The tuxedo maker of Atatürk
Wednesday, October 29, 2009
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Levon Kordonciyan is the great-grandchild of Atatürk's tuxedo maker. The Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review found him on the 86th anniversary of the establishment of the Turkish Republic to share his family's tale
The ancestors of Levon Kordonciyan migrated to Istanbul from Rize at the beginning of the 1900s. The family settled in the neighborhood of Samatya, which was called “The Paris of Istanbul” in those years due to its modern look and lifestyle.
Kordonciyan was born in 1907, according to Ottoman records, and the Republic was founded in his early youth, turning a new page for Turkey and for Kordonciyan as well.
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey, prepared a special law to send talented youths to foreign countries for training and education in various subjects, benefitting hundreds of young people. Kordonciyan was among the first group that went abroad, traveling to Paris, the heart of fashion, to receive training to become a tailor.
Though the family profession was jewel crafting – their name derived from the golden cordons they had been making for generations – being a tailor was the young Kordonciyan’s dream and he managed to make it a reality. After studying in Paris for five years, he returned to Istanbul and opened a tailor shop in Sultanhamam, the city’s fashion center in those days. The day he nailed his signboard to the door, a very special customer with his own designs visited Kordonciyan. It was Atatürk.
Young Kordonciyan made history as the person to make Atatürk’s first tuxedo with tails. All of Atatürk’s tuxedos, especially those with tails, had the signature of Kordonciyan until the Turkish leader’s death in 1938. According to the tailor’s great-grandson, one of the Kordonciyan-brand tuxedos Atatürk wore is on display at the Atatürk Museum in Thessaloniki.
Giant scissors made of train tracks
The Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review found the grandson of Levon Kordonciyan, who shares his name, on the 86th anniversary of establishment of the Turkish Republic. The younger Kordonciyan, a tailor like his great-grandfather, shared the story of his family with Daily News readers.
Like his predecessor, Kordonciyan makes tuxedos with tails, still using the patterns, scissors and rulers he inherited. According to Kordonciyan, Atatürk’s bowties and shirts were made by Greek tailors, while his hats were made by their Jewish colleagues. One of those hats is still in his studio. During the interview, Kordonciyan pointed to a giant pair of one-meter long scissors and said: “My grandfather made these scissors out of train tracks. They were crafting their own equipment in those years.”
Historical drawings lost in fire
Atatürk’s drawings and his cloth patterns were burned to ashes along with many other historical objects and documents during the events of Sept. 6 to 7, 1955. “According to what I heard from my family, our house was set on fire during the actions by the demonstrators. The historical documents inside were burned to ashes at that time,” said Kordonciyan. “It is so sad that my grandfather’s gold-foiled diploma from Paris was burned in the fire too.”
The events of that Sept. 6 and 7, a black mark in the history of Turkey, were caused by the tension arising from the Cyprus issue between Turkey and Greece, developments that made the public very tense. When daily Istanbul Express published the news that the house where Atatürk was born in Thessaloniki had been bombed, violent mobs hit the streets. The Greek, Armenian and Jewish populations and their belongings became a target for the mob. Schools, churches, synagogues, hospitals, houses and stores were set on fire. It was later understood that the whole thing was a set up, but the damage was already done.
A gift to the White House
The Kordonciyan family was lucky; even though their house was burnt down, they survived. Moreover, some of the things inherited from the elder Kordonciyan remained intact after the attacks, which hit their studio too. “The reason I do my work in the best sense today is the patterns I inherited from my grandfather. I still work with his scissors and patterns,” said the younger Kordonciyan, adding that his grandfather died in 1953.
“I saw myself working together with my grandfather in my dreams; we create models together. You see, design is in my life 24 hours a day,” said Kordonciyan, who makes tuxedos with and without tails for high-level bureaucrats, just as his grandfather did. The tuxedos of Turgut Özal, the eighth president of Turkey, carried his signature.
Kordonciyan said he had prepared a special box and sent it to the White House for U.S. President Barack Obama’s inauguration. The box contained a tuxedo Kordonciyan made, cuff links, silk socks, a belt and a bow tie. Kordonciyan also made tuxedos for Hollywood actor Bruce Willis and the James Bond movie “Casino Royale.”
Tuxedo made in one day, without taking measurements
Kordonciyan said he does not need to take measurements to make a tuxedo for someone; a look is enough for him. “I need one day only to make a whole tuxedo flawlessly,” he said, noting that he is very precise, from the cloth of the tuxedo to the shirt to wear with it.
“The collars of a good tuxedo with tails should be satin,” he said. “The bowtie and belt should be of the same satin and the buttons of the shirt should never be visible. The socks have to be silk.”
29 Ekim 2009 Perşembe
27 Ekim 2009 Salı
Yerevan picks historians for commission
Yerevan picks historians for commission
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Yerevan has already picked the Armenian historians expected to participate in the controversial history commission, although the historic agreement aimed at normalizing relations between Turkey and Armenia has yet to be ratified by either parliament.
Also, an Armenian historian who was born in Istanbul has been unofficially put in charge of the committee by the Turkish government.
The history commission, which is expected to be part of an intergovernmental commission between the two countries, is one of the most delicate matters in the recently signed diplomatic protocols.
Although not mentioned in the protocols, Turkey has been naming a settlement on the long-standing territorial dispute of Nagorno-Karabakh and the history commission as preconditions for reconciliation with its ex-Soviet neighbor. Ankara says the joint history commission should study and discuss the 1915 deaths of Armenians during the last days of the Ottoman Empire.
