostolic church, Karekin II.

Theo van Lint, a Calouste Gulbenkian professor of Armenian studies at the University of Oxford, said allowing Armenian leaders to speak in St Peter’s Basilica was a strategic move.

“I think it’s very important to realise he gave space to the leaders, the heads of the Armenian church and Armenian Catholics, to fully give their view of events. It’s very clear that the pope accepts that it is a genocide,” van Lint told the Guardian.

He said the pontiff’s decision to refer to the mass killing of Armenians along with crimes perpetrated by Nazism and Stalinism gave the Vatican’s “highest sanction” to genocide recognition.

Igor Dorfmann-Lazarev, a researcher on Armenian history and culture at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, said the ceremony demonstrated the pope’s efforts to put periphery Christian groups at the centre of the Catholic church.

“This is the first time that Armenia is the centre of attention of Catholic life and the Christian world. It’s meant to draw attention to the Christian east,” he said.

Francis’s use of the word “genocide” was unlikely to change relations between Armenia and Turkey, Dorfmann-Lazarev said, although it would raise diplomatic concerns at the Vatican.

Brazil’s Sao Paulo state declares April 24 Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day

April 10, 2015 By administrator

Legislative Assembly of Brazil’s Sao Paulo state adopted resolution declaring April 24 the Armenian Genocide recognition and remembrance day.

The measure has been introduced by the Assembly member Pedro Tobias.

Sao Paulo has the largest population, industrial complex, and economic production in Brazil Sao Paulo having the population of over 44 million is the most populous state in Brazil and the third most populous political unit of South America.