Turkish state choir to perform Armenian work for first time
Thursday, February 25, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
In a historic event, the Ankara Radio Polyphonic Choir, which is affiliated with the state-owned Turkish Radio and Television, or TRT, has performed a work in Armenian under the direction of Istanbul-based Armenian conductor Hagop Mamigonyan. The choir will perform the work again at an Armenian church in Istanbul
For the first time in Turkey’s history, the Ankara Radio Polyphonic Choir, which is affiliated with the state-owned Turkish Radio and Television Corporation, or TRT, has performed a work by a leading Armenian composer.
Led by Istanbul-based conductor Hagop Mamigonyan, the choir performed “Gali Yerk” (Harvest Wind), a work by Armenian polyphonic music expert and ethnomusicologist Gomidas Vartabed.
Founded in 1970, the TRT decided last year to celebrate its 40th anniversary with 40 different conductors, both Turkish and foreign. One of those it invited was the young Hagop Mamigonyan of the Surp Lusavoriç Armenian Choir, which has been performing in Istanbul for 80 years. Each conductor was free to select the music that would be performed. Mamigonyan told the TRT that he wanted to lead the choir in an Armenian piece.
“When I told them on the phone that I wanted to perform an Armenian work, there was silence for a few seconds on the other end of the line, but my request was accepted,” Mamigonyan told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
Still, Mamigonyan said, he had doubts until he started working with the choir and was worried that the TRT administration would retreat at the last minute, but this did not happen. Recordings of the concert will be available in the coming months. In another historic first, the Ankara Radio Polyphonic Choir will also perform “Gali Yerk” in the Surp Yerortutyun Armenian Church in Istanbul’s Beyoğlu district.
Full speed ahead for dialogue
In previous years, performing Armenian songs was banned on TRT television channels and radio stations. By making his proposal, Mamigonyan achieved a first in Turkey, a historic responsibility for someone of his young age.
“I express my gratitude to the TRT administration that supported my idea,” he said. “Turkish and Armenian composers created common works during the Ottoman era. Why don’t we do it today? Yes, it may be difficult, but it is time to say ‘full speed ahead’ for dialogue and a peaceful future.”
The TRT project gave each conductor five days to work with the choir. Mamigonyan, the 13th youngest out of 40 conductors, said he was very stressed before going to Ankara: “The reason for my stress was musical concerns, because I was among many conductors who were older than me.”
Mamigonyan was given the first five days in February. The young conductor met with the 28-person choir on the first day and explained why he had chosen an Armenian song from ethnomusicologist Vartabed. Time was very limited for both conductor and choir. Mamigonyan translated the Armenian lyrics into Latin script and gave them to the members of the choir.
“They were very excited to perform the work. Although they did not understand the language, it was very easy for them to become adapted to the work,” he said. “The result was magnificent. We really enjoyed it. We had deep sorrow upon leaving each other at the end of the five days.”
During that period, Mamigonyan said, the group exchanged ideas over dinner. “We were generally talking about Turkish-Armenian relations,” he said, describing a humorous event during the rehearsals. “There was a retired colonel among the choir members. When he asked me something, I unwittingly told him, ‘Yes, sir!’” he said. “All the choir members began laughing at me. Later on we became friends with this colonel.”
Mamigonyan is the chief conductor of the 40-person polyphonic Surp Lusavoriç Armenian Choir in Istanbul. The choir will give a concert April 10 at Hagia Irene Museum. Kalan Music also recently released an album by the choir.
About Gomidas Vartabed
Born in the Aegean city of Kütahya during the Ottoman era, Gomidas Vartabed received theology education at Eçmiyazin, which is the Armenian Apostolic Church's papacy center in Armenia. After he graduated, he went to Berlin to study music. He later compiled Armenian and Ottoman folk songs from Anatolia to Armenia. An ethnomusicologist, Vartabed became a leading figure in Armenian polyphonic music.
26 Şubat 2010 Cuma
25 Şubat 2010 Perşembe
Post-election scars still open in Armenia
Post-election scars still open in Armenia
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Vercihan ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Journalist Aramazd Ghalamkarian suffered a serious head wound during clashes on March 1 against the 2008 presidential election results.
Post-election violence following a controversial presidential vote remains fresh in many Armenians’ minds two years later as critics accuse the authorities of negligence in the investigation of the deadly events.
Masses of people poured into the streets to protest alleged electoral fraud in the wake of the Feb. 19, 2008, elections. Supporters of unsuccessful presidential candidate and first Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrossian staged peaceful protests in Yerevan’s Opera Square for nine days. Deadly clashes, however, erupted after authorities imposed a state of emergency and sent the military into the streets to disperse the protesters March 1.
Official reports said 10 people died that night; according to representatives of non-governmental organizations, however, the official number of injured civilians may have been underreported. They say several of those injured were turned away from hospitals and medical clinics.
With many Armenians holding the administration of President Serge Sarkisian responsible for the deadly clashes, the Armenian parliament has established a committee to examine the events. Many, however, are suspicious of the investigation.
Journalist Aramazd Ghalamkarian, who witnessed the protests and suffered a serious head wound during them, is one who said he has no trust in the parliamentary committee. “The real offenders have not been revealed and punished for two years. It is being said the orders came from higher levels and the ones who argue that are hiding in their superiors’ shadow,” he told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review in an e-mail interview.
“There were a plenty of reasons [behind the violence]: the collapsing economy of the last nine years, unemployment, the silencing of the opposition and many other countless reasons,” added Ghalamkarian, who formerly worked with the United Nations Development Programme, or UNDP’s, country office in Armenia and currently serves as deputy director of the daily Haikakan Zhamanak (Armenian Times). “The election added salt to the wound because the elections were not legitimate.”
