Erdogan Vows to Actively Counter Armenian Genocide Recognition Campaign

ANKARA — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday Ankara would “actively” challenge a campaign pressuring Turkey to recognise as genocide the mass killings of Armenians in World War I, on the 100th anniversary of the tragedy this year, AFP reports.

“I believe that both the foreign ministry and the relevant institutions will actively counter those allegations,” Erdogan told Turkey’s ambassadors in a keynote speech, adding that discussions were already under way to detail an action plan.

One of the sessions at the annual ambassadors’ conference this week in Ankara focuses on defining a strategy to counter a campaign by Armenia and the Armenian diaspora who want Turkey to recognise the 1915 killings at the hands of the Ottoman security forces as genocide.

On Tuesday, Erdogan accused Armenia of expending its energy on “genocide claims” despite Turkey’s will to normalise bilateral ties and politicising the issue by imposing its own “biased” viewpoint.

Erdogan Vows to Actively Counter Armenian Genocide Recognition Campaign

AMAA’s “Stitched With Love” Program Provides Hats and Blankets for Newborns in Armenia

PARAMUS, NJ — Late in 2013, Betty Cherkezian and Nancy Burdman of New Jersey, came up with the idea of Stitched with Love, a program to provide newborn children in Armenia with much needed hats and blankets. The Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA) liked the idea and adopted the program as part of its relief efforts in Armenia.

Over 40,000 babies are born in Armenia each year, yet few Armenian hospitals distribute hats and blankets to newborns and none are distributed in small towns and villages.

Recognizing this need, Stitched with Love strives to provide knitted or crocheted hats and baby blankets to newborns in maternity hospitals throughout Armenia. To achieve this goal, Stitched with Love has reached out to Armenian communities in the United States and has received growing support from donors and knitters who wish to participate in this cause.

Patterns and designs are also welcome. Blankets should be a minimum of 30″ x 30″ in size. Newborn hats should be between 9″ to 14″ in diameter. If needed, a basic pattern is provided on the AMAA website. It is required that only acrylic worsted weight yarn is used.

The support provided from individuals, community organizations and church groups has been very encouraging and is making a real contribution to the infants in Armenia. A lady from North Carolina who recently participated in this Program writes: “My maternal grandmother was the sole survivor in her family of the Genocide. It is through her and my mother that I was passed the talent of sewing and handwork. I am grateful to God and to them for this gift and try to use that gift in service to others. Thanks for your work in making this dream of helping Armenian babies and children a reality.”

During this Christmas and New Year season, with the cooperation of the Head of the Malatya-Sebastya Administrative District of Yerevan, a special event was organized at AMAA’s Khoren and Shooshanig Avedisian School and Community Center for all expectant teacher-mothers of the neighborhood. The expectant teacher-mothers were welcomed in the school hall by the school principal Melanya Geghamyan, AMAA Armenian representative Harout Nersessian and the head of the Education Department of Malatia-Sebastia district. During the gathering special film was presented devoted to maternity. It was a joyous occasion at which time each expectant teacher-mother received hats, blankets and other clothing Stitched with Love for their soon to be born babies, as well as 2015 calendars, greeting cards and booklets about AMAA. The event was highlighted in the Malatya-Sebastya local press.

It is the hope of the ladies of Stitched with Love program, that there will come a time, when all the newborn babies in Armenia will go home with their mothers, swaddled in a blanket and hat made by caring individuals like you!

For more information on how to participate and help in this effort, please contact the AMAA office at 201-265-2607, or visit www.amaa.org and click on the Stitched with Love tab. Donations to cover the cost of yarn, transportation & freight can be mailed to the AMAA at 31 West Century Road, Paramus, NJ 07652. To make a donation by credit card, you may call the AMAA office or visit AMAA’s website at www.amaa.org

AMAA’s “Stitched With Love” Program Provides Hats and Blankets for Newborns in Armenia

“The Survivor” by Dr. Rosemary Hartounian Cohen

MISSION HILLS, CA — Ararat-Eskijian Museum present an illustrated talk “The Survivor” by Dr. Rosemary Hartounian Cohen “January 18th, 2015 4 PM Ararat-Eskijian Museum/Sheen Chapel, 15105 Mission Hills Road, Mission Hills CA 91345