Armenian President Serge Sarkisian and his government rejected Turkey’s offer of a history commission, labeling it as “politically motivated.” However, while saying Armenia would never step down from its stance on the 1915 killings, Yerevan has already chosen the historians for the commission.
The names for the commission were selected by the administration of Sarkisian, a senior Armenian government official told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. The official was speaking on the condition of anonymity due the sensitivity of the issue. Another diplomatic source from the Turkish side also verified the appointments, further saying that the commission would begin working immediately if the diplomatic protocols are ratified by both the Turkish and Armenian parliaments.
Meanwhile, an Armenian historian who was born in Istanbul is unofficially holding meetings for Turkey about the establishment of the commission. The Armenian historian, who went to Yerevan last year to conduct research using the archives of the Genocide Museum, is also the first historian of Armenian origin who was granted special permission by former President Fahri Korutürk to conduct research using the Ottoman archives in 1974.
The Armenian side would offer only Armenian historians to the commission, he said, adding that historians from the diaspora, who have been carrying out research in the archives of many countries, would not be included.
Ara Sarafian, a leading diaspora historian and the director of London-based Gomidas Institute, said the commission matter is political and he does not want to comment on the issue. In a previous interview with the Daily News, Sarafian said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s call for a history commission was a positive move, but added that Armenia is not the right address for the issue. “The archived documents in Armenia are insufficient. The freedom of historians is limited. So, a delicate matter such as genocide will be pulled into the political arena,” he said.
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Yerevan has already picked the Armenian historians expected to participate in the controversial history commission, although the historic agreement aimed at normalizing relations between Turkey and Armenia has yet to be ratified by either parliament.
Also, an Armenian historian who was born in Istanbul has been unofficially put in charge of the committee by the Turkish government.
The history commission, which is expected to be part of an intergovernmental commission between the two countries, is one of the most delicate matters in the recently signed diplomatic protocols.
Although not mentioned in the protocols, Turkey has been naming a settlement on the long-standing territorial dispute of Nagorno-Karabakh and the history commission as preconditions for reconciliation with its ex-Soviet neighbor. Ankara says the joint history commission should study and discuss the 1915 deaths of Armenians during the last days of the Ottoman Empire.
Armenian President Serge Sarkisian and his government rejected Turkey’s offer of a history commission, labeling it as “politically motivated.” However, while saying Armenia would never step down from its stance on the 1915 killings, Yerevan has already chosen the historians for the commission.
The names for the commission were selected by the administration of Sarkisian, a senior Armenian government official told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. The official was speaking on the condition of anonymity due the sensitivity of the issue. Another diplomatic source from the Turkish side also verified the appointments, further saying that the commission would begin working immediately if the diplomatic protocols are ratified by both the Turkish and Armenian parliaments.
Meanwhile, an Armenian historian who was born in Istanbul is unofficially holding meetings for Turkey about the establishment of the commission. The Armenian historian, who went to Yerevan last year to conduct research using the archives of the Genocide Museum, is also the first historian of Armenian origin who was granted special permission by former President Fahri Korutürk to conduct research using the Ottoman archives in 1974.
The Armenian side would offer only Armenian historians to the commission, he said, adding that historians from the diaspora, who have been carrying out research in the archives of many countries, would not be included.
Ara Sarafian, a leading diaspora historian and the director of London-based Gomidas Institute, said the commission matter is political and he does not want to comment on the issue. In a previous interview with the Daily News, Sarafian said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s call for a history commission was a positive move, but added that Armenia is not the right address for the issue. “The archived documents in Armenia are insufficient. The freedom of historians is limited. So, a delicate matter such as genocide will be pulled into the political arena,” he said.
14 Ekim 2009 Çarşamba
Ottoman Armenians in one of the most important provinces of the empire: Bursa
Ottoman Armenians in one of the most important provinces of the empire: Bursa
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Bursa, also once called Hüdavendigar, was one of the most important provinces of the Ottoman Empire and was where the Patriarch of the Armenians resided. The city continues to be a center for commerce and tourism, especially well known for its hot springs
The national football match between Turkey and Armenia will be played in Bursa, a city with one of the highest populations of Armenians in the Marmara region during the Ottoman Empire.
Bursa is also known in history as one of the most important places for Armenians in terms of religion because the Patriarch resided there. There were many Armenian schools and monasteries in the province. Sultan Mehmet II, also known as “Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror,” focused on the Armenians of Bursa after he conquered Istanbul and brought Hovagim Golod, the Armenian Patriarch, to Istanbul. Mehmet II also brought Armenian artists and craftsmen to the new capital.
Bursa the capital
Last year, “Armenians in Turkey 100 years ago,” a detailed book featuring photographs and historical documents from the Carlo Calumeno, was released by Osman Köker through Birzamanlar Publishing. The book includes information on the history of Bursa. Köker spoke to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review about his research and said Bursa was among the Ottoman’s biggest provinces and its borders extended from the Aegean Sea to the Black Sea. “We see that 82,000 Armenians lived in Bursa before 1912, according to data by former Patriarch Mağakya Ormanyan,” said Köker. “There was an Armenian population of 10,000 in the capital city of Bursa and most of them lived in the districts known as Setbaşı, Kurtoğlu and Emirsultan. The Patriarchate was at Setbaşı anyway.”
