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Armenian, Greeks to march in Istanbul in memory of 1955 Christian martyrs

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greek armenianIstanbul’s Galatasaray Square will host on Tuesday evening a commemoration march dedicated to the Armenian and Greek Christians killed during the pogroms on September 6-7, 1955.
Members of the two minority communities will gather together under the slogan “We Still Remember”.
Historical review
On September 6 1955, the Turkish newspaper Istanbul Express published an article entitled “Our Ancestor’s House Hit by Explosive”.
The author spoke of a bomb attack against the Turkish consulate in Thessaloniki, in northern Greece—the house where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk had been born in 1881.
The report, which later proved untrue, pushed the Turks in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir launch active raids against the local Greeks. Ethnic Armenians and Jews also suffered losses.

A total of 11 people were reported dead. According to the Armenian community’s estimates, the casualties were underreported.
The pogroms, becoming later known as “Events of September 6–7”, left many houses, as well as stores and factories owned by Christians, ravaged.

Lots of local Armenians and Greeks later emigrated from Turkey, finding shelter in other countries abroad.

Los Angeles: Assyrians and Greeks rally with Armenians to commemorate #ArmenianGenocide 101

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Assyrian and Greek join armenian genocideThe Assyrian genocide refers to the mass slaughter of the Assyrian population of the Ottoman … The Assyrian genocide took place in the same context as the Armenian and ….. According to Los Angeles Times, in Urmia alone, 800 Assyrians were … The executioners began by cutting first the fingers of their victims, join by …

Armenians, Assyrians, and Greeks have an historical bond, unique to us. Our past has been connected, our present is connected and our future is going to be connected. We are always and always will be in solidarity with each other against oppression. Our ancestors did not spill their blood for no purpose. The genocide that took place has forever connected us. Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks are and going to be always united for justice.

 

 

 

 

 

Armenians, Greeks and Kurds stage protest in Washington against Turkey’s Erdoğan

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Stop turkish agresionA diverse group of Armenians, Kurds, Greeks, Cypriots, Yezidis, human rights groups, and even various opposition Turkish political factions protested outside Brookings Institution in Washington D.C., where Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was delivering a lecture, reported the Armenian National Committee of America.

The picketers held banners calling out Turkey’s ongoing Armenian Genocide denial, crackdown on the country’s Kurdish community, and support for ISIS forces in Syria. Among the protesters’ chants was: “Long live Kurdistan; long live Armenia.”

Pro-Turkish counter-protesters wearing “We love Erdogan” T-shirts and holding “We Heart Erdogan” signs, however, chanted their praise for the Turkish president.

Erdoğan security personnel were seen attacking protesters and needed to be subdued by the police. At least one Turkish reporter was pushed and another forced to the ground and beaten by Erdoğan’s security team. Another reporter was forced out of Brookings Institution venue, prior to Erdoğan’s arrival.

 

Save Armenian, Greek heritage in Turkey

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207879An exciting new project to protect Turkey’s non-Muslim architectural heritage is bringing together volunteers from Turkey, Greece and Armenia, Anadolu Agency reports.

Well over a hundred at-risk churches, schools, monasteries and synagogues will be logged and catalogued by experts from the three nations.

The project is being organized by the Association for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, as well as Anadolu Culture – two initiatives that support different communities in Turkey.

Architects, art historians and engineers have come together to review Turkey’s Greek, Armenian and Jewish heritage.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, project coordinator Cagla Parlak said that they aimed to reach an estimated 140 structures across Turkey, currently at risk.

There are only a couple of people who could be called experts on Armenian art history, she said, pointing to a lack of expertise on art history surrounding restoration projects in Turkey.

The group will document findings from their visits to sites in seven regions across Turkey, including the province of Kayseri, the southern region of Adana and Aegean Izmir.

Financed by the U.S. embassy in Ankara, the project took a year to come together and ran parallel with the foundation of the association in 2014.

The project has publicized its first results by publishing a book called ‘Kayseri: With Its Armenian and Greek Cultural Heritage’ in February.

The project has revealed its first results by publishing a book called “Kayseri: With Its Armenian and Greek Cultural Heritage” in February.

The Armenian population in the city was around 15,000 in late 19th century, the book states. Today only one Armenian lives there, according to local media.

The group uses an inventory prepared by the Istanbul-based Hrant Dink Foundation, registration decisions by local heritage Protection Boards and literature reviews, Parlak said.

The foundation worked for more than two years making an inventory to gather information about Turkey’s cultural heritage.

It found out about more than 10,000 monuments across Turkey. According to the research, there are 4,600 Armenian, 4,100 Greek, 650 Assyrian and 300 Jewish structures across the country.