Greatest pain
“I was in great physical pain because I was seriously wounded. The physical pain notwithstanding, the greatest pain I felt was for my country,” Ghalamkarian said. “Blood might be spilled in order to defend the country against an enemy, but we were spilling our own blood with our own hands. That was a true betrayal to the spirits of our ancestors and the future of our children.”
Arman Musinian from the Armenian National Congress voiced concerns similar to Ghalamkarian’s. He told the Daily News in a phone interview that Yerevan did not want the world to know about the March 1 events because “a big crime was committed and it was a violation of human rights.”
Like Ghalamkarian, Musinian also believes the parliamentary committee could not act independently due to pressure from the ruling party. “However, the inspection board – founded by international human rights foundations – made significant process in shedding light on the events,” he said. “The conscience of Armenia will reveal the murderers who killed innocent people. I have complete faith in that.”
Professor Ruben Safrastian, the director of the Republic of Armenia’s National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Oriental Studies, meanwhile said he believes the parliamentary committee will fulfill its task.
“The committee is looking into things very carefully; I believe the truth will be revealed soon,” Safrastian told the Daily News. “These types of events could occur in many countries. Armenia is a young republic and, yes, it is experiencing tremors, but it is also taking fast steps on the path to democracy and human rights – we should not ignore that.”
Still, Ghalamkarian said the dark side of the March 1 events would be revealed when the current administration is removed from power. According to him, the inspection boards will not be independent and free until there is a change in administration.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Vercihan ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Journalist Aramazd Ghalamkarian suffered a serious head wound during clashes on March 1 against the 2008 presidential election results.
Post-election violence following a controversial presidential vote remains fresh in many Armenians’ minds two years later as critics accuse the authorities of negligence in the investigation of the deadly events.
Masses of people poured into the streets to protest alleged electoral fraud in the wake of the Feb. 19, 2008, elections. Supporters of unsuccessful presidential candidate and first Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrossian staged peaceful protests in Yerevan’s Opera Square for nine days. Deadly clashes, however, erupted after authorities imposed a state of emergency and sent the military into the streets to disperse the protesters March 1.
Official reports said 10 people died that night; according to representatives of non-governmental organizations, however, the official number of injured civilians may have been underreported. They say several of those injured were turned away from hospitals and medical clinics.
With many Armenians holding the administration of President Serge Sarkisian responsible for the deadly clashes, the Armenian parliament has established a committee to examine the events. Many, however, are suspicious of the investigation.
Journalist Aramazd Ghalamkarian, who witnessed the protests and suffered a serious head wound during them, is one who said he has no trust in the parliamentary committee. “The real offenders have not been revealed and punished for two years. It is being said the orders came from higher levels and the ones who argue that are hiding in their superiors’ shadow,” he told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review in an e-mail interview.
“There were a plenty of reasons [behind the violence]: the collapsing economy of the last nine years, unemployment, the silencing of the opposition and many other countless reasons,” added Ghalamkarian, who formerly worked with the United Nations Development Programme, or UNDP’s, country office in Armenia and currently serves as deputy director of the daily Haikakan Zhamanak (Armenian Times). “The election added salt to the wound because the elections were not legitimate.”
Greatest pain
“I was in great physical pain because I was seriously wounded. The physical pain notwithstanding, the greatest pain I felt was for my country,” Ghalamkarian said. “Blood might be spilled in order to defend the country against an enemy, but we were spilling our own blood with our own hands. That was a true betrayal to the spirits of our ancestors and the future of our children.”
Arman Musinian from the Armenian National Congress voiced concerns similar to Ghalamkarian’s. He told the Daily News in a phone interview that Yerevan did not want the world to know about the March 1 events because “a big crime was committed and it was a violation of human rights.”
Like Ghalamkarian, Musinian also believes the parliamentary committee could not act independently due to pressure from the ruling party. “However, the inspection board – founded by international human rights foundations – made significant process in shedding light on the events,” he said. “The conscience of Armenia will reveal the murderers who killed innocent people. I have complete faith in that.”
Professor Ruben Safrastian, the director of the Republic of Armenia’s National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Oriental Studies, meanwhile said he believes the parliamentary committee will fulfill its task.
“The committee is looking into things very carefully; I believe the truth will be revealed soon,” Safrastian told the Daily News. “These types of events could occur in many countries. Armenia is a young republic and, yes, it is experiencing tremors, but it is also taking fast steps on the path to democracy and human rights – we should not ignore that.”
Still, Ghalamkarian said the dark side of the March 1 events would be revealed when the current administration is removed from power. According to him, the inspection boards will not be independent and free until there is a change in administration.
18 Şubat 2010 Perşembe
Let’s cut out the middlemen, to-be patriarch
Let’s cut out the middlemen, to-be patriarch
Thursday, February 18, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
For the first time in history, an Armenian candidate will likely head the Armenian Patriarchy of Turkey.
Armenian Apostolic Church Diocese of Gougark Bishop Sebouh Chuljyan Primate will be the 85th patriarch of Armenians in Turkey if he wins the elections expected to take place in May.
According to an 1861 Ottoman regulation that is applicable even today, a bishop can be the patriarch of Armenians in Turkey if his father was born in Turkey.
Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review during a visit to Istanbul, Chuljyan delivered important messages not only to the Turkish and Armenian communities, but also to the Western world.
Speaking at the historical Armenian church of “Surp Kevork” (St. Gregory) at Kocamustafapaşa in Istanbul, Chuljyan said if he wins, then the patriarchy would be “kept away from politics.”
