Turkish Intellectuals Who Have Recognized The Armenian Genocide: Temel Demirer

By Hambersom Aghbashian

Temel Demirer is a famous Turkish writer and one of the enlightened intellectuals who have recognized the Armenian Genocide . He has been prosecuted for his daring writings and speeches and because of his remarks on the Armenian Genocide.

Temel Demirer is the author of many books and the co- author of many others. His published works include (Ortadogu Yalanci Bahar – Middle East-False Spring), (Kapitalizmin Ekolojic Sorunlan- Ecological Problems of Capitalism), (Kuresel Intifada – Global Intifada), (Eleveda Nosyan..Merhaba Isyan), (Resmi Ideoloji, Devlet, Milliyetcilik- Official Ideology, State, Nationalism), and the list and goes on and it is too long to be mentioned here.(1)

According to (http://bianet.org/english/minorities/105355A), a day after journalist Hrant Dink’s murder on 19 January 2007, writer Temel Demirer read a press statement in central Ankara, saying that the journalist had not only been killed for being Armenian, but also because he had spoken of an “Armenian genocide.” Around a year later, Demirer has been taken to court under Article 301 and 216 for “denigrating the Turkish Republic” and “inciting to hatred and hostility.” In a previous statement Demirer said that he believed that there was a genocide carried out against the Armenians in the Ottoman period.(2)

K. Mouradian wrote on April 24, in (The Armenian Weekly- April 28, 2010), As genocide commemoration events were being held one after the other in different locations in Istanbul, a groundbreaking two-day conference on the Armenian Genocide began at the Princess Hotel in Ankara. The conference, organized by the Ankara Freedom of Thought Initiative , was held under tight security measures. The conference attracted around 200 attendees, mostly activists and intellectuals who support genocide recognition. Among the prominent names from Turkey were Ismail Besikci, Baskin Oran, Sevan Nishanian, Ragip Zarakolu, Temel Demirer and Sait Cetinoglu. Demirer is an author who has been prosecuted for his daring writings and speeches. That panel turned out into a debate on reparations for the Armenian Genocide.(3)

In his book “Modern Turkey and the Armenian Genocide”, Nikolaus Schrodt quoted then Turkish Minister of justice Mehmet Ali Sahin stating to Today’s Zaman (Nov. 18, 2008), “This man, Temel Demirer, is saying Turkey is a murderer state . I am not going to let anyone call my state a murderer. These expressions are not exercising freedom of speech, these are humiliating the state which is exactly what article 301 criminalizes. (4)

In his article titled “Turkish Writer Temel Demirer: There Was A Genocide In Our History”, Jean Eckian (Independent correspondent-Paris, March 6, 2008) mentioned that Demirer, in his press statement in central Ankara announced that “There was a genocide in our history, it is called the Armenian Genocide. At the expense of its life, Hrant said to us, to all this reality. Those who killed the Armenians yesterday attack our Kurdish brothers and sisters today.. I invite all those of you to commit crimes. Yes, there was a Armenian genocide in this country.”(5)

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1- www.idefix.com/kitap/temel-demirer/urun_liste.asp?

2- http://bianet.org/english/minorities/105355-writer-demirer-on-trial-for-armenian-genocide

3- http://www.armenianweekly.com/2010/04/28/ankara-conference/

4http://books.google.com/books?id=m4_IAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT478&lpg=PT478&dq=Temel+Demirer+and+the+Armenian+genocide

5- http://www.armeniandiaspora.com/showthread.php?125139-Turkish-Writer-Temel-Demirer-

Turkish Intellectuals Who Have Recognized The Armenian Genocide: Temel Demirer

5th Armenia-Diaspora Conference Kicks Off in Yerevan

YEREVAN — The 5th Armenia-Diaspora Conference kicked off at the Alexander Spendiaryan National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet on September 19. The conference is organized by the RA Ministry of Diaspora.

The event has brought together more than 1,000 representatives, including 741 leaders and representatives of Armenian structures and organizations from nearly 60 countries around the world, a 20-member delegation from Artsakh, as well as 310 state, political, cultural figures, scientists and journalists from the Republic of Armenia. There are many Armenian participants from Russia (129 participants), Syria (103 participants), Lebanon (74 participants), USA (77 participants), Georgia (45 participants), France (31 participants), Iran (25 participants) and Canada (22 participants). There are also delegates from distant countries, including Australia (15 delegates), Argentina (11 delegates), Chile (3 delegates) and the South African Republic (1 delegate).

The plenary session began with opening remarks by RA Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan, who particularly mentioned: “It’s a great pleasure for me to welcome you in this warm atmosphere. The conference serves as an opportunity for us to appreciate the power of the Armenia-Artsakh-Diaspora triumvirate in Armenia. We are strong when we stand united as one. Armenia is strong with its two “wings”-the two Armenian States and the Diaspora. All Armenians share the same interests.”

The RA Prime Minister stressed the fact that a new qualitative stage of the Armenia-Diaspora partnership began with the establishment of the RA Ministry of Diaspora. “It’s a pleasure to see how the RA Ministry of Diaspora managed to establish contacts with Armenian organizations and representations in all four corners of the globe,” Abrahamyan mentioned.

