Armenia to release political prisoners
Thursday, May 26, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Armenia’s parliament approved an amnesty Thursday to free hundreds of inmates, including 15 political activists jailed for their involvement in post-election violence in 2008, fulfilling a key opposition demand.
Lawmakers in parliament voted in favor of the plan to release nearly 400 inmates in an amnesty marking 20 years since Armenia gained independence in the breakup of the Soviet Union.
“Freedom is a human being’s greatest merit. They managed to imprison my body for three years but not my thoughts and feelings. Those who imprison innocent people are in no position to pardon us. Rather, they are the ones who need our pardoning. As a human being, I feel proud of my moral stance,” Sarkis Hazspanyan, one of the prisoners who may be released, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review via email.
Hazspanyan, a French citizen, was arrested after he claimed certain people might be plotting against the current Armenian President Serge Sarkisyan to assassinate him, during an interview he had given to Nikol Pashinyan, the editor-in-chief of Armenian Times, or Haygagan Jamanag, in November 2008. The political views expressed in Haygagan Jamanag are known to be more closely aligned with those of the country’s first president Levon Ter-Petrosyan.
Pashinyan is also among the 15 prisoners who will be released as a result of the proposed amnesty. Pashinyan has fiercely criticized Sarkisian as well as former President Robert Kocharyan in his newspaper articles in the past and had a leading role in protest marches.
Sarkisian and the parliament were forced to discuss the amnesty because of the political and economic pressure applied on them by the United States and the European Union, although recent uprisings in the Middle East also added a factor of intimidation for Sarkisyan’s government, Hazspanyan said.
“Sarkisian is not freeing the prisoners by his own personal will. The struggle of Armenia’s people has finally born fruit. The people who have been striving for this decision must be congratulated,” Nikol Pashinyan’s wife, Anna Hagopyan-Pashinyan, told the Daily News by email. Pashinyan is currently serving his jail sentence in Artig Prison, although his case has already been brought before the European Court of Human Rights.
One deputy from Sarkisian’s ‘Hanrabedagan Gusagzsutyun’ (Republican Party), Sasun Mikayelyan, is also among the prisoners awaiting amnesty. The prisoners are expected to be released by the end of May, if parliament approves.
“I bear the weight on my shoulders of being considered as the ‘other’ in my own home by my own people,” said Hazspanyan. To continue living in Armenia would require Hazspanyan to engage in an uphill battle because his passport had been seized and his residency rights were formally revoked, he said, adding that the directives issued by Armenia’s second president, Koçaryan, on March 10, 2008, were also still valid.
“I will kneel and remember the 10 youngsters who lost their lives in Freedom Square on March 1 the first day I am free,” said Hazspanyan whose release the government of France had also tried to secure from Armenia, without success.
It was impossible to imagine the difficulties their family went through, according to Hagopyan-Pashinyan. Her children know their father was a political prisoner, but the whole family had to put up with all the hardship together, she said, adding that she had to face enormous challenges for three years not just as a woman or a wife but also as a mother.
Despite his criticism of Sarkisian’s government, Hagopyan-Pashinyan also expressed hope for Armenia’s future and added that her people no longer bow down before illegitimately constituted governments. The people of Armenia were becoming increasingly more vocal in asserting their rights, said Hagopyan-Pashinyan.
31 Mayıs 2011 Salı
Turkish education minister makes surprise visit to Armenian foundation
Sunday, May 22, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL
Şirinoğlu claimed there is underlying sympathy within the Armenian community toward the ruling AKP for its role in passing new laws about minority foundations.
Education Minister Nimet Çubukçu paid a surprise visit to the Surp Pırgiç Armenian Hospital Foundation and held an exclusive meeting that lasted for roughly half an hour with the foundation’s president Bedros Şirinoğlu on Saturday afternoon.
Despite objections to such meetings from certain quarters within Turkey’s Armenian community, Şirinoğlu claimed there is underlying sympathy within the Armenian community toward the ruling AKP for its role in passing new laws about minority foundations.
