U.S. Armenians, Assyrians rally against Islamist violence in Mideast

August 12, 2014 By administrator

Armenian National Committee of America Eastern Region (ANCA-ER) activists joined with leaders of the Assyrian, Chaldean and Syriac communities to rally international support for ending targeted attacks against their brethren in Iraq and Syria during a peaceful protest held in front of the United Nations headquarters in New York City.

The ANCA Eastern Region’s Armen Sahakyan offered powerful remarks citing Armenian American solidarity with the Assyrian community, noting that the violence harkens back to Turkey’s genocide and exile of over 3 million Armenian, Pontian Greek and Assyrian Christians from 1915-1923. Sahakyan went on to urge greater international effort to end the violence against these beleaguered communities.

Protesters wore special t-shirts with the Arabic letter “N” for “Nasrani,” which means Christian in Arabic to show their solidarity with those persecuted in Iraq, Syria and other parts of the Middle East.

This is the greatest mass flight of Christians in the Middle East since the Armenian, Assyrian and Pontian Greeks genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Empire.

Over the past several months, the Armenian community of Aleppo, Syria has been subjected to constant bombardment by Muslim extremists, which has led to the destruction of local schools, churches and social service centers. Earlier, on March 21, 2014, the city of Kessab located in northwestern part of Syria bordering Turkey was overrun by extremist foreign fighters, forcing the town to flee for safe haven at moment’s notice.

Mosul, the capital of Iraq’s Nineveh province and the second largest city after Baghdad, has recently come under control of al Qaeda breakaway ISIS, which now brands itself as Islamic State. The city was once home to around 60,000 Assyrians, Chaldeans, Armenians and other Christians. ISIS is also targeting Muslim holy sites, including the mosque housing the tomb of the Biblical figure of Jonah.

Germany: Greens’ leader: We’ll pay the price for booing Merkel at Erdoğan rally

May 27, 2014 By administrator

By TODAY’S ZAMAN/ ANKARA

Cem Özdemir, the co-chair of Germany’s Greens Party, has said the booing of German Chancellor Angela Merkel by Turks living in Germany during Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s speech in Cologne was an “ugly” scene that will raise question marks over Turks’ loyalty to Germany.

Erdoğan has lost support of “100 percent of Germany,” according to Özdemir.

“When the crowd booed Merkel, it made a very bad impression; it was an ugly scene. It will remain in the minds [of Germans]. We will pay the price for it,” Özdemir said in an interview with the Zaman daily published on May 26.

Özdemir, who is of Turkish origin, was commenting on Erdoğan’s appearance in Cologne on Saturday to address Turkish citizens in Germany at an event celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Union of European Turkish Democrats (UETD), a Turkish civil society organization based in Germany. Speaking to an enthusiastic crowd of about 20,000 in a Cologne sports arena, Erdoğan said that Merkel called him to extend her condolences for the Soma mine disaster on May 13. When Erdoğan mentioned Merkel’s name, the crowd booed. However, when Erdoğan thanked Merkel the crowd switched from boos to cheers and applause.

The booing of Merkel will stir a debate about Turks’ loyalty to Germany, Özdemir said. “You are living here, making a living here, paying your taxes and sending your children to school here and taking the advantages of the social state here. But you boo this country’s chancellor and idolize another country’s prime minister. Then the issue of loyalty will be brought into question. We have been attempting [to convince the German people] for 50 years that we are loyal citizens. We say, ‘Trust us, there’s no need to fear.’ But the attitude of those in the hall refutes all we are advocating,” he said.

The crowd at Erdoğan’s rally in Cologne appeared as if they were living in an enemy country, Özdemir stated, adding that the intense level of admiration for Erdoğan among his supporters both surprises and scares German society. Protests held by opposition Turkish groups against Erdoğan in which at least 50,000 attended, according to German police in Cologne, also caused fear among Germans, said Özdemir. “Previously, there was a rift between Turks and Kurds or left and right; now there’s fear whether there will be a polarization between Erdoğan’s supporters and dissidents.”

Erdoğan’s appearance brought more tension to Germany, and the Turkish prime minister has become the symbol of the “negative image of Turkey,” according to the Greens politician.

“There was an expectation among the German society as if a monster was coming. A frightening image of Erdoğan appeared because of his speeches about the mine disaster so that people were almost going to lock their children at home because of that danger. Erdoğan cannot change this image easily. In recent years there was a positive image of Turkey; however, it has been reversed, and Erdoğan has become the symbol of a negative image of Turkey,” Özdemir said.

Bulgarian Nationalists Boycott Turkish Defense Minister Visit

November 16, 2012 By administrator

November 16, 2012, Friday By: novinite.com

Bulgaria‘s far-right, nationalist Ataka party staged a protest rally Friday against the visit of Turkish Defense Minister, Ismet Yilmaz, to Sofia.

The Turkish Minister, however, was met with honors by his Bulgarian counterpart, Anyu Angelov and three companies – from the land force, the air force and the navy. “The relations between Bulgaria and Turkey are an example of good partnership between neighbors and allies in NATO,” said Angelov during his meeting with Yilmaz. The two discussed matters of cooperation in the defense sector.

They also laid wreaths at the Unknown Soldier monument.

Meanwhile, Ataka leaders and followers were seen in the vicinity of the monument, holding signs such as “We cannot be brothers in arms with those who massacred Bulgarians for five centuries,” “Turkey Owes Us USD 10 B for Properties in Thrace,” and “Boyko, Don’t Lead Us to War with Erdogan.”

The rally was attended by Ataka leader, Volen Siderov, and Ataka Members of the Parliament, Pavel Shopov, Desisilav Choukolov, and Ventsislav Lakov.

Siderov complained of the strong police presence, saying it was a disgrace and a violation of the rights of the MPs. He reminded that every time a Turkish official is visiting Bulgaria his party was the only one to voice the truth that Turkey is indebted to Bulgaria.

“We represent the position of hundreds of thousands of Bulgarians who voted for us. There is no difference between the ruling Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party, GERB, and the ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms, DPS. Both work not for Bulgarian, but for Turkish interests,” the nationalist leader concluded.