Rosemary H. Cohen will present The Survivor, the true story of the silent Genocide of the Armenians by Turkish Ottoman soldiers in the city of Khoy, Iran, and of Arousiak, who was born in the City of Khoy, northwest of Iran. Arousiak, the grandmother of the author, wishes for an education, but she marries instead, at the age of twelve. Arousiak is happy as a new bride, living in luxury, with a devoted husband. But soon her life shatters, as Turkish Ottoman soldiers occupy the City of Khoy, and massacre almost the entire Armenian population of the city. The eighteen-year-old Arousiak, and her three year-old daughter’s happy existence is changed as she struggles to educate and provide for her only daughter, her sole reminder of her deep love and glorious past.

Dr. Rosemary Hartounian Cohen is a sociologist an award winning author, a journalist, a motivational speaker, devoted wife and mother. She is an accomplished and award winning artist who uses various mediums, including oil and charcoal, while her specialty is silk painting. She was born in Iran to an Armenian family. Her mother and grandmother were the sole survivors of the Armenian Genocide committed by Ottoman Turks in Persia- Iran in 1918. She graduated from Tehran University in Iran, taught at Tehran University and then immigrated to France where she obtained her doctorate degree, worked at the University of Paris and participated in many international conferences. In 1984 the family immigrated to the United States and since they have lived in Los Angeles, CA.

-Admission free (Donations appreciated)

– Reception following program

-For more information call the Ararat-Eskijian Museum at 818- 838-4862 or

e-mail ararat-eskijian-museum@netzero.net

“The Survivor” by Dr. Rosemary Hartounian Cohen

America Armenian Rose Float Wins President's Trophy

PASADENA — Officials of the 126th Rose Parade announced winning float entries for the Tournament of Roses held on January 1st.

American Armenian Rose Float was awarded The President’s Trophy “for effective floral use and presentation”

The float named ‘Cradle of Civilization’ celebrated the story of Armenian immigrants who have contributed to society. This was the groups first Rose Parade appearance.

One hundred years ago the Tournament of Roses chose Mr. Pasigian, an Armenian-American as the Grand Marshal, but this was the first time the Armenian-American community has been represented as a float.

America Armenian Rose Float Wins President's Trophy

CSUN Armenian Studies to Host Genocide Conference

NORTHRIDGE, CA — The Armenian Studies Program at the California State University, Northridge (CSUN) on Saturday, January 31, 2015 will host a one-day conference from 9:30 am-4:30 pm on the theme of “The Armenian Genocide: Accounting and Accountability.” Held at CSUN’s Grand Salon, it will constitute a part of the United Armenian Council of Los Angeles’ Armenian Genocide Centennial events, and will be dedicated to the generations of 1915 and 2015.

The morning session will include two panels. Entitled “Language as a Victim,” the first panel will be moderated by Dr. Hagop Gulludjian and will feature the following speakers and topics: Dr. Vartan Matiossian, “Pleading no Context: On Uses and Abuses of the Word Yeghern”; Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian, “Western Armenian Language and Literature in Exile: Genocide and Its Consequences”; Dr. Shushan Karapetian, “The Burden of Language as a Moral Obligation.”

The second morning panel will deal with “Teaching Genocide,” with Dr. Rubina Peroomian moderating. Dr. Hasmig Baran will talk about “Content and Pedagogy of Genocide Education in the 21st Century: The Armenian Case”; Ms. Roxanne Makasjian about “Armenian Genocide Education in Secondary Schools Today”; Dr. Kori Street about “Educating for Change: Using Testimonies in Teaching about Genocide.”

The third and fourth panels will be held in the afternoon session. Dr. Levon Marashlian will moderate the third panel, entitled “Those Who Were Forced to Assimilate.” It will feature the following speakers and subjects: Prof. Khatchig Mouradian, “Un-Hiding the Past: Myth-Making and the ‘Hidden Armenians’ of Turkey”; Dr. Elyse Semerdjian, “‘The Girl with the Cross Tattoo’: Field Notes on Crypto-Armenians”; Dr. Vahram Shemmassian, “The Fate of Captive Armenian Genocide Survivors in Syria.”