“All visits to the hospital are [normally] scheduled from many days ahead, whereas Minister Çubukçu’s visit was quite abrupt. Frankly that was quite a surprise. We primarily spoke about the election process,” Şirinoğlu, the foundation’s president and a businessman, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
After the meeting, Çubukçu also spent some time with the occupants in a retirement house that operates under the hospital foundation and distributed flowers to them. The minister did not make any comments regarding her conversation with Şirinoğlu.
“Turkey is undergoing a process of change. The Turkish people want to know more about the peoples they are living together with. As of course, there is also some curiosity within political parties, [and] that is very favorable,” said Şirinoğlu, who met with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on March 26 and told the Daily News at the time that he was warm on the idea of running for a seat in Parliament. Şirinoğlu, however, also said he was not going to declare himself a parliamentary candidate unless the AKP made an official proposal to him.
The Surp Pırgiç Armenian Hospital Foundation in Istanbul’s Kazlıçeşme neighborhood is only second to the Armenian Patriarchate in terms of its protocol status in Ankara. Political party leaders, however, have paid frequent visits to Şirinoğlu over the past year, rather than going to the Patriarchate itself.
These visits were quite natural, frank and sincere, said Şirinoğlu, despite occasional objections arising from the Armenian community.
“I have difficulty understanding why [the Armenian community] reacts [to these meetings.] If it were not me but some other foundation president, these appointments would still have been granted. Unfortunately, I end up having to give the same explanation to the community on each occasion. Our protocol status in Ankara ranks in second place after the Patriarchate. These visits, therefore, are paid to the foundation president, and not to my person as such,” said Şirinoğlu.
New laws passed during the AKP’s rule have allowed the Armenian community to reclaim their foundations through lawsuits in recent years. These gains have created sympathy for the ruling AKP, according to Şirinoğlu.
“It will be easier to maintain the community’s balance thanks to the property we retrieved due to the changes enacted in laws pertaining to foundations. All community institutions are kept through donations,” said Şirinoğlu and also added they were holding cordial meetings with the government in Ankara to retrieve the currently occupied area across from the hospital.
Şirinoğlu further said they were hopeful about regaining the area and that another fully equipped Armenian hospital was also in the works; if such a hospital is opened, it will be the third in the Republic’s history.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL
Şirinoğlu claimed there is underlying sympathy within the Armenian community toward the ruling AKP for its role in passing new laws about minority foundations.
Education Minister Nimet Çubukçu paid a surprise visit to the Surp Pırgiç Armenian Hospital Foundation and held an exclusive meeting that lasted for roughly half an hour with the foundation’s president Bedros Şirinoğlu on Saturday afternoon.
Despite objections to such meetings from certain quarters within Turkey’s Armenian community, Şirinoğlu claimed there is underlying sympathy within the Armenian community toward the ruling AKP for its role in passing new laws about minority foundations.
“All visits to the hospital are [normally] scheduled from many days ahead, whereas Minister Çubukçu’s visit was quite abrupt. Frankly that was quite a surprise. We primarily spoke about the election process,” Şirinoğlu, the foundation’s president and a businessman, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
After the meeting, Çubukçu also spent some time with the occupants in a retirement house that operates under the hospital foundation and distributed flowers to them. The minister did not make any comments regarding her conversation with Şirinoğlu.
“Turkey is undergoing a process of change. The Turkish people want to know more about the peoples they are living together with. As of course, there is also some curiosity within political parties, [and] that is very favorable,” said Şirinoğlu, who met with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on March 26 and told the Daily News at the time that he was warm on the idea of running for a seat in Parliament. Şirinoğlu, however, also said he was not going to declare himself a parliamentary candidate unless the AKP made an official proposal to him.