“We will not repeat the previous mistakes. Let politicians deal with politics. I will put effort into enhancing the dialogue between the Turkish and Armenian peoples,” he said. “We need to look deep in each other’s eyes and talk about grievances.”
Chuljyan also said the recent warming of bilateral relations is a historic milestone. He said steps must be taken immediately to re-establish official relations. “This chance to open the path of dialogue between the two peoples should not be missed. Time works against us,” he told the Daily News.
The bishop criticized the Western world’s mediation, also saying that Germany played a major role in the events of 1915. “Germany has not accepted its responsibility in the events of 1915 until today. It has always preferred to keep silent,” he said, adding that the innocent Armenian population in Anatolia went through great agonies in the past because of the “egocentric stance of the West.”
“The Western world has manipulated us for its benefits in Anatolia,” he said. “I would like to think that those who try to act as mediators between the Turkish and Armenian peoples are trying to get rid of the burden of their consciences. However, they have their interests in mind once again, in the form of the Caucasus.”
No need for mediators
Chuljyan said he believes Turkey and Armenia should start building dialogue immediately, without mediators. “There is no one who knows us better than us. Let us overcome our grievances together and start a dialogue,” he said.
Throughout the interview, Chuljyan kept his critical stance toward the Western world, addressing the West: “Do not add any more salt to our wounds, do not pit the two peoples against themselves for your interests.”
Chuljyan was actually born in Turkey, in the eastern province of Malatya, before migrating to Armenia at the age of 10 with his family. The bishop speaks Turkish fluently. If he is elected patriarch, he will apply for Turkish citizenship, provided the Turkish Republic approves. He said he would keep his Armenian citizenship and become a dual citizen.
Chuljyan said he visits Anatolia every chance he gets. “We Armenians are the children of these lands and are bonded here by heart,” he said. “Do not misunderstand me. We respect the unity of Turkey. We love these lands as much as you do because we [too] are a part of it.”
On the matter of Armenian cultural artifacts within Turkish borders, Chuljyan said: “We can repair historical structures together, we can bring our experts together for that. The remains may be a part of the Armenian culture but they are Turkey’s legacy. All we want [from Turkey] is to not deny their ownership.”
When reminded of the possibility of reopening for prayer the historical church of Surp Haç on Akdamar Island in Van province in eastern Turkey, Chuljyan said: “I believe that the Turkish people have respect for all beliefs. I believe they will understand the importance of Surp Haç for Armenians.”
Mesrop II, the current patriarch, has fallen ill and was diagnosed with dementia. Chuljyan said Mesrop II has already earned his place in history books and commented on his sudden illness, which came in the aftermath of the assassination of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink: “He received many threats and they damaged his health in an irrevocable way.”
When asked what he would do if he faced such threats, Chuljyan said: “Intelligent people full of the love of God do not seek solution in threats and conspiracies. Strong people who have faith in themselves overcome problems through dialogue.”
Thursday, February 18, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
For the first time in history, an Armenian candidate will likely head the Armenian Patriarchy of Turkey.
Armenian Apostolic Church Diocese of Gougark Bishop Sebouh Chuljyan Primate will be the 85th patriarch of Armenians in Turkey if he wins the elections expected to take place in May.
According to an 1861 Ottoman regulation that is applicable even today, a bishop can be the patriarch of Armenians in Turkey if his father was born in Turkey.
Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review during a visit to Istanbul, Chuljyan delivered important messages not only to the Turkish and Armenian communities, but also to the Western world.
Speaking at the historical Armenian church of “Surp Kevork” (St. Gregory) at Kocamustafapaşa in Istanbul, Chuljyan said if he wins, then the patriarchy would be “kept away from politics.”
“We will not repeat the previous mistakes. Let politicians deal with politics. I will put effort into enhancing the dialogue between the Turkish and Armenian peoples,” he said. “We need to look deep in each other’s eyes and talk about grievances.”
Chuljyan also said the recent warming of bilateral relations is a historic milestone. He said steps must be taken immediately to re-establish official relations. “This chance to open the path of dialogue between the two peoples should not be missed. Time works against us,” he told the Daily News.
The bishop criticized the Western world’s mediation, also saying that Germany played a major role in the events of 1915. “Germany has not accepted its responsibility in the events of 1915 until today. It has always preferred to keep silent,” he said, adding that the innocent Armenian population in Anatolia went through great agonies in the past because of the “egocentric stance of the West.”
“The Western world has manipulated us for its benefits in Anatolia,” he said. “I would like to think that those who try to act as mediators between the Turkish and Armenian peoples are trying to get rid of the burden of their consciences. However, they have their interests in mind once again, in the form of the Caucasus.”
No need for mediators
Chuljyan said he believes Turkey and Armenia should start building dialogue immediately, without mediators. “There is no one who knows us better than us. Let us overcome our grievances together and start a dialogue,” he said.
Throughout the interview, Chuljyan kept his critical stance toward the Western world, addressing the West: “Do not add any more salt to our wounds, do not pit the two peoples against themselves for your interests.”
Chuljyan was actually born in Turkey, in the eastern province of Malatya, before migrating to Armenia at the age of 10 with his family. The bishop speaks Turkish fluently. If he is elected patriarch, he will apply for Turkish citizenship, provided the Turkish Republic approves. He said he would keep his Armenian citizenship and become a dual citizen.
Chuljyan said he visits Anatolia every chance he gets. “We Armenians are the children of these lands and are bonded here by heart,” he said. “Do not misunderstand me. We respect the unity of Turkey. We love these lands as much as you do because we [too] are a part of it.”
