Turkish Red Crescent provides aid for Armenian poor
Thursday, December 30, 2010
VERCIHAN ZIFLIOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Needy people in the Kumkapı area of Istanbul, including poor unregistered Armenian immigrants, will receive donations of food and shoes to start the new year thanks to Türk Kızılay (Turkish Red Crescent).
The organization signed an agreement Wednesday with the Armenian patriarchate, which has been delivering aid to people in need for a decade, about making the deliveries.
“Some 1,000 food packages and 300 pairs of shoes, given to the patriarchate, have started to be distributed to the people in need,” Avedis Hilkat, a member of the Turkish Red Crescent’s board of directors for its Princes’ Islands branch, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review on Thursday. Hilkat is also deputy head of the Princes’ Islands organization for the main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP.
“The patriarchate has long been distributing aid to the poor in the [Kumkapı] area, regardless of their ethnic or religious background, which is why I so much wanted to bring this joint project to life,” Hilkat said.
Distribution of the first aid boxes started Thursday, Hilkat said, adding that all the details on the project implementation, prepared in cooperation with the patriarchate, had already been handed to Turkish Red Crescent Chairman Tekin Küçükali.
“We first started distributing clean secondhand clothes to people in need,” Aram Ateşyan, the patriarchate’s vice chairman, said in the delivery ceremony, adding that they soon realized clothes were not enough and that poor people living in Kumkapı needed food donations as well, the Doğan news agency reported Thursday.
“We, however, faced problems with funding,” Ateşyan said, adding that the patriarchate had contacted the Turkish Red Crescent to ask for a charitable donation. “Kızılay donated 1,000 food packages within a very short period of time,” he said.
The Turkish Red Crescent will continue to distribute aid to people in need, not only by continuing its partnership with the Armenian patriarchate, but by extending the effort to work with the Greek patriarchate as well.
Unregistered Armenian immigrants
The patriarchate is very pleased to help people in need, regardless of their ethnic origin or religion, Hilkat told the Daily News. “Our possibilities [to provide aid] are much higher now,” he said.
Thousands of immigrants of Armenian origin live in Istanbul’s Kumkapı area. The total number of Armenians living in Turkey is 15,000, according to data provided by the Foreign Ministry. Other authorities in Turkey place this figure at more than 20,000.
Most Armenian immigrants have illegally entered Turkey due to their poor financial conditions; Hilkat said the majority live in very poor conditions in Turkey as well. He said some 3,000 immigrants have been receiving assistance funded by the patriarchate’s own sources.
“Now we will be able to provide more assistance, thanks to the Kızılay-patriarchate cooperation,” he said.
30 Aralık 2010 Perşembe
28 Aralık 2010 Salı
Landmark Istanbul hotel threatened by stall on restoration
Monday, December 27, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
The Tokatlıyan Pera Hotel, an Istanbul landmark on İstiklal Avenue, is in urgent need of repair but the building’s owners, the Beyoğlu Üç Horan Armenian Church Foundation, have reportedly refused to permit any refurbishment. ‘The Tokatlıyan is the history of Istanbul. Destroying this building means betraying history,’ says an architectural history expert
One of Istanbul’s grandest old hotels, the Tokatlıyan Pera Hotel, requires urgent restoration if the historical structure is to be preserved for the future, according to a number of architectural experts.
“It is murder not to restore this building,” Efrim Bağ, a businessman and prominent member of Turkey’s Armenian community, recently told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
The Tokatlıyan Pera on Istanbul’s İstiklal Avenue is the last remaining property of a former Armenian-owned hotel chain in the city. The hotel, which has hosted Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Leon Trotsky and countless other prominent national and international figures since it was constructed in 1897, is now in a state of severe disrepair. Although many projects have been submitted for its restoration, its owner, the Beyoğlu Üç Horan Armenian Church Foundation, has reportedly failed to grant permission to any refurbishment plan.
Currently, the building’s lower floors are used as a hotel, while other rooms now house shops. Many of the upper floors, which replaced the structure’s once-magnificent dome, are now off-limits as even walking can be dangerous.
“[The Tokatlıyan] belongs to the community, not to a person. It is unbelievable that such a structure, which might provide millions of Turkish Liras for the community, is abandoned to its fate even as the state gives permission for its restoration,” said Harutyan Şanlı, another community member.
The Üç Horan foundation, which owns dozens of valuable properties around Beyoğlu, did not respond to the Daily News’ questions about the claims.
An executive from another Armenian community foundation speaking on condition of anonymity, said the problem stemmed from Üç Horan’s fear of losing its current power and wealth.
“The management of the Üç Horan foundation wants to hold onto its power. They have been managing the foundation for 30 years without holding an election. They don’t provide information about their work, the proposals they receive and the income they bring into their society,” he said.
The executive said part of the reason the foundation’s management has resisted approving any refurbishment plan is because it already receives substantial income from the offices that presently pay rent for use of the structure’s lower floors.
‘Betraying history’
The building is not simply a hotel, but an important part of Istanbul’s history, architectural history expert Professor Afife Batur recently told the Daily News.
“Destroying this building means betraying history,” she said, urging that the edifice be protected immediately.
“It is very important that the building serve as a hotel again in order to maintain its historical function,” she said.
Noting the recent fire that destroyed the roof of Kadıköy’s historical Haydarpaşa Train Station, Batur said: “We can’t protect our history and values we have. We are not aware of the fact that we lose ourselves along with our history. What is this selfishness [in not restoring this building]?”
“I don’t know about the disagreement [with Turkey’s Armenian community], but it should be considered that history is about to die,” restoration expert and architect Fatma Sedes told the Daily News.
Sensitive restoration crucial
Any restoration should be undertaken with extreme care so as to avoid damaging the historical structure, Sedes said.
“The Tokatlıyan Pera, which is one of the structures that best reflects the history of Istanbul, should undergo a very sensitive restoration process; its original structure should not be touched. The project is very important because history has been destroyed in Istanbul in the name of restoration,” she said.
Architect Melih Güneş said the hotel should be taken under protection as soon as possible, adding that the edifice was a treasure. “It should be restored like its original. The additional floors should be removed and it should be reopened as a hotel.”
Sedes said the Tokatlıyan Pera used to be Istanbul’s second largest hotel, trailing only the legendary Pera Palas in Tepebaşı.
“There were 160 rooms in the [Tokatlıyan Pera]. It was one of the most striking structures in Beyoğlu in terms of its architectural features. Its furnishings were brought from Europe. It is painful to see that such a significant building has been abandoned to its fate,” Sedes said.
A second branch of the hotel, the Tokatlıyan Therapia, used to stand in the present location of the Büyük Tarabya Hotel overlooking the Bosphorus in Sarıyer, but it was destroyed by fire at the turn of the 20th century. The Therapia was built by Armenian businessman Mıgırdiç Tokatlıyan in 1897.
Monday, December 27, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
The Tokatlıyan Pera Hotel, an Istanbul landmark on İstiklal Avenue, is in urgent need of repair but the building’s owners, the Beyoğlu Üç Horan Armenian Church Foundation, have reportedly refused to permit any refurbishment. ‘The Tokatlıyan is the history of Istanbul. Destroying this building means betraying history,’ says an architectural history expert
One of Istanbul’s grandest old hotels, the Tokatlıyan Pera Hotel, requires urgent restoration if the historical structure is to be preserved for the future, according to a number of architectural experts.
“It is murder not to restore this building,” Efrim Bağ, a businessman and prominent member of Turkey’s Armenian community, recently told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
The Tokatlıyan Pera on Istanbul’s İstiklal Avenue is the last remaining property of a former Armenian-owned hotel chain in the city. The hotel, which has hosted Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Leon Trotsky and countless other prominent national and international figures since it was constructed in 1897, is now in a state of severe disrepair. Although many projects have been submitted for its restoration, its owner, the Beyoğlu Üç Horan Armenian Church Foundation, has reportedly failed to grant permission to any refurbishment plan.
Currently, the building’s lower floors are used as a hotel, while other rooms now house shops. Many of the upper floors, which replaced the structure’s once-magnificent dome, are now off-limits as even walking can be dangerous.
“[The Tokatlıyan] belongs to the community, not to a person. It is unbelievable that such a structure, which might provide millions of Turkish Liras for the community, is abandoned to its fate even as the state gives permission for its restoration,” said Harutyan Şanlı, another community member.
The Üç Horan foundation, which owns dozens of valuable properties around Beyoğlu, did not respond to the Daily News’ questions about the claims.
An executive from another Armenian community foundation speaking on condition of anonymity, said the problem stemmed from Üç Horan’s fear of losing its current power and wealth.
“The management of the Üç Horan foundation wants to hold onto its power. They have been managing the foundation for 30 years without holding an election. They don’t provide information about their work, the proposals they receive and the income they bring into their society,” he said.
The executive said part of the reason the foundation’s management has resisted approving any refurbishment plan is because it already receives substantial income from the offices that presently pay rent for use of the structure’s lower floors.
‘Betraying history’
The building is not simply a hotel, but an important part of Istanbul’s history, architectural history expert Professor Afife Batur recently told the Daily News.
“Destroying this building means betraying history,” she said, urging that the edifice be protected immediately.
“It is very important that the building serve as a hotel again in order to maintain its historical function,” she said.
Noting the recent fire that destroyed the roof of Kadıköy’s historical Haydarpaşa Train Station, Batur said: “We can’t protect our history and values we have. We are not aware of the fact that we lose ourselves along with our history. What is this selfishness [in not restoring this building]?”
“I don’t know about the disagreement [with Turkey’s Armenian community], but it should be considered that history is about to die,” restoration expert and architect Fatma Sedes told the Daily News.
Sensitive restoration crucial
Any restoration should be undertaken with extreme care so as to avoid damaging the historical structure, Sedes said.
“The Tokatlıyan Pera, which is one of the structures that best reflects the history of Istanbul, should undergo a very sensitive restoration process; its original structure should not be touched. The project is very important because history has been destroyed in Istanbul in the name of restoration,” she said.
Architect Melih Güneş said the hotel should be taken under protection as soon as possible, adding that the edifice was a treasure. “It should be restored like its original. The additional floors should be removed and it should be reopened as a hotel.”
Sedes said the Tokatlıyan Pera used to be Istanbul’s second largest hotel, trailing only the legendary Pera Palas in Tepebaşı.
“There were 160 rooms in the [Tokatlıyan Pera]. It was one of the most striking structures in Beyoğlu in terms of its architectural features. Its furnishings were brought from Europe. It is painful to see that such a significant building has been abandoned to its fate,” Sedes said.
A second branch of the hotel, the Tokatlıyan Therapia, used to stand in the present location of the Büyük Tarabya Hotel overlooking the Bosphorus in Sarıyer, but it was destroyed by fire at the turn of the 20th century. The Therapia was built by Armenian businessman Mıgırdiç Tokatlıyan in 1897.
22 Aralık 2010 Çarşamba
Istanbul literary figure receives final send-off
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Writer Yervant Gobelyan died last week at the age of 87, leaving behind an impressive literary career that included eight books, one of which was devoted to poetry. Born in Istanbul, Gobelyan was known for emphasizing his profound love of the city in his literary works. The writer also spent his last 14 years at Agos, a weekly of Turkey’s Armenian community
Gobelyan had spent many years away from newspapers until he was hired at Agos in 1996 by Hrant Dink.
Prominent Istanbul literary figure and weekly Agos writer Yervant Gobelyan will be buried Wednesday after succumbing to illness last week.
The 87-year-old writer was best known for his poetic and literary works that reflected an overwhelming love of Istanbul.
Gobelyan died Thursday at Yedikule Surp Pırgiç Armenian Hospital after a long treatment process. He will be buried at the Balıklı Cemetery in Zeytinburnu after a funeral service starting at 1 p.m. at Beyoğlu’s Üç Horan Armenian Church.
Gobelyan was born in Rumelihisarı in the Istanbul district of Sarıyer, a neighborhood known for is beauty next to the Bosphorus. Like many other Armenian writers from his generation, Gobelyan enjoyed close relations with members of the Turkish literary world, including one of the country’s most famous poets, Orhan Veli Kanık, as well as many others. Gobelyan and others, such as Kanık, used to come together at Eptalafos, an old Greek-style tavern in Taksim.
Writing was a passion for him
Writing was Gobelyan’s main interest in life, but financial difficulties often prevented him from earning a living solely from his literary pursuits. Like many other leading figures in Turkish-Armenian literature, Gobelyan graduated from Esayan Armenian School in Taksim. After finishing school, however, Gobelyan had difficulty in making ends meet as a writer, leading him to work as an apprentice, auto mechanic, carpenter and in other professions. Despite the hardships, Gobelyan never ceased his literary pursuits.
His first book of poetry was published in 1948, after which he found a job writing for the local Armenian community’s weekly “Luys” (Light) paper. Financial difficulties, however, soon forced Luys to close, after which Gobelyan was again forced to find other employment. Within time, Gobelyan would work for all of the major Armenian community’s papers in Istanbul, working the final 14 years of his life at Agos.
Gobelyan had spent many years away from Armenian newspapers until he was hired for the Agos job in 1996 by Editor-in-Chief Hrant Dink, the prominent Turkish-Armenian journalist assassinated in 2007.
Remained inaccessible to non-Armenian readers
Despite his close relations with Turkish writers and poets, most of Gobelyan’s works, including one book of poetry among a total of eight books, remained only in Armenian for many years and were thus inaccessible to the wider Turkish society.
Eager to bring the writer’s work to the Turkish public, Aras Publishing House, which began publishing in the 1990s, released a number of Gobelyan’s stories in “Memleketini Özleyen Yengeç” (The Crab Missing His Country) in 1998.
The book, which featured stories from Gobelyan telling of the daily routines of Turks, Greeks and Armenians in Istanbul, quickly drew interest from Turkish readers.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Writer Yervant Gobelyan died last week at the age of 87, leaving behind an impressive literary career that included eight books, one of which was devoted to poetry. Born in Istanbul, Gobelyan was known for emphasizing his profound love of the city in his literary works. The writer also spent his last 14 years at Agos, a weekly of Turkey’s Armenian community
Gobelyan had spent many years away from newspapers until he was hired at Agos in 1996 by Hrant Dink.
Prominent Istanbul literary figure and weekly Agos writer Yervant Gobelyan will be buried Wednesday after succumbing to illness last week.
The 87-year-old writer was best known for his poetic and literary works that reflected an overwhelming love of Istanbul.
Gobelyan died Thursday at Yedikule Surp Pırgiç Armenian Hospital after a long treatment process. He will be buried at the Balıklı Cemetery in Zeytinburnu after a funeral service starting at 1 p.m. at Beyoğlu’s Üç Horan Armenian Church.
Gobelyan was born in Rumelihisarı in the Istanbul district of Sarıyer, a neighborhood known for is beauty next to the Bosphorus. Like many other Armenian writers from his generation, Gobelyan enjoyed close relations with members of the Turkish literary world, including one of the country’s most famous poets, Orhan Veli Kanık, as well as many others. Gobelyan and others, such as Kanık, used to come together at Eptalafos, an old Greek-style tavern in Taksim.
Writing was a passion for him
Writing was Gobelyan’s main interest in life, but financial difficulties often prevented him from earning a living solely from his literary pursuits. Like many other leading figures in Turkish-Armenian literature, Gobelyan graduated from Esayan Armenian School in Taksim. After finishing school, however, Gobelyan had difficulty in making ends meet as a writer, leading him to work as an apprentice, auto mechanic, carpenter and in other professions. Despite the hardships, Gobelyan never ceased his literary pursuits.
His first book of poetry was published in 1948, after which he found a job writing for the local Armenian community’s weekly “Luys” (Light) paper. Financial difficulties, however, soon forced Luys to close, after which Gobelyan was again forced to find other employment. Within time, Gobelyan would work for all of the major Armenian community’s papers in Istanbul, working the final 14 years of his life at Agos.
Gobelyan had spent many years away from Armenian newspapers until he was hired for the Agos job in 1996 by Editor-in-Chief Hrant Dink, the prominent Turkish-Armenian journalist assassinated in 2007.
Remained inaccessible to non-Armenian readers
Despite his close relations with Turkish writers and poets, most of Gobelyan’s works, including one book of poetry among a total of eight books, remained only in Armenian for many years and were thus inaccessible to the wider Turkish society.
Eager to bring the writer’s work to the Turkish public, Aras Publishing House, which began publishing in the 1990s, released a number of Gobelyan’s stories in “Memleketini Özleyen Yengeç” (The Crab Missing His Country) in 1998.
The book, which featured stories from Gobelyan telling of the daily routines of Turks, Greeks and Armenians in Istanbul, quickly drew interest from Turkish readers.
15 Aralık 2010 Çarşamba
Slain Turkish-Armenian bride laid to rest in Istanbul
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
A Turkish-Armenian newlywed who was allegedly shot and killed by her brother for marrying a Muslim man without the family’s approval was laid to rest at Istanbul’s Surp Kevork Armenian Church on Tuesday.
Soney Vural, 26, and her new husband Zekeriya Vural, 29, were both shot to death in their car in the Fatih district of Istanbul on Saturday.
Soney Vural’s brother, Göney Ö., was detained after the killings, confessing to the crime, according to news agencies.
According to media reports, Göney Ö. told police that his family objected to the marriage on grounds that the couple were "from different cultures.” In his testimony, Göney Ö. said he killed the couple because Zekeriya Vural had "insulted [his] Christian identity" and had said it was against his honor to hold a wedding ceremony at a church.
The couple had married without their families’ knowledge less than two weeks ago.
Sorrow and anger permeated the atmosphere in the church Tuesday, as women from Soney Vural’s family accepted condolences and her father went to the cemetery for preparations.
“I wish she had not married [him],” said a family member, speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review on the condition of anonymity. “I still cannot believe what happened.”
A white bridal veil was put on Soney Vural’s coffin; the veil is traditionally put on the coffins of women who die before wearing their bridal dress. Television cameras were not allowed into the ceremony.
Zekeriya Vural’s funeral was held on Monday in Istanbul's Kocamustafapaşa neighborhood. His mother, Hazal Emine Vural, cried during the ceremony, saying that her son’s only crime was falling in love with the wrong person.
“Our children agreed among themselves. They would each live according to their own religion,” said Murat Vural, the father of Zekeriya
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
A Turkish-Armenian newlywed who was allegedly shot and killed by her brother for marrying a Muslim man without the family’s approval was laid to rest at Istanbul’s Surp Kevork Armenian Church on Tuesday.
Soney Vural, 26, and her new husband Zekeriya Vural, 29, were both shot to death in their car in the Fatih district of Istanbul on Saturday.
Soney Vural’s brother, Göney Ö., was detained after the killings, confessing to the crime, according to news agencies.