A town of tourism and commerce
Bursa is an important city in history in an economic and social sense as well. The city attracted many tourists for its thermal springs in the past and continues to today. Zakarya Mildanoğlu, who researched Bursa’s economy, said: “Bursa is not a port city like İzmir but it is as important as that in commercial means. Nearly all the Anatolian caravan trails pass through Bursa.” Mildanoğlu said the city is also important for silkworm breeding, jewel crafting and the carpet trade. “Bursa is well known for its thermal springs alongside commerce. There are many hotels run by Armenians in Çekirge. Since Armenians were the most active group in business life, Hüdavendigar, the only official gazette of the province, was published in the Armenian alphabet,” he said.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Bursa, also once called Hüdavendigar, was one of the most important provinces of the Ottoman Empire and was where the Patriarch of the Armenians resided. The city continues to be a center for commerce and tourism, especially well known for its hot springs
The national football match between Turkey and Armenia will be played in Bursa, a city with one of the highest populations of Armenians in the Marmara region during the Ottoman Empire.
Bursa is also known in history as one of the most important places for Armenians in terms of religion because the Patriarch resided there. There were many Armenian schools and monasteries in the province. Sultan Mehmet II, also known as “Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror,” focused on the Armenians of Bursa after he conquered Istanbul and brought Hovagim Golod, the Armenian Patriarch, to Istanbul. Mehmet II also brought Armenian artists and craftsmen to the new capital.
Bursa the capital
Last year, “Armenians in Turkey 100 years ago,” a detailed book featuring photographs and historical documents from the Carlo Calumeno, was released by Osman Köker through Birzamanlar Publishing. The book includes information on the history of Bursa. Köker spoke to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review about his research and said Bursa was among the Ottoman’s biggest provinces and its borders extended from the Aegean Sea to the Black Sea. “We see that 82,000 Armenians lived in Bursa before 1912, according to data by former Patriarch Mağakya Ormanyan,” said Köker. “There was an Armenian population of 10,000 in the capital city of Bursa and most of them lived in the districts known as Setbaşı, Kurtoğlu and Emirsultan. The Patriarchate was at Setbaşı anyway.”
A town of tourism and commerce
Bursa is an important city in history in an economic and social sense as well. The city attracted many tourists for its thermal springs in the past and continues to today. Zakarya Mildanoğlu, who researched Bursa’s economy, said: “Bursa is not a port city like İzmir but it is as important as that in commercial means. Nearly all the Anatolian caravan trails pass through Bursa.” Mildanoğlu said the city is also important for silkworm breeding, jewel crafting and the carpet trade. “Bursa is well known for its thermal springs alongside commerce. There are many hotels run by Armenians in Çekirge. Since Armenians were the most active group in business life, Hüdavendigar, the only official gazette of the province, was published in the Armenian alphabet,” he said.
11 Ekim 2009 Pazar
The Inga and Anush sisters: Armenian Angels in Blue Kaftans
Friday, October 9, 2009
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
YEREVAN - Hürriyet Daily News
The Inga and Anuş sisters, who represented Armenia at the Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow last May with the song 'Jan Jan,' say they have not been invited to Turkey for Wednesday's World Cup qualifying match, denying Turkish and Armenian reports suggesting they were planning to come.
Inga and Anuş’s traditional costumes and dances caused a heated debate both in Armenia and among members of the diaspora after the Eurovision contest.
Rumors are flying that the sisters who represented Armenia with the song “Jan Jan” at the Eurovision contest in Moscow in May will perform at the return World Cup qualifying match between Turkey and Armenia in Bursa on Wednesday.
The Inga and Anuş sisters broke their silence on the matter in an interview with the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review: “We have not received an invitation from Turkey. We don’t understand the speculation surrounding us. They are attempting to drag us into politics but our business is music, not politics.”
When asked about their attitude toward any prospective invitation to Bursa as well as their thoughts on Hadise and Aysel Teymurzade & Arash, the respective Turkish and Azerbaijani representatives at the Eurovision contest, Inga became tense: “This interview has started to get political. I do not want to comment on our Turkish and Azerbaijani neighbors at all; that does not serve any purpose except to raise polemics. If an invitation comes from Turkey, we will think about it then…”
Anuş praise for Hadise
Anuş said although they did not receive an invitation to football match scheduled for Wednesday, they have been invited to Turkey in previous years to play shows. “We could not come because of tours but we would be happy to meet audiences that enjoy us anywhere in the world. Besides, there is an Armenian community living in Istanbul. A show in Turkey would be a very different experience for us in that sense.”
Unlike her sister Inga, Anuş did not refuse to comment on Hadise and Aysel Teymurzade & Arash: “Hadise has a very friendly personality; her show was pretty successful. Turkey sends successful names to Eurovision every year.”
Anuş said they did not know the Azerbaijani finalists as well as they knew Hadise, but suggested that, as far
as they could tell, the duo also seemed friendly and personable.
‘The people of Armenia cannot be described through genocide only’
Inga and Anuş’s origins date back to Anatolia. Their mother is from Van and their father is from Muş. “We grew up hearing the tunes of Van and Muş from our grandfather and grandmother,” said Inga. When reminded that much anonymous music from both Turkey and Armenia share the same melodies, she said, “We are the people from the same region, so that is very natural.”
Anna Avenesyan, the duo’s manager, said Inga and Anuş have received offers from all over the world since the Eurovision contest and that their biggest dream was to become world class artists.
Anuş said: “The world thinks only of the Gyumri Earthquake in 1989 and the genocide when Armenia is mentioned. Yes, a disaster was experienced in the past but the people of Armenia cannot be described through genocide only; that would be unfair to our thousands of years of culture. Our mission is to introduce our culture to the world.”