On the matter of Armenian cultural artifacts within Turkish borders, Chuljyan said: “We can repair historical structures together, we can bring our experts together for that. The remains may be a part of the Armenian culture but they are Turkey’s legacy. All we want [from Turkey] is to not deny their ownership.”
When reminded of the possibility of reopening for prayer the historical church of Surp Haç on Akdamar Island in Van province in eastern Turkey, Chuljyan said: “I believe that the Turkish people have respect for all beliefs. I believe they will understand the importance of Surp Haç for Armenians.”
Mesrop II, the current patriarch, has fallen ill and was diagnosed with dementia. Chuljyan said Mesrop II has already earned his place in history books and commented on his sudden illness, which came in the aftermath of the assassination of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink: “He received many threats and they damaged his health in an irrevocable way.”
When asked what he would do if he faced such threats, Chuljyan said: “Intelligent people full of the love of God do not seek solution in threats and conspiracies. Strong people who have faith in themselves overcome problems through dialogue.”
16 Şubat 2010 Salı
Musicologist says ‘there is no place for
Monday, February 15, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Leo Sarkisian, the first ethnomusicologist in the United States and legendary music specialist for the Voice of America, makes a call for peace, saying ‘There is no place for hate’Life goes on for the average person regardless of how the political debates and relations proceed between Turkey and Armenia.
Turkish and Armenian people who abstain from politics and look to the future without denying their past often like listening to same kinds of music and eating the same kinds of food. Despite all the past experiences, often identities become meaningless. In the remotest part of the world, a Turk, a Greek and an Armenian could become best friends and even share feelings of nostalgia and homesickness.
One of these people is 88-year-old Leo Sarkisian, whose roots go back to Anatolia. Leo Sarkisian bears the name of America’s first ethnomusicologist thanks to his work on ethnic music. He spent 45 years at the Voice of America, the official radio station of the United States, and a music library was founded in his name. He is also an admirer of Turkish Classical Music. Sarkisian is well-known for his research on Ottoman music as well. In the past, he has shared his research with the Center for Advanced Research in Music, or MIAM, at Istanbul Technical University.
‘Political debates get you nowhere’
“I strongly believe, and my close Turkish friends know that, there is no place for hate," Sarkisian said. He follows the Turkish press and developments about Turkey from day to day despite his old age, but he thinks political debates gets people nowhere.
He has traveled around the world for his music research, but he had his most interesting experience in Afghanistan. Turkish diplomats in Afghanistan brought together Sarkisian and Turks serving as peace forces in the country. He sang Anatolian folk songs with the soldiers all together without arguing about “you and I” matters. "History cannot be wiped out, but changes will take place. My travels to so many countries around the world, meeting so many different people of different religions, beliefs and cultures have also changed me and given me a new perspective in the direction of our lives," he said.
BOX
Leo Sarkisian was offered the job of music director at a company called Tempo, which was linked to Hollywood, when he was just 32 years old in 1953. He immediately accepted the offer and started working. He then received an education as a sound recording engineer and was sent to the Middle East and Caucasus for 3.5 years for music research. Thanks to his research, he assumed the title of the United States’ first ethnomusicologist. When he returned to America, he started to prepare programs for Voice of America, where he worked for 45 years. A music library was founded in his name.
Monday, February 15, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Leo Sarkisian, the first ethnomusicologist in the United States and legendary music specialist for the Voice of America, makes a call for peace, saying ‘There is no place for hate’Life goes on for the average person regardless of how the political debates and relations proceed between Turkey and Armenia.
Turkish and Armenian people who abstain from politics and look to the future without denying their past often like listening to same kinds of music and eating the same kinds of food. Despite all the past experiences, often identities become meaningless. In the remotest part of the world, a Turk, a Greek and an Armenian could become best friends and even share feelings of nostalgia and homesickness.
One of these people is 88-year-old Leo Sarkisian, whose roots go back to Anatolia. Leo Sarkisian bears the name of America’s first ethnomusicologist thanks to his work on ethnic music. He spent 45 years at the Voice of America, the official radio station of the United States, and a music library was founded in his name. He is also an admirer of Turkish Classical Music. Sarkisian is well-known for his research on Ottoman music as well. In the past, he has shared his research with the Center for Advanced Research in Music, or MIAM, at Istanbul Technical University.
‘Political debates get you nowhere’
“I strongly believe, and my close Turkish friends know that, there is no place for hate," Sarkisian said. He follows the Turkish press and developments about Turkey from day to day despite his old age, but he thinks political debates gets people nowhere.
He has traveled around the world for his music research, but he had his most interesting experience in Afghanistan. Turkish diplomats in Afghanistan brought together Sarkisian and Turks serving as peace forces in the country. He sang Anatolian folk songs with the soldiers all together without arguing about “you and I” matters. "History cannot be wiped out, but changes will take place. My travels to so many countries around the world, meeting so many different people of different religions, beliefs and cultures have also changed me and given me a new perspective in the direction of our lives," he said.
BOX
Leo Sarkisian was offered the job of music director at a company called Tempo, which was linked to Hollywood, when he was just 32 years old in 1953. He immediately accepted the offer and started working. He then received an education as a sound recording engineer and was sent to the Middle East and Caucasus for 3.5 years for music research. Thanks to his research, he assumed the title of the United States’ first ethnomusicologist. When he returned to America, he started to prepare programs for Voice of America, where he worked for 45 years. A music library was founded in his name.