According to media reports, Göney Ö. told police that his family objected to the marriage on grounds that the couple were "from different cultures.” In his testimony, Göney Ö. said he killed the couple because Zekeriya Vural had "insulted [his] Christian identity" and had said it was against his honor to hold a wedding ceremony at a church.
The couple had married without their families’ knowledge less than two weeks ago.
Sorrow and anger permeated the atmosphere in the church Tuesday, as women from Soney Vural’s family accepted condolences and her father went to the cemetery for preparations.
“I wish she had not married [him],” said a family member, speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review on the condition of anonymity. “I still cannot believe what happened.”
A white bridal veil was put on Soney Vural’s coffin; the veil is traditionally put on the coffins of women who die before wearing their bridal dress. Television cameras were not allowed into the ceremony.
Zekeriya Vural’s funeral was held on Monday in Istanbul's Kocamustafapaşa neighborhood. His mother, Hazal Emine Vural, cried during the ceremony, saying that her son’s only crime was falling in love with the wrong person.
“Our children agreed among themselves. They would each live according to their own religion,” said Murat Vural, the father of Zekeriya
Armenian foundation ventures into real estate sector with Istanbul project
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Istanbul’s Armenian community has ventured into the city’s booming property sector with the completion of Lotus Evleri, a luxury housing project whose foundations were laid four years ago by Patriarch Mesrop II.
The project was built on 11,250 acres of land on a ridge overlooking the Bosphorus. The land is the biggest piece of land owned by Istanbul’s Armenian community.
The Ortaköy Surp Asdvazsazsin Armenian Church Foundation handed over the land to a construction company in return for a portion of the apartments to be built.
The construction of Lotus Evleri was completed last year and tenants have been moving into the 200 luxury apartments for some time now.
Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review, İskender Şahingöz, president of the foundation, said the community reclaimed the valuable land through intense efforts.
“This land was taken [from us] by the Treasury in 1973, just after the Bosphorus Bridge was built. The reason was national security. Then the land was assigned to the Defense Ministry,” Şahingöz said.
The foundation filed a lawsuit in 1996 against the state and won the land back. “This case was a first in the history of minority foundations,” Şahingöz said.
Jesus the fugitive
In Ottoman times, minority foundation property was registered under the names of Jesus Christ, Mary and the apostles to prevent inheritance disputes.
Later, however, the Treasury declared the owners of the land to be “fugitives” when it confiscated the land from the community, according to Şahingöz.
The foundation leader praised European Union adjustment laws and the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, government as keys to getting the land back.
“We were not even able to use our money as we wanted [in the old days],” he said. “Now we can use it as we like. The new regulations on minority foundations, though not enough, give us hope for the future.”
As foundation lands are notoriously mired in various ownership disputes in Turkey, finding a construction company for the project proved difficult.
The Lotus Evleri have 20 luxury blocks as well as shopping and sports complexes. Şahingöz declined to say how many apartments the foundation received in return for the land, but added that the rent revenues would be used to finance the expenditures of the Tarkmançazs school and church, which belong to the foundation, and to engage in new investments.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Istanbul’s Armenian community has ventured into the city’s booming property sector with the completion of Lotus Evleri, a luxury housing project whose foundations were laid four years ago by Patriarch Mesrop II.
The project was built on 11,250 acres of land on a ridge overlooking the Bosphorus. The land is the biggest piece of land owned by Istanbul’s Armenian community.
The Ortaköy Surp Asdvazsazsin Armenian Church Foundation handed over the land to a construction company in return for a portion of the apartments to be built.
The construction of Lotus Evleri was completed last year and tenants have been moving into the 200 luxury apartments for some time now.
Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review, İskender Şahingöz, president of the foundation, said the community reclaimed the valuable land through intense efforts.
“This land was taken [from us] by the Treasury in 1973, just after the Bosphorus Bridge was built. The reason was national security. Then the land was assigned to the Defense Ministry,” Şahingöz said.
The foundation filed a lawsuit in 1996 against the state and won the land back. “This case was a first in the history of minority foundations,” Şahingöz said.
Jesus the fugitive
In Ottoman times, minority foundation property was registered under the names of Jesus Christ, Mary and the apostles to prevent inheritance disputes.
Later, however, the Treasury declared the owners of the land to be “fugitives” when it confiscated the land from the community, according to Şahingöz.
The foundation leader praised European Union adjustment laws and the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, government as keys to getting the land back.
“We were not even able to use our money as we wanted [in the old days],” he said. “Now we can use it as we like. The new regulations on minority foundations, though not enough, give us hope for the future.”
As foundation lands are notoriously mired in various ownership disputes in Turkey, finding a construction company for the project proved difficult.
The Lotus Evleri have 20 luxury blocks as well as shopping and sports complexes. Şahingöz declined to say how many apartments the foundation received in return for the land, but added that the rent revenues would be used to finance the expenditures of the Tarkmançazs school and church, which belong to the foundation, and to engage in new investments.
11 Aralık 2010 Cumartesi
Ezan, chazzan and church bells on Istanbul's Princes' Islands
Friday, December 10, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hurriyet Daily News
The deputy mayor of Istanbul’s Princes' Islands, Armenian-origin Raffi Hermon’s job regularly brings him into contact with Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Hermon says the islands could ultimately be a key to restoring Istanbul’s cosmopolitanism. ‘To return Istanbul to its original cultural identity, we need to start on the Princes’ Islands,’ he says
Raffi Hermon attends prayers at the mosque, wears a kippah when entering the synagogue and takes the holy Eucharist at church. Going to services of the three major monotheistic faiths is part of the job description for Hermon, deputy mayor for Istanbul’s Princes’ Islands, one of the most religiously diverse municipalities in Turkey.
An Istanbul Armenian originally from the islands, Hermon also has the added distinction of being among the first members of the Armenian community to hold public office in Turkey.
Hermon lived his adult life in France for 25 years before returning to Istanbul a few years ago. He became deputy mayor after winning a municipal seat with the Republican Peoples’ Party, or CHP.
The deputy mayor told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review that he has been criticized for following Muslim rites as part of his official duties, but he rebuked such views.
“Just because I do this, it does not mean I have given up on my own religion,” he said. “If I can plant a positive understanding in the people watching me, I would be the happiest man.”
Hermon said he attended the Kurban Bayram holiday prayers at the mosque during last month’s Muslim holiday and added that he also performed the ritual animal slaughter. “I distributed the meat together with rice and ayran to all people living on the Islands.”
As well there is no problem listening to a chazzan, which is a Jewish cantor, a musician, trained in the vocal arts who helps lead a congregation in melodious prayer.
Full circle to Istanbul
Hermon said he had Princes’ Islands origins and that he was Italian on his mother’s side and Armenian on his father’s side. “Just like my whole family, I was born on Büyükada [the largest of the Princes’ Islands], and spent my childhood here.”
Later, he moved to France, eventually gaining dual French-Turkish citizenship. Supported by the then-President Jacques Chirac, he established an Armenian diaspora studies center together with Jean Claude Kebapçiyan in 1994 in France. Hermon also worked hard to promote tentative diplomatic contacts between Turkey and Armenia during the 1990s.
After returning to Turkey and becoming involved in the CHP, however, Hermon said he experienced a lot of opposition, especially from Armenians.
According to him, the reactions actually stemmed from CHP deputy Canan Arıtman’s fierce opposition to the “We Apologize” campaign, which was launched in 2008 by Turkish intellectuals to apologize to Armenians for the events of 1915.
Turkish President Abdullah Gül later announced that he also supported the campaign, after which Arıtman declared him to be an Armenian on his mother’s side and that this supposedly secret family background was the reason he lent his weight to the campaign.
Her remarks met with harsh criticism from both Armenian and Turkish circles.
Addressing the concerns that many still had with his participation in the CHP, Hermon said involvement with the party on a local level was much different than involvement on a countrywide level.
“I am capable of acknowledging the difference between national and local elections. In local elections, there is not as much room for ideology, as is the case at the national level,” Hermon said.
Princes’ Islands the key
For Hermon, the Princes’ Islands are a crucial place that could be a prototype for a new Istanbul.
“When I returned after 25 years, I noticed that the islands had lost all their cosmopolitan texture, which broke my heart. To return Istanbul to its original cultural identity, we need to start on the Princes’ Islands,” he said.
Hermon also said the local municipality would soon embark upon a sister-city project with a town in Armenia.
"We are going to announce Sevan Lake Municipality in Armenia and Adalar Municipality as sister cities. Out talks concerning the project are ongoing at the moment. We aim to support the establishment of close relations between Turks and Armenians in our own way,” he said.
Friday, December 10, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hurriyet Daily News
The deputy mayor of Istanbul’s Princes' Islands, Armenian-origin Raffi Hermon’s job regularly brings him into contact with Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Hermon says the islands could ultimately be a key to restoring Istanbul’s cosmopolitanism. ‘To return Istanbul to its original cultural identity, we need to start on the Princes’ Islands,’ he says
Raffi Hermon attends prayers at the mosque, wears a kippah when entering the synagogue and takes the holy Eucharist at church. Going to services of the three major monotheistic faiths is part of the job description for Hermon, deputy mayor for Istanbul’s Princes’ Islands, one of the most religiously diverse municipalities in Turkey.
An Istanbul Armenian originally from the islands, Hermon also has the added distinction of being among the first members of the Armenian community to hold public office in Turkey.
Hermon lived his adult life in France for 25 years before returning to Istanbul a few years ago. He became deputy mayor after winning a municipal seat with the Republican Peoples’ Party, or CHP.
The deputy mayor told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review that he has been criticized for following Muslim rites as part of his official duties, but he rebuked such views.
“Just because I do this, it does not mean I have given up on my own religion,” he said. “If I can plant a positive understanding in the people watching me, I would be the happiest man.”
Hermon said he attended the Kurban Bayram holiday prayers at the mosque during last month’s Muslim holiday and added that he also performed the ritual animal slaughter. “I distributed the meat together with rice and ayran to all people living on the Islands.”
As well there is no problem listening to a chazzan, which is a Jewish cantor, a musician, trained in the vocal arts who helps lead a congregation in melodious prayer.
Full circle to Istanbul
Hermon said he had Princes’ Islands origins and that he was Italian on his mother’s side and Armenian on his father’s side. “Just like my whole family, I was born on Büyükada [the largest of the Princes’ Islands], and spent my childhood here.”
Later, he moved to France, eventually gaining dual French-Turkish citizenship. Supported by the then-President Jacques Chirac, he established an Armenian diaspora studies center together with Jean Claude Kebapçiyan in 1994 in France. Hermon also worked hard to promote tentative diplomatic contacts between Turkey and Armenia during the 1990s.
After returning to Turkey and becoming involved in the CHP, however, Hermon said he experienced a lot of opposition, especially from Armenians.
According to him, the reactions actually stemmed from CHP deputy Canan Arıtman’s fierce opposition to the “We Apologize” campaign, which was launched in 2008 by Turkish intellectuals to apologize to Armenians for the events of 1915.
Turkish President Abdullah Gül later announced that he also supported the campaign, after which Arıtman declared him to be an Armenian on his mother’s side and that this supposedly secret family background was the reason he lent his weight to the campaign.
Her remarks met with harsh criticism from both Armenian and Turkish circles.
Addressing the concerns that many still had with his participation in the CHP, Hermon said involvement with the party on a local level was much different than involvement on a countrywide level.
“I am capable of acknowledging the difference between national and local elections. In local elections, there is not as much room for ideology, as is the case at the national level,” Hermon said.
Princes’ Islands the key
For Hermon, the Princes’ Islands are a crucial place that could be a prototype for a new Istanbul.
“When I returned after 25 years, I noticed that the islands had lost all their cosmopolitan texture, which broke my heart. To return Istanbul to its original cultural identity, we need to start on the Princes’ Islands,” he said.
Hermon also said the local municipality would soon embark upon a sister-city project with a town in Armenia.
"We are going to announce Sevan Lake Municipality in Armenia and Adalar Municipality as sister cities. Out talks concerning the project are ongoing at the moment. We aim to support the establishment of close relations between Turks and Armenians in our own way,” he said.
8 Aralık 2010 Çarşamba
Founder of new Turkish party eyes building bridges with Armenians
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Numan Kurtulmuş, founder of the People’s Voice Party, or HSP, visited Tuesday the Armenian Yedikule Surp Pirgiç Hospital Foundation in Istanbul in a symbolic move to enhance dialogue with members of Turkey’s minorities.
“Throughout the history of the Republic, many [social] ruptures have occurred,” Kurtulmuş said. “Because of these, minorities living in these lands felt as though they were aliens. It is time to break [this cycle].”
Kurtulmuş told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review that his visit was specifically designed to enhance relations with the Armenian community.
The significance of the hospital-foundation, which is widely regarded as one of the most important institutions of the city’s Armenian community, has been growing in recent years as many prominent politicians, including Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, have paid visits to highlight the community’s importance.
Kurtulmuş met Bedros Şirinoğlu, the president of the foundation and a prominent businessman, visited the hospital’s museum and spoke with the elderly residents of the attached nursing home.
“[Turkey] wants to know more about the communities it calls minorities,” Şirinoğlu told the Daily News, adding that the country also wanted to take steps to close the gap between the majority and its minorities.
The HSP leader, a veteran Istanbul politician, also said both the events of 1915 and the Sept. 6-7, 1955, pogroms were “extremely painful events” and “provocations.”
“With Armenians, with Greeks and with all our ethnic backgrounds, we are a garden of roses,” he told the Daily News. “All these provocations were aimed at destroying this garden.”
The Sept. 6-7 1955 pogroms targeted Istanbul’s Greek minority and involved nationalist riots triggered by false rumor that the Turkish consulate in Thessaloniki, Greece – the house where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was born in 1881 – had been bombed by the Greeks. The rioters, however, also targeted Armenians and Jews. In the aftermath of the provocation, thousands of minorities left Istanbul and Turkey in fear.
No more ‘gavur’
Kurtulmuş said his party was working to draft a constitutional reform package.
“When we come to power, we will take steps to make sure all our citizens are constitutionally equal,” he said, promising that the derogatory term “gavur” (infidel), which is used for non-Muslims, would be banned under an HSP government.
Şirinoğlu said the visit was “extremely important” for the Armenian community. “But what is really important is the policy that will be implemented in power,” he said. “I hope [a possible HSP government] will have the tolerance and vision that the AKP [Justice and Development Party] government has toward minorities.”
Kurtulmuş and his supporters recently split from the Saadet (Felicity) Party and the “National View” line led by veteran Islamist politician Necmettin Erbakan. The HSP is regarded by some circles as a “Muslim left” organization, though the party denies the label.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Numan Kurtulmuş, founder of the People’s Voice Party, or HSP, visited Tuesday the Armenian Yedikule Surp Pirgiç Hospital Foundation in Istanbul in a symbolic move to enhance dialogue with members of Turkey’s minorities.
“Throughout the history of the Republic, many [social] ruptures have occurred,” Kurtulmuş said. “Because of these, minorities living in these lands felt as though they were aliens. It is time to break [this cycle].”
Kurtulmuş told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review that his visit was specifically designed to enhance relations with the Armenian community.
The significance of the hospital-foundation, which is widely regarded as one of the most important institutions of the city’s Armenian community, has been growing in recent years as many prominent politicians, including Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, have paid visits to highlight the community’s importance.
Kurtulmuş met Bedros Şirinoğlu, the president of the foundation and a prominent businessman, visited the hospital’s museum and spoke with the elderly residents of the attached nursing home.
“[Turkey] wants to know more about the communities it calls minorities,” Şirinoğlu told the Daily News, adding that the country also wanted to take steps to close the gap between the majority and its minorities.
The HSP leader, a veteran Istanbul politician, also said both the events of 1915 and the Sept. 6-7, 1955, pogroms were “extremely painful events” and “provocations.”
“With Armenians, with Greeks and with all our ethnic backgrounds, we are a garden of roses,” he told the Daily News. “All these provocations were aimed at destroying this garden.”
The Sept. 6-7 1955 pogroms targeted Istanbul’s Greek minority and involved nationalist riots triggered by false rumor that the Turkish consulate in Thessaloniki, Greece – the house where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was born in 1881 – had been bombed by the Greeks. The rioters, however, also targeted Armenians and Jews. In the aftermath of the provocation, thousands of minorities left Istanbul and Turkey in fear.
No more ‘gavur’
Kurtulmuş said his party was working to draft a constitutional reform package.
“When we come to power, we will take steps to make sure all our citizens are constitutionally equal,” he said, promising that the derogatory term “gavur” (infidel), which is used for non-Muslims, would be banned under an HSP government.
Şirinoğlu said the visit was “extremely important” for the Armenian community. “But what is really important is the policy that will be implemented in power,” he said. “I hope [a possible HSP government] will have the tolerance and vision that the AKP [Justice and Development Party] government has toward minorities.”
Kurtulmuş and his supporters recently split from the Saadet (Felicity) Party and the “National View” line led by veteran Islamist politician Necmettin Erbakan. The HSP is regarded by some circles as a “Muslim left” organization, though the party denies the label.
German writer comes to Istanbul to support Akhanlı in murder case
German writer comes to Istanbul to support Akhanlı in murder case
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
The real reason behind Turkish writer Doğan Akhanlı’s arrest in Istanbul is his work on Armenian genocide claims, German intellectual Günter Wallraff said Wednesday.
Wallraff was in Istanbul to attend the first hearing of Akhanlı, who was arrested last August while returning from self-imposed exile in Germany.
Akhanlı, who fled Turkey after serving sentences for his political activities following the 1980 military coup and settled in Germany as an author, translator and human rights activist, attended the first hearing of a murder case on Wednesday. Prosecutors accuse Akhanlı of being the member and leader of a terrorist organization and of killing jewelry store owner İbrahim Yaşar Tutum during an attempted robbery in 1989. Prosecutors have demanded a life sentence for Akhanlı.
The first hearing was continuing as the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review went to press late Wednesday.
German writer Wallraff told the Daily News that his government was not lending support to Akhanlı, who is also a German citizen.
Wallraff said he believed Akhanlı’s 2003 work “Talat Paşa Minutes,” about the Ottoman political figure seen as responsible for the death of Armenians in the 1915 events, is the real reason behind his arrest.
He said Germany did not want to be involved since it shared responsibility for the Armenian tragedy equally with Turkey.
“Akhanlı is a real intellectual,” said Wallraff, criticizing the fact that despite democratic reforms in Turkey, authors and writers were still being victimized by judicial processes.
“We want to see Turkey in the European Union. But there needs to be improvement in human rights, freedom of expression and democracy,” he said, adding that he does not believe Akhanlı, a long-time friend, committed the murder of which he is accused.
Akhanlı came to Turkey this summer to visit his sick 90-year-old father, but was unable to see to the latter before he died because of his arrest at Atatürk Airport.