The Surp Pırgiç Armenian Hospital Foundation in Istanbul’s Kazlıçeşme neighborhood is only second to the Armenian Patriarchate in terms of its protocol status in Ankara. Political party leaders, however, have paid frequent visits to Şirinoğlu over the past year, rather than going to the Patriarchate itself.
These visits were quite natural, frank and sincere, said Şirinoğlu, despite occasional objections arising from the Armenian community.
“I have difficulty understanding why [the Armenian community] reacts [to these meetings.] If it were not me but some other foundation president, these appointments would still have been granted. Unfortunately, I end up having to give the same explanation to the community on each occasion. Our protocol status in Ankara ranks in second place after the Patriarchate. These visits, therefore, are paid to the foundation president, and not to my person as such,” said Şirinoğlu.
New laws passed during the AKP’s rule have allowed the Armenian community to reclaim their foundations through lawsuits in recent years. These gains have created sympathy for the ruling AKP, according to Şirinoğlu.
“It will be easier to maintain the community’s balance thanks to the property we retrieved due to the changes enacted in laws pertaining to foundations. All community institutions are kept through donations,” said Şirinoğlu and also added they were holding cordial meetings with the government in Ankara to retrieve the currently occupied area across from the hospital.
Şirinoğlu further said they were hopeful about regaining the area and that another fully equipped Armenian hospital was also in the works; if such a hospital is opened, it will be the third in the Republic’s history.
Sibil's strains echo across city as Turkish TV airs first Armenian music video
Thursday, May 26, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
The first Armenian music video is airing on Turkey’s leading music channels and the state-run TRT. Well-known artists provided support for artist Sibil Pektorosoğlu’s album, which was released a few months ago on the Ossi Music label. The Istanbul-born Armenian singer says it was a dream to release her album and broadcast her music video on Turkish TV
'Namag' (Letter) by Sibil Pektorosoğlu, an Istanbul Armenian, has been gaining mainstream popularity.
Turkey’s leading private music TV channels as well as the country’s state-run broadcaster have broken new ground in airing the first Armenian music video on popular stations in the nation’s history.
“Namag” (Letter) by Sibil Pektorosoğlu, an Istanbul Armenian, has been gaining mainstream popularity and can now be heard echoing from shops along the city’s iconic İstiklal Avenue. The lyrics were written by master Armenian poet Hovhannes Şiraz while the singer’s music video was produced by one of Turkey’s most famous directors in the field, Özkan Aksular.
Pektorosoğlu said it was like a dream to release her album and broadcast her music video on Turkish television. “When I hear my songs on İstiklal Avenue, I cry,” she recently told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
“Music is universal, it is above all identities. I can’t breathe without singing; this is why this album is loved that much by my listeners,” she said.
The song was the result of collaboration between Armenian and Turkish artists, including Mercan Dede, an international star famous for mixing Sufi music and ambient electronica, as well as Göksel Baktagir, a master of the “kanun,” a zither-like stringed instrument. Released on the Ossi Music label, the Pektorosoğlu’s album was arranged by Cenk Taşkan, an important figure on the Turkish pop music scene for more than 40 years.
“I made the most of my 40-year experience for this album and it has reached its goal,” Taşkan, who recently returned to Turkey on a visit from his current home in Canada, told the Daily News. “I am very pleased to be a part of this first-time work in Turkey, too.”
The works of Taşkan, who was one of the leading names in the revival of Western-style Turkish pop music at the end of the 1960s and the beginning of 1970s, have represented Turkey at the Eurovision Song Contest many times.
Istanbul is inescapable
Even though he moved to Canada during the difficult aftermath of the 1980 coup, Taşkan said he often came to Istanbul and continued working with Turkish artists, adding that he had created many new grounds for the country’s pop music.
“Istanbul is my life, my everything; I can’t imagine a life without it. I have even composed a song titled ‘Istanbul Istanbul,’” Taşkan said.