The costumes carry the signature of an Azeri
Inga and Anuş’s traditional costumes and dances caused a heated debate both in Armenia and among members of the diaspora after the Eurovision contest. The general opinion was that a more Western style would have been better. “It is true that we received criticism for our costumes,” said Anuş. “We brought our culture onto the stage with those costumes. We emphasized the West with our song and the East with our costumes.”
The attire in question was prepared by Fresh Art Design in Moscow. Three of the company’s partners are Armenian and the fourth is from Azerbaijan, Aslan Memedov. Anuş met Memedov while the costumes were being prepared and said he had a very warm and friendly personality.
Turkey closed its border with Armenia because of the war in Nagorno-Karabakh between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 1993. The two countries are involved in ongoing negotiations to open border and restart diplomatic relations. When asked their opinion on the possible opening of the border, Anuş said, “There are no borders for music. My field is music, let the politicians handle the politics.”
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
YEREVAN - Hürriyet Daily News
The Inga and Anuş sisters, who represented Armenia at the Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow last May with the song 'Jan Jan,' say they have not been invited to Turkey for Wednesday's World Cup qualifying match, denying Turkish and Armenian reports suggesting they were planning to come.
Inga and Anuş’s traditional costumes and dances caused a heated debate both in Armenia and among members of the diaspora after the Eurovision contest.
Rumors are flying that the sisters who represented Armenia with the song “Jan Jan” at the Eurovision contest in Moscow in May will perform at the return World Cup qualifying match between Turkey and Armenia in Bursa on Wednesday.
The Inga and Anuş sisters broke their silence on the matter in an interview with the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review: “We have not received an invitation from Turkey. We don’t understand the speculation surrounding us. They are attempting to drag us into politics but our business is music, not politics.”
When asked about their attitude toward any prospective invitation to Bursa as well as their thoughts on Hadise and Aysel Teymurzade & Arash, the respective Turkish and Azerbaijani representatives at the Eurovision contest, Inga became tense: “This interview has started to get political. I do not want to comment on our Turkish and Azerbaijani neighbors at all; that does not serve any purpose except to raise polemics. If an invitation comes from Turkey, we will think about it then…”
Anuş praise for Hadise
Anuş said although they did not receive an invitation to football match scheduled for Wednesday, they have been invited to Turkey in previous years to play shows. “We could not come because of tours but we would be happy to meet audiences that enjoy us anywhere in the world. Besides, there is an Armenian community living in Istanbul. A show in Turkey would be a very different experience for us in that sense.”
Unlike her sister Inga, Anuş did not refuse to comment on Hadise and Aysel Teymurzade & Arash: “Hadise has a very friendly personality; her show was pretty successful. Turkey sends successful names to Eurovision every year.”
Anuş said they did not know the Azerbaijani finalists as well as they knew Hadise, but suggested that, as far
as they could tell, the duo also seemed friendly and personable.
‘The people of Armenia cannot be described through genocide only’
Inga and Anuş’s origins date back to Anatolia. Their mother is from Van and their father is from Muş. “We grew up hearing the tunes of Van and Muş from our grandfather and grandmother,” said Inga. When reminded that much anonymous music from both Turkey and Armenia share the same melodies, she said, “We are the people from the same region, so that is very natural.”
Anna Avenesyan, the duo’s manager, said Inga and Anuş have received offers from all over the world since the Eurovision contest and that their biggest dream was to become world class artists.
Anuş said: “The world thinks only of the Gyumri Earthquake in 1989 and the genocide when Armenia is mentioned. Yes, a disaster was experienced in the past but the people of Armenia cannot be described through genocide only; that would be unfair to our thousands of years of culture. Our mission is to introduce our culture to the world.”
The costumes carry the signature of an Azeri
Inga and Anuş’s traditional costumes and dances caused a heated debate both in Armenia and among members of the diaspora after the Eurovision contest. The general opinion was that a more Western style would have been better. “It is true that we received criticism for our costumes,” said Anuş. “We brought our culture onto the stage with those costumes. We emphasized the West with our song and the East with our costumes.”
The attire in question was prepared by Fresh Art Design in Moscow. Three of the company’s partners are Armenian and the fourth is from Azerbaijan, Aslan Memedov. Anuş met Memedov while the costumes were being prepared and said he had a very warm and friendly personality.
Turkey closed its border with Armenia because of the war in Nagorno-Karabakh between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 1993. The two countries are involved in ongoing negotiations to open border and restart diplomatic relations. When asked their opinion on the possible opening of the border, Anuş said, “There are no borders for music. My field is music, let the politicians handle the politics.”
8 Ekim 2009 Perşembe
Closed border hampers geologists'
Closed border hampers geologists'
Thursday, October 8, 2009
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
YEREVAN - Hürriyet Daily News
A team of geologists conducting research on volcanic formations and fault lines near the Turkish-Armenian border cannot continue their work on the Turkish side due to the closed border.
“There are no boundaries for science, but we are helpless at the border,” said a leading geologist within the team. “We cannot cover an area only a few meters away at walking distance because of the border problem at the most critical stage of our research,” said professor Chuck Connor, chairman of the University of South Florida and a scholar in the geology department.
The geological analysis, the most extensive ever made in Armenia, started right after the deadly earthquake of Gyumri in 1988, which claimed thousands of lives. Along with international experts, the staff of the Armenian Academy of Scientists has focused on geological inspections in the country.