“The innocence of Akhanlı will be proven one day or another. But how will one compensate for this humanitarian tragedy?” Wallraff asked.
Anderej Hunko from the German parliament was also present at the trial and said what was happening to Akhanlı was unacceptable.
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
The real reason behind Turkish writer Doğan Akhanlı’s arrest in Istanbul is his work on Armenian genocide claims, German intellectual Günter Wallraff said Wednesday.
Wallraff was in Istanbul to attend the first hearing of Akhanlı, who was arrested last August while returning from self-imposed exile in Germany.
Akhanlı, who fled Turkey after serving sentences for his political activities following the 1980 military coup and settled in Germany as an author, translator and human rights activist, attended the first hearing of a murder case on Wednesday. Prosecutors accuse Akhanlı of being the member and leader of a terrorist organization and of killing jewelry store owner İbrahim Yaşar Tutum during an attempted robbery in 1989. Prosecutors have demanded a life sentence for Akhanlı.
The first hearing was continuing as the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review went to press late Wednesday.
German writer Wallraff told the Daily News that his government was not lending support to Akhanlı, who is also a German citizen.
Wallraff said he believed Akhanlı’s 2003 work “Talat Paşa Minutes,” about the Ottoman political figure seen as responsible for the death of Armenians in the 1915 events, is the real reason behind his arrest.
He said Germany did not want to be involved since it shared responsibility for the Armenian tragedy equally with Turkey.
“Akhanlı is a real intellectual,” said Wallraff, criticizing the fact that despite democratic reforms in Turkey, authors and writers were still being victimized by judicial processes.
“We want to see Turkey in the European Union. But there needs to be improvement in human rights, freedom of expression and democracy,” he said, adding that he does not believe Akhanlı, a long-time friend, committed the murder of which he is accused.
Akhanlı came to Turkey this summer to visit his sick 90-year-old father, but was unable to see to the latter before he died because of his arrest at Atatürk Airport.
“The innocence of Akhanlı will be proven one day or another. But how will one compensate for this humanitarian tragedy?” Wallraff asked.
Anderej Hunko from the German parliament was also present at the trial and said what was happening to Akhanlı was unacceptable.
6 Aralık 2010 Pazartesi
Armenian parliament to discuss Karabakh independence
Monday, December 6, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Armenia’s parliament will discuss Thursday the possibility of recognizing breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh’s dependence, yet many admit that international considerations effectively preclude Yerevan from making any such acknowledgement.
"Armenia cannot make this decision at the moment, no matter how much they want it, because they attach the utmost importance to mediators’ diplomatic efforts for a solution to the [Nagorno-Karabakh problem],” Manvel Sargsyan, a Karabakh political figure, recently told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
The issue has been brought to the agenda by the country’s strongest opposition party, Jarankutyun. Although the party raised the same issue in 2007, it failed, said Sargsyan.
According to political scientists, although the Serge Sarkisian government, like other previous administrations, wants to recognize Karabakh’s independence, the issue’s delicate nature makes it difficult to make such a move. In order not to disrupt the work of the international mediators who are trying to solve the issue in peaceful terms, the government has refused to recognize the territory.
Still, the desire is shared by all Armenians, Güner Özkan, deputy chairman of the International Strategic Research Foundation’s Eurasia desk, told the Daily News.
"Former President Robert Kocharyan was from Karabakh; so is the present president, Sarkisian. Despite that, they are timid in recognizing independence,” he said.
"Armenia needs Russia’s consent to be able to recognize Karabakh’s independence. It is not possible otherwise. Of course we should not forget the role of the European Union and United States in the process,” Özkan said.
There are two different opinions about the Nagorno-Karabakh problem in Armenia, said Hayk Khanumyan, a political scientist and chairman of the European Movement NGO in Karabakh.
On one hand, one side thinks that if Armenia recognized Karabakh’s independence, it would be detrimental to the solution of issues in a peaceful manner, while more radical sections support an Armenian-Karabakh union, said Khanumyan. “My opinion is both Armenia and the other countries should recognize the independence.”
Although Armenia has yet to recognize the region’s independence, Nagorno-Karabakh is of vital importance, Sargsyan said, adding that the consensus in Armenia between the government and the opposition was that the region could on no accounts remain a part of Azerbaijan.
‘Party funded by the US’
Ultimately, Jarankutyun is after its own political ends, Özkan said.
"Jarankutyun is a party funded by the U.S., everybody knows that,” said Khanumyan. “The Armenian Center for National and International Studies, owned by the party, has long received financial support from the country. If we bear that in mind, we could as well say that Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence is approved by the U.S.”
‘Football diplomacy’
Touching on the “football diplomacy” that started in 2008 between Turkey and Armenia, Sargsyan said, “Football diplomacy not only ended without any results, it also deepened the deadlock between Azerbaijan and Armenia and of course negatively affected the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, too.”
The apparent detente started when Turkish President Abdullah Gül made a historic visit to Armenia in 2008 to watch a World Cup qualifier football match between the two countries’ national football teams. Sarkisian visited Turkey to watch the return match in 2009.
Turkey and Armenia signed two protocols for the development of relations and opening their sealed mutual border in 2009 but have been unable to complete the ratification process.
Monday, December 6, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Armenia’s parliament will discuss Thursday the possibility of recognizing breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh’s dependence, yet many admit that international considerations effectively preclude Yerevan from making any such acknowledgement.
"Armenia cannot make this decision at the moment, no matter how much they want it, because they attach the utmost importance to mediators’ diplomatic efforts for a solution to the [Nagorno-Karabakh problem],” Manvel Sargsyan, a Karabakh political figure, recently told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
The issue has been brought to the agenda by the country’s strongest opposition party, Jarankutyun. Although the party raised the same issue in 2007, it failed, said Sargsyan.
According to political scientists, although the Serge Sarkisian government, like other previous administrations, wants to recognize Karabakh’s independence, the issue’s delicate nature makes it difficult to make such a move. In order not to disrupt the work of the international mediators who are trying to solve the issue in peaceful terms, the government has refused to recognize the territory.
Still, the desire is shared by all Armenians, Güner Özkan, deputy chairman of the International Strategic Research Foundation’s Eurasia desk, told the Daily News.
"Former President Robert Kocharyan was from Karabakh; so is the present president, Sarkisian. Despite that, they are timid in recognizing independence,” he said.
"Armenia needs Russia’s consent to be able to recognize Karabakh’s independence. It is not possible otherwise. Of course we should not forget the role of the European Union and United States in the process,” Özkan said.
There are two different opinions about the Nagorno-Karabakh problem in Armenia, said Hayk Khanumyan, a political scientist and chairman of the European Movement NGO in Karabakh.
On one hand, one side thinks that if Armenia recognized Karabakh’s independence, it would be detrimental to the solution of issues in a peaceful manner, while more radical sections support an Armenian-Karabakh union, said Khanumyan. “My opinion is both Armenia and the other countries should recognize the independence.”
Although Armenia has yet to recognize the region’s independence, Nagorno-Karabakh is of vital importance, Sargsyan said, adding that the consensus in Armenia between the government and the opposition was that the region could on no accounts remain a part of Azerbaijan.
‘Party funded by the US’
Ultimately, Jarankutyun is after its own political ends, Özkan said.
"Jarankutyun is a party funded by the U.S., everybody knows that,” said Khanumyan. “The Armenian Center for National and International Studies, owned by the party, has long received financial support from the country. If we bear that in mind, we could as well say that Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence is approved by the U.S.”
‘Football diplomacy’
Touching on the “football diplomacy” that started in 2008 between Turkey and Armenia, Sargsyan said, “Football diplomacy not only ended without any results, it also deepened the deadlock between Azerbaijan and Armenia and of course negatively affected the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, too.”
The apparent detente started when Turkish President Abdullah Gül made a historic visit to Armenia in 2008 to watch a World Cup qualifier football match between the two countries’ national football teams. Sarkisian visited Turkey to watch the return match in 2009.
Turkey and Armenia signed two protocols for the development of relations and opening their sealed mutual border in 2009 but have been unable to complete the ratification process.
4 Aralık 2010 Cumartesi
Patriarch Mesrop II, left alone between life and death
Friday, December 3, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
Has the Armenian community in Istanbul descended into chaos by itself or has it been pushed into it while trying to select a patriarch? Where is the ballot box? In fact, there are many answers to these questions. But nobody is paying attention to the health of Patriarch Mesrop II Mutafyan, which is worsening gradually, because everyone is talking all at once.
Mesrop II, behind the closed doors of the Patriarchate, tries to stay alive with the tremendous help of his old mother. He is surviving but standing on a thin line separating life from death.
As he faces death the community he leads is looking for a ballot box outside. Spiritual leaders inside the premise make more chaos rather than control the situation. The Armenian community, therefore, is approaching a solution on one hand, but is falling apart on the other, as everyone wants to see his/her own candidate in the seat. The selfishness of the spiritual leaders and the community is now being taken to court. In the history of the patriarchate, the state of Turkey, for the first time ever, has had the urge to interfere closely in the election process.
Suspicious disease, painful process
How did the Armenian community get into this cycle? Clues can be found, actually, on Jan. 19, 2007 or a little before. The country was going through a painful political turmoil. Exercising his spiritual leadership, Mesrop II was also making a statement to reflect the problems of the Armenian community. He started to be threatened so much that he even decided to resign due to the pressures, but was not allowed to according to the rules of the church. Mesrop II was thus left to his fate. The patriarch’s duty was valued above his life. Amid such painful experiences, the Hrant Dink murder hit a blow to the community. Although Mesrop II had a conflict with Dink just before his death, the patriarch was deeply saddened by the incident. As everyone was talking about the killing of Dink, Mesrop II fell ill. Nobody wanted to believe this, because he was a young, healthy man. But the rumors didn’t seem to end. The patriarchate had to make an announcement and state that Mesrop II had frontal tempora dementia and that the disease was incurable. His illness was found suspicious by some. The Spiritual Council worried about the elections and the Executive Committee didn’t back Mesrop II. Nobody talked, everybody preferred to remain silent. A passionate, assertive, intellectual man suddenly goes senile; or rather fights with death … No one questioned this. Without a doubt, Turkish Armenians’ Patriarchate and the Armenian community in Istanbul went through a painful process. Perhaps this history will give the real answers to today’s questions in the future.
As Mesrop II was elected
Let’s have a glimpse back at how Mesrop II was elected. Following the death of the 83rd patriarch, Karekin II, the Armenian community faced a new election. Mesrop Mutafyan, as an archbishop, was the strongest candidate. Mutafyan was very active both in the community and in the patriarchate during Karekin’s tenure, so his candidacy was not a surprise. However, the Armenian community in Istanbul, which prefers to have a conservative and introverted lifestyle, opposed Mutafyan because of his relative youth. They wanted a candidate more mature in life. But the real reason was that everyone wanted to see his or her own candidate in the seat. As a matter of fact, the difference between the situations today and yesterday was that Karekin was dead. The community had not discussed such issues publicly in the past, but rather solved them internally. Times have changed, however. I was on duty during the 1998 elections, which ended with the victory of Mesrop II. We worked hard around the clock, counted votes and checked the lists. In the elections of October 1998, Mesrop Mutafyan became the 84th patriarch of the Armenian community in Turkey. The process was criticized, with claims that there had been fraud. However, Mesrop II stood strong and gave a different portrait. While acting as the spiritual leader of the community, Mesrop II played a critical role in carrying the community’s problems to the agenda of the country. Yes, he was a spiritual leader and had to remain so, but it was such a process the community was going under that he found himself at the center of politics. Mesrop II was worn out. In short, what is left from an idealist 56-year-old man is a community that still cannot find its way out to the ballot box and an ill man who is fighting for his life.
Friday, December 3, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
Has the Armenian community in Istanbul descended into chaos by itself or has it been pushed into it while trying to select a patriarch? Where is the ballot box? In fact, there are many answers to these questions. But nobody is paying attention to the health of Patriarch Mesrop II Mutafyan, which is worsening gradually, because everyone is talking all at once.
Mesrop II, behind the closed doors of the Patriarchate, tries to stay alive with the tremendous help of his old mother. He is surviving but standing on a thin line separating life from death.
As he faces death the community he leads is looking for a ballot box outside. Spiritual leaders inside the premise make more chaos rather than control the situation. The Armenian community, therefore, is approaching a solution on one hand, but is falling apart on the other, as everyone wants to see his/her own candidate in the seat. The selfishness of the spiritual leaders and the community is now being taken to court. In the history of the patriarchate, the state of Turkey, for the first time ever, has had the urge to interfere closely in the election process.
Suspicious disease, painful process
How did the Armenian community get into this cycle? Clues can be found, actually, on Jan. 19, 2007 or a little before. The country was going through a painful political turmoil. Exercising his spiritual leadership, Mesrop II was also making a statement to reflect the problems of the Armenian community. He started to be threatened so much that he even decided to resign due to the pressures, but was not allowed to according to the rules of the church. Mesrop II was thus left to his fate. The patriarch’s duty was valued above his life. Amid such painful experiences, the Hrant Dink murder hit a blow to the community. Although Mesrop II had a conflict with Dink just before his death, the patriarch was deeply saddened by the incident. As everyone was talking about the killing of Dink, Mesrop II fell ill. Nobody wanted to believe this, because he was a young, healthy man. But the rumors didn’t seem to end. The patriarchate had to make an announcement and state that Mesrop II had frontal tempora dementia and that the disease was incurable. His illness was found suspicious by some. The Spiritual Council worried about the elections and the Executive Committee didn’t back Mesrop II. Nobody talked, everybody preferred to remain silent. A passionate, assertive, intellectual man suddenly goes senile; or rather fights with death … No one questioned this. Without a doubt, Turkish Armenians’ Patriarchate and the Armenian community in Istanbul went through a painful process. Perhaps this history will give the real answers to today’s questions in the future.
As Mesrop II was elected
Let’s have a glimpse back at how Mesrop II was elected. Following the death of the 83rd patriarch, Karekin II, the Armenian community faced a new election. Mesrop Mutafyan, as an archbishop, was the strongest candidate. Mutafyan was very active both in the community and in the patriarchate during Karekin’s tenure, so his candidacy was not a surprise. However, the Armenian community in Istanbul, which prefers to have a conservative and introverted lifestyle, opposed Mutafyan because of his relative youth. They wanted a candidate more mature in life. But the real reason was that everyone wanted to see his or her own candidate in the seat. As a matter of fact, the difference between the situations today and yesterday was that Karekin was dead. The community had not discussed such issues publicly in the past, but rather solved them internally. Times have changed, however. I was on duty during the 1998 elections, which ended with the victory of Mesrop II. We worked hard around the clock, counted votes and checked the lists. In the elections of October 1998, Mesrop Mutafyan became the 84th patriarch of the Armenian community in Turkey. The process was criticized, with claims that there had been fraud. However, Mesrop II stood strong and gave a different portrait. While acting as the spiritual leader of the community, Mesrop II played a critical role in carrying the community’s problems to the agenda of the country. Yes, he was a spiritual leader and had to remain so, but it was such a process the community was going under that he found himself at the center of politics. Mesrop II was worn out. In short, what is left from an idealist 56-year-old man is a community that still cannot find its way out to the ballot box and an ill man who is fighting for his life.
1 Aralık 2010 Çarşamba
Turkish Armenians sue Turkey over belated patriarch election
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
The Turkish Armenian community has filled two lawsuits against the Turkish government, including one to get permission to go ahead with a long-delayed election to select their own new patriarch.
“A committee composed of civilian representatives from the community filed two lawsuits,” the community’s attorney Sebuh Aslangil told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. “The first one is to make the government allow an election for a patriarch to take place, and the second is for canceling the substitute patriarch’s post.”
Aslangil told the Daily News that such a post does not exist in the rules of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Civilian representatives of the community, who have formed an initiative to lobby for their rights to select their own patriarch, meanwhile held a meeting Wednesday in Istanbul. The initiative previously organized a petition campaign that gathered 6,000 signatures from Armenians in Istanbul demanding that the election be allowed to take place.
Previous patriarch Mesrop II stepped down due to dementia. After his resignation, the Armenian community applied to the Interior Ministry; the first was made by the patriarchate’s spiritual committee to elect a co-patriarch and the second was made by the civilian committee to elect a new patriarch.
Speaking to the Daily News, initiative spokesman Garo Paylan said the fact that there were two applications posed a problem, but that this should “not get the Interior Ministry off the hook for what they have done.”
He said the ministry invented the post of “substitute patriarch” in order to see the person they wanted installed in the patriarch’s place. “The Turkish state needs to give the Armenian community what they are entitled to and should not impede the election process,” Paylan said. “It is our most deserved right to be able to elect our patriarch. In no time in history has the Armenian Patriarchate in Istanbul been persecuted to this extent.”
Secret meeting at the palace
In November, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a secret meeting with Archbishop Aram Ateşyan and a few prominent businessmen from the Armenian community. The participants made no statement about what was discussed at the meeting.
In subsequent months, Ateşyan was assigned as substitute patriarch through the intervention of the Interior Ministry.
According to Paylan, some prominent people from the community had an interesting meeting with Interior Minister Beşir Atalay last week. “Atalay told us he was given information by Ateşyan concerning the election procedure,” the spokesman said. “We do not know what is happening behind closed doors, but we know there is a post that has been left unfilled for three years and that is the post of the community’s spiritual leader.”
Paylan said the election must take place as soon as possible and that it does not matter whether it selects a co-patriarch or a new patriarch.
“Ateşyan imitates the Turkish government’s official discourse wherever he goes and says we have no problems with the Turkish state,” he said. “We want someone who is not afraid to speak his mind and who could represent our community in a way that is true to reality.”
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
The Turkish Armenian community has filled two lawsuits against the Turkish government, including one to get permission to go ahead with a long-delayed election to select their own new patriarch.
“A committee composed of civilian representatives from the community filed two lawsuits,” the community’s attorney Sebuh Aslangil told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. “The first one is to make the government allow an election for a patriarch to take place, and the second is for canceling the substitute patriarch’s post.”
Aslangil told the Daily News that such a post does not exist in the rules of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Civilian representatives of the community, who have formed an initiative to lobby for their rights to select their own patriarch, meanwhile held a meeting Wednesday in Istanbul. The initiative previously organized a petition campaign that gathered 6,000 signatures from Armenians in Istanbul demanding that the election be allowed to take place.
Previous patriarch Mesrop II stepped down due to dementia. After his resignation, the Armenian community applied to the Interior Ministry; the first was made by the patriarchate’s spiritual committee to elect a co-patriarch and the second was made by the civilian committee to elect a new patriarch.
Speaking to the Daily News, initiative spokesman Garo Paylan said the fact that there were two applications posed a problem, but that this should “not get the Interior Ministry off the hook for what they have done.”