The fourth panel, entitled “Legal Responses to Genocide-Related Liabilities,” will be conducted by the Armenian Bar Association (ABA). Garo Ghazarian, Esq., will introduce the ABA and its panelists, and Armen K. Hovannisian, Esq., will moderate the panel. The speakers and their topics will be: Saro Kerkonian, Esq., “Justice for Genocide and Challenges in United States Courts”; Edvin Minassian, Esq., “Justice for Genocide and Challenges in Turkey’s Courts”; and Karnig Kerkonian, Esq., “Justice for Genocide: Opportunities and Challenges in International Courts.” The conference will conclude with a commentary by Dr. Richard G. Hovannisian.

The conference is generously co-sponsored by the United Armenian Council of Los Angeles, the National Association of Armenian Studies and Research, the Knights of Vartan – Los Angeles County Chapters, the Armenian Bar Association, the Armenian General Benevolent Union, the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures at CSUN, and the Mousa Ler Association of California. Near East Relief posters will be exhibited during the conference by the Ararat-Eskijian Museum of Mission Hills, CA.

The public is cordially invited. The parking lot is G3 on Prairie Street (on campus) at Zelzah Avenue (near Nordhoff Street), Northridge. Parking tickets ($6.00 each) can be obtained at the information booth or via machines. For further information, please contact Dr. Shemmassian at vahram.shemmassian@csun.edu or (818) 677-3456.

CSUN Armenian Studies to Host Genocide Conference

Turkish Intellectuals Who Have Recognized The Armenian Genocide: Serkan Engin

By Hambersom Aghbashian

Serkan Engin is a Laz poet from Turkey ( born in 1975 in Izmit-Turkey). He was influenced by his parents to study at Navy Military Lycee but was dismissed from Navy Military High School in 1995 because he was undisciplined. He then studied at technical high school in Kocaeli University, and now he is a vigorous antimilitarist. His poems have been published in more than fifty literature journals in Turkey and he has also published a poem manifest in a literature journal in 2004, “Imagist Socialist Poetry.” He also tried to start a new poetry movement in Turkish Poetry. Serkan Engin has also published numerous articles in literature journals about literary theory according to his poetry movement. His poems have been published in “The Tower” Journal, Poetry’z Own and Mediterranean Poetry in English. Also his poems have been published in one of the major philosophy and poetry journals of Japan named Shi to Shisou in Japanese.(1)

On 23 Oct. 2014 and under a title “Never Again” Serkan Engin wrote “Why am I talking about the Armenian, Greek and Assyrian genocides in Turkey? Why would I get myself into trouble? Am I stupid? I’m talking about these genocides, because this is an obligation from my conscience. This is an ethical duty for me as an honest and honorable intellectual. This is my debt and obligation to humanity. I want to talk about all these genocides perpetrated my Turk ancestors, because in Turkey you must declare the truth loudly, against the lies of the so-called official history. I refuse to be “proud of” my ancestors who raped little girls, burned children alive, enslaved women and brutally slaughtered millions of innocent people.I refuse to shout “How happy is he, who says I’m a Turk” every morning in school playgrounds. I reject the education system which tells our children a racist motto like “One Turk is equal to the whole world”.(2)

According to www.panarmenian.net (March 17, 2014), Paper Boats of Poetry website published an article “The Insufferable Shame of Being a Turk” by Turkish poet Serkan Engin.”I am a socialist Laz poet from Turkey. My mother is Turkish so my mother tongue is Turkish, but I prefer to consider myself as a “Laz” like my father’s ancestors, because I am ashamed of my Turkish ancestors from my mother’s side of the family. I refuse to consider myself as a “Turk”, because my Turkish ancestors were perpetrators of genocides at the end of the Ottoman Empire and at the beginning of the Turkish Republic. 1,500, 000 Armenians were brutally murdered by Turkish and Kurdish people under the orders of Ottoman generals. Turks and Kurds have killed their own neighbours, raped their little girls, burned alive little children and women and grabbed the Armenians’ money and properties. Also thousands of Assyrians and Chaldeans had been murdered in their own homelands like Armenians by the Ottoman government during this genocide period,” Engin says in his article.(3)