The geology team does not only inspect volcanic formations, but earthquakes as well. Connor said the fault lines in Armenia extend to Turkey, adding: “Detailed research on the fault lines would clearly reveal the earthquake risks for both countries. But our research is still unfinished.”
Dr. Ivan P. Savov from the University of Leeds School of Earth and Environment agreed with Connor. “In order to have clearer data from the research that we conducted in Armenia, we need to compare results with the ones that we must do in Turkey,” he said.
When asked why they do not carry on their research in Turkey, Savov said: “We have managed to receive funding for the Armenia leg of our research only. This research requires huge funding and we need to employ our time most wisely.”
Julia Crummy, a PhD student from the University of Leeds, said she was unaware of the closed border until she arrived in Armenia. “It is not possible to comprehend or understand closed borders in this age. Problems can only be overcome through dialogue,” Crummy said.
Crummy said that the obstacles in the path of the science team should be removed, adding: “The research projects to be carried out in the two countries would complete each other. This research carries great importance for the future of mankind; therefore it is more important than the border problem.”
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In our sixth ‘Postcards from Armenia,’ the Football Federation in Armenia will be explaining their objections to the so-called “football diplomacy.”
Thursday, October 8, 2009
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
YEREVAN - Hürriyet Daily News
A team of geologists conducting research on volcanic formations and fault lines near the Turkish-Armenian border cannot continue their work on the Turkish side due to the closed border.
“There are no boundaries for science, but we are helpless at the border,” said a leading geologist within the team. “We cannot cover an area only a few meters away at walking distance because of the border problem at the most critical stage of our research,” said professor Chuck Connor, chairman of the University of South Florida and a scholar in the geology department.
The geological analysis, the most extensive ever made in Armenia, started right after the deadly earthquake of Gyumri in 1988, which claimed thousands of lives. Along with international experts, the staff of the Armenian Academy of Scientists has focused on geological inspections in the country.
The geology team does not only inspect volcanic formations, but earthquakes as well. Connor said the fault lines in Armenia extend to Turkey, adding: “Detailed research on the fault lines would clearly reveal the earthquake risks for both countries. But our research is still unfinished.”
Dr. Ivan P. Savov from the University of Leeds School of Earth and Environment agreed with Connor. “In order to have clearer data from the research that we conducted in Armenia, we need to compare results with the ones that we must do in Turkey,” he said.
When asked why they do not carry on their research in Turkey, Savov said: “We have managed to receive funding for the Armenia leg of our research only. This research requires huge funding and we need to employ our time most wisely.”
Julia Crummy, a PhD student from the University of Leeds, said she was unaware of the closed border until she arrived in Armenia. “It is not possible to comprehend or understand closed borders in this age. Problems can only be overcome through dialogue,” Crummy said.
Crummy said that the obstacles in the path of the science team should be removed, adding: “The research projects to be carried out in the two countries would complete each other. This research carries great importance for the future of mankind; therefore it is more important than the border problem.”
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In our sixth ‘Postcards from Armenia,’ the Football Federation in Armenia will be explaining their objections to the so-called “football diplomacy.”
7 Ekim 2009 Çarşamba
Armenian peace activist to cross Turkey with 44
"POSTCARDS FROM ARMENİA - www.hurriyetdailynews.com"
Armenian peace activist to cross Turkey with 44
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
YEREVAN - Hürriyet Daily News
As the debate over the closed border between Turkey and Armenia intensifies with the recent talk of normalizing relations, an Italian-Armenian also waits for a green light from the Turkish authorities to enter Turkey.
Ararad Khatchikan is not interested in visiting his distant kinsmen in any Turkish village, nor in making small-scale trade agreements with Turkish vendors. Instead, his sole aim is to carry a peace message to the peoples on both sides of the Turkish-Armenian border with 44 Siberian wolves that he has trained for sleigh races.
Each wolf will carry a white flag as a symbol of peace, the Armenian peace activist told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review for the third Postcard from Armenia. “My family has endured great suffering but nobody would benefit by [being] trapped by the past. The fighting must end. Let me pass from the border in the name of friendship and peace,” he pleaded.
Khatchikan said his biggest dream is to reach the outskirts of Mt. Ağrı, or Ararad in Armenian, after getting a visa from Turkey. “Ağrı or Ararad, it does not matter at all,” he said, adding: “I will be proud of carrying the name of that holy mountain for all my life. None of us get to choose their identities and relations. We are all one and equal. We are all brothers.”
Khatchikan said that although he is a member of the Armenian diaspora, he can assess the recent developments between Turkey and Armenia more moderately. “It will be a mistake, if we [associate] the Armenian diaspora with just its radical wing. There are people who see matters with a more moderate outlook. We can [help] our societies engage in dialogue through those people,” he said.
Khatchikan said he had made the first official application for his peace project through the Turkish Embassy in Rome in 2007, but then decided to delay it. “[Armenian daily] Agos Editor-in-Chief Hrant Dink fell victim to an assassination in Istanbul while my negations were ongoing with the Turkish authorities. I got confused, so I shelved it.”
Khatchikan was born in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan to an Armenian father and Italian mother. His family fled Turkey during the 1915 killings of Armenians and sheltered in Khartoum before resettling in Italy. For years, Khatchikan attended various peace activities in several countries alongside his Turkish friends, but he never visited Turkey. His recent visit to Armenia was also his first trip to the tiny country. While visiting Khor Virap Monastery, which is only few meters away from the Turkish border and has the best view of Mt. Ağrı, Khatchikan said: “This is a magical view. Turkey is just a few kilometers away and that is unbelievable.”