He said the ministry invented the post of “substitute patriarch” in order to see the person they wanted installed in the patriarch’s place. “The Turkish state needs to give the Armenian community what they are entitled to and should not impede the election process,” Paylan said. “It is our most deserved right to be able to elect our patriarch. In no time in history has the Armenian Patriarchate in Istanbul been persecuted to this extent.”
Secret meeting at the palace
In November, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a secret meeting with Archbishop Aram Ateşyan and a few prominent businessmen from the Armenian community. The participants made no statement about what was discussed at the meeting.
In subsequent months, Ateşyan was assigned as substitute patriarch through the intervention of the Interior Ministry.
According to Paylan, some prominent people from the community had an interesting meeting with Interior Minister Beşir Atalay last week. “Atalay told us he was given information by Ateşyan concerning the election procedure,” the spokesman said. “We do not know what is happening behind closed doors, but we know there is a post that has been left unfilled for three years and that is the post of the community’s spiritual leader.”
Paylan said the election must take place as soon as possible and that it does not matter whether it selects a co-patriarch or a new patriarch.
“Ateşyan imitates the Turkish government’s official discourse wherever he goes and says we have no problems with the Turkish state,” he said. “We want someone who is not afraid to speak his mind and who could represent our community in a way that is true to reality.”
Sibil’s Armenian songs echo on Istanbul’s İstiklal
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Young Armenian artist Sibil’s album is on the market. In the album she is accompanied by leading Turkish artists. Sufi music master Mercan Dede performed the most beloved song of the Armenian world, Giligya, with his reed flute and was accompanied by zither virtuoso Göksel Baktagir. Cenk Taşkan (Majak Toşikyan), who has produced legendary Turkish pop music songs, arranged the album. ‘Turkey is progressing so fast. It is unbelievable that an Armenian album is played on the streets,’ Sibil says
One of the most successful names of Sufi music in Turkey, Mercan Dede, has made the dreams of an Armenian artist come true. In recent days, an impressive sound has been heard in the music markets on İstiklal Avenue. Some think this different language is Kurdish or Laz, but actually the songs are Armenian.
Armenian artist Sibil’s album, on the Ossi Music label, is an example of solidarity between Turkish, Armenian, Greek and diaspora Armenian artists. Sibil is accompanied by Mercan Dede with his reed flute and Göktel Baktagir with his zither. Greek artist Petro has made a first by performing Armenian music legend Gomidas’ song “Der Voğormya” (God Mercy Us) in Turkish style. Jimmy Philipossian from the diaspora is on the album with his lyrics. Majak Toşikyan, who is known as Cenk Taşkan and has made legendary Turkish pop music since the 1970s, arranged the album.
“My dreams have come true thanks to this album,” said Sibil, speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. She said that while she was a child her mother warned her not to speak Armenian on the street. “I discovered Armenian music at the age of 14 with a cassette from abroad. I cried for hours when I listened to the first Armenian song. We were not able to express our identity freely in those years.”
Sibil said she believed Turkey was democratizing fast. “We left all those hard years behind. I can make an Armenian album and it is played on the street, it is unbelievable.”
Very hard times
Although she has had great interest in music since her childhood, Sibil did not get a conservatory education. “My family hesitated to send me to conservatory because of my identity. I had very hard times. Even though I did not attend conservatory, music has become a part of my life.”
Soprano Sibil, who is known for her successful solos in the Armenian society, said she owed her voice to Armenian church choirs in Istanbul. “Even though it is called church choir, each Armenian child gets serious music education in these choirs and improves their voice. The choir has given many things to me, but I always loved popular music.”
Mercan Dede finds Sibil
Sibil’s dreams came true thanks to a coincidence. The Surp Vartananz Armenian Choir, of which she is a member, shared the stage with Turkish pop music stars Nükhet Duru and Sezen Aksu in the mid-2000s. These concerts drew great attention from the Turkish media. Sibil accompanied the two artists on stage in both concerts. Later on the concerts were released on CD.
“How could I know that this CD would be a turning point in my life?” Sibil said. “In 2006, Mercan Dede was expected to give a concert in a cathedral in Paris. When an Armenian choir quit the concert at the last minute, he remembered and found me. It was unbelievable that I took the stage in this concert as a big coincidence.
“I have never dreamed of releasing a CD one day with such big artists, but it is real now. I will always appreciate all of them.” They came together and gave life to Armenian music with me. Also, Mercan Dede accompanied the most beloved song of the Armenian world, Giligya, with his reed flute. In the album listeners will find the harmony of Turkish and Armenian motifs.”
‘I fear the dream will end’
Sibil, who has been working in the financial sector for many years, explained how she felt when she heard her own voice on the streets. “I feel like I am in a dream, I fear that the dream will come to an end when I wake up.”
Sibil said her friends at work gave her an unforgettable surprise when her album was released. “Everyone had my album on their desk and were listening to my songs. I returned to my childhood, to those days when I could not tell my name freely. I was really affected.”
“We came together in this album for a common goal and gave life to Armenian songs,” she said. “I want all my songs to reach all around Turkey.”
Sibil’s album will be released in Europe and the U.S. in the coming days
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Young Armenian artist Sibil’s album is on the market. In the album she is accompanied by leading Turkish artists. Sufi music master Mercan Dede performed the most beloved song of the Armenian world, Giligya, with his reed flute and was accompanied by zither virtuoso Göksel Baktagir. Cenk Taşkan (Majak Toşikyan), who has produced legendary Turkish pop music songs, arranged the album. ‘Turkey is progressing so fast. It is unbelievable that an Armenian album is played on the streets,’ Sibil says
One of the most successful names of Sufi music in Turkey, Mercan Dede, has made the dreams of an Armenian artist come true. In recent days, an impressive sound has been heard in the music markets on İstiklal Avenue. Some think this different language is Kurdish or Laz, but actually the songs are Armenian.
Armenian artist Sibil’s album, on the Ossi Music label, is an example of solidarity between Turkish, Armenian, Greek and diaspora Armenian artists. Sibil is accompanied by Mercan Dede with his reed flute and Göktel Baktagir with his zither. Greek artist Petro has made a first by performing Armenian music legend Gomidas’ song “Der Voğormya” (God Mercy Us) in Turkish style. Jimmy Philipossian from the diaspora is on the album with his lyrics. Majak Toşikyan, who is known as Cenk Taşkan and has made legendary Turkish pop music since the 1970s, arranged the album.
“My dreams have come true thanks to this album,” said Sibil, speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. She said that while she was a child her mother warned her not to speak Armenian on the street. “I discovered Armenian music at the age of 14 with a cassette from abroad. I cried for hours when I listened to the first Armenian song. We were not able to express our identity freely in those years.”
Sibil said she believed Turkey was democratizing fast. “We left all those hard years behind. I can make an Armenian album and it is played on the street, it is unbelievable.”
Very hard times
Although she has had great interest in music since her childhood, Sibil did not get a conservatory education. “My family hesitated to send me to conservatory because of my identity. I had very hard times. Even though I did not attend conservatory, music has become a part of my life.”
Soprano Sibil, who is known for her successful solos in the Armenian society, said she owed her voice to Armenian church choirs in Istanbul. “Even though it is called church choir, each Armenian child gets serious music education in these choirs and improves their voice. The choir has given many things to me, but I always loved popular music.”
Mercan Dede finds Sibil
Sibil’s dreams came true thanks to a coincidence. The Surp Vartananz Armenian Choir, of which she is a member, shared the stage with Turkish pop music stars Nükhet Duru and Sezen Aksu in the mid-2000s. These concerts drew great attention from the Turkish media. Sibil accompanied the two artists on stage in both concerts. Later on the concerts were released on CD.
“How could I know that this CD would be a turning point in my life?” Sibil said. “In 2006, Mercan Dede was expected to give a concert in a cathedral in Paris. When an Armenian choir quit the concert at the last minute, he remembered and found me. It was unbelievable that I took the stage in this concert as a big coincidence.
“I have never dreamed of releasing a CD one day with such big artists, but it is real now. I will always appreciate all of them.” They came together and gave life to Armenian music with me. Also, Mercan Dede accompanied the most beloved song of the Armenian world, Giligya, with his reed flute. In the album listeners will find the harmony of Turkish and Armenian motifs.”
‘I fear the dream will end’
Sibil, who has been working in the financial sector for many years, explained how she felt when she heard her own voice on the streets. “I feel like I am in a dream, I fear that the dream will come to an end when I wake up.”
Sibil said her friends at work gave her an unforgettable surprise when her album was released. “Everyone had my album on their desk and were listening to my songs. I returned to my childhood, to those days when I could not tell my name freely. I was really affected.”
“We came together in this album for a common goal and gave life to Armenian songs,” she said. “I want all my songs to reach all around Turkey.”
Sibil’s album will be released in Europe and the U.S. in the coming days
29 Kasım 2010 Pazartesi
Turkish Armenian community facing uncertainty with resignations
Monday, November 29, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Karaköse quit his post after the patriarchate's financial board resigned.
The administration of the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey has been thrown into uncertainty following a decision by the institution’s financial board to resign en masse due to differences of opinion with the acting patriarch.
“It has never been like this in the whole history of the patriarchate,” Melkon Karaköse, a key figure in the community and most important person on the financial board, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review last week. “We [Turkish Armenians] are at the risk of losing our integrity and unity as a society and we are passing through extremely dark times.”
The board chose to resign following problems with Archbishop Aram Ateşyan, who was made acting patriarch by the Interior Ministry after the Armenian community failed to select a new patriarch after current Patriarch Mesrop II was diagnosed with frontal dementia two years ago, leaving him unable to fulfill his duties. Under the Armenian Aposolic Church's cannon law, a new patriarch cannot be selected until the previous one has died.
Although the financial board was previously necessary to facilitate the community’s commercial matters, the power now solely rests in the acting patriarch’s hands.
“The financial board fell into bad terms with Archbishop Ateşyan and decided to resign. I told them that if they quit, I would quit as well because it was impossible for me to take such great responsibility on my shoulders,” Karaköse said.
“Ateşyan is an honest man, but he needs to take measures today in order to prevent being taken to account tomorrow, or else he will suffer greatly,” Karaköse said, adding that the community should have been allowed to elect a new patriarch, rather than trying to cope with the substitute system.
The resignation of the financial board, which has helped handle the Armenian community’s commercial matters for the past 550 years, has left the community in a difficult position as financial dealings have required the signature of one cleric and one layperson to become valid as part of a tradition dating back to Ottoman times.
“When I did not sign a document, all the financial conducts of the patriarchate used to come to a hiatus,” said Karaköse, who has been the layperson responsible for signing off on the documents for many years. “I sued to sign all the documents on behalf of the community, and the reason why a civil signature is required together with that of the clergy is to overcome possible acts of bribery.”
Karaköse has served in the patriarchate’s top positions for the past 30 years and has been considered the right-hand man of the last three patriarchs, including Mesrop II.
Monday, November 29, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Karaköse quit his post after the patriarchate's financial board resigned.
The administration of the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey has been thrown into uncertainty following a decision by the institution’s financial board to resign en masse due to differences of opinion with the acting patriarch.
“It has never been like this in the whole history of the patriarchate,” Melkon Karaköse, a key figure in the community and most important person on the financial board, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review last week. “We [Turkish Armenians] are at the risk of losing our integrity and unity as a society and we are passing through extremely dark times.”
The board chose to resign following problems with Archbishop Aram Ateşyan, who was made acting patriarch by the Interior Ministry after the Armenian community failed to select a new patriarch after current Patriarch Mesrop II was diagnosed with frontal dementia two years ago, leaving him unable to fulfill his duties. Under the Armenian Aposolic Church's cannon law, a new patriarch cannot be selected until the previous one has died.
Although the financial board was previously necessary to facilitate the community’s commercial matters, the power now solely rests in the acting patriarch’s hands.
“The financial board fell into bad terms with Archbishop Ateşyan and decided to resign. I told them that if they quit, I would quit as well because it was impossible for me to take such great responsibility on my shoulders,” Karaköse said.
“Ateşyan is an honest man, but he needs to take measures today in order to prevent being taken to account tomorrow, or else he will suffer greatly,” Karaköse said, adding that the community should have been allowed to elect a new patriarch, rather than trying to cope with the substitute system.
The resignation of the financial board, which has helped handle the Armenian community’s commercial matters for the past 550 years, has left the community in a difficult position as financial dealings have required the signature of one cleric and one layperson to become valid as part of a tradition dating back to Ottoman times.
“When I did not sign a document, all the financial conducts of the patriarchate used to come to a hiatus,” said Karaköse, who has been the layperson responsible for signing off on the documents for many years. “I sued to sign all the documents on behalf of the community, and the reason why a civil signature is required together with that of the clergy is to overcome possible acts of bribery.”
Karaköse has served in the patriarchate’s top positions for the past 30 years and has been considered the right-hand man of the last three patriarchs, including Mesrop II.
25 Kasım 2010 Perşembe
Istanbul center breaks ground with ethnic language institute
Thursday, November 25, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Istanbul’s Geoaktif Culture and Activism Center is now providing classes in six Anatolian languages, ranging from Armenian to Laz. The classes, a first for Turkey, are attracting interest from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds, says Cemal Atila, the center’s founder, who adds the lessons are testament to a changing Turkey
A new center in Istanbul’s Taksim neighborhood has begun to offer courses for a number of under-threat Anatolian languages, providing a tangible example of the societal changes currently occurring in Turkey, according to the location’s founder.
“In the last few years, racist approaches have fallen apart as small and new institutions, like ours, are sprouting out through the cracks,” Cemal Atila, head of the Geoaktif Culture and Activism Center, recently told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
The center is taking applications from people eager to learn a variety of languages spoken in Anatolia, including Armenian, Kurdish, Laz, Persian and Zaza. To date, no language center in Turkey has ever tried to provide classes in such a broad variety of tongues.
In addition to students coming from a number of different ethnic backgrounds, many Turks are also interested in the center, said Atila.
“Anyone can join us. There is no preparation class or anything. But we rather act prudently and examine applicants before they start courses,” said Atila, adding that they currently had a total of 25 students.
Lack of teachers fluent in languages
Although the center started activities in October it has still suffered from a lack of teachers fluent in all the languages offered, Atila said.
“We didn’t want to stop despite all odds and just found a few teachers,” he said. “[But] the important thing is to make a start at some point.”
Despite the growing pains, the center hopes to add new languages to those already offered and ultimately work toward the survival of all Anatolian languages, Atila said.
The cultural policies that led to the suppression of marginal languages in favor of the national language, Turkish, have occurred in countries throughout the world that have felt the need to create its own nation-state, Atila said.
“The only difference we have in Turkey is that pressures are stronger and last longer. But it is exhilarating to see such staid oppression dying out,” he said.
‘Turkey is changing’
Although the greater openness toward plurality in Turkish society suggests a move in a positive direction, Atila said it was important to remember that society was not monolithic.
“A significant part of society seriously questions official ideology and its oppressive system. They are aware of the social and cultural damage caused by this ideology. But this, at the same time, creates a reverse process,” he said. “Though intellectuals, writers and artists claim to be modern and the pro-Western, they can show hostility toward local ethnicities. Many intellectuals and artists, who are so-called humanists and world citizens, have raised objections to Kurdish education. They say the introduction of such a right divides the country.”
Despite the dilemma, Atila believes some things have started to change in Turkey. “The word Armenian was used a cuss word for years. Who could have opened an Armenian-language course in this country?” he asked.
Ethnic language courses will spread
The center is also hoping to organize discussions and conferences with the participation of linguists in the near future.
The center also aims to spread out throughout Turkey, Atila said, adding that they would also involve themselves in the preservation of cultures, cuisines, music and dances of different ethnicities in the country.
“Within a few years, we’ll have more detailed studies. And of course we will not be satisfied with the ethnic languages of this land. We will concentrate on world languages and cultures, be involved in cultural activities and question some certain elements,” he said.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Istanbul’s Geoaktif Culture and Activism Center is now providing classes in six Anatolian languages, ranging from Armenian to Laz. The classes, a first for Turkey, are attracting interest from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds, says Cemal Atila, the center’s founder, who adds the lessons are testament to a changing Turkey
A new center in Istanbul’s Taksim neighborhood has begun to offer courses for a number of under-threat Anatolian languages, providing a tangible example of the societal changes currently occurring in Turkey, according to the location’s founder.
“In the last few years, racist approaches have fallen apart as small and new institutions, like ours, are sprouting out through the cracks,” Cemal Atila, head of the Geoaktif Culture and Activism Center, recently told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
The center is taking applications from people eager to learn a variety of languages spoken in Anatolia, including Armenian, Kurdish, Laz, Persian and Zaza. To date, no language center in Turkey has ever tried to provide classes in such a broad variety of tongues.
In addition to students coming from a number of different ethnic backgrounds, many Turks are also interested in the center, said Atila.
“Anyone can join us. There is no preparation class or anything. But we rather act prudently and examine applicants before they start courses,” said Atila, adding that they currently had a total of 25 students.
Lack of teachers fluent in languages
Although the center started activities in October it has still suffered from a lack of teachers fluent in all the languages offered, Atila said.
“We didn’t want to stop despite all odds and just found a few teachers,” he said. “[But] the important thing is to make a start at some point.”
Despite the growing pains, the center hopes to add new languages to those already offered and ultimately work toward the survival of all Anatolian languages, Atila said.
The cultural policies that led to the suppression of marginal languages in favor of the national language, Turkish, have occurred in countries throughout the world that have felt the need to create its own nation-state, Atila said.
“The only difference we have in Turkey is that pressures are stronger and last longer. But it is exhilarating to see such staid oppression dying out,” he said.
‘Turkey is changing’
Although the greater openness toward plurality in Turkish society suggests a move in a positive direction, Atila said it was important to remember that society was not monolithic.
“A significant part of society seriously questions official ideology and its oppressive system. They are aware of the social and cultural damage caused by this ideology. But this, at the same time, creates a reverse process,” he said. “Though intellectuals, writers and artists claim to be modern and the pro-Western, they can show hostility toward local ethnicities. Many intellectuals and artists, who are so-called humanists and world citizens, have raised objections to Kurdish education. They say the introduction of such a right divides the country.”
Despite the dilemma, Atila believes some things have started to change in Turkey. “The word Armenian was used a cuss word for years. Who could have opened an Armenian-language course in this country?” he asked.
Ethnic language courses will spread
The center is also hoping to organize discussions and conferences with the participation of linguists in the near future.
The center also aims to spread out throughout Turkey, Atila said, adding that they would also involve themselves in the preservation of cultures, cuisines, music and dances of different ethnicities in the country.
“Within a few years, we’ll have more detailed studies. And of course we will not be satisfied with the ethnic languages of this land. We will concentrate on world languages and cultures, be involved in cultural activities and question some certain elements,” he said.