Related links:

Anadolu Agency. Experts volunteer to save non-Muslim heritage in Turkey

Greek defense minister: Turkey won’t be Israel’s friend

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Discours_de_Panos_Kammenos_cropped-635x357

Panos Kammenos in France, 2013. (Wikipedia/dupontaignan/CC BY-SA 2.0)

BY TIMES OF ISRAEL STAFF

Ankara wants to lead Islamic world, says Panos Kammenos, adds that Jerusalem-Athens defense alliance second only to that with US

There is little chance that Israel will be able to rehabilitate its ties with Turkey, Greece’s defense minister told Israeli journalists on Thursday

“The fact the Turkey trades with Daesh [Islamic State], as Israel’s Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon has described, funds Daesh, and allows its fighters to enter and leave Syria raises questions in both Israel and Greece,” Panos Kammenos told Israel Radio in an interview while on a visit to Israel.

“A state that behaves this way,” he added, “I don’t believe you have much chance to rehabilitate your ties with Turkey. Turkey’s isolation is growing, and its stance toward Israel remains as hostile as in the past.”

Kammenos noted that Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu last year said he longed to see the Palestinian flag flying over Jerusalem.

“Turkey’s behavior as an Islamist state that seeks to lead the Muslim world doesn’t fit its alleged desire to restore relations with Israel,” he added.

Kammenos’s harsh rhetoric comes as Greece seeks to strengthen its alliance with Israel, considered a regional military superpower, as both countries face an activist and often hostile Turkish government led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Muslim-oriented AKP party.

“The defensive and strategic agreement I have signed with Minister Ya’alon,” Kammenos said of the new defense agreements between the two nations, “is like no other that Israel has, except that with the United States. The agreement is a defensive barrier that begins in Israel, continues through Cyprus and ends in Greece.”

This week’s visit to Israel was Kammenos’s third in recent weeks, while Greece’s prime minister Alexis Tsipras has also visited twice, together with other ministers. Last month, a trilateral summit of the leaders of Israel, Greece and Cyprus met in the island nation to discuss security and energy cooperation.

Greece, too, has been mistreated by Ankara, Kammenos told Israel Radio.

“In the past two days, the rate of refugees fleeing to Greece [through Turkey] grew five-fold,” the defense minister said, insisting that Turkey could control the number of people passing through its territory. “It uses them as hostages, as negotiating chips with the European Union,” he charged. 

Turkey has also recently increased its unauthorized overflights of Greek territory, he said.

Israel’s relatively new status as a regional energy power following the discovery of massive offshore natural gas reserves also played a role in the alliance, Kammenos indicated. On both energy and counterterrorism, Israel and Greece stand to benefit greatly from working together, he said.

“The joint battle against terror is important also for our cooperation on gas. Our shared success in the energy field constitutes a counterweight to the oil that today comes from Daesh [IS]. Energy cooperation will certainly help in the battle against terror.”

Russia Duma mulls outlawing denial of Greek, Assyrian genocides

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202638A group of Socialist-Revolutionary deputies introduced a bill to Russia’s State Duma, seeking to criminalize public denial of genocide against the Greeks, Assyrians and Yezidi Kurds perpetrated between 1915 and 1922 in Turkey.

It is proposed to introduce a penalty of up to 200.000 rubles or a sentence of forced labor or imprisonment for up to three years.

According to one of the authors of the bill, head of the faction Just Russia Sergei Mironov, a bill on outlawing the denial of the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1922 is currently under consideration at the Duma.

“Our bill has a simple and obvious logic,” Mironov said. “Not only Armenians, but also representatives of other nations were affected by Turkey’s genocide of 1915-1922: millions of people fell victim, starved to death, lost their homeland. It is necessary to recognize the crimes of the Turkish regime to restore historical justice.”

Related links:

Интерфакс: В РФ за отрицание геноцида трех народов Турцией предложили судить

Greek Protesters Burn US, Turkish Flags, Want Out of NATO After Su-24

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1017475243A crowd of Greek citizens gathered in the center of Athens to express their condemnation of the attack on the Russian Su-24 bomber. The protesters burnt Turkish and American flags and demanded that Greece withdraws from NATO.

On Tuesday, a Russian Su-24 aircraft was shot down while on a mission against terrorists in northern Syria by a Turkish F-16 fighter in response to an alleged violation of the Turkish airspace.

About one hundred Greeks gathered Thursday on the Athens’ central Square Syntagma and headed towards the Turkish embassy, Ria Novosti reported. They were stopped by police 300 meters away from the Embassy, right next to the monument in honor of Greek pilots that died in an incident with the Turkish air force near Imia island in 1996. After that incident, the two NATO countries were on the verge of war.

“How symbolic!” one of the demonstrators exclaimed.