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In our fourth Postcard from Armenia, two senior Armenian editors will share their thoughts on the recent thaw between Turkey and Armenia and its potential implications.
Armenian peace activist to cross Turkey with 44
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
YEREVAN - Hürriyet Daily News
As the debate over the closed border between Turkey and Armenia intensifies with the recent talk of normalizing relations, an Italian-Armenian also waits for a green light from the Turkish authorities to enter Turkey.
Ararad Khatchikan is not interested in visiting his distant kinsmen in any Turkish village, nor in making small-scale trade agreements with Turkish vendors. Instead, his sole aim is to carry a peace message to the peoples on both sides of the Turkish-Armenian border with 44 Siberian wolves that he has trained for sleigh races.
Each wolf will carry a white flag as a symbol of peace, the Armenian peace activist told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review for the third Postcard from Armenia. “My family has endured great suffering but nobody would benefit by [being] trapped by the past. The fighting must end. Let me pass from the border in the name of friendship and peace,” he pleaded.
Khatchikan said his biggest dream is to reach the outskirts of Mt. Ağrı, or Ararad in Armenian, after getting a visa from Turkey. “Ağrı or Ararad, it does not matter at all,” he said, adding: “I will be proud of carrying the name of that holy mountain for all my life. None of us get to choose their identities and relations. We are all one and equal. We are all brothers.”
Khatchikan said that although he is a member of the Armenian diaspora, he can assess the recent developments between Turkey and Armenia more moderately. “It will be a mistake, if we [associate] the Armenian diaspora with just its radical wing. There are people who see matters with a more moderate outlook. We can [help] our societies engage in dialogue through those people,” he said.
Khatchikan said he had made the first official application for his peace project through the Turkish Embassy in Rome in 2007, but then decided to delay it. “[Armenian daily] Agos Editor-in-Chief Hrant Dink fell victim to an assassination in Istanbul while my negations were ongoing with the Turkish authorities. I got confused, so I shelved it.”
Khatchikan was born in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan to an Armenian father and Italian mother. His family fled Turkey during the 1915 killings of Armenians and sheltered in Khartoum before resettling in Italy. For years, Khatchikan attended various peace activities in several countries alongside his Turkish friends, but he never visited Turkey. His recent visit to Armenia was also his first trip to the tiny country. While visiting Khor Virap Monastery, which is only few meters away from the Turkish border and has the best view of Mt. Ağrı, Khatchikan said: “This is a magical view. Turkey is just a few kilometers away and that is unbelievable.”
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In our fourth Postcard from Armenia, two senior Armenian editors will share their thoughts on the recent thaw between Turkey and Armenia and its potential implications.
6 Ekim 2009 Salı
Landmines still a deadly threat in Armenia
Landmines still a deadly threat in
Monday, October 5, 2009
Vercihan ZİFLİOĞLU
YEREVAN - Hürriyet Daily News
The landmines placed near border villages during the Nagorno-Karabakh war between Azerbaijan and Armenia still pose a grave threat to residents’ daily lives. Hundreds of people have been killed or wounded by mines on both sides of border and the lives of children are most at risk, according to a leading peace activist in the region
Rather than seek sanctuary from the deadly clashes around her, Ruzanna Hovannesian insisted on waiting in the bread line a few hundred meters away from home, ration card in hand. As usual, dozens of people waited in a lengthy queue for a single loaf.
“We heard a deafening blast and time came to a standstill,” Hovannesian said. When she managed to stand up amid the wreckage and dust clouds, the sight she saw was horrifying: death was everywhere. Most people in the queue were now lying lifeless. “I was terrified when I thought of my home, my family,” Hovannesian said. It was too late: the target of the blast was her own house.
Hovannesian is still living in Syunik – a region of Armenia bordering Azerbaijan – and is not interested in leaving her village despite the tragedy she experienced. “Peace shall come to this region through the leadership of women,” said Hovannesian, who is now actively working for the Peace Center – an institution that struggles to clear the mines along the Azerbaijani-Armenian border. These mines were laid during the Nagorno-Karabakh war, fought between Azerbaijan and the region’s ethnic Armenian population. Hovannesian is also the founder of the University Graduate Women’s Organization, which is the sole non-governmental organization in Syunik.
Tough conditions
Neither Armenia nor Azerbaijan has cleared the mines even though it has been 16 years since the war ended, Hovannesian told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review for the second Postcard from Armenia. “Many children and adults have lost their lives on both sides of the border because of those mines and there are hundreds who have stepped on a mine and survived,” she said. According to Hovannesian’s recent research on mine casualties, the survivors struggle to live under the extremely hard conditions in Armenia. “The people I have interviewed are not aware of their legal rights. The government is required to give prosthetics to them. We inform them of these rights,” she said.
The mines continue to pose a grave threat, especially to the children, Hovannesian said. “Mines are too close to the villages of Yegvart, Akarak and Hang. The adults are largely aware of the risk but the children are not.”
Many villagers earn their living herding cattle and their worst nightmare is that a whole herd could be slaughtered by a single minefield, Hovannesian said. She called on both Azerbaijan and Armenia to clear the mines as soon as possible. “I hope these lands may never experience war again. That’s my biggest dream. After clearing the hills of mines, this land may become a delta of peace.”