15 Kasım 2010 Pazartesi
Turkey's Armenians facing problems with board's election
Sunday, November 14, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Turkey’s Armenian community is facing difficulties in electing an administrative board for the Üç Horan Armenian Church Foundation, with some claiming society officials are guilty of discrimination.
“Armenians from [the Central Anatolian province of] Sivas are dominant in the administrative board, and they do not want Armenians from [the Southeast Anatolian province of Şırnak] and [the Black Sea province of] Sinop to have any influence whatsoever in the community foundations. They call them Kurds. Such discrimination is unacceptable in a 50,000-person community,” Üç Horan Foundation chairman candidate Efrim Bağ told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
Sarkis Elbe, a prominent member of the Armenian community in Turkey, said the election process has been “painful,” adding that the elections should be open to all members of the Armenian community in Istanbul to prevent problems in future elections.
Misak Hergel, president of the Istanbul-based Vakıflıköy Armenians Association, also believes that the elections should be open to public. “A general election should be held not only for Beyoğlu but all foundations,” said Hergel. “Many foundations do not have a congregation and the current election process is not fair.”
The Turkish-Armenian community owns 42 foundations, all of them based in Istanbul. Üç Horan has the largest amount of revenue among them.
In May 2009 the foundation applied to the General Directorate of Foundations to elect their administrative board. Some, however, said after the polls that the administrative board had conducted an unlawful election for its own ends. The election was canceled and the issue was taken to court.
The General Directorate of Foundations demanded a new election, which was scheduled for Nov. 21 of this year. However, the same administrative board was found to have unlawfully prepared an election list and the election was postponed again, this time until February.
The Turkish Armenian community in Istanbul wants the board elections to be open to participation by all members of the community. According to the community’s attorneys, there is no legal impediment to that in the Turkish law for foundations.
Bağ further said the patriarch’s word used to be considered a holy order, but the lack of a proper patriarch at the moment has complicated the community’s internal affairs.
“The deputy patriarch invited all the parties to the Patriarchate to discuss the issue, but nobody went. This is openly denying the Patriarchate and its status,” Bağ said.
Turkish Armenian Patriarch Mesrop II has developed frontal dementia, preventing him from fulfilling his duties. Following intervention by the Turkish Interior Ministry, Archbishop Aram Ateşyan was appointed deputy patriarch.
Because the current patriarch is still alive, a new patriarch cannot be elected, according to the canon of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
The Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review called the foundation board to ask for comment about the claims, but the board refused to answer its questions.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Turkey’s Armenian community is facing difficulties in electing an administrative board for the Üç Horan Armenian Church Foundation, with some claiming society officials are guilty of discrimination.
“Armenians from [the Central Anatolian province of] Sivas are dominant in the administrative board, and they do not want Armenians from [the Southeast Anatolian province of Şırnak] and [the Black Sea province of] Sinop to have any influence whatsoever in the community foundations. They call them Kurds. Such discrimination is unacceptable in a 50,000-person community,” Üç Horan Foundation chairman candidate Efrim Bağ told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
Sarkis Elbe, a prominent member of the Armenian community in Turkey, said the election process has been “painful,” adding that the elections should be open to all members of the Armenian community in Istanbul to prevent problems in future elections.
Misak Hergel, president of the Istanbul-based Vakıflıköy Armenians Association, also believes that the elections should be open to public. “A general election should be held not only for Beyoğlu but all foundations,” said Hergel. “Many foundations do not have a congregation and the current election process is not fair.”
The Turkish-Armenian community owns 42 foundations, all of them based in Istanbul. Üç Horan has the largest amount of revenue among them.
In May 2009 the foundation applied to the General Directorate of Foundations to elect their administrative board. Some, however, said after the polls that the administrative board had conducted an unlawful election for its own ends. The election was canceled and the issue was taken to court.
The General Directorate of Foundations demanded a new election, which was scheduled for Nov. 21 of this year. However, the same administrative board was found to have unlawfully prepared an election list and the election was postponed again, this time until February.
The Turkish Armenian community in Istanbul wants the board elections to be open to participation by all members of the community. According to the community’s attorneys, there is no legal impediment to that in the Turkish law for foundations.
Bağ further said the patriarch’s word used to be considered a holy order, but the lack of a proper patriarch at the moment has complicated the community’s internal affairs.
“The deputy patriarch invited all the parties to the Patriarchate to discuss the issue, but nobody went. This is openly denying the Patriarchate and its status,” Bağ said.
Turkish Armenian Patriarch Mesrop II has developed frontal dementia, preventing him from fulfilling his duties. Following intervention by the Turkish Interior Ministry, Archbishop Aram Ateşyan was appointed deputy patriarch.
Because the current patriarch is still alive, a new patriarch cannot be elected, according to the canon of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
The Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review called the foundation board to ask for comment about the claims, but the board refused to answer its questions.
11 Kasım 2010 Perşembe
Istanbul concert to commemorate Gomidas Vartabed on 140th birthday
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Kütahya-born Armenian musician Gomidas Vartabed will be commemorated on his 140th birthday throughout Armenia, the diaspora and Turkey. Made possible thanks to a grant from the Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture Agency, Thursday’s free concert will present the Kusan 2010 Choir’s rendition of the great composer’s ‘Badarak’ (Divine Liturgy)
The Kusan 2010 Choir will perform a concert to commemorate a milestone in Armenian music, the birth of Gomidas Vartabed.
Groups in both Turkey and Armenia are preparing to hold a series of free concerts to mark the 140th birthday of Kütahya-born Gomidas Vartabed, who is widely recognized as the father of modern Armenian classical music.
“We want to commemorate Gomidas in the land where he was born,” said Istanbul University Radio and Television Department student Sayat Dağlıyan, 23, who helped form the Gomidas Platform.
The commemoratory “Gomidas Liturgical Music” concerts, which were made possible by a grant from the Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture Agency, will be held Thursday at 9 p.m. at the Surp Yerortutyum Armenian Church (Üç Horan Armenian Church) in Beyoğlu’s Balıkpazarı and on Nov. 26 at Istanbul Kültür University’s Akıngüç Oditorium free of charge.
The music will be performed by the Kusan 2010 Choir, the descendent of the original Kusan Choir that Vartabed formed himself over a century ago, and will be conducted by two Armenian maestros, including the conductor of Istanbul’s Lusavoriç Armenian Choir, Hagop Mamgonyan, and the conductor of the Karasunmangazs Armenian Choir, Edvin Galipoğlu.
Mamigonyan said the Kusan 2010 Choir would perform a capella and be composed only of men, as it was in the past.
Galipoğlu, meanwhile, said the choir members were made up of 30 amateurs from different age groups that were all educated in Istanbul’s Armenian choirs.
The choir will perform Vartabed’s polyphonic “Badarak” (Divine Liturgy), which the maestro composed for the Armenian Apostolic Church but was not completed until its notation by his student in 1933 in Paris.
The concert will be broadcast live online at www.gomidasplatform.org/live.
Turkish and Armenian youth together
One of the founding members of the Gomidas Platform, Sona Menteşe, said realizing the project was akin to making a dream come true.
“We learned that the 2010 Istanbul Agency invited an orchestra from Armenia for Gomidas’ birthday but the orchestra was unable to come. Later, we presented the project and it was accepted. We thank the agency on behalf of Istanbul’s Armenians,” Menteşe said.
At the end of last year Dağlıyan made a short film on Vartabed, titled “İncu/Neden.” With the other members of the platform, he has been organizing the “Blind Photographers Project” since the beginning of the year for the performance of Vartabed’s works.
There are also young Turkish people among the team members. “We experience the pleasure of doing something together,” Dağlıyan said. “In this way, we share the universal language of music and love like Gomidas showed us.”
Mamigonyan and Galipoğlu said they had accelerated their rehearsals since August.
Noting that there had been disagreements among Armenian choirs, Mamigonyan said: “Some did not believe us that we would be able to make it properly. But we, a handful people, wanted to give life to Vartabed again.”
Galipoğlu agreed with Mamigonyan and said the Armenian Patriarchate had provided great support to them.
Istanbul’s Armenians, who have closed themselves in the past because of their small numbers and a variety of other problems, have increasingly started to engage with the wider society. “It is true that we have opened to society in the cultural field. Some of our members are interested in politics, too,” said platform member Misak Hergel. “But the assassination of [Armenian-Turkish journalist] Hrant Dink discouraged us.”
Gomidas Vartabed
Ethnomusicologist, composer and maestro Gomidas Vartabed was born in the Aegean province of Kütahya, which is famous for its tiles, in the middle of the 1800s. Born Soğomon Soğomonyan, Vartabed (which means priest) was an orphan and was sent to the Armenian Apostolic Central Church in Armenia to receive a religious education.
Later, he studied music at Berlin University and organized important conferences there. He is especially known for researching Armenian, Anatolian and Transcaucasian music, as well as Turkish, Kurdish, Azeri and Iranian musical forms.
When he recorded Armenian religious music at the beginning of 1900s, he had problems with Etchmiadzin and the Turkish Armenian Patriarchate.
He was also one of 230 Armenian intellectuals who were arrested in Istanbul and deported on April 24, 1915. After witnessing the murder of a number of friends during the deportation, Vartabed lost his mental health. He died in 1935 in Paris.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Kütahya-born Armenian musician Gomidas Vartabed will be commemorated on his 140th birthday throughout Armenia, the diaspora and Turkey. Made possible thanks to a grant from the Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture Agency, Thursday’s free concert will present the Kusan 2010 Choir’s rendition of the great composer’s ‘Badarak’ (Divine Liturgy)
The Kusan 2010 Choir will perform a concert to commemorate a milestone in Armenian music, the birth of Gomidas Vartabed.
Groups in both Turkey and Armenia are preparing to hold a series of free concerts to mark the 140th birthday of Kütahya-born Gomidas Vartabed, who is widely recognized as the father of modern Armenian classical music.
“We want to commemorate Gomidas in the land where he was born,” said Istanbul University Radio and Television Department student Sayat Dağlıyan, 23, who helped form the Gomidas Platform.
The commemoratory “Gomidas Liturgical Music” concerts, which were made possible by a grant from the Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture Agency, will be held Thursday at 9 p.m. at the Surp Yerortutyum Armenian Church (Üç Horan Armenian Church) in Beyoğlu’s Balıkpazarı and on Nov. 26 at Istanbul Kültür University’s Akıngüç Oditorium free of charge.
The music will be performed by the Kusan 2010 Choir, the descendent of the original Kusan Choir that Vartabed formed himself over a century ago, and will be conducted by two Armenian maestros, including the conductor of Istanbul’s Lusavoriç Armenian Choir, Hagop Mamgonyan, and the conductor of the Karasunmangazs Armenian Choir, Edvin Galipoğlu.
Mamigonyan said the Kusan 2010 Choir would perform a capella and be composed only of men, as it was in the past.
Galipoğlu, meanwhile, said the choir members were made up of 30 amateurs from different age groups that were all educated in Istanbul’s Armenian choirs.
The choir will perform Vartabed’s polyphonic “Badarak” (Divine Liturgy), which the maestro composed for the Armenian Apostolic Church but was not completed until its notation by his student in 1933 in Paris.
The concert will be broadcast live online at www.gomidasplatform.org/live.
Turkish and Armenian youth together
One of the founding members of the Gomidas Platform, Sona Menteşe, said realizing the project was akin to making a dream come true.
“We learned that the 2010 Istanbul Agency invited an orchestra from Armenia for Gomidas’ birthday but the orchestra was unable to come. Later, we presented the project and it was accepted. We thank the agency on behalf of Istanbul’s Armenians,” Menteşe said.
At the end of last year Dağlıyan made a short film on Vartabed, titled “İncu/Neden.” With the other members of the platform, he has been organizing the “Blind Photographers Project” since the beginning of the year for the performance of Vartabed’s works.
There are also young Turkish people among the team members. “We experience the pleasure of doing something together,” Dağlıyan said. “In this way, we share the universal language of music and love like Gomidas showed us.”
Mamigonyan and Galipoğlu said they had accelerated their rehearsals since August.
Noting that there had been disagreements among Armenian choirs, Mamigonyan said: “Some did not believe us that we would be able to make it properly. But we, a handful people, wanted to give life to Vartabed again.”
Galipoğlu agreed with Mamigonyan and said the Armenian Patriarchate had provided great support to them.
Istanbul’s Armenians, who have closed themselves in the past because of their small numbers and a variety of other problems, have increasingly started to engage with the wider society. “It is true that we have opened to society in the cultural field. Some of our members are interested in politics, too,” said platform member Misak Hergel. “But the assassination of [Armenian-Turkish journalist] Hrant Dink discouraged us.”
Gomidas Vartabed
Ethnomusicologist, composer and maestro Gomidas Vartabed was born in the Aegean province of Kütahya, which is famous for its tiles, in the middle of the 1800s. Born Soğomon Soğomonyan, Vartabed (which means priest) was an orphan and was sent to the Armenian Apostolic Central Church in Armenia to receive a religious education.
Later, he studied music at Berlin University and organized important conferences there. He is especially known for researching Armenian, Anatolian and Transcaucasian music, as well as Turkish, Kurdish, Azeri and Iranian musical forms.
When he recorded Armenian religious music at the beginning of 1900s, he had problems with Etchmiadzin and the Turkish Armenian Patriarchate.
He was also one of 230 Armenian intellectuals who were arrested in Istanbul and deported on April 24, 1915. After witnessing the murder of a number of friends during the deportation, Vartabed lost his mental health. He died in 1935 in Paris.
10 Kasım 2010 Çarşamba
Western Turkey hotel owner builds tower in defiance of prosecutors
Monday, November 8, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Linguist and academic Sevan Nişanyan has defied an order to demolish his boutique hotels in the Şirince village of the Aegean province of İzmir by building a 12-meter tower at the site of his hotels.
“I defy [the authorities]. They’d have to kill me in order to make me give up on these houses,” he told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
The tower bears an inscription explaining the reason it was built. An opening was recently held for the tower with the participation of villagers.
The boutique hotels built by Nişanyan were the first examples of their kind.
16 lawsuits opened against Nişanyan
Nişanyan built the hotels in the early 1990s but 16 lawsuits were filed against him almost immediately after they started operating. Seven of the 16 lawsuits are for unlawful construction, two are for development pollution and the others are for breaking a seal.
A few years ago, a Şirince cultural and natural assets committee provided local authorities with its views on conservation in the area, said Fatma Sedes, an architecture and restoration expert at Istanbul Aydın University, but added that officials were not interested.
“We have also examined the Nişanyan Houses and have not seen any construction inconsistent with the historical fabric,” Sedes said, adding that since there is no law currently stating otherwise, additional structures should be allowed in line with existing regulations.
As the lawsuits continued, Nişanyan added 12 extensions inspired by Aegean architecture to his hotels between 2005 and 2006 and was sued again for the extra work.
“Many lawsuits have been filed against me, and the court ordered the destruction of all the buildings, including the poultry,” Nişanyan said, noting that his hotels had been shut down and that he had been threatened many times.
“In all these suits, the top limit of the sentences totals 10 years. All these court decisions are waiting at the court of appeal. They can issue an arrest warrant for me anytime, but I am not afraid. The prosecution process was accelerated due to an article of mine on [Turkish republican founder Mustafa Kemal] Atatürk.”
“It is not conceivable how such an atmosphere has occurred even though [new] laws are not ready. I think both parties are being obstinate with each other. A middle way can be found,” Sedes said.
‘I am not leaving Şirince’
After some alleged that the court cases against Nişanyan were due to his Turkish-Armenian identity, other villagers with unlawful buildings were also prosecuted.
Many Şirince villagers, however, have apparently supported Nişanyan. "They are the victims of the same rotten system and want someone to stand up for their rights. I believe that in time they will gain courage to stand up and fight for their rights themselves,” Nişanyan said.
Nişanyan said that despite all that he had gone through, he had not thought of leaving Şirince.
“I love traveling. But I have a debt to Şirince. It is not enough to travel the entire world like a tourist and enjoy all its beauty. I must leave something behind for the next generations,” he said.
Monday, November 8, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Linguist and academic Sevan Nişanyan has defied an order to demolish his boutique hotels in the Şirince village of the Aegean province of İzmir by building a 12-meter tower at the site of his hotels.
“I defy [the authorities]. They’d have to kill me in order to make me give up on these houses,” he told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
The tower bears an inscription explaining the reason it was built. An opening was recently held for the tower with the participation of villagers.
The boutique hotels built by Nişanyan were the first examples of their kind.
16 lawsuits opened against Nişanyan
Nişanyan built the hotels in the early 1990s but 16 lawsuits were filed against him almost immediately after they started operating. Seven of the 16 lawsuits are for unlawful construction, two are for development pollution and the others are for breaking a seal.
A few years ago, a Şirince cultural and natural assets committee provided local authorities with its views on conservation in the area, said Fatma Sedes, an architecture and restoration expert at Istanbul Aydın University, but added that officials were not interested.
“We have also examined the Nişanyan Houses and have not seen any construction inconsistent with the historical fabric,” Sedes said, adding that since there is no law currently stating otherwise, additional structures should be allowed in line with existing regulations.
As the lawsuits continued, Nişanyan added 12 extensions inspired by Aegean architecture to his hotels between 2005 and 2006 and was sued again for the extra work.
“Many lawsuits have been filed against me, and the court ordered the destruction of all the buildings, including the poultry,” Nişanyan said, noting that his hotels had been shut down and that he had been threatened many times.
“In all these suits, the top limit of the sentences totals 10 years. All these court decisions are waiting at the court of appeal. They can issue an arrest warrant for me anytime, but I am not afraid. The prosecution process was accelerated due to an article of mine on [Turkish republican founder Mustafa Kemal] Atatürk.”
“It is not conceivable how such an atmosphere has occurred even though [new] laws are not ready. I think both parties are being obstinate with each other. A middle way can be found,” Sedes said.
‘I am not leaving Şirince’
After some alleged that the court cases against Nişanyan were due to his Turkish-Armenian identity, other villagers with unlawful buildings were also prosecuted.
Many Şirince villagers, however, have apparently supported Nişanyan. "They are the victims of the same rotten system and want someone to stand up for their rights. I believe that in time they will gain courage to stand up and fight for their rights themselves,” Nişanyan said.
Nişanyan said that despite all that he had gone through, he had not thought of leaving Şirince.
“I love traveling. But I have a debt to Şirince. It is not enough to travel the entire world like a tourist and enjoy all its beauty. I must leave something behind for the next generations,” he said.
