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Syrian Kurdish PYD leader Muslim to meet US officials in Washington, disturb Ankara

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198196_newsdetailSalih Muslim, the head of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) — the main Kurdish group in Syria — will soon meet with US officials in Washington, D.C., Today’s Zaman has learned.

Muslim’s high-level meetings in the US capital will disturb Ankara because Turkey considers the PYD to be an offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

That Muslim will meet with top US officials is another visible sign of the deepening fault lines between Turkey and the US. The US airdropped weapons, ammunition and other aid in late October to support the PYD, which had been putting up a strong fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the Syrian town of Kobani. Turkey expressed its displeasure about the airdropped assistance; the PYD maintains links with the PKK, which is classified as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the European Union.

The US has been pushing Turkey to contribute more to the coalition against the terrorist threat of ISIL. With the Kurdish PYD forces in Kobani proving themselves to be one of the groups showing the strongest resistance against the ISIL advance over the past few months, the US has pushed Turkey to help armed Kurdish groups in Syria — but to no avail.

Protesters in Washington urge justice for victims of Azeri aggression

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March 1, 2014 – 14:36 AMT

Washington Braving sub-freezing temperatures, Greater Washington area Armenian-Americans honored the memory of the victims of Azerbaijani aggression and pledged ongoing solidarity with the freedom-loving people of Artsakh, at a 176387February 28th protest held in front of the Azerbaijani Embassy.

The demonstration, organized by the Washington Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) Ani Chapter and St. Mary’s Armenian Church Youth Organization (ACYO), coincided with the 26th anniversary of the Azerbaijani pogroms against the Armenian population of Sumgait, which set the stage for attacks in Baku in 1990 and a cycle of anti-Armenian violence that continues to this day.

The demonstrators called special attention to the brutal axe-murder of Armenian Lieutenant Gurgen Margaryan, as the nation marks the 10th anniversary of his slaying by convicted Azerbaijani soldier Lt. Ramil Safarov. In a move that stunned the international community, Azerbaijani dictator Ilham Aliyev pardoned, promoted and praised Safarov upon extradition to his homeland in 2012. The AYF global social media awareness campaign last week, #Justice4Margaryan, called attention to this travesty, attracting the participation of thousands, including U.S. Representatives Adam Schiff (D-CA), David Cicilline (D-RI) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ).

“Today, we gather at the Azerbaijani Embassy to remember those who perished in the Sumgait, Kirovabad, and Baku massacres between 1988-1990,” explained AYF Ani Chapter Chairman Hagop Simonian. “If we do not remember and spread awareness of these atrocities, events such as the axe-murder of Lt. Gurgen Margaryan and the recent killing of Jr. Sergeant Armen Hovhannisyan will continue to occur again and again. Sadly, the dictatorial Aliyev regime celebrates the deaths of these Armenian deaths, and rewards their murderers. We, as Armenian-Americans, must use our first amendment right to educate the world of these crimes.”

A small group of Azerbaijani counter-protesters jeered as St. Mary’s Armenian Church pastor, Fr. Hovsep Karapetyan led Armenian community members in prayer in memory of those who perished in the Azerbaijani pogroms. Police were forced to escort one Azerbaijani provocateur, after he approached Armenian protesters and struck one with a sign. Many of the Azerbaijani protesters were making the iconic “Grey Wolf” sign, signaling solidarity with the Turkish ultra-nationalist and neo-fascist youth organization accused of political killings.

 

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Armenian pogrom in Baku

The Armenian pogrom in Baku was part of Azerbaijani authorities’ anti-Armenian program calculated to bring about the destruction of the town’s Armenian population. The seven-day pogroms perpetrated by Azerbaijani SSR broke out on January 13, 1990, leaving 300 Armenians dead. The real number of victims remains unclear to date.

The Sumgait Pogrom

The Sumgait Pogrom was the Azeri-led pogrom that targeted the Armenian population living in the Azerbaijani seaside town of Sumgait in February 1988. On February 27, 1988, large mobs made up of Azeris formed into groups that went on to attack and kill Armenians in both on the streets and in their apartments; widespread looting and a general lack of concern from police officers allowed the situation to worsen. The violent acts in Sumgait were unprecedented in scope in the Soviet Union and attracted a great deal of attention from the media in the West. The massacre came in light of the Nagorno-Karabakh movement that was gaining traction in the neighbouring Armenia SSR.

Gurgen Margaryan

On February 19, 2004, Lieutenant of the Armenian Armed Forces Gurgen Margaryan, 26, was hacked to death, while asleep, by a fellow Azerbaijani participant, lieutenant Ramil Safarov, in Budapest during a three-month English language course in the framework of Partnership for Peace NATO-sponsored program. In accordance with Budapest District Court sentence dated April 13, 2006, Ramil Safarov was life imprisoned for murdering the Armenian officer.

On February 22, 2007, Budapest Court rejected the Azerbaijani military officer’s appeal against a life sentence. The appeal court ruled that the decision brought by Budapest District Court against 30-year-old Lieutenant Ramil Safarov, should stand.