Hovannesian also spoke of her life before the war, suggesting the region’s desire to revive enduring inter-communal relations. “Our villages were close to each other, and these differences did not have meaning before the war,” Hovannesian said. She said hostility and fighting between the two nations do not benefit anyone and voiced a call for the long-awaited peace. “I want to have dialog and friendship between the two nations,” she said. “Just as it was before the war.”
Hovannesian mood darkens whenever she hears about war. “Each time, it takes me back to the exact day when that bomb destroyed my home. This word makes me experience that unbearable pain once more.”
In our third Postcard from Armenia, another peace activist steps forward, this time with 40 wolves in tow, and a debate over a disputed song contest grabs attention across the country.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Vercihan ZİFLİOĞLU
YEREVAN - Hürriyet Daily News
The landmines placed near border villages during the Nagorno-Karabakh war between Azerbaijan and Armenia still pose a grave threat to residents’ daily lives. Hundreds of people have been killed or wounded by mines on both sides of border and the lives of children are most at risk, according to a leading peace activist in the region
Rather than seek sanctuary from the deadly clashes around her, Ruzanna Hovannesian insisted on waiting in the bread line a few hundred meters away from home, ration card in hand. As usual, dozens of people waited in a lengthy queue for a single loaf.
“We heard a deafening blast and time came to a standstill,” Hovannesian said. When she managed to stand up amid the wreckage and dust clouds, the sight she saw was horrifying: death was everywhere. Most people in the queue were now lying lifeless. “I was terrified when I thought of my home, my family,” Hovannesian said. It was too late: the target of the blast was her own house.
Hovannesian is still living in Syunik – a region of Armenia bordering Azerbaijan – and is not interested in leaving her village despite the tragedy she experienced. “Peace shall come to this region through the leadership of women,” said Hovannesian, who is now actively working for the Peace Center – an institution that struggles to clear the mines along the Azerbaijani-Armenian border. These mines were laid during the Nagorno-Karabakh war, fought between Azerbaijan and the region’s ethnic Armenian population. Hovannesian is also the founder of the University Graduate Women’s Organization, which is the sole non-governmental organization in Syunik.
Tough conditions
Neither Armenia nor Azerbaijan has cleared the mines even though it has been 16 years since the war ended, Hovannesian told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review for the second Postcard from Armenia. “Many children and adults have lost their lives on both sides of the border because of those mines and there are hundreds who have stepped on a mine and survived,” she said. According to Hovannesian’s recent research on mine casualties, the survivors struggle to live under the extremely hard conditions in Armenia. “The people I have interviewed are not aware of their legal rights. The government is required to give prosthetics to them. We inform them of these rights,” she said.
The mines continue to pose a grave threat, especially to the children, Hovannesian said. “Mines are too close to the villages of Yegvart, Akarak and Hang. The adults are largely aware of the risk but the children are not.”
Many villagers earn their living herding cattle and their worst nightmare is that a whole herd could be slaughtered by a single minefield, Hovannesian said. She called on both Azerbaijan and Armenia to clear the mines as soon as possible. “I hope these lands may never experience war again. That’s my biggest dream. After clearing the hills of mines, this land may become a delta of peace.”
Hovannesian also spoke of her life before the war, suggesting the region’s desire to revive enduring inter-communal relations. “Our villages were close to each other, and these differences did not have meaning before the war,” Hovannesian said. She said hostility and fighting between the two nations do not benefit anyone and voiced a call for the long-awaited peace. “I want to have dialog and friendship between the two nations,” she said. “Just as it was before the war.”
Hovannesian mood darkens whenever she hears about war. “Each time, it takes me back to the exact day when that bomb destroyed my home. This word makes me experience that unbearable pain once more.”
In our third Postcard from Armenia, another peace activist steps forward, this time with 40 wolves in tow, and a debate over a disputed song contest grabs attention across the country.
5 Ekim 2009 Pazartesi
Tiny ethnic minority disputes ‘common’
Tiny ethnic minority disputes ‘common’
Sunday, October 4, 2009
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
YEREVAN - Hürriyet Daily News
Due to their village lives, the Ezidis experience chronic water and gas shortages. Daily News photo
The world knows them as the “Yazidis,” but this tiny ethnic minority disputes the common misconception and calls themselves the “Ezidis.”
“The whole of the Muslim world, Turks foremost, call us the ‘Yazidis,’ which means devil worshipper. But we, the Ezidis, worship the sun,” said Pir Razmi Siyabend Rashoyan, the religious leader of the three Ezidi villages in Armenia.
According to Rashoyan, the Muslim world is prejudiced against the Ezidis because of their line of descent. “They call us the Yazidis because we came from the bloodline of the Umayyad Caliph Yazid bin Muawiyah, who killed Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed in Kerbala,” he said.
Ezidis make up an important Iraqi minority community. Estimates of the size of the Iraqi communities vary significantly, between 70,000 and 500,000. They are primarily Kurdish speaking, and most live in the Mosul region of northern Iraq. There are traditional communities in Georgia, Turkey and Syria, but these have declined since the 1990s with some of their members migrating to Europe, especially to Germany.
Some scholars have derived the name Yazidi from the Old Iranic “yazata,” or divine being, while others say it is a derivation from Umayyad Caliph Yazid, revered by the Ezidis as an incarnation of the divine figure Sultan Ezi.
Despite the migration trend in other countries, Armenia has a more stable Ezidi community, accounting for about 40,000 people, and they do not see themselves as a minority in Armenia. The Ezidis in Armenia mostly live in the villages of Talin, Barozh and Hogdemperyan, which are 300 kilometers away from the capital, Yerevan.