30 Ekim 2010 Cumartesi
Atatürk's signature came from hand of Armenian-Turkish master
Friday, October 29, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Armenians experienced many tribulations during the last days of the Ottoman Empire, yet some from the community also stayed to help build the new Republic, including Hagop Vahram Çerçiyan, an Armenian-Turk that created Atatürk’s iconic signature in just one night in 1934. The Daily News spoke to Çerçiyan’s son about the making of the famous signature
From state buildings to official monuments and from the back of car windows to tattoos and all other points in between, the distinctive cursive signature of republican founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk is ubiquitous in Turkey. But while few Turkish citizens would fail to recognize the leader’s signature, even fewer know that an Armenian Turk created the iconic signature – in just one night.
“It was early in the morning. Someone knocked on our door. Worried, my mother came back telling my father that police was asking for him,” Dikran Çerçiyan, the 90-year-old son of the signature’s creator, Hagop Vahram Çerçiyan, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review in recalling the day in 1934 when authorities came looking for a master signature maker.
Hagop Vahram Çerçiyan worked as a teacher for 55 years at Istanbul’s prestigious Robert College, overseeing the graduation of 25,000 students, including former Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit, former foreign ministers Selim Sarper and Turgut Menemencioğluları and former Cabinet minister Kasım Gülek.
Though teaching math and geography at Robert College at the time, Çerçiyan had also gone to the United States to learn the Palmer Method, a system of handwriting that became popular in the country. Upon his return to Turkey, Çerçiyan also taught the method at Robert College.
After the Turkish Republic was formed on Oct. 29, 1923, the country’s leaders set about trying to remake and modernize the country. As part of changes aimed at nation-building, the government decreed that all citizens should take a last name, which did not exist in Ottoman times.
Mustafa Kemal, duly, took the surname Atatürk, meaning father of the Turks.
Name needed a signature
With the 1934 adoption of the surname law, many of Çerçiyan’s former students-turned-parliamentarians, became convinced of the need for the Republic’s founder to develop a signature to accompany his new name.
“The students of my father who were then members of Parliament decided to present him with proposals for a signature. The decision was conveyed to my father by the police commissioner in Istanbul’s Bebek neighborhood,” said Dikran Çerçiyan, who still recalls the day.
After being entrusted with the task, Çerçiyan’s father set to work. “I was tired of watching him and fell asleep. When I woke up in the morning I saw five models on the table. They were handed to the police officer who came that morning,” he said.
Çerçiyan’s work later forgotten
“My father used to have great admiration for Atatürk and always feld proud of his work, so do I,” said Çerçiyan.
“Following Atatürk’s death, some wrote in the Turkish press about my father and the signature. But later on it was all forgotten. Some tried to introduce others as the creator of the signature. There were efforts to forget my father. But the truth always come to the surface,” he said.
Although Çerçiyan lives in New York, he said he spent an important part of his life in Turkey.
“After [first] retiring in 1919, my father came to America for trade but we returned [to Turkey] when I was 2 years old,” he said, adding that although he settled back in the U.S. in 1990 he still had great love for Turkey.
Ultimately, Çerçiyan said there were no problems between Armenians and Turks but only between governments.
“Although my lifetime will not be long enough to see it, the problems will be alleviated one day. We still need time for that but time will heal the wounds,” he said.
Friday, October 29, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Armenians experienced many tribulations during the last days of the Ottoman Empire, yet some from the community also stayed to help build the new Republic, including Hagop Vahram Çerçiyan, an Armenian-Turk that created Atatürk’s iconic signature in just one night in 1934. The Daily News spoke to Çerçiyan’s son about the making of the famous signature
From state buildings to official monuments and from the back of car windows to tattoos and all other points in between, the distinctive cursive signature of republican founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk is ubiquitous in Turkey. But while few Turkish citizens would fail to recognize the leader’s signature, even fewer know that an Armenian Turk created the iconic signature – in just one night.
“It was early in the morning. Someone knocked on our door. Worried, my mother came back telling my father that police was asking for him,” Dikran Çerçiyan, the 90-year-old son of the signature’s creator, Hagop Vahram Çerçiyan, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review in recalling the day in 1934 when authorities came looking for a master signature maker.
Hagop Vahram Çerçiyan worked as a teacher for 55 years at Istanbul’s prestigious Robert College, overseeing the graduation of 25,000 students, including former Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit, former foreign ministers Selim Sarper and Turgut Menemencioğluları and former Cabinet minister Kasım Gülek.
Though teaching math and geography at Robert College at the time, Çerçiyan had also gone to the United States to learn the Palmer Method, a system of handwriting that became popular in the country. Upon his return to Turkey, Çerçiyan also taught the method at Robert College.
After the Turkish Republic was formed on Oct. 29, 1923, the country’s leaders set about trying to remake and modernize the country. As part of changes aimed at nation-building, the government decreed that all citizens should take a last name, which did not exist in Ottoman times.
Mustafa Kemal, duly, took the surname Atatürk, meaning father of the Turks.
Name needed a signature
With the 1934 adoption of the surname law, many of Çerçiyan’s former students-turned-parliamentarians, became convinced of the need for the Republic’s founder to develop a signature to accompany his new name.
“The students of my father who were then members of Parliament decided to present him with proposals for a signature. The decision was conveyed to my father by the police commissioner in Istanbul’s Bebek neighborhood,” said Dikran Çerçiyan, who still recalls the day.
After being entrusted with the task, Çerçiyan’s father set to work. “I was tired of watching him and fell asleep. When I woke up in the morning I saw five models on the table. They were handed to the police officer who came that morning,” he said.
Çerçiyan’s work later forgotten
“My father used to have great admiration for Atatürk and always feld proud of his work, so do I,” said Çerçiyan.
“Following Atatürk’s death, some wrote in the Turkish press about my father and the signature. But later on it was all forgotten. Some tried to introduce others as the creator of the signature. There were efforts to forget my father. But the truth always come to the surface,” he said.
Although Çerçiyan lives in New York, he said he spent an important part of his life in Turkey.
“After [first] retiring in 1919, my father came to America for trade but we returned [to Turkey] when I was 2 years old,” he said, adding that although he settled back in the U.S. in 1990 he still had great love for Turkey.
Ultimately, Çerçiyan said there were no problems between Armenians and Turks but only between governments.
“Although my lifetime will not be long enough to see it, the problems will be alleviated one day. We still need time for that but time will heal the wounds,” he said.
27 Ekim 2010 Çarşamba
Treasured history of Turkish music housed in Yerevan library
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
YEREVAN - Hürriyet Daily News
A part of the Armenian Music and Science Library in Yerevan, home to the some of the world's most priceless musical notes, documents, manuscripts and gramophone recordings, is dedicated to maintaining a Turkish and Azeri music archive. Museum director Gulo Nahadakyan has called on Turkey to help maintain the archive. 'The language of music is universal. We want to meet with you in the universal denominator,' she says.
A treasured history of Turkish music is housed in the Armenian Music and Science Library, located a few kilometers away from the center of the Armenian capital, which maintains an archive of world music.
Besides maintaining recordings of the usual international names in music, from Beethoven to Mozart, and to Armenian music’s best-known figures such as Gomidas and Khacaduryan, and tens of thousands of documents, manuscripts, musical notes, gramophone recordings and some famous composers’ private correspondence, an archive of Turkish classical and pop music is kept in a special room in the library, which also features an impressive collection of Azeri music. It is almost impossible to find such a comprehensive archive in Turkey.
The museum’s director, Gulo Nahadakyan, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review the reason for maintaining the archive was to preserve especially regional music, because music transcends geography and politics. “Turkey and Azerbaijan are our neighbors. Moreover, art does not have a religion and language. Music is universal,” Nahadakyan said, adding that her biggest wish is to collaborate with a Turkish organization and university working in the field of music in order to safeguard the archive.
Dilapidated conditions and a lack of funds
Unfortunately, the library, which accommodates hundreds of years’ worth of world music history, has been severely neglected and some of the documents in the archive are kept in dust and dirt because of a lack of funds. Nahadakyan said the archive is deprived of financial support and has severe economic problems.
“If these documents belonged to another country, they would have been kept like priceless treasures. But unfortunately, this is our situation,” said Nahadakyan, adding that the condition of the building was far from secure. “People are not aware of the riches here. If they knew, they would steal everything in one night,” she said.
The museum employs 36 expert staff, almost 90 percent of whom are women. Nahadakyan said the reason why it is mostly women who work in the museum is again one of funding. “The maximum amount of money we can pay is $30 dollars a month. A man cannot support a family with this money.”
Nilüfer moves the library to tears
The room where the Turkish and Azeri collections are kept is full of gramophone recordings. A Turkish music expert who simply calls herself Ruzan said they had transferred the collection of gramophone recordings onto CD over the last few years in order to make things easy for researchers. “In this way, we try to protect gramophone recordings as much as possible. Researchers can take them home, which makes things easier for them,” she said.
Yet one day, as a surprise, Ruzan and her friends brought a record player to the library one day and played a record of renowned Turkish pop singer Nilüfer. The Turkish singer’s voice echoed around the library on the other side of the closed border and everyone in the room was moved to tears, she said. The name of the song was “Taa Uzak Yollardan” (From Very Far Roads). Nilüfer is the most beloved Turkish pop singer among the women working in the library, Ruzan said.
She added that recordings by many famous artists who have left their mark on Turkish and Azeri music are kept in the Turkish and Azeri music archive room.
Nahakdakyan said that all documents in the library are the common heritage of mankind and required support, calling on Turkey to contribute to the archive. “The language of music is universal. We want to meet with you in the universal denominator. Let’s collaborate. Our doors and archives are open to you,” she said.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
YEREVAN - Hürriyet Daily News
A part of the Armenian Music and Science Library in Yerevan, home to the some of the world's most priceless musical notes, documents, manuscripts and gramophone recordings, is dedicated to maintaining a Turkish and Azeri music archive. Museum director Gulo Nahadakyan has called on Turkey to help maintain the archive. 'The language of music is universal. We want to meet with you in the universal denominator,' she says.
A treasured history of Turkish music is housed in the Armenian Music and Science Library, located a few kilometers away from the center of the Armenian capital, which maintains an archive of world music.
Besides maintaining recordings of the usual international names in music, from Beethoven to Mozart, and to Armenian music’s best-known figures such as Gomidas and Khacaduryan, and tens of thousands of documents, manuscripts, musical notes, gramophone recordings and some famous composers’ private correspondence, an archive of Turkish classical and pop music is kept in a special room in the library, which also features an impressive collection of Azeri music. It is almost impossible to find such a comprehensive archive in Turkey.
The museum’s director, Gulo Nahadakyan, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review the reason for maintaining the archive was to preserve especially regional music, because music transcends geography and politics. “Turkey and Azerbaijan are our neighbors. Moreover, art does not have a religion and language. Music is universal,” Nahadakyan said, adding that her biggest wish is to collaborate with a Turkish organization and university working in the field of music in order to safeguard the archive.
Dilapidated conditions and a lack of funds
Unfortunately, the library, which accommodates hundreds of years’ worth of world music history, has been severely neglected and some of the documents in the archive are kept in dust and dirt because of a lack of funds. Nahadakyan said the archive is deprived of financial support and has severe economic problems.
“If these documents belonged to another country, they would have been kept like priceless treasures. But unfortunately, this is our situation,” said Nahadakyan, adding that the condition of the building was far from secure. “People are not aware of the riches here. If they knew, they would steal everything in one night,” she said.
The museum employs 36 expert staff, almost 90 percent of whom are women. Nahadakyan said the reason why it is mostly women who work in the museum is again one of funding. “The maximum amount of money we can pay is $30 dollars a month. A man cannot support a family with this money.”
Nilüfer moves the library to tears
The room where the Turkish and Azeri collections are kept is full of gramophone recordings. A Turkish music expert who simply calls herself Ruzan said they had transferred the collection of gramophone recordings onto CD over the last few years in order to make things easy for researchers. “In this way, we try to protect gramophone recordings as much as possible. Researchers can take them home, which makes things easier for them,” she said.
Yet one day, as a surprise, Ruzan and her friends brought a record player to the library one day and played a record of renowned Turkish pop singer Nilüfer. The Turkish singer’s voice echoed around the library on the other side of the closed border and everyone in the room was moved to tears, she said. The name of the song was “Taa Uzak Yollardan” (From Very Far Roads). Nilüfer is the most beloved Turkish pop singer among the women working in the library, Ruzan said.
She added that recordings by many famous artists who have left their mark on Turkish and Azeri music are kept in the Turkish and Azeri music archive room.
Nahakdakyan said that all documents in the library are the common heritage of mankind and required support, calling on Turkey to contribute to the archive. “The language of music is universal. We want to meet with you in the universal denominator. Let’s collaborate. Our doors and archives are open to you,” she said.
25 Ekim 2010 Pazartesi
Armenian students looking for Turkish exchange partners
Armenian students looking for Turkish exchange partners
Monday, October 25, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
YEREVAN – Hürriyet Daily News
The Mkhitar Sebastaci Education Complex, an experimental school close to Yerevan, is looking for Turkish counterparts to participate in an exchange that would help destroy the walls between the two neighbors. The school’s principal, former Education Minister Ashot Bleyan, says ending prejudice would be the project’s main goal
The Armenian school complex provides education in many different areas, from journalism to modern arts.
An educational institute on the outskirts of Yerevan looking to build bridges with Armenia’s often hostile neighbors is hoping to develop new linkages with a sister school in Turkey.
“I don’t want my children to grow up to be prejudiced individuals. They should be modern individuals looking toward the future without denying the past. And the best way is connection. Connections at early ages will remove prejudices and set the ground for friendship, not animosity,” Ashot Bleyan, the principal of the Mkhitar Sebastaci Education Complex, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review during a recent visit.
Seeking to grant students the right to speak their minds rather than defer reflexively to authority, the complex provides education in many different areas, from journalism to modern arts, from sculpture to sports and from radio technology to science. Its programs extend from preschool to postsecondary and adult education.
As part of Bleyan’s drive to mold a new generation free from prejudices, the students have already conducted exchanges with two other countries with whom Armenia has had difficult relations in recent years: Azerbaijan and Georgia.
The students met with Azeri and Georgian counterparts last year and still remain in touch with them, said Bleyan, a former education minister in the 1990s and the chairman of the Nor Ughi (True Path) Party who became Mkhitar Sebastaci’s principal after being released from prison for corruption charges in 2001.
“The students met their Georgian and Azeri peers for one-week periods. They still keep in touch. As soon as they have an opportunity, they want to get together again. It is nice to see this,” he said.
Now, however, Bleyan’s biggest goal is to find a sister school from Turkey so that he can both send his students there for a taste of Turkey before bringing Turkish students to Armenia.
A different type of school
“We aim for our children to become individuals who freely express themselves and who have self-confidence,” said Bleyan. “The oppressive and patronizing education system is dead. We are teaching our students here to have respect for human rights, to have self-confidence and to express themselves freely.”
In this, Bleyan said he considered Mkhitar Sebastici, which was named for a 17th century Armenian scholar that established the Mkhitarian order in Venice, as more than a mere school. “This place is not a school. It is an education village. This is our small village.”
With most of the students coming from backgrounds with limited financial means, many said it was quite exceptional for them to receive an education at such an institution.
The school, which covers thousands of square meters, consists of modern buildings equipped with state-of-the-art technology while the walls are decorated by the works of students from the painting and sculpture department.
Unlike some schools, the classroom doors at Mkhitar Sebastici are wide open, revealing some students sculpting and others reading. The school further has dedicated amateur journalists, radio programmers and multimedia students, with students managing to post information on the Daily News’ visit, videos and interview with Belyan online within half an hour of the event.
Questions about Turkey reflect curiosity
The visit also revealed a deep fascination with Turkey, with a number of students wondering how they would be received in the country.
“What if I visit Turkey and say that I am an Armenian, how would they treat us?” asked Ardag, a cameraman.
Meanwhile, in the computer science section, students prepared a special design consisting of Turkish and Armenian flags on computer screens in honor of the Daily News’ visit to the campus.
Monday, October 25, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
YEREVAN – Hürriyet Daily News
The Mkhitar Sebastaci Education Complex, an experimental school close to Yerevan, is looking for Turkish counterparts to participate in an exchange that would help destroy the walls between the two neighbors. The school’s principal, former Education Minister Ashot Bleyan, says ending prejudice would be the project’s main goal
The Armenian school complex provides education in many different areas, from journalism to modern arts.
An educational institute on the outskirts of Yerevan looking to build bridges with Armenia’s often hostile neighbors is hoping to develop new linkages with a sister school in Turkey.
“I don’t want my children to grow up to be prejudiced individuals. They should be modern individuals looking toward the future without denying the past. And the best way is connection. Connections at early ages will remove prejudices and set the ground for friendship, not animosity,” Ashot Bleyan, the principal of the Mkhitar Sebastaci Education Complex, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review during a recent visit.
Seeking to grant students the right to speak their minds rather than defer reflexively to authority, the complex provides education in many different areas, from journalism to modern arts, from sculpture to sports and from radio technology to science. Its programs extend from preschool to postsecondary and adult education.
As part of Bleyan’s drive to mold a new generation free from prejudices, the students have already conducted exchanges with two other countries with whom Armenia has had difficult relations in recent years: Azerbaijan and Georgia.
The students met with Azeri and Georgian counterparts last year and still remain in touch with them, said Bleyan, a former education minister in the 1990s and the chairman of the Nor Ughi (True Path) Party who became Mkhitar Sebastaci’s principal after being released from prison for corruption charges in 2001.
“The students met their Georgian and Azeri peers for one-week periods. They still keep in touch. As soon as they have an opportunity, they want to get together again. It is nice to see this,” he said.
Now, however, Bleyan’s biggest goal is to find a sister school from Turkey so that he can both send his students there for a taste of Turkey before bringing Turkish students to Armenia.
A different type of school
“We aim for our children to become individuals who freely express themselves and who have self-confidence,” said Bleyan. “The oppressive and patronizing education system is dead. We are teaching our students here to have respect for human rights, to have self-confidence and to express themselves freely.”
In this, Bleyan said he considered Mkhitar Sebastici, which was named for a 17th century Armenian scholar that established the Mkhitarian order in Venice, as more than a mere school. “This place is not a school. It is an education village. This is our small village.”
With most of the students coming from backgrounds with limited financial means, many said it was quite exceptional for them to receive an education at such an institution.
The school, which covers thousands of square meters, consists of modern buildings equipped with state-of-the-art technology while the walls are decorated by the works of students from the painting and sculpture department.
Unlike some schools, the classroom doors at Mkhitar Sebastici are wide open, revealing some students sculpting and others reading. The school further has dedicated amateur journalists, radio programmers and multimedia students, with students managing to post information on the Daily News’ visit, videos and interview with Belyan online within half an hour of the event.
Questions about Turkey reflect curiosity
The visit also revealed a deep fascination with Turkey, with a number of students wondering how they would be received in the country.
“What if I visit Turkey and say that I am an Armenian, how would they treat us?” asked Ardag, a cameraman.