Also an Istanbul Armenian, Taşkan’s real name is Majak Toşikyan; asked why he chose to use a Turkish name rather than his birth name, he said: “Turkish artists, as well as many foreign artists, do not use their own name. Changing my name does not mean that I have changed my soul.”
Referring to events between the Turkish and Armenian people in the past, Taşkan said: “We have lived together for thousands of years. As a life philosophy, I’m interested in the future; it can remove the traces of the past. It is necessary to open a new page. Otherwise, even in 3050, people will still be talking about the same things.”
Addressing the arguments between Turkish and Armenian people as to the artistic ownership of a number of Anatolian songs that are now sung by both nations, Taşkan said: “We have been the people of Anatolia for thousands of years. No nation has its own music; instead the land has its own music.”
Thursday, May 26, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
The first Armenian music video is airing on Turkey’s leading music channels and the state-run TRT. Well-known artists provided support for artist Sibil Pektorosoğlu’s album, which was released a few months ago on the Ossi Music label. The Istanbul-born Armenian singer says it was a dream to release her album and broadcast her music video on Turkish TV
'Namag' (Letter) by Sibil Pektorosoğlu, an Istanbul Armenian, has been gaining mainstream popularity.
Turkey’s leading private music TV channels as well as the country’s state-run broadcaster have broken new ground in airing the first Armenian music video on popular stations in the nation’s history.
“Namag” (Letter) by Sibil Pektorosoğlu, an Istanbul Armenian, has been gaining mainstream popularity and can now be heard echoing from shops along the city’s iconic İstiklal Avenue. The lyrics were written by master Armenian poet Hovhannes Şiraz while the singer’s music video was produced by one of Turkey’s most famous directors in the field, Özkan Aksular.
Pektorosoğlu said it was like a dream to release her album and broadcast her music video on Turkish television. “When I hear my songs on İstiklal Avenue, I cry,” she recently told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
“Music is universal, it is above all identities. I can’t breathe without singing; this is why this album is loved that much by my listeners,” she said.
The song was the result of collaboration between Armenian and Turkish artists, including Mercan Dede, an international star famous for mixing Sufi music and ambient electronica, as well as Göksel Baktagir, a master of the “kanun,” a zither-like stringed instrument. Released on the Ossi Music label, the Pektorosoğlu’s album was arranged by Cenk Taşkan, an important figure on the Turkish pop music scene for more than 40 years.
“I made the most of my 40-year experience for this album and it has reached its goal,” Taşkan, who recently returned to Turkey on a visit from his current home in Canada, told the Daily News. “I am very pleased to be a part of this first-time work in Turkey, too.”
The works of Taşkan, who was one of the leading names in the revival of Western-style Turkish pop music at the end of the 1960s and the beginning of 1970s, have represented Turkey at the Eurovision Song Contest many times.
Istanbul is inescapable
Even though he moved to Canada during the difficult aftermath of the 1980 coup, Taşkan said he often came to Istanbul and continued working with Turkish artists, adding that he had created many new grounds for the country’s pop music.
“Istanbul is my life, my everything; I can’t imagine a life without it. I have even composed a song titled ‘Istanbul Istanbul,’” Taşkan said.
Also an Istanbul Armenian, Taşkan’s real name is Majak Toşikyan; asked why he chose to use a Turkish name rather than his birth name, he said: “Turkish artists, as well as many foreign artists, do not use their own name. Changing my name does not mean that I have changed my soul.”
Referring to events between the Turkish and Armenian people in the past, Taşkan said: “We have lived together for thousands of years. As a life philosophy, I’m interested in the future; it can remove the traces of the past. It is necessary to open a new page. Otherwise, even in 3050, people will still be talking about the same things.”
Addressing the arguments between Turkish and Armenian people as to the artistic ownership of a number of Anatolian songs that are now sung by both nations, Taşkan said: “We have been the people of Anatolia for thousands of years. No nation has its own music; instead the land has its own music.”