The protesters were holding banners condemning NATO. They also burnt US and Turkish flags and dropped leaflets demanding that Greece withdraws from the alliance.

A police cordon didn’t let Panagiotis Lafazanis, the leader of a new Greek left-wing political party, Popular Unity, and one of the protest organizers hand over an address for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the Embassy officials, citing orders from above.

“The whole world is disturbed by the possible consequences of a Russian plane downing by your country. Contrary to your claims, the aircraft didn’t violate Turkish airspace and acted within Syrian territory in a mission against the Islamic State terrorist group.” the address read. “We don’t know who is responsible for the order to destroy the aircraft. We want to believe this madman wasn’t you.”

The protest participants cited daily violations of Greek airspace by Turkish planes.

“Maybe Greek pilots should follow the example of the crazy Turkish officer and down all Turkish military planes that violate our country’s airspace on a daily basis?” they questioned.

People in the crowd expressed their support for Russia’s actions in the Middle East aimed at preventing the spread of Islamic extremism and terrorism in the region, saying there is no defense for what Turkey has done. They believe that the world leaders understand it is essential to unite against the threat coming from the self-proclaimed Islamic State.

“Russia is currently on the frontline not letting this ‘carcinoma’ grow,” a protestor said. “We agree with the Russian president that what Ankara did was a stab in the back. Not only in Russia’s back, but in the back of the international anti-terrorist coalition.”

The protesters added that they expect an official announcement from the Greek government regarding the provocation by Ankara.

Ankara claimed it downed the Russian airplane because it violated Turkey’s airspace. Both the Russian General Staff and the Syrian Air Defense Command confirmed that the Su-24 aircraft never crossed into Turkish airspace.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a Wednesday statement that the downing of the Su-24 plane is a violation of the memorandum of understanding signed by Russia and the United States on flight safety during combat missions over Syria. In the document, the United States swears responsibility for the implementation of relevant rules by all participants of the US-led coalition, including Turkey, the ministry stressed.

‘They know how it’s done’: Turkey violated Greek airspace 2,244 times in 2014 alone

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FILE PHOTO: A Greek Air Force officer operates the radar of a Patriot air defence missiles at Tatoi air base, north of Athens © Yiorgos Karahalis / Reuters

FILE PHOTO: A Greek Air Force officer operates the radar of a Patriot air defence missiles at Tatoi air base, north of Athens © Yiorgos Karahalis / Reuters

Turkish claims that the downed Russian Su-24 jet “violated” its airspace have sparked outrage among Greeks, who took to social media to say it is a clear-cut case of double standards as Turkish jets breached Greek airspace 2,244 times in 2014 alone.

They wondered what would happen if Greece had authorized engagement of Turkish aircraft, which breach the country’s borders on a regular basis.

The Turks are trying to enforce sovereignty over disputed islands and bring Greece to the negotiating table,” Thanos Dokos,  the director general of the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy, told the Politico news website in July. “What’s worrying are the low-altitude flights, often by helicopters, over these islands.”

Turkey fails to respect the 10-mile airspace surrounding the Aegean Islands, which causes numerous dogfights between Greek and Turkish aircraft invading the area. From January to October 2015, the country’s airspace was violated 1,233 times including 31 flights over Greek territory itself, according to the Greek Air Force’s headquarters. Greek media noted the Turks are taking advantage of the country’s economic hardships.

“In the case of air incursions, you have to react,” Thanos Dokos said. “It’s very hard to unilaterally pull back from a situation of military aggression. It’s a tragic situation, because the money we’re spending on dogfights with Turkey is money that we could have spent on other areas of defense.”

Media attention has also focused on Turkish naval vessels repeatedly breaching national maritime borders. Over just seven months – from January to July 2015 – the Turkish Navy made 175 incursions into Greek maritime waters. In June, the Turkish Navy ship, the Gelibolu, repeatedly went on “patrol” in Greek territorial waters, a move that angered many in Greece.

Earlier on Wednesday, Greek Foreign Minister Nikas Kotzias expressed solidarity with Russia in a phone conversation with Russian FM Sergei Lavrov. The Russian Foreign Ministry said: “Athens agrees with the Russian president’s assessment on Ankara’s hostile actions, which are contrary to the goals of the anti-ISIS coalition,” RIA Novosti reports.

Greece, according to its Foreign Ministry, “especially compreh

https://twitter.com/CodeAud/status/669421583748976640

Ancient Greek citadel discovered in Jerusalem under a car park

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0,,18825162_303,00Acra, the legendary fortress built by Antiochus over 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem, has been unearthed under a parking lot. The lost citadel was considered one of the world’s great unsolved archaeological mysteries.