Meanwhile, in the computer science section, students prepared a special design consisting of Turkish and Armenian flags on computer screens in honor of the Daily News’ visit to the campus.
24 Ekim 2010 Pazar
Berlin group to discuss Germany’s role in events of 1915
Berlin group to discuss Germany’s role in events of 1915
Sunday, October 24, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Germany’s Henrich Böll Stiftung will organize a conference in Berlin next year to examine the country’s role in the 1915 events in Eastern Anatolia as part of the Ani Dialogue project, a larger attempt to foster closer relations between Turkey and Armenia.
“We are aiming to do what has not been done yet and be able to openly discuss Germany’s role in World War I,” Ulrike Dufner, the Turkish representative of the German foundation, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review last week.
Germany turned a blind eye to events in the region in World War I although the German parliament only openly confirmed the country’s role in the 1915 events in 2007, she said.
The foundation further plans to hold a session in Turkey regarding the outcome of the Berlin event in the future as well.
Dufner is also the project coordinator of the Ani Dialogue project, in collaboration with the Caucasus Institute in Armenia. The project welcomes participants from both Turkey and Armenia, but is only open to people under the age of 35.
The foundation representative said there were hundreds of applications for the project and added that the team was examining each one carefully. The young people that take part in the project will hold meetings on different topics such as cultural heritage, education, science, the environment, media, democracy and human rights.
Dufner said both countries would host 25 young people from the other country.
“We want to reach young activists with our projects. Our purpose is to create a civil consciousness in the youth,” she said, adding that they wanted to bring together Turkish and Armenian historians but they had to abandon that aspect of the project, fearing possible reaction.
Although the protocols signed in October 2009 by the countries have been frozen and the communication process has been terminated, Dufner remains very hopeful about the future.
"It is true that the relations have been frozen. But this is only a natural process. Think back to how the things were three years ago and compare it with today. That is how we should be seeing things,” she said.
Organizers hope the Ani Project will be long-lasting, Dufner said, adding that next year they would invite the youth of both countries together for activities related to music.
Inspiration from Ani
Referring to the title of the project, Dufner said, "Ani was the capital of the Armenian kingdom and it has symbolic value for the Armenians."
Dufner said her biggest dream was to see the renovation of the Ani ruins – located on the border between Turkey and Armenia – and their transformation into a peace bridge.
"I do not see a reason why we could not do that,” Dufner said, adding that the project was particularly important for her because she was born on the western side of the Berlin Wall. “I know what it feels like to be behind walls and be unable to cross the borders. The pain of the deprivation behind the walls is beyond explanation.”
Sunday, October 24, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Germany’s Henrich Böll Stiftung will organize a conference in Berlin next year to examine the country’s role in the 1915 events in Eastern Anatolia as part of the Ani Dialogue project, a larger attempt to foster closer relations between Turkey and Armenia.
“We are aiming to do what has not been done yet and be able to openly discuss Germany’s role in World War I,” Ulrike Dufner, the Turkish representative of the German foundation, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review last week.
Germany turned a blind eye to events in the region in World War I although the German parliament only openly confirmed the country’s role in the 1915 events in 2007, she said.
The foundation further plans to hold a session in Turkey regarding the outcome of the Berlin event in the future as well.
Dufner is also the project coordinator of the Ani Dialogue project, in collaboration with the Caucasus Institute in Armenia. The project welcomes participants from both Turkey and Armenia, but is only open to people under the age of 35.
The foundation representative said there were hundreds of applications for the project and added that the team was examining each one carefully. The young people that take part in the project will hold meetings on different topics such as cultural heritage, education, science, the environment, media, democracy and human rights.
Dufner said both countries would host 25 young people from the other country.
“We want to reach young activists with our projects. Our purpose is to create a civil consciousness in the youth,” she said, adding that they wanted to bring together Turkish and Armenian historians but they had to abandon that aspect of the project, fearing possible reaction.
Although the protocols signed in October 2009 by the countries have been frozen and the communication process has been terminated, Dufner remains very hopeful about the future.
"It is true that the relations have been frozen. But this is only a natural process. Think back to how the things were three years ago and compare it with today. That is how we should be seeing things,” she said.
Organizers hope the Ani Project will be long-lasting, Dufner said, adding that next year they would invite the youth of both countries together for activities related to music.
Inspiration from Ani
Referring to the title of the project, Dufner said, "Ani was the capital of the Armenian kingdom and it has symbolic value for the Armenians."
Dufner said her biggest dream was to see the renovation of the Ani ruins – located on the border between Turkey and Armenia – and their transformation into a peace bridge.
"I do not see a reason why we could not do that,” Dufner said, adding that the project was particularly important for her because she was born on the western side of the Berlin Wall. “I know what it feels like to be behind walls and be unable to cross the borders. The pain of the deprivation behind the walls is beyond explanation.”
20 Ekim 2010 Çarşamba
Sharing the same room in Yerevan for the sake of dialogue
Sharing the same room in Yerevan for the sake of dialogue
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
Lengthy efforts are finally bearing fruit as Turks and Armenians are taking steps in the direction of dialogue. Somehow this happened, though undeniably painful.
I aimed high to bring Turkish and Armenian publishers together and my efforts worked this time. For once, I forgot that I am a journalist and promised myself not to make news stories out of this rendezvous. Did I meet my promise? Of course not! But I did my best and succeeded in bringing publishers and readers of the two countries together. We joined the “Tarz ar Kirk/Back to Book- International Open Space Book Festival,” sponsored by the Armenian Culture Ministry and one of the most prestigious publishing houses of the country Actual Art’s owner Migirdich Matevosian.
The festival’s budget was limited. Although Matevosian wanted to invite more Turkish publishers to the event, that couldn’t happen. However, I and other to journalists from Turkey hit the road to Yerevan. I also had some other responsibilities. I was participating in the fair as the representative of Istanbul Armenian Literature.
We set-out on the road with Ragıp Zarakolu, founder of the Human Rights Association of Turkey and the owner of Belge Yayınları publishing house, and Professor Ahmet İnsel joined us at the airport. İnsel was visiting Armenia for the first time, so he was excited. And it was Zarakolu’s second visit. The two kept asking me so many questions. İnsel and Zarakolu slipped through passport control. However, I had a little surprise. I handed my Turkish passport to the officer, but he asked me whether or not I had a residence permit. I was surprised at first, but then I told him that I was born in Turkey, so I am a Turkish citizen. Anyway, the problem was solved and I passed through the check points.
We shared the same room for the sake of dialogue
After we landed at Yerevan Airport we were welcomed by an exemplary “dialogue” in Armenia. Armenian-French academic and journalist Michale Marian and İnsel couldn’t find separate rooms at the hotel, so they stayed in the same room. Zarakolu and I had a big surprise because where we hosted was a house rented for a week. İnsel and Marian were surprised, so were we. Although it sounds strange to begin with, we immediately started to enjoy the situation. We experienced everything together – dialogue, discussions, chats, sorrow, offences… anything… Although the budget was limited, we had unlimited conversations. We openly criticized Marevosian at times, but then we appreciated him for this little surprise. Now, our biggest objective is to bring Matevosian to the leading book fair in Turkey, TÜYAP Book Fair, and give birth to several projects. During the event, İnsel and Marian participated in panels to introduce the book “Dialogue over the Armenian Taboo,” recently published by İletişim Yayınları. They are co-authors of the book in which they shared personal experiences on the subject matter. It was translated into Armenian by Actual Art. Zarakolu shared his own publisher’s experiences and struggles he went through. And I, as half writer/poet half translator identity, participated in the fair as the representative of Istanbul Armenian Literature. Therefore, I was kind of a bridge. There was a translator. However, I was translating for İnsel or Zarakolu at times and on one side I was trying to tell about my own experience in literature and about my books.
Turkish publishers faced a shower of questions
As a matter of fact, four of us were putting our mark on a historic rendezvous in Yerevan. Despite financial difficulties, we were uniting different Armenian generations from Istanbul and Paris in the Armenian capital, Yerevan. We were uniting two sides of the border. All right, if you ask me that if our duty is over, I could say “No, it is not. We’ll continue.” We will leave politics behind and as real intellectuals set out the road in order to create an atmosphere of dialogue between the two nations. İnsel and Zarakolu faced a shower of questions from Armenian readers. In fact, there were two Turks sitting across to them and they were representing very different viewpoints. So, readers listened to them, asked questions, some of which were quite to the point, but each time we found a common ground. Without doubt, İnsel and Zarakolu were the two figures that showed up on Armenian televisions and press for a week. First, İnsel left Yerevan and returned to Istanbul. The day after Marian flew to Paris. I and Zarakolu remained in Yerevan. I should confess that we got used to living in the same house, though we were critical at the beginning. Since I was in charge of the organization, I had wished to have no flaws. Still, we had a few surprises here and there. Sometimes, it is colorful to have Oriental kinds of surprises, don’t you think?
We believe in dialogue
I should most definitely add that İnsel and Zarakolu took Turkish books to Yerevan. We had an exchange of books. We made promises to join other fairs in the future. If Matevosian manages, we will be back at the book festival in Yerevan next year. But this time, we will invite Turkish authors and publishers from different views because we believe in dialogue. If you want to join us, we will be happy to see you among us. Perhaps we will make a big group, share the same room or even a house. What do you say? As the world’s poet Nazım Hikmet once said “We will see beautiful days, children / We will see sunny days…”
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
Lengthy efforts are finally bearing fruit as Turks and Armenians are taking steps in the direction of dialogue. Somehow this happened, though undeniably painful.
I aimed high to bring Turkish and Armenian publishers together and my efforts worked this time. For once, I forgot that I am a journalist and promised myself not to make news stories out of this rendezvous. Did I meet my promise? Of course not! But I did my best and succeeded in bringing publishers and readers of the two countries together. We joined the “Tarz ar Kirk/Back to Book- International Open Space Book Festival,” sponsored by the Armenian Culture Ministry and one of the most prestigious publishing houses of the country Actual Art’s owner Migirdich Matevosian.
The festival’s budget was limited. Although Matevosian wanted to invite more Turkish publishers to the event, that couldn’t happen. However, I and other to journalists from Turkey hit the road to Yerevan. I also had some other responsibilities. I was participating in the fair as the representative of Istanbul Armenian Literature.
We set-out on the road with Ragıp Zarakolu, founder of the Human Rights Association of Turkey and the owner of Belge Yayınları publishing house, and Professor Ahmet İnsel joined us at the airport. İnsel was visiting Armenia for the first time, so he was excited. And it was Zarakolu’s second visit. The two kept asking me so many questions. İnsel and Zarakolu slipped through passport control. However, I had a little surprise. I handed my Turkish passport to the officer, but he asked me whether or not I had a residence permit. I was surprised at first, but then I told him that I was born in Turkey, so I am a Turkish citizen. Anyway, the problem was solved and I passed through the check points.
We shared the same room for the sake of dialogue
After we landed at Yerevan Airport we were welcomed by an exemplary “dialogue” in Armenia. Armenian-French academic and journalist Michale Marian and İnsel couldn’t find separate rooms at the hotel, so they stayed in the same room. Zarakolu and I had a big surprise because where we hosted was a house rented for a week. İnsel and Marian were surprised, so were we. Although it sounds strange to begin with, we immediately started to enjoy the situation. We experienced everything together – dialogue, discussions, chats, sorrow, offences… anything… Although the budget was limited, we had unlimited conversations. We openly criticized Marevosian at times, but then we appreciated him for this little surprise. Now, our biggest objective is to bring Matevosian to the leading book fair in Turkey, TÜYAP Book Fair, and give birth to several projects. During the event, İnsel and Marian participated in panels to introduce the book “Dialogue over the Armenian Taboo,” recently published by İletişim Yayınları. They are co-authors of the book in which they shared personal experiences on the subject matter. It was translated into Armenian by Actual Art. Zarakolu shared his own publisher’s experiences and struggles he went through. And I, as half writer/poet half translator identity, participated in the fair as the representative of Istanbul Armenian Literature. Therefore, I was kind of a bridge. There was a translator. However, I was translating for İnsel or Zarakolu at times and on one side I was trying to tell about my own experience in literature and about my books.
Turkish publishers faced a shower of questions
As a matter of fact, four of us were putting our mark on a historic rendezvous in Yerevan. Despite financial difficulties, we were uniting different Armenian generations from Istanbul and Paris in the Armenian capital, Yerevan. We were uniting two sides of the border. All right, if you ask me that if our duty is over, I could say “No, it is not. We’ll continue.” We will leave politics behind and as real intellectuals set out the road in order to create an atmosphere of dialogue between the two nations. İnsel and Zarakolu faced a shower of questions from Armenian readers. In fact, there were two Turks sitting across to them and they were representing very different viewpoints. So, readers listened to them, asked questions, some of which were quite to the point, but each time we found a common ground. Without doubt, İnsel and Zarakolu were the two figures that showed up on Armenian televisions and press for a week. First, İnsel left Yerevan and returned to Istanbul. The day after Marian flew to Paris. I and Zarakolu remained in Yerevan. I should confess that we got used to living in the same house, though we were critical at the beginning. Since I was in charge of the organization, I had wished to have no flaws. Still, we had a few surprises here and there. Sometimes, it is colorful to have Oriental kinds of surprises, don’t you think?
We believe in dialogue
I should most definitely add that İnsel and Zarakolu took Turkish books to Yerevan. We had an exchange of books. We made promises to join other fairs in the future. If Matevosian manages, we will be back at the book festival in Yerevan next year. But this time, we will invite Turkish authors and publishers from different views because we believe in dialogue. If you want to join us, we will be happy to see you among us. Perhaps we will make a big group, share the same room or even a house. What do you say? As the world’s poet Nazım Hikmet once said “We will see beautiful days, children / We will see sunny days…”
19 Ekim 2010 Salı
Turkey to export pearl mullets to Armenia
Sunday, October 3, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
VAN - Hüriyet Daily News
The fish trade between two countries is hoped to serve diplomacy.
Armenia will begin to import Lake Van’s prized Pearl Mullet fish in what one Turkish businessman hopes will be the first stage toward the eventual opening of the two countries’ closed frontier.
“The sooner we develop the bilateral trade the sooner we can get the borders opened,” Van Chamber of Commerce and Industry board member Ayhan Fidan recently told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
The fish, however, will be transported to Armenia via Georgia because of the closed border, thus affecting the price because exporters will need to pay customs tax twice.
“We would like our export to be consumed by a larger section of the society, however, due to this formality about the custom tariff it seems that the sales price of the fish in Armenia will be rather high,” he said.
"Armenia is a country of 3.5 million people; Turkey’s population is 75 million. If the borders are opened it is for the benefit of the Armenian businessmen and industrialist, because they will have access to a large market,” he said.
Nonetheless, in addition to the pearl mullet, Turkey will also export oranges to its neighbor, Fidan said, adding that the decision to do so was made six moths ago.
The oranges cultivated in Turkey would be launched in the Armenian market directly Fidan said, adding that the terms and conditions of the orange export were also tied together with the export agreement for the pearl mullets.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
VAN - Hüriyet Daily News
The fish trade between two countries is hoped to serve diplomacy.
Armenia will begin to import Lake Van’s prized Pearl Mullet fish in what one Turkish businessman hopes will be the first stage toward the eventual opening of the two countries’ closed frontier.
“The sooner we develop the bilateral trade the sooner we can get the borders opened,” Van Chamber of Commerce and Industry board member Ayhan Fidan recently told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
The fish, however, will be transported to Armenia via Georgia because of the closed border, thus affecting the price because exporters will need to pay customs tax twice.
“We would like our export to be consumed by a larger section of the society, however, due to this formality about the custom tariff it seems that the sales price of the fish in Armenia will be rather high,” he said.
"Armenia is a country of 3.5 million people; Turkey’s population is 75 million. If the borders are opened it is for the benefit of the Armenian businessmen and industrialist, because they will have access to a large market,” he said.
Nonetheless, in addition to the pearl mullet, Turkey will also export oranges to its neighbor, Fidan said, adding that the decision to do so was made six moths ago.
The oranges cultivated in Turkey would be launched in the Armenian market directly Fidan said, adding that the terms and conditions of the orange export were also tied together with the export agreement for the pearl mullets.
11 Ekim 2010 Pazartesi
TURKISH ENGLISH BOOK TO SHED LİGHT ON HİSTORY OF AHTAMAR
TURKISH ENGLISH BOOK TO SHED LİGHT ON HİSTORY OF AHTAMAR
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Research on the history of Akdamar Island conducted by Armenian historian Stepan Mnatsakanian has been compiled by historians Ara Sarafyan and Osman Köker and published by Birzamanlar Publication in both Turkish and English. ‘I have observed that Turkish people are interested in the history of this land,’ says Sarafyan
Despite being an object of dispute between Turks and Armenians, the historic Surp Haç Church on Akdamar Island has also recently paved the way for dialogue between the two groups.
Ara Sarafyan, director of the London-based Gomidas Institute, and Osman Köker, owner of Birzamanlar Publications, have published a book about Akdamar Island. The book is titled “Aghtamar: A Jewel of Medieval Armenian Architecture / Ahtamar: Ortaçağ Ermeni Mimarlığı'nın Mücevheri” and is available in both English and Turkish.
Armenian General Benevolent Union, or AGBU, one of the most important organizations in the diaspora, gave its support to the book, which Köker and Sarafyan wrote from research conducted by Armenian Stepan Mnatsakanian in 1980.
Perhaps the most interesting feature of the book is its drawings of the Surp Haç Church. Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review, Sarafyan said, “I realized that Turkish people are interested in the history of this land.”
Köker shared the reasons he and Sarafyan published the book. “By publishing this type of book, we are trying to raise public awareness,” he said. “The traditional historical ideology should be broken in Turkey, and I think this book will help do that.”
History of the island
Noting that many Armenian cultural sites in Anatolia have been damaged, and kept away from their rightful owners, Sarafyan said, “There is a big paradox here, because the ownership of Armenian cultural sites is not written in the Van Archaeology Museum, but the Surp Haç Church is now open to worship.” He admitted that Turkey has made important steps toward democracy, but not enough has been done.
“I noticed the dialogue between the Turks and Armenians improving during the worship,” he said. “The diaspora may react negatively to what I am saying, but I think this shows progress. No positive development should be ignored.”
Sarafyan said he and Köker deliberately published the book simultaneously with the opening of the church. “Everyone was talking about the church, but no one was aware of its historical significance,” he said.
“I totally agree with him, and believe that our work was very successful,” said Köker. “Since 2007, everyone has been debating which cross should be displayed on the dome of the church, but nobody knows the building’s historical significance. I have been conducting research on the history of Armenians for years, and even I was not aware of the historical significance of the island until preparing this book.