Under the heading “ In the Name of Humanity” Serkan Engin wrote on Oct.15.2014 “ I am trying to change the wrong perception about Armenians and Greeks in Turkey, which have been established by the lies of the official ideology. I am trying to show the awful truths of our history to the Turkish youth, so that we can erase the defaults of racist education in Turkey. We are taught that “One Turk is equal to the whole world,” arising from Fascist-Kemalist ideology, which has forbidden the existence of all ethnic identities that are not Turkish.” He added “ As the son of a Turkish woman, I accept and recognize the realities of the Armenian Genocide. Although I personally had no participation in this violent crime, I apologize to all the Armenian victims and kneel down in front of you in the name of humanity. Not only do I apologize for the Armenian Genocide, but I also apologize for the Holocaust, Rwanda, Bosnia, Cambodia, Darfur, and every other genocide perpetrated by the conscienceless humans of our world. I believe that we shall overcome this hatred and lack of conscience someday.”(4)

On Sept. 2, 2014, ArmenaPress wrote “ The Turkish poet Serkan Engin published an article titled (Genocide in the name of Allah) in the Dispatch International website .” According to Armenpress he mentioned that “ The wholesale extermination of Armenians, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Nestorians, and Pontain Greek during WWI has been aptly described as (Christians Genocide).The perpetrators of the massive atrocities were Muslim Turks and Kurds spurred on by the Turkish Ottoman government.”(5)

Under the title “ Turkish writer ready to speak up about Armenian genocide at the cost of his life and freedom, Armenpress wrote on Oct.24, 2014 “Turkish writer Serkan Engin considers it an obligation from his conscience to talk about the Armenian, Greek and Assyrian genocides in Turkey.This is an ethical duty for me as an honest and honorable intellectual. This is my debt and obligation to humanity. I want to talk about all these genocides perpetrated my Turk ancestors, because in Turkey you must declare the truth loudly, against the lies of the so-called official history. I’m the child who shouts The Emperor is naked . I’m devoting myself to the truth at the cost of my life and freedom, because I want to create and increase awareness about these atrocities, so that similar crimes against humanity won’t be perpetrated again.

I refuse to be proud of my ancestors who raped little girls, burned children alive, enslaved women and brutally slaughtered millions of innocent people.” (6)

—————————

*Laz: An ethnic group native to the Black Sea coastal regions of Turkey and Georgia, being a people of Iberian or Georgian stock. The Laz were initially early adopters of Christianity, and most of them subsequently converted to Sunni Islam during Ottoman rule of Caucasus in the 16th century.

1- http://www.poemhunter.com/serkan-engin/biography/

2- http://paperboatsofpoetry.blogspot.com/

3- http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/176942/

4- http://99andcounting.com/2014/10/15/in-the-name-of-humanity/

5- http://armenpress.am/eng/news/774703/committing-armenian-genocide-turks-and-kurds-were-guided-by-islamic-motives-turkish-poet.html

6- https://newhub.shafaqna.com/EN/AM/5658596

Turkish Intellectuals Who Have Recognized The Armenian Genocide: Serkan Engin

Armenia Becomes Full Member of Eurasian Economic Union

YEREVAN — Armenia officially joined the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) on Friday January 2nd, that also comprises Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.

As part of a deal signed last October, Armenia will have limited representation in the organization until the end of 2015. Three Armenian members will share one vote in the union’s governing body, the Eurasian Economic Commission, TASS news agency reported Friday.

Kyrgyzstan is also set to join the union on May 1.

Armenia’s entry into the EEU means it will have to gradually transition to a unified tariff system with the union’s other members, with 2022 set as the deadline for the full transition, TASS reported.

In addition Armenia will use zero customs rates for gasoline till 2018.

The country will have to negotiate with the World Trade Organization, of which it is a member, on its changing obligations in light of its new membership with the economic bloc of former Soviet republics.

Armenia Becomes Full Member of Eurasian Economic Union