12 Şubat 2010 Cuma
Armenian not allowed to attend father's funeral
Armenian not allowed to attend father's funeral
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Vercihan ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
An Armenian who was arrested after giving a newspaper interview in 2008 has not been allowed to attend his father’s funeral even though the law gives him seven days’ leave from prison in such cases.
The funeral has been kept waiting for at least a week in hopes that permission might be granted for Sarkis Hatspanian to travel. Hatspanian is a French citizen of Armenian origin. He was arrested and imprisoned in Armenia after he participated in the interview.
Prisoners are supposed to be allowed seven days’ monitored leave in the event of the death of a close relative, according to Armenian law experts and human-rights associations. Hatspanian’s family said he has been deprived of this right despite the efforts of the French Consulate.
“I wanted Sarkis to pay his last respects to our father. Unfortunately, there is no democracy in Armenia,” his brother Murat Hatspanian, who lives in Istanbul, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. “The [Armenian authorities] grant permission to anyone. Why not my brother? This is not fair. There are political reasons behind the permission not being granted.”
Born in Hatay, Hatspanian was an active member of an outlawed communist organization in Turkey in the 1970s, along with the late journalist Hrant Dink, a close friend. Dink was assassinated in Istanbul on Jan. 19, 2007.
According to Avedik Iskhanyan, head of the Armenia Helsinki Committee, an application had been made for Hatspanian to be granted permission for the seven-day leave, but the group’s efforts had proved fruitless. “We gave a guarantee that he would be back,” he told the Daily News. “Moreover, he would not be on his own. He would be under monitoring with an attendant next to him. That is unfair.”
Violation of law
Levon Zurabian, coordinator of the Armenian National Congress Headquarters, said not giving Hatspanian his seven days’ leave is a violation of Armenian law. “Hatspanian could not benefit from the seven-day leave that all prisoners benefit from because the laws are too vague,” Zurabian said. “The administration uses this vagueness to its own advantage. The decision is political.”
Hatspanian was imprisoned because of a November 2008 interview published in daily Haygagan Jamanag (Armenian Times), a newspaper known for supporting Armenia’s first president, Levon Ter-Petrossian. Armenia was preparing for presidential elections at the time. In the interview, Hatspanian said there might be people who were planning to assassinate Armenian President Serge Sarkisian.
“They were already looking for an excuse to arrest him. The interview played right into their hands,” the newspaper’s Hayk Kevorkyan told the Daily News. He added that there are currently at least 15 political prisoners in Armenia.
Turkish intellectuals have recently launched an online petition protesting Hazspanian’s imprisonment. The petition – published at gercek-inatcidir.blogspot.com – was launched by Sait Çetinoğlu, an author and editor at Belge International Publishing, and received more than 30 signatures in its first day.
A letter was also written to President Sarkisian demanding Hatspanian’s release.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Vercihan ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
An Armenian who was arrested after giving a newspaper interview in 2008 has not been allowed to attend his father’s funeral even though the law gives him seven days’ leave from prison in such cases.
The funeral has been kept waiting for at least a week in hopes that permission might be granted for Sarkis Hatspanian to travel. Hatspanian is a French citizen of Armenian origin. He was arrested and imprisoned in Armenia after he participated in the interview.
Prisoners are supposed to be allowed seven days’ monitored leave in the event of the death of a close relative, according to Armenian law experts and human-rights associations. Hatspanian’s family said he has been deprived of this right despite the efforts of the French Consulate.
“I wanted Sarkis to pay his last respects to our father. Unfortunately, there is no democracy in Armenia,” his brother Murat Hatspanian, who lives in Istanbul, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. “The [Armenian authorities] grant permission to anyone. Why not my brother? This is not fair. There are political reasons behind the permission not being granted.”
Born in Hatay, Hatspanian was an active member of an outlawed communist organization in Turkey in the 1970s, along with the late journalist Hrant Dink, a close friend. Dink was assassinated in Istanbul on Jan. 19, 2007.
According to Avedik Iskhanyan, head of the Armenia Helsinki Committee, an application had been made for Hatspanian to be granted permission for the seven-day leave, but the group’s efforts had proved fruitless. “We gave a guarantee that he would be back,” he told the Daily News. “Moreover, he would not be on his own. He would be under monitoring with an attendant next to him. That is unfair.”
Violation of law
Levon Zurabian, coordinator of the Armenian National Congress Headquarters, said not giving Hatspanian his seven days’ leave is a violation of Armenian law. “Hatspanian could not benefit from the seven-day leave that all prisoners benefit from because the laws are too vague,” Zurabian said. “The administration uses this vagueness to its own advantage. The decision is political.”
Hatspanian was imprisoned because of a November 2008 interview published in daily Haygagan Jamanag (Armenian Times), a newspaper known for supporting Armenia’s first president, Levon Ter-Petrossian. Armenia was preparing for presidential elections at the time. In the interview, Hatspanian said there might be people who were planning to assassinate Armenian President Serge Sarkisian.
“They were already looking for an excuse to arrest him. The interview played right into their hands,” the newspaper’s Hayk Kevorkyan told the Daily News. He added that there are currently at least 15 political prisoners in Armenia.
Turkish intellectuals have recently launched an online petition protesting Hazspanian’s imprisonment. The petition – published at gercek-inatcidir.blogspot.com – was launched by Sait Çetinoğlu, an author and editor at Belge International Publishing, and received more than 30 signatures in its first day.
A letter was also written to President Sarkisian demanding Hatspanian’s release.