In his welcoming remarks, President of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Bako Sahakyan mentioned the following: “The holding of the 5th Armenia-Diaspora Conference goes to show that it has already become a traditional event. We must do everything possible to make sure the Armenia-Artsakh-Diaspora triumvirate remains strong and helps strengthen our two countries. Our coordinated efforts, the high level of readiness of Armenian soldiers and our will during the tension on the border between Karabakh and Azerbaijan in the summer made the opponent fail.”

His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians brought his blessing to the participants of the conference from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and mentioned that all the previous conferences have also been successful in terms of the strengthening of bonds between the Homeland and the Diaspora.

The Catholicos attached importance to the growth of Armenian families ahead of the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide. The Catholicos also mentioned that since the very first days of the Syrian crisis, the Church and the State have taken all measures to raise the issue at the international level so that the displaced people, particularly the Syrian-Armenians are able to return to their homes.

His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia gave his blessing to the participants of the conference, regretted to talk about emigration and the issues of Artsakh that remain unsolved and mentioned that the Diaspora also faces challenges. “The capacities of our communities are becoming insufficient compared to our needs. We don’t have the right to show a circumstantial approach to issues of national concern. As we approach the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide, we don’t have the right to stay indifferent toward the destroyed assets of our nation. It is every Armenian’s duty to make a contribution to the sincere and righteous struggle for recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide and elimination of the consequences,” Catholicos Aram I of the Great House of Cilicia stated.

Patriarch-Catholicos Nerses Petros XIX of the Armenian Catholic Church gave his blessing, attached importance to recognition of the Armenian Genocide and Armenians’ claims and considered the potential of Armenia, Artsakh and the Diaspora and the unity of religious organizations necessary in order to achieve the goal.

Opening remarks were also delivered by representative of the ARF-D Bureau Hrant Margaryan; Chairman of the Central Committee of the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party Hagop Dikranian; Chairman of the Central Committee of the Armenian Democratic Liberal Party (Ramgavar) Mike Kharapian.

The second plenary session included speeches on four main topics by RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan (Current Priorities and Future-Oriented Objectives of the Armenia-Diaspora Partnership); Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, secretary for the State Commission in charge of Coordinating the Events Dedicated to the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide Hayk Demoyan (On the Organizing of Events Dedicated to the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide); Head of the Task Force in charge of Coordinating Activities with Syrian-Armenians, Chief of Staff of the RA Ministry of Diaspora Firdus Zakaryan (On the Key Issues of Syrian-Armenian Refugees in the Republic of Armenia) and President of the Coordinating Body for Pan-Armenian Forum of Journalists (on The Role of Armenian Media in the Globalizing World).

5th Armenia-Diaspora Conference Kicks Off in Yerevan

Rep. Adam Schiff Statement on the Anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Armenia

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) released the following statement:

“Today, I proudly say ‘Oorakh Angakhootyan Or,’ as we recognize the 23rd anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Armenia.

“The road to independence has not been easy, but time has proven that Armenians are survivors— survivors of genocide, hostile neighbors, economic boycotts and foreign blockades. Armenian-Americans continue to demonstrate what a precious and vital asset they are to our society, breaking new ground socially, economically and politically in California and across the United States and the world.”

Rep. Adam Schiff Statement on the Anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Armenia

Artsakh Welcomes the Independence Referendum in Scotland

STEPANAKERT — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (Republic of Artsakh) welcomes the holding of a referendum on the independence of Scotland. The Ministry issued a statement, which reads, in part:

“Irrespective of the results, the referendum in Scotland is one more precedent enriching the world practice of realization of the right of peoples to self-determination and confirming once again the obvious fact that the recognition of the right of peoples to decide their own fate is a norm in a democratic society.

In this connection, we consider it necessary to remind that it was the breach of the right to self-determination of the people of Artsakh by Azerbaijan that led to the mass violations of human rights and deportation of the Armenian population of Azerbaijan, followed by the full-scale aggression of Azerbaijan against the NKR, as a result of which tens of thousands of people were killed, and hundreds of thousands became refugees.

The international recognition of the will of the people of Artsakh, realized in 1991 and affirmed in 2006, will ensure the irreversibility of the peaceful process and will allow focusing efforts on elaborating the necessary mechanisms and conditions for peaceful co-existence of two independent states – the Nagorno Karabakh Republic and Azerbaijan that emerged as a result of the collapse of the USSR and the war imposed by Azerbaijan.”

Artsakh Welcomes the Independence Referendum in Scotland

Exhibition on “A Fable of the East: Christianity in Front of the Challenges of the New Millennium” Opens in Rome

ROME — During the Vatican visit, president Sarkisian attended the opening of the” “A Fable of the East: Christianity in front of the challenges of the new millennium” at Vittoriano Museum Complex. The aim of the exhibition is to draw the attention of the international community to the state of thousand-year old endangered Christian communities in the Middle East, as well as to the need for preserving the Christian cultural heritage in the region. The exhibition embraces photos taken in nine Middle Eastern countries and a separate section devoted to a documentary film about the extermination of Jugha’s Armenian cross-stones.