“The island was the capital of the Armenian kingdom of Arzsurini,” said Köker. “A palace, a tower and some houses were built on the island. It was not a place where priests lived in seclusion.”
When asked about the architectural drawings on the back of the book, Köker said, “These drawings and figures will enable people to understand the island in a more general sense. We did not want the book to be thick. We wanted it to be an easy read.”
Noting that Anatolia has been home to various civilizations throughout history, Köker said, “We always choose to forget the history of this land. “We are all under the impression that everything began and has continued with Turks. This is mainly because the new generation is comprised of many nationalist and discriminatory individuals. This is why differences are not tolerated. It is time to break away from this way of thinking.”
Köker said he was very excited about the interest the book has garnered. “I know that this interest will increase in the future. As historical awareness increases, people will be more willing to protect it.”
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Research on the history of Akdamar Island conducted by Armenian historian Stepan Mnatsakanian has been compiled by historians Ara Sarafyan and Osman Köker and published by Birzamanlar Publication in both Turkish and English. ‘I have observed that Turkish people are interested in the history of this land,’ says Sarafyan
Despite being an object of dispute between Turks and Armenians, the historic Surp Haç Church on Akdamar Island has also recently paved the way for dialogue between the two groups.
Ara Sarafyan, director of the London-based Gomidas Institute, and Osman Köker, owner of Birzamanlar Publications, have published a book about Akdamar Island. The book is titled “Aghtamar: A Jewel of Medieval Armenian Architecture / Ahtamar: Ortaçağ Ermeni Mimarlığı'nın Mücevheri” and is available in both English and Turkish.
Armenian General Benevolent Union, or AGBU, one of the most important organizations in the diaspora, gave its support to the book, which Köker and Sarafyan wrote from research conducted by Armenian Stepan Mnatsakanian in 1980.
Perhaps the most interesting feature of the book is its drawings of the Surp Haç Church. Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review, Sarafyan said, “I realized that Turkish people are interested in the history of this land.”
Köker shared the reasons he and Sarafyan published the book. “By publishing this type of book, we are trying to raise public awareness,” he said. “The traditional historical ideology should be broken in Turkey, and I think this book will help do that.”
History of the island
Noting that many Armenian cultural sites in Anatolia have been damaged, and kept away from their rightful owners, Sarafyan said, “There is a big paradox here, because the ownership of Armenian cultural sites is not written in the Van Archaeology Museum, but the Surp Haç Church is now open to worship.” He admitted that Turkey has made important steps toward democracy, but not enough has been done.
“I noticed the dialogue between the Turks and Armenians improving during the worship,” he said. “The diaspora may react negatively to what I am saying, but I think this shows progress. No positive development should be ignored.”
Sarafyan said he and Köker deliberately published the book simultaneously with the opening of the church. “Everyone was talking about the church, but no one was aware of its historical significance,” he said.
“I totally agree with him, and believe that our work was very successful,” said Köker. “Since 2007, everyone has been debating which cross should be displayed on the dome of the church, but nobody knows the building’s historical significance. I have been conducting research on the history of Armenians for years, and even I was not aware of the historical significance of the island until preparing this book.
“The island was the capital of the Armenian kingdom of Arzsurini,” said Köker. “A palace, a tower and some houses were built on the island. It was not a place where priests lived in seclusion.”
When asked about the architectural drawings on the back of the book, Köker said, “These drawings and figures will enable people to understand the island in a more general sense. We did not want the book to be thick. We wanted it to be an easy read.”
Noting that Anatolia has been home to various civilizations throughout history, Köker said, “We always choose to forget the history of this land. “We are all under the impression that everything began and has continued with Turks. This is mainly because the new generation is comprised of many nationalist and discriminatory individuals. This is why differences are not tolerated. It is time to break away from this way of thinking.”
Köker said he was very excited about the interest the book has garnered. “I know that this interest will increase in the future. As historical awareness increases, people will be more willing to protect it.”
Armenia resentful one year after signing accord with Turkey
Armenia resentful one year after signing accord with Turkey
Sunday, October 10, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
YEREVAN - Hürriyet Daily News
Armenian Foreign Ministry officials have blamed Turkey for failing to bring into effect protocols that were signed a year ago, as the Turkish-Armenian border is still closed and the Nagorno-Karabakh issue remains a source of friction.
“A political battle continues between Turkey and Armenia. The U.S., the European Union and Russia made promises to Armenia, but betrayed us. The protocols are a political fiasco from the Armenian viewpoint,” Levon Zurabian, a key figure of the Armenian National Congress, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review in a recent interview.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry says it holds Turkey responsible for the protocols having not yet come into force while Armenia remains ready for dialogue without precondition. Armenian President Serge Sarkisian also announced in April a unilateral freeze of the protocols because Turkey had not delivered what it promised.
Excitement for reconciliation between the countries peaked a year ago when Turkey and Armenia signed historic protocols to begin working toward opening the border and re-establishing official relations. The signing ceremony, however, was tense and required international mediators to broker a last-minute deal.
Zurabian told the Daily News in a recent interview that the political battle continues between Turkey and Armenia, adding that the protocols add tension to bilateral relations instead of easing them. “Both sides accuse each other of not actualizing the protocols. Both sides are trying to put the blame on each other.”
Zurabian said the Sarkisian government had made a big mistake by signing onto the road map. “Sarkisian thought the U.S., the EU and Russia would pressure Turkey to enforce the protocols. Armenia was given promises. We warned the Sarkisian government that due to Turkey’s strategic importance no country would take any risk for Armenia. But they did not listen.”
Zurabian criticized the Sarkisian administration, the U.S., the EU and Russia, saying Armenia was deceived. “Armenia made concessions on the protocols. Turkey wanted to prevent the U.S. congress from recognizing the Armenian genocide and they’ve managed it through the protocols. The protocols are a political fiasco from Armenia’s viewpoint.”
‘There could’ve been no Karabakh issue’
Turkey unilaterally closed the Turkish-Armenian borders in 1993 as a response to the Nagarno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan and bilateral relations nearly froze.
Although not included in the protocols, Turkey ties the solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to the re-opening of the borders. Western officials continue shuttle diplomacy between Armenia and Azerbaijan to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, but so far no progress has been made.
While encounters take place sometimes on both sides, Zubarian claimed that if Turkey had considered the offers made by the Levon Der Bedrosian government in the 1990s there might be no Karabakh question today. “Der Bedrosian had asked for the launch of bilateral relations unconditionally. Turkey, however, rejected the olive branch. If steps had been taken in those days, we wouldn’t be in today’s situation and would have overcome the crisis with Azerbaijan,” he said.
‘Laçin is of political importance’
Armenian political experts are mostly of the opinion the protocols cannot be brought into effect, Zubarian said, adding that he believed Turkey would never ignore the interests of Azerbaijan.
“Turkey will not re-open borders without reaching a final solution in Nagorno-Karabakh,” he said. “The Karabakh administration and Azerbaijan should immediately start direct dialogue. This is the only solution. Otherwise, it is impossible to solve the problem.”
Zurabian said handing over the Laçin Corridor to Azerbaijan would be impossible. “Surrendering Laçin will create a strategic risk not only for Nagorno-Karabakh, but also for Armenia. Such a risk cannot be taken.”
Sunday, October 10, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
YEREVAN - Hürriyet Daily News
Armenian Foreign Ministry officials have blamed Turkey for failing to bring into effect protocols that were signed a year ago, as the Turkish-Armenian border is still closed and the Nagorno-Karabakh issue remains a source of friction.
“A political battle continues between Turkey and Armenia. The U.S., the European Union and Russia made promises to Armenia, but betrayed us. The protocols are a political fiasco from the Armenian viewpoint,” Levon Zurabian, a key figure of the Armenian National Congress, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review in a recent interview.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry says it holds Turkey responsible for the protocols having not yet come into force while Armenia remains ready for dialogue without precondition. Armenian President Serge Sarkisian also announced in April a unilateral freeze of the protocols because Turkey had not delivered what it promised.
Excitement for reconciliation between the countries peaked a year ago when Turkey and Armenia signed historic protocols to begin working toward opening the border and re-establishing official relations. The signing ceremony, however, was tense and required international mediators to broker a last-minute deal.
Zurabian told the Daily News in a recent interview that the political battle continues between Turkey and Armenia, adding that the protocols add tension to bilateral relations instead of easing them. “Both sides accuse each other of not actualizing the protocols. Both sides are trying to put the blame on each other.”
Zurabian said the Sarkisian government had made a big mistake by signing onto the road map. “Sarkisian thought the U.S., the EU and Russia would pressure Turkey to enforce the protocols. Armenia was given promises. We warned the Sarkisian government that due to Turkey’s strategic importance no country would take any risk for Armenia. But they did not listen.”
Zurabian criticized the Sarkisian administration, the U.S., the EU and Russia, saying Armenia was deceived. “Armenia made concessions on the protocols. Turkey wanted to prevent the U.S. congress from recognizing the Armenian genocide and they’ve managed it through the protocols. The protocols are a political fiasco from Armenia’s viewpoint.”
‘There could’ve been no Karabakh issue’
Turkey unilaterally closed the Turkish-Armenian borders in 1993 as a response to the Nagarno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan and bilateral relations nearly froze.
Although not included in the protocols, Turkey ties the solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to the re-opening of the borders. Western officials continue shuttle diplomacy between Armenia and Azerbaijan to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, but so far no progress has been made.
While encounters take place sometimes on both sides, Zubarian claimed that if Turkey had considered the offers made by the Levon Der Bedrosian government in the 1990s there might be no Karabakh question today. “Der Bedrosian had asked for the launch of bilateral relations unconditionally. Turkey, however, rejected the olive branch. If steps had been taken in those days, we wouldn’t be in today’s situation and would have overcome the crisis with Azerbaijan,” he said.
‘Laçin is of political importance’
Armenian political experts are mostly of the opinion the protocols cannot be brought into effect, Zubarian said, adding that he believed Turkey would never ignore the interests of Azerbaijan.
“Turkey will not re-open borders without reaching a final solution in Nagorno-Karabakh,” he said. “The Karabakh administration and Azerbaijan should immediately start direct dialogue. This is the only solution. Otherwise, it is impossible to solve the problem.”
Zurabian said handing over the Laçin Corridor to Azerbaijan would be impossible. “Surrendering Laçin will create a strategic risk not only for Nagorno-Karabakh, but also for Armenia. Such a risk cannot be taken.”
7 Ekim 2010 Perşembe
Armenian students in Turkey have new books, 80 years later
Armenian students in Turkey have new books, 80 years later
Monday, October 4, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Armenian schools in Istanbul are to receive updated textbooks after a decision by Education Minister Nimet Çubukçu. The current textbooks have not been revised since the 1930s. Almost 24,000 books are to be distributed to students. Special permission is necessary to revise the content of the Armenian Language and Literature book, which has been the same since 1934
TEAOV Chairman Garo Garabetyan (R) and TEOV Secretary Aram Kamburyan worked on the revisions of the textbooks for Armenian schools. DAILY NEWS photo, Emrah GÜREL
Armenian schools in Istanbul are to receive updated textbooks after a decision by Education Minister Nimet Çubukçu. The current textbooks have not been revised since the 1930s.
Almost 24,000 books are to be distributed to students. Special permission is necessary to revise the content of the Armenian Language and Literature book, which has been the same since 1934. Minister Çubukçu broke a taboo by distributing new books to Armenian schools. Since books from the 1930s had been used in Armenian schools and their content had not been revised, all the schoolbooks were decades out of date.
Turkish and English CDs have been added to the updated schoolbooks, which were distributed for free. The biggest difficulty encountered in the revising was in the translation of books from Turkish into Armenian, because there were problems finding an interpreter with the capacity to make the translation.
The Turkish Armenian Minority Schools Teachers Fund, or TEAOV, worked to overcome this problem with the help of 80-year-old retired Armenian teachers. The hero behind the revising of the books is a member of Istanbul’s Armenian society, Varujan Turaç. Turaç, who is also a parent, has sent lots of letters to the ministry petitioning to renew the books.
TEAOV Chairman Garo Garabetyan, who followed all developments and prepared the books for publication with a community from Ankara and Istanbul, explained the difficulties. “We needed to get special permission from the Board of Education and Discipline to print the new books. It continued in the same way for many years. Ankara used to ask for 18 copies of each book with the approval of a certified interpreter and notary to determine whether the book was suitable or not.”
Aram Kamburyan, TEAOV secretary since 1974, claimed that they had problems with the Education Ministry in 1998. “We wanted to update the science and math books at the very least. We asked to translate the books that are used in Turkish schools. But the publication of the books was halted because some translation mistakes were found.”
Now the biggest problem for the foundation is the Armenian Language and Literature book used in high schools, because most of the writers of the book have died. Therefore it is not known how the content of the updated book will be prepared. Special permission is necessary to renew the content and publish the books. The book currently used, “Nor Tankaran” (New Museum), was published in 1934; the writer is Hrant Asadur.
3,000 students, 300 teachers
Although there are many historical Armenian schools in Istanbul, most of these schools have been closed because of the dwindling number of students. Istanbul’s Armenian community, which has a population of 50,000, has 16 schools. Only two of these are high schools. The number of Armenian students system-wide is 3,000, with 300 teachers. Since there is no department of Armenian Language and Literature at Turkish universities, teachers teach students what they have learned from their families.
Garabetyan said their schools were behind the times. “We have tried to do our best; this is all we can do. Our teachers’ knowledge of academic Armenian is insufficient; something should be done about the issue as soon as possible. Even if the borders open, we cannot bring teachers from Armenia. But with our foundation’s budget we can send students to departments of western Armenian language at universities in Yerevan. The eastern dialect of Armenian is spoken in Armenia but the Istanbul-based western Armenian is the one spoken by most Armenians worldwide.”
Weak in Turkish
According to Garabetyan, Armenian language is not the only difficulty in Armenian schools. At the same time, there are problems with the Turkish language. “This problem is gradually being overcome,” said Garabetyan. “The main reason for this problem is Turkish deputy principals appointed to Armenian schools. Even though the principals of the schools are Armenian and their title is higher, these Turkish deputy principals were the only ones who were the decision-makers. The Armenian principals did not have a chance to influence the education. This is why Turkish language remained weak, just like Armenian. But this problem is being solved.”
Kamburyan said TEAOV was founded in 1965. “Teachers who used to teach in Armenian schools in those years were not given their social security rights. They were not civil servants. We wanted to secure their rights.”
He said among the other Armenian foundations, TEAOV was the first to obtain the right to possess property. “In the first year of the association, a lawyer named Garabet Ersan filed suit for the association and won. Therefore, we have an autonomous status among Istanbul’s Armenian foundations.”
Monday, October 4, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Armenian schools in Istanbul are to receive updated textbooks after a decision by Education Minister Nimet Çubukçu. The current textbooks have not been revised since the 1930s. Almost 24,000 books are to be distributed to students. Special permission is necessary to revise the content of the Armenian Language and Literature book, which has been the same since 1934
TEAOV Chairman Garo Garabetyan (R) and TEOV Secretary Aram Kamburyan worked on the revisions of the textbooks for Armenian schools. DAILY NEWS photo, Emrah GÜREL
Armenian schools in Istanbul are to receive updated textbooks after a decision by Education Minister Nimet Çubukçu. The current textbooks have not been revised since the 1930s.
Almost 24,000 books are to be distributed to students. Special permission is necessary to revise the content of the Armenian Language and Literature book, which has been the same since 1934. Minister Çubukçu broke a taboo by distributing new books to Armenian schools. Since books from the 1930s had been used in Armenian schools and their content had not been revised, all the schoolbooks were decades out of date.
Turkish and English CDs have been added to the updated schoolbooks, which were distributed for free. The biggest difficulty encountered in the revising was in the translation of books from Turkish into Armenian, because there were problems finding an interpreter with the capacity to make the translation.
The Turkish Armenian Minority Schools Teachers Fund, or TEAOV, worked to overcome this problem with the help of 80-year-old retired Armenian teachers. The hero behind the revising of the books is a member of Istanbul’s Armenian society, Varujan Turaç. Turaç, who is also a parent, has sent lots of letters to the ministry petitioning to renew the books.
TEAOV Chairman Garo Garabetyan, who followed all developments and prepared the books for publication with a community from Ankara and Istanbul, explained the difficulties. “We needed to get special permission from the Board of Education and Discipline to print the new books. It continued in the same way for many years. Ankara used to ask for 18 copies of each book with the approval of a certified interpreter and notary to determine whether the book was suitable or not.”
Aram Kamburyan, TEAOV secretary since 1974, claimed that they had problems with the Education Ministry in 1998. “We wanted to update the science and math books at the very least. We asked to translate the books that are used in Turkish schools. But the publication of the books was halted because some translation mistakes were found.”
Now the biggest problem for the foundation is the Armenian Language and Literature book used in high schools, because most of the writers of the book have died. Therefore it is not known how the content of the updated book will be prepared. Special permission is necessary to renew the content and publish the books. The book currently used, “Nor Tankaran” (New Museum), was published in 1934; the writer is Hrant Asadur.
3,000 students, 300 teachers
Although there are many historical Armenian schools in Istanbul, most of these schools have been closed because of the dwindling number of students. Istanbul’s Armenian community, which has a population of 50,000, has 16 schools. Only two of these are high schools. The number of Armenian students system-wide is 3,000, with 300 teachers. Since there is no department of Armenian Language and Literature at Turkish universities, teachers teach students what they have learned from their families.
Garabetyan said their schools were behind the times. “We have tried to do our best; this is all we can do. Our teachers’ knowledge of academic Armenian is insufficient; something should be done about the issue as soon as possible. Even if the borders open, we cannot bring teachers from Armenia. But with our foundation’s budget we can send students to departments of western Armenian language at universities in Yerevan. The eastern dialect of Armenian is spoken in Armenia but the Istanbul-based western Armenian is the one spoken by most Armenians worldwide.”
Weak in Turkish
According to Garabetyan, Armenian language is not the only difficulty in Armenian schools. At the same time, there are problems with the Turkish language. “This problem is gradually being overcome,” said Garabetyan. “The main reason for this problem is Turkish deputy principals appointed to Armenian schools. Even though the principals of the schools are Armenian and their title is higher, these Turkish deputy principals were the only ones who were the decision-makers. The Armenian principals did not have a chance to influence the education. This is why Turkish language remained weak, just like Armenian. But this problem is being solved.”
Kamburyan said TEAOV was founded in 1965. “Teachers who used to teach in Armenian schools in those years were not given their social security rights. They were not civil servants. We wanted to secure their rights.”
He said among the other Armenian foundations, TEAOV was the first to obtain the right to possess property. “In the first year of the association, a lawyer named Garabet Ersan filed suit for the association and won. Therefore, we have an autonomous status among Istanbul’s Armenian foundations.”
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