10 Şubat 2010 Çarşamba
Young artist's reunited ropes show Turks, Armenians as inseparable
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
One woman from the Armenian diaspora has been creating art to break taboos, and is showing her work in Istanbul at the BM Suma Han-Contemporary Art Center. 'I am an inseparable part of this land,' says the artist, Silvina Der MeguerditchianSilvina Der Meguerditchian's exhibition at BM Suma Han-Contemporary Art Center.
A young Armenian artist from Buenos Aires, but with roots in Anatolia, is displaying her taboo-breaking art at the BM Suma Han-Contemporary Art Center in Istanbul’s Karaköy neighborhood through March 4.
Silvina Der Meguerditchian, a promising artist in the field of modern art, came from her home in Berlin to Istanbul for the exhibition, which seems to have left its mark on this year’s art agenda.
Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review, Der Meguerditchian described the aim of her exhibition, saying, “With this exhibition, I wanted to express that I am an inseparable part of this land.” She said the iron curtain between the Turkish and Armenian people should be removed, adding, “We need to establish dialogue and take steps toward the future.”
Stating her happiness for opening such an exhibition in Turkey, Der Meguerditchian said, “As an artist from the [Armenian] diaspora, if I can freely organize such an exhibit here without denying the events in the past; this is an important step for Turkey.”
Turkish family saves her grandmother
In the entrance of the exhibition hall, visitors see historic photos placed in weavings. The photos in the exhibit tell the life of Der Meguerditchian’s grandmothers and grandfathers in Anatolia. The artist named the exhibition “Aferin Yavrum” (Well done honey), referring to her grandmother.
Der Meguerditchian said her grandmother taught her to knit when she was a little child. “When I did it well, my grandmother used to tell me ‘Well done honey’ in Turkish. This is why I named the exhibition this.”
Dedicating the exhibition to the memory of her grandmother, Der Meguerditchian said, “Wherever she is in the universe, I know that she sees me and tells me ‘Well done honey’ since I came to the land where I belong and opened this exhibition – even if I can’t hear her.”
She said until the end of her life, her grandmother had never forgotten a family that saved her from death, adding: “My grandmother lost all members of her family in 1915, and a Turkish family saved her from death. To not forget her identity, my grandmother wrote the names of all family members on a piece of paper and hid it. She just barely found her sister, whom she thought was dead, 50 years later, sometime before her death.”
Berlin was the breaking point
Der Meguerditchian grew up in a community of Armenians in Buenos Aires. She said she stayed away from Turks, but the first break through was when she went to Berlin in 1986. “I was 18 and knew nobody in Berlin. I felt lonely. I suddenly saw a kebab house on the street, and its signboard was Turkish. I entered there without any hesitation,” she said.
Sometime later, Der Meguerditchian returned to her family in Buenos Aires. “I wanted to get the experience with Turks like I always heard about from others,” she said, adding that she returned to Berlin at the age of 20. Der Meguerditchian took the first step to confront herself when her family came to visit her in Berlin. “My father and mother were watching Turkish television in Berlin. They were making Turkish friends when they went outside. I started asking myself questions when I saw this,” she said, adding that she made many Turkish friends during that period.
After all these events, she came to Istanbul for the first time in 2005 and defined the city as “Love that can never be given up.”
Her son’s music teacher is a Turk
Der Meguerditchian said she found a Turkish teacher to teach the Turkish instrument kanun to her 6-year-old son Avedis. She said it was a hard decision for her, adding: “To find myself, I seek answers to my questions and try to get rid of my prejudices. This is a difficult process. Even though it was weird for me that a Turk taught lessons to my son at first, I perceived that it would be a big step for me to remove my prejudices.”
The most beautiful and emotional room of the exhibition is the one where tens of meters of ropes fall from the walls reuniting on the ground. Talking about this work titled “You-Me,” Der Meguerditchian concluded by saying, “Here, I tried to explain how peoples of both countries have become a whole throughout hundreds of years and cannot be separated.”
BOX
About the artist
Der Meguerditchian, 37, lives in Berlin and is among the world’s most promising names in the field of contemporary art. Earning awards from many European countries, particularly Germany, she has artwork in many significant modern art collections in Argentina, Armenia, Portugal and the United States. She focuses on the concepts of identity and memory in her works.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
One woman from the Armenian diaspora has been creating art to break taboos, and is showing her work in Istanbul at the BM Suma Han-Contemporary Art Center. 'I am an inseparable part of this land,' says the artist, Silvina Der MeguerditchianSilvina Der Meguerditchian's exhibition at BM Suma Han-Contemporary Art Center.
A young Armenian artist from Buenos Aires, but with roots in Anatolia, is displaying her taboo-breaking art at the BM Suma Han-Contemporary Art Center in Istanbul’s Karaköy neighborhood through March 4.
Silvina Der Meguerditchian, a promising artist in the field of modern art, came from her home in Berlin to Istanbul for the exhibition, which seems to have left its mark on this year’s art agenda.
Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review, Der Meguerditchian described the aim of her exhibition, saying, “With this exhibition, I wanted to express that I am an inseparable part of this land.” She said the iron curtain between the Turkish and Armenian people should be removed, adding, “We need to establish dialogue and take steps toward the future.”
Stating her happiness for opening such an exhibition in Turkey, Der Meguerditchian said, “As an artist from the [Armenian] diaspora, if I can freely organize such an exhibit here without denying the events in the past; this is an important step for Turkey.”
Turkish family saves her grandmother
In the entrance of the exhibition hall, visitors see historic photos placed in weavings. The photos in the exhibit tell the life of Der Meguerditchian’s grandmothers and grandfathers in Anatolia. The artist named the exhibition “Aferin Yavrum” (Well done honey), referring to her grandmother.