The exhibition has been organized at the initiative and under the patronage of the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in the Holy See within the framework of the annual Rimini Festival for Friendship among Peoples launched on August 24 and besides Rome, is going to tour other cities.

At the opening of the exhibition President Sarkisian delivered a speech calling to attention the destruction of the Armenian culture in Nakhichevan and throughout Azerbaijan, and noted that this tragedy was not properly assessed by the international community.

“Recently we could see consistent destruction of medieval Armenian khachkars in Jugha – records of culture and faith. The destruction of the centuries-old cemetery in Jugha, which dates back to the 9th-16th centuries, was a manifestation of the policy of complete eradication of Armenian cultural heritage in Nakhijevan and Azerbaijan over the past two decades. And the international community has never adequately responded to that.” Sarkisian stated.

As part of his official visit to the Vatican, the Armenian leader also paid a visit to the Basilica of St. Bartholomew on the Island, in Rome.

The chapels of this church contain references about Christian martyrs, including Armenian Genocide victims.

Sarkisian laid a wreath at the main altar of the basilica, and paid tribute to the victims, according to his press office. He noted that the Church has had a special importance and role in the history of the Armenian people. Sarkisian stressed that Saint Bartholomew is considered to be a founder of the Armenian Church.

Exhibition on “A Fable of the East: Christianity in Front of the Challenges of the New Millennium” Opens in Rome

Survey: 58% of Armenians Feel the European Union is an Important Partner

YEREVAN — Most Armenians feel the European Union is an important partner for their country, and that relations between the two are good. This is one of the key findings of the recently released Spring 2014 EU Neighbourhood Barometer for Armenia, conducted in the framework of an EU-funded opinion polling project for the Neighbourhood, according to the website of the EU Neighbourhood Info Centre.

However, the survey, based on 1,003 interviews conducted in May-June 2014, finds a further decline in the number of those who see relations as good – 62% in Spring 2014, down four points compared to six months earlier, and 18 points since Spring 2013.

Fifty-eight per cent of Armenians feel the European Union is an important partner (compared to 67% in the ENPI East region), while 56% believe the EU and Armenia have sufficient common values to cooperate (higher than the regional average). However, only 48% (compared to 55% six months earlier) feel the EU brings peace and security in the region, and 44% that EU support contributes a lot to the development of their country (compared to a regional average of 58%).

A relative majority in Armenia has a positive image of the EU (40% against 25% of those who describe the EU image as negative), but with a decrease in the last six months. Less than half of those asked (45% – down from 54% six months earlier) said they trust the EU, less than the level of their trust in the UN (52%), but considerably more than that in NATO (36%).

Armenians questioned in the poll were generally happy about their lives, with 63% satisfied with the life they lead, and the degree of satisfaction rising the younger and more educated respondents were (87% in the 15-24 age group and among those still studying). In spite of this, 87% of respondents said the economic situation was bad, with 46% believing it would get worse in the next 12 months.

The overwhelming majority of those asked (71% against 62% in the EaP region) was not satisfied with the way democracy worked in Armenia.

Survey: 58% of Armenians Feel the European Union is an Important Partner

Pope Francis and President Sarkisian Discuss Middle East Conflict and Persecution of Christians Communities

VATICAN CITY — President Serzh Sarkisian on Friday met with Pope Francis I and invited him to visit Armenia next year during an official trip to the Vatican that highlighted increased links between the Roman Catholic and Armenian Apostolic Churches.

Sarkisian also held separate talks with the Vatican’s Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and other cardinals representing the Roman Curia, the Catholic Church’s administrative body.

“During the cordial discussions, satisfaction was expressed for the development and strengthening of bilateral relations, highlighting the special role of Christianity in the history and life of Armenian society,” the Holy See said in a communique issued after the meetings.

It said the talks also touched upon “the regional political situation,” an apparent reference to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and violence in the Middle East. “Special attention was paid to the situation faced by Christian communities and other religious minorities in the area, and to the humanitarian crisis regarding refugees from the affected zones,” read the statement.

A separate statement released by Sarkisian’s office said the two sides praised the “close cooperation” between the two churches. It said Sarkisian also invited Pope Francis to visit Armenia next year.

“The Holy Father was pleased to accept the invitation, assuring that travelling to Armenia is his heartfelt desire,” added the Armenian presidential press office.

The pontiff received a similar invitation from Catholicos Karekin II, the supreme head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, when the two men in the Vatican in May. Catholicos Karekin II specifically invited Pope Francis to attend the April 2015 commemorations in Yerevan of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey.

Pope Francis called on Turkey to recognize the genocide in 2006 when he was known as Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires. He similarly called the 1915 deaths of some 1.5 million Armenians “the first genocide of the 20th century” at a June 2013 meeting with Armenian Catholic Patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX.

Pope Francis and President Sarkisian Discuss Middle East Conflict and Persecution of Christians Communities