Due to their village lives, the Ezidis experience chronic water and gas problems. Aziz Tamoyan, the leader of the Ezidi people in Armenia, said the lack of water was felt most during the winter. “Taking a bath is a luxury for the villagers,” Tamoyan said. “They try to survive in the wintertime by melting ice to get fresh water.”
Anna Mistoyan, a resident of Talin, which is few meters away from the Turkish border, said: “There is neither water nor gas. It is torture to live here. During the winter, we cannot even get the amount of water that we get in summer. There is no gas, so we cannot get warm.”
The village’s primary school is poorly cared for and dilapidated. Kinarik Sivazian, one of the longest tenured teachers in the school, said the building desperately needed reconstruction.
“It is almost impossible to study in here during the winter,” Sivazian said. But Garush Hiroshoyan seemed more optimistic about the situation in the village. “I am 90 years old. My father and mother came here after fleeing from Turkey,” Hiroshoyan said. “Yes, we do not have water and gas, but we have peace in this country.”
Tamoyan said the Ezidis in Armenia fled Anatolia during the late days of the Ottoman Empire and suggested that they had also suffered during the 1915 killings of Armenians. “My people got their share from the Armenian genocide in 1915,” Tamoyan said. “After those days, some Ezidis came to Armenia, and some of them migrated to various countries across the world. Although our roots were in Anatolia, the Ezidi population there is almost none at the moment.”
Recent normalization talks between Yerevan and Ankara have been facing various woes and opposition from many sides, but the Ezidis have their own reasons. They do not hesitate to voice their opposition against the negotiations and openly confessed that they still have some bias against not only Turks but also the Kurdish population in southeastern Turkey. The Ezidis said they were fearful that they would encounter problems if the border between Armenia and Turkey were opened.
Tamoyan said they were happy to live in Armenia: “We see ourselves as a part of the Armenian society and totally do not feel like a minority. We can get education in our mother tongue, so we do not have any difficulties at all.”
Sunday, October 4, 2009
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
YEREVAN - Hürriyet Daily News
Due to their village lives, the Ezidis experience chronic water and gas shortages. Daily News photo
The world knows them as the “Yazidis,” but this tiny ethnic minority disputes the common misconception and calls themselves the “Ezidis.”
“The whole of the Muslim world, Turks foremost, call us the ‘Yazidis,’ which means devil worshipper. But we, the Ezidis, worship the sun,” said Pir Razmi Siyabend Rashoyan, the religious leader of the three Ezidi villages in Armenia.
According to Rashoyan, the Muslim world is prejudiced against the Ezidis because of their line of descent. “They call us the Yazidis because we came from the bloodline of the Umayyad Caliph Yazid bin Muawiyah, who killed Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed in Kerbala,” he said.
Ezidis make up an important Iraqi minority community. Estimates of the size of the Iraqi communities vary significantly, between 70,000 and 500,000. They are primarily Kurdish speaking, and most live in the Mosul region of northern Iraq. There are traditional communities in Georgia, Turkey and Syria, but these have declined since the 1990s with some of their members migrating to Europe, especially to Germany.
Some scholars have derived the name Yazidi from the Old Iranic “yazata,” or divine being, while others say it is a derivation from Umayyad Caliph Yazid, revered by the Ezidis as an incarnation of the divine figure Sultan Ezi.
Despite the migration trend in other countries, Armenia has a more stable Ezidi community, accounting for about 40,000 people, and they do not see themselves as a minority in Armenia. The Ezidis in Armenia mostly live in the villages of Talin, Barozh and Hogdemperyan, which are 300 kilometers away from the capital, Yerevan.
Due to their village lives, the Ezidis experience chronic water and gas problems. Aziz Tamoyan, the leader of the Ezidi people in Armenia, said the lack of water was felt most during the winter. “Taking a bath is a luxury for the villagers,” Tamoyan said. “They try to survive in the wintertime by melting ice to get fresh water.”
Anna Mistoyan, a resident of Talin, which is few meters away from the Turkish border, said: “There is neither water nor gas. It is torture to live here. During the winter, we cannot even get the amount of water that we get in summer. There is no gas, so we cannot get warm.”
The village’s primary school is poorly cared for and dilapidated. Kinarik Sivazian, one of the longest tenured teachers in the school, said the building desperately needed reconstruction.
“It is almost impossible to study in here during the winter,” Sivazian said. But Garush Hiroshoyan seemed more optimistic about the situation in the village. “I am 90 years old. My father and mother came here after fleeing from Turkey,” Hiroshoyan said. “Yes, we do not have water and gas, but we have peace in this country.”
Tamoyan said the Ezidis in Armenia fled Anatolia during the late days of the Ottoman Empire and suggested that they had also suffered during the 1915 killings of Armenians. “My people got their share from the Armenian genocide in 1915,” Tamoyan said. “After those days, some Ezidis came to Armenia, and some of them migrated to various countries across the world. Although our roots were in Anatolia, the Ezidi population there is almost none at the moment.”
Recent normalization talks between Yerevan and Ankara have been facing various woes and opposition from many sides, but the Ezidis have their own reasons. They do not hesitate to voice their opposition against the negotiations and openly confessed that they still have some bias against not only Turks but also the Kurdish population in southeastern Turkey. The Ezidis said they were fearful that they would encounter problems if the border between Armenia and Turkey were opened.
Tamoyan said they were happy to live in Armenia: “We see ourselves as a part of the Armenian society and totally do not feel like a minority. We can get education in our mother tongue, so we do not have any difficulties at all.”
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