Der Meguerditchian said her grandmother taught her to knit when she was a little child. “When I did it well, my grandmother used to tell me ‘Well done honey’ in Turkish. This is why I named the exhibition this.”
Dedicating the exhibition to the memory of her grandmother, Der Meguerditchian said, “Wherever she is in the universe, I know that she sees me and tells me ‘Well done honey’ since I came to the land where I belong and opened this exhibition – even if I can’t hear her.”
She said until the end of her life, her grandmother had never forgotten a family that saved her from death, adding: “My grandmother lost all members of her family in 1915, and a Turkish family saved her from death. To not forget her identity, my grandmother wrote the names of all family members on a piece of paper and hid it. She just barely found her sister, whom she thought was dead, 50 years later, sometime before her death.”
Berlin was the breaking point
Der Meguerditchian grew up in a community of Armenians in Buenos Aires. She said she stayed away from Turks, but the first break through was when she went to Berlin in 1986. “I was 18 and knew nobody in Berlin. I felt lonely. I suddenly saw a kebab house on the street, and its signboard was Turkish. I entered there without any hesitation,” she said.
Sometime later, Der Meguerditchian returned to her family in Buenos Aires. “I wanted to get the experience with Turks like I always heard about from others,” she said, adding that she returned to Berlin at the age of 20. Der Meguerditchian took the first step to confront herself when her family came to visit her in Berlin. “My father and mother were watching Turkish television in Berlin. They were making Turkish friends when they went outside. I started asking myself questions when I saw this,” she said, adding that she made many Turkish friends during that period.
After all these events, she came to Istanbul for the first time in 2005 and defined the city as “Love that can never be given up.”
Her son’s music teacher is a Turk
Der Meguerditchian said she found a Turkish teacher to teach the Turkish instrument kanun to her 6-year-old son Avedis. She said it was a hard decision for her, adding: “To find myself, I seek answers to my questions and try to get rid of my prejudices. This is a difficult process. Even though it was weird for me that a Turk taught lessons to my son at first, I perceived that it would be a big step for me to remove my prejudices.”
The most beautiful and emotional room of the exhibition is the one where tens of meters of ropes fall from the walls reuniting on the ground. Talking about this work titled “You-Me,” Der Meguerditchian concluded by saying, “Here, I tried to explain how peoples of both countries have become a whole throughout hundreds of years and cannot be separated.”
BOX
About the artist
Der Meguerditchian, 37, lives in Berlin and is among the world’s most promising names in the field of contemporary art. Earning awards from many European countries, particularly Germany, she has artwork in many significant modern art collections in Argentina, Armenia, Portugal and the United States. She focuses on the concepts of identity and memory in her works.
6 Şubat 2010 Cumartesi
DIPLOMACY
TURKEY • NATIONAL Saturday, February 06 2010 19:54 GMT+2
Your time is 19:57:30
Mystery shrouds iconic restoration in Tarabya
Friday, February 5, 2010
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
The giant tarps covering the Büyük Tarabya Hotel and the cranes around it are piquing curiosity. Experts are confident that an illegal new building is being constructed out of sight. Both Bayraktarlar Holding, which recently purchased this hotel on the shore of the Bosphorus, and the Boğaziçi Zoning Directorate refuse to comment on the current status of the building
Restoration on a historic hotel has experts worried that one of the city’s most valuable cultural assets is being ruined. For three years, huge tarps have clung to the hillside neighborhood of Tarabya, which offers one of Istanbul’s best panoramic views of the Bosphorus, sparking rumors about what exactly is being built behind the curtain.
The location where this work is being done was home to the Tokatlayan Hotel, the city’s second biggest hotel in the 19th century after the Pera Palace and one of Istanbul’s first tourism buildings. A family with Armenian heritage owned the hotel before it was destroyed in a fire of unknown origin in 1954. The State Retirement Fund constructed the Büyük Tarabya Hotel in its place in 1966.
In recent years, the fund has put the building up for sale through a bidding process that was won by Bayraktarlar Holding. The renovation of the building was named the “Tarabya Project” and then work was cloaked behind the giant tarps.
Will it be a mall?
The Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review has been trying to contact Feridun Duman, project manager for Bayraktar Holding, for a year and a half to ask about the ongoing work, but has always been turned down with the excuse that his schedule is too busy. Officials from the holding have only said that there have been changes in the project and that they will release a press statement in the months to come.
Entering the construction site is not allowed. Some have alleged that part of the Büyük Tarabya Hotel has been demolished and a new building is silently being constructed on the site.
“Cracks were formed on surrounding buildings because of the construction. We have learned that the firm that is handling the construction wanted to buy the small buildings around the hotel to include in the project,” said Süleyman, a neighborhood resident who preferred to be identified only by his first name. “The construction workers say this will be a shopping mall.”
Tarık, 80, another neighborhood resident who also preferred to withhold his surname, said he has spent most of his life in Tarabya. “The most magnificent location on the Bosphorus is being slaughtered by such a structure,” he said. “It has illegal [extra] floors too.”
Architect Sinan Genim, a member of Istanbul’s Second Preservation Board in the 1990s and head of the board for the Foundation for Preserving Monuments and the Environment since 1997, said he believes the allegations are inappropriate. “It is no good to talk about it at this point,” he said. “It is true that [the building] is a mass that does not become the Bosphorus, but what has been done is done. I do not agree that an unlawful act is being committed.”