Those familiar with Jewish traditions will know the name Antiochus, as he was the Greek King who tried to ban Jewish religious rites – and that sparked the Maccabean rebellion. The rebels defeated the Greeks, who starved after a long siege of their stronghold. The victory is remembered with the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.

This Greek fortress built by Seleucid Emperor Antiochus IV Epiphanes (215-164 BC), called Acra, is mentioned in at least two ancient texts – the Book of Maccabees, which tells of the rebellion, and a written record by historian Josephus Flavius.

Yet archaeologists have puzzled for over a century as to the exact location of this legendary citadel. Many thought it stood in what is now Jerusalem’s walled Old City, a site considered sacred for both the Jews who know it as Temple Mount and the Muslims who hold two holy sites there, the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa mosque.

Now “one of Jerusalem’s greatest archaeological mysteries” could be solved, said the Israel Antiquities Authority on Tuesday (03.11.2015). They claimed that this ancient Greek citadel had finally been found – buried under a car park.

The former Givati parking lot is outside the Old City, in a Palestinian neighborhood in occupied east Jerusalem, on what used to be known as the City of David in 168 BC.

“This sensational discovery allows us for the first time to reconstruct the layout of the settlement in the city, on the eve of the Maccabean uprising in 167 BC,” said Doron Ben-Ami, who led the excavation.

A massive wall which could have been the base of a tower was discovered – over 20 meters long (65 feet) and 4 meters wide (12 feet).

Lead sling stones and bronze arrowheads from the period were also found on the site around it. Archaeologists believe they were left over from battles between pro-Greek forces and Jewish rebels trying to take over the fortress.

“This is a rare example of how rocks, coins and dirt can come together in a single archaeological story that addresses specific historical realities from the city of Jerusalem,” Ben-Ami said.

eg/kbm (AFP, Reuters)

Greek Cyprus vows to block Turkey’s EU bid

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Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides gestures during an interview with Reuters on June 15, 2015. (Photo: Reuters)

Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides gestures during an interview with Reuters on June 15, 2015. (Photo: Reuters)

Greek Cyprus said on Monday that it would not end its veto of Turkey‘s accession negotiations with the European Union, potentially scuppering EU leaders’ plans to “re-energize” the talks in return for Ankara’s help in tackling Europe’s migrant crisis.

The conflict-divided eastern Mediterranean island has a long list of grievances against Turkey, its giant northern neighbor. It has blocked the accession talks for several years, citing the presence of Turkish troops in the Turkish-speaking north of the island.

“The reasons [the negotiations] were frozen have not ceased to exist,” Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides told the Greek state broadcaster NET. “As things presently stand, we cannot give our consent [to their resumption].”

EU leaders last week pledged renewed consideration of the long-stalled accession talks with Ankara, cash and easier visa terms in return for its help in tackling a migration crisis that has seen hundreds of thousands of people fleeing conflicts and poverty in the Middle East and Africa pour into Europe.

Almost half a million people, including many Syrians fleeing war in their homeland, have entered the EU this year, mainly crossing from Turkey to EU member Greece. Turkey itself has provided shelter for some 2.2 million Syrian refugees.

Kasoulides referred specifically to two chapters, or policy areas in accession negotiations, one concerning the judiciary and fundamental rights and the other dealing with justice, freedom and security.

Greek Cyprus, an EU member state since 2004, has been split along ethnic lines since a Turkish intervention in 1974 triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup.

Greek Cyprus is blocking the accession talks because Turkey still keeps troops in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC), whose government is recognized only by Ankara. The EU considers the Greek Cypriot government in Nicosia to represent the whole island.

On-off peace talks

Greek Cyprus is currently blocking six of the 35 chapters Turkey must conclude as part of its accession negotiations. These include energy, where Turkey has attempted to challenge Greek Cyprus’s right to explore for oil and gas in a region that has recently yielded some of the world’s biggest natural gas finds in a decade.

In addition to Greek Cyprus, some other EU member states have been at best lukewarm about the possible future admission of Turkey, a large, mainly Muslim nation that borders unstable, conflict-riven countries such as Syria and Iraq.

On-off peace talks over the years to reunite the island as a federation have so far failed, but diplomats say a present round of talks are showing encouraging signs of progress.

Kasoulides, who was in Athens to address an interfaith conference, said talks had not yet reached the stage where the sides had “mirror image” positions but said he was hopeful of progress as talks went on.

A former British colony, Cyprus has a complex governance system where Britain, Greece and Turkey are “guarantors” of the island in the event of a disruption to constitutional order. Greek Cyprus wants to abolish those guarantees, used as a pretext for military intervention in the past.

“These guarantees cannot be accepted as a means to make either Greek or Turkish Cypriots feel safe,” Kasoulides said.