Boğaziçi Zoning Directorate
Oktay Ekinci, former general president of the Chamber of Architects, disagreed with Genim. “I cannot say anything on historical artifacts, but there is a special article in the law for the Bosphorus concerning the construction of new buildings. This article allows only repairs for the buildings on the coastline with the exception of old artifacts,” Ekinci told the Daily News. “However, the Büyük Tarabya Hotel has been demolished and now a new building is under construction.”
When the Retirement Fund sold the building, it also sold the zoning rights, Ekinci added. “So, the state has delivered the zoning rights it has provided them to a private organization by its own hand,” he said.
The Daily News sought a statement from the Boğaziçi (Bosphorus) Zoning Directorate on the matter but the directorate refused to comment. The Istanbul Directorate of Survey and Monuments said only that the subject is a matter for the preservation boards.
‘Expert opinion not valued’
Professor Afife Batur, an architectural history expert and a scholar at the Architecture Faculty of Istanbul Technical University, said she also believes a new building will soon rise behind the tarps. Claiming the ongoing construction is unlawful and is not being inspected, Batur said: “We were hoping this building would be demolished someday, but now a new one is being constructed. It is unbelievable.”
Noting that experts were against the construction of the Büyük Tarabya Hotel in the 1960s, she added, “It looks like nobody in this country values the opinions of experts.”
Fatma Sedes, an architect and renovation expert, also pointed out that since Tarabya is located at one of the tightest spots along the Bosphorus and extends over the water, the hotel is a potential danger to seagoing traffic and could cause an accident.
TURKEY • NATIONAL Saturday, February 06 2010 19:54 GMT+2
Your time is 19:57:30
Mystery shrouds iconic restoration in Tarabya
Friday, February 5, 2010
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
The giant tarps covering the Büyük Tarabya Hotel and the cranes around it are piquing curiosity. Experts are confident that an illegal new building is being constructed out of sight. Both Bayraktarlar Holding, which recently purchased this hotel on the shore of the Bosphorus, and the Boğaziçi Zoning Directorate refuse to comment on the current status of the building
Restoration on a historic hotel has experts worried that one of the city’s most valuable cultural assets is being ruined. For three years, huge tarps have clung to the hillside neighborhood of Tarabya, which offers one of Istanbul’s best panoramic views of the Bosphorus, sparking rumors about what exactly is being built behind the curtain.
The location where this work is being done was home to the Tokatlayan Hotel, the city’s second biggest hotel in the 19th century after the Pera Palace and one of Istanbul’s first tourism buildings. A family with Armenian heritage owned the hotel before it was destroyed in a fire of unknown origin in 1954. The State Retirement Fund constructed the Büyük Tarabya Hotel in its place in 1966.
In recent years, the fund has put the building up for sale through a bidding process that was won by Bayraktarlar Holding. The renovation of the building was named the “Tarabya Project” and then work was cloaked behind the giant tarps.
Will it be a mall?
The Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review has been trying to contact Feridun Duman, project manager for Bayraktar Holding, for a year and a half to ask about the ongoing work, but has always been turned down with the excuse that his schedule is too busy. Officials from the holding have only said that there have been changes in the project and that they will release a press statement in the months to come.
Entering the construction site is not allowed. Some have alleged that part of the Büyük Tarabya Hotel has been demolished and a new building is silently being constructed on the site.
“Cracks were formed on surrounding buildings because of the construction. We have learned that the firm that is handling the construction wanted to buy the small buildings around the hotel to include in the project,” said Süleyman, a neighborhood resident who preferred to be identified only by his first name. “The construction workers say this will be a shopping mall.”
Tarık, 80, another neighborhood resident who also preferred to withhold his surname, said he has spent most of his life in Tarabya. “The most magnificent location on the Bosphorus is being slaughtered by such a structure,” he said. “It has illegal [extra] floors too.”
Architect Sinan Genim, a member of Istanbul’s Second Preservation Board in the 1990s and head of the board for the Foundation for Preserving Monuments and the Environment since 1997, said he believes the allegations are inappropriate. “It is no good to talk about it at this point,” he said. “It is true that [the building] is a mass that does not become the Bosphorus, but what has been done is done. I do not agree that an unlawful act is being committed.”
Boğaziçi Zoning Directorate
Oktay Ekinci, former general president of the Chamber of Architects, disagreed with Genim. “I cannot say anything on historical artifacts, but there is a special article in the law for the Bosphorus concerning the construction of new buildings. This article allows only repairs for the buildings on the coastline with the exception of old artifacts,” Ekinci told the Daily News. “However, the Büyük Tarabya Hotel has been demolished and now a new building is under construction.”
When the Retirement Fund sold the building, it also sold the zoning rights, Ekinci added. “So, the state has delivered the zoning rights it has provided them to a private organization by its own hand,” he said.
The Daily News sought a statement from the Boğaziçi (Bosphorus) Zoning Directorate on the matter but the directorate refused to comment. The Istanbul Directorate of Survey and Monuments said only that the subject is a matter for the preservation boards.
‘Expert opinion not valued’
Professor Afife Batur, an architectural history expert and a scholar at the Architecture Faculty of Istanbul Technical University, said she also believes a new building will soon rise behind the tarps. Claiming the ongoing construction is unlawful and is not being inspected, Batur said: “We were hoping this building would be demolished someday, but now a new one is being constructed. It is unbelievable.”
Noting that experts were against the construction of the Büyük Tarabya Hotel in the 1960s, she added, “It looks like nobody in this country values the opinions of experts.”
Fatma Sedes, an architect and renovation expert, also pointed out that since Tarabya is located at one of the tightest spots along the Bosphorus and extends over the water, the hotel is a potential danger to seagoing traffic and could cause an accident.
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