Candidate for Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey cool toward politics
Monday, May 30, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
The Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey should do its best to steer clear of politics, according to a possible future patriarch. Archbishop Karekin Bekjian, a candidate for the patriarchate and a primate of the German diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, speaks to Hürriyet Daily News when he was in in Istanbul to celebrate the 550th anniversary of the patriarchate, which was only marked by a low-profile service and a small reception due to the continuing illness of titular Patriarch Mesrop II
Asked whether he would become a Turkish citizen if elected as patriarch, Bekjian said he currently had both Turkish and German citizenship.
The Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey would do best to steer clear of politics, according to a possible future patriarch who has vowed to keep politics at an arm’s length from the church if elected to the post.
“Even though I am personally concerned about politics, I would not advise the Patriarchate to get involved in such matters,” Archbishop Karekin Bekjian, a candidate for the patriarchate and a primate of the German diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, told the Hürriyet Daily News on Sunday.
Bekjian was in Istanbul to celebrate the 550th anniversary of the patriarchate, which was only marked by a low-profile service and a small reception due to the continuing illness of titular Patriarch Mesrop II, who is incapable of discharging his duties due to dementia. Grandiose plans to celebrate the 550th anniversary of the patriarchate were turned down by prominent figures within the Armenian community due to the patriarch’s illness.
In his stead, Archbishop Aram Ateşyan was appointed as acting patriarch although Bekjian was one of the leading opponent’s of Ateşyan’s investiture.
“A deputy patriarch was already appointed in 1998 while Mesrop II was still in good health. Why was [someone else] appointed [afterwards]? Was there a deal with the state? There should have been an election for the patriarch as if the the current patriarch were dead,” Bekjian said.
Discussing his current role, Bekjian said his primary duty as a cleric was to maintain the church’s well-being.
“Any bonds that will form between the diaspora [and the Armenian Patriarchate in Turkey] must come about of its own accord. If they prefer to recognize the patriarchate, then they will; and if they prefer otherwise, then we will not feel any special obligation to reach out to them,” said Bekjian, who is well-acquainted with the Armenian diaspora because of his residence in Germany.
Asked whether he would become a Turkish citizen if elected as patriarch, Bekjian said he currently had both Turkish and German citizenship.
During the ceremony, Ateşyan also presented Mustafa Sarıgül, the mayor of Istanbul’s Şişli district, with a Patriarchate Special Service Gold Medal, marking the first time that a person of Turkish descent has been awarded the honor.
Training future clerics
Mesrop II had suggested opening a theology department within a university several years ago to raise new clerics for Istanbul’s Armenian community, Bekjian said.
“The idea of sending young clerics to theology departments in Europe had also come up, [but] I am not warm to that idea. Clerics must be chosen from among the Armenians of Istanbul so that they can understand the mentality, the cast of that mind that exists here,” Bekjian said.
Authorities used to permit the raising of new clerics at the Tıbrevank School in Istanbul’s Üsküdar district in the early 1960s, but this right was revoked in 1968, the archbishop said. The school, which still operates as the Private Surp Haç High School, lost its status as a foundation in 1985, he said.
If the Halki Seminary on Heybeliada Island were to be opened again, then the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey could also take advantage of the situation, and clerics graduating from the seminary could then enroll in theology seminars abroad before returning to Turkey, Bekjian said.
“Our people in Germany speak Turkish and preach in Turkish. [Even though] the Armenian community has a past in Europe that goes back 150 years, they do not have established traditions there,” said Bekjian.
The Armenian community of Istanbul, however, thrived on a well-established system of traditions, according to Bekjian.
“Istanbul is my memories, my everything. For me, Istanbul is a never-dying aspiration. I could not live without this city,” Bekjian said.
Monday, May 30, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
The Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey should do its best to steer clear of politics, according to a possible future patriarch. Archbishop Karekin Bekjian, a candidate for the patriarchate and a primate of the German diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, speaks to Hürriyet Daily News when he was in in Istanbul to celebrate the 550th anniversary of the patriarchate, which was only marked by a low-profile service and a small reception due to the continuing illness of titular Patriarch Mesrop II
Asked whether he would become a Turkish citizen if elected as patriarch, Bekjian said he currently had both Turkish and German citizenship.
The Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey would do best to steer clear of politics, according to a possible future patriarch who has vowed to keep politics at an arm’s length from the church if elected to the post.
“Even though I am personally concerned about politics, I would not advise the Patriarchate to get involved in such matters,” Archbishop Karekin Bekjian, a candidate for the patriarchate and a primate of the German diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, told the Hürriyet Daily News on Sunday.
Bekjian was in Istanbul to celebrate the 550th anniversary of the patriarchate, which was only marked by a low-profile service and a small reception due to the continuing illness of titular Patriarch Mesrop II, who is incapable of discharging his duties due to dementia. Grandiose plans to celebrate the 550th anniversary of the patriarchate were turned down by prominent figures within the Armenian community due to the patriarch’s illness.
In his stead, Archbishop Aram Ateşyan was appointed as acting patriarch although Bekjian was one of the leading opponent’s of Ateşyan’s investiture.
“A deputy patriarch was already appointed in 1998 while Mesrop II was still in good health. Why was [someone else] appointed [afterwards]? Was there a deal with the state? There should have been an election for the patriarch as if the the current patriarch were dead,” Bekjian said.
Discussing his current role, Bekjian said his primary duty as a cleric was to maintain the church’s well-being.
“Any bonds that will form between the diaspora [and the Armenian Patriarchate in Turkey] must come about of its own accord. If they prefer to recognize the patriarchate, then they will; and if they prefer otherwise, then we will not feel any special obligation to reach out to them,” said Bekjian, who is well-acquainted with the Armenian diaspora because of his residence in Germany.
Asked whether he would become a Turkish citizen if elected as patriarch, Bekjian said he currently had both Turkish and German citizenship.
During the ceremony, Ateşyan also presented Mustafa Sarıgül, the mayor of Istanbul’s Şişli district, with a Patriarchate Special Service Gold Medal, marking the first time that a person of Turkish descent has been awarded the honor.
Training future clerics
Mesrop II had suggested opening a theology department within a university several years ago to raise new clerics for Istanbul’s Armenian community, Bekjian said.
“The idea of sending young clerics to theology departments in Europe had also come up, [but] I am not warm to that idea. Clerics must be chosen from among the Armenians of Istanbul so that they can understand the mentality, the cast of that mind that exists here,” Bekjian said.
Authorities used to permit the raising of new clerics at the Tıbrevank School in Istanbul’s Üsküdar district in the early 1960s, but this right was revoked in 1968, the archbishop said. The school, which still operates as the Private Surp Haç High School, lost its status as a foundation in 1985, he said.
If the Halki Seminary on Heybeliada Island were to be opened again, then the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey could also take advantage of the situation, and clerics graduating from the seminary could then enroll in theology seminars abroad before returning to Turkey, Bekjian said.
“Our people in Germany speak Turkish and preach in Turkish. [Even though] the Armenian community has a past in Europe that goes back 150 years, they do not have established traditions there,” said Bekjian.
The Armenian community of Istanbul, however, thrived on a well-established system of traditions, according to Bekjian.
“Istanbul is my memories, my everything. For me, Istanbul is a never-dying aspiration. I could not live without this city,” Bekjian said.
22 Mayıs 2011 Pazar
Turkish education minister makes surprise visit to Armenian foundation
Sunday, May 22, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Daily News with wires
Şirinoğlu claimed there is underlying sympathy within the Armenian community toward the ruling AKP for its role in passing new laws about minority foundations.
Education Minister Nimet Çubukçu paid a surprise visit to the Surp Pırgiç Armenian Hospital Foundation and held an exclusive meeting that lasted for roughly half an hour with the foundation’s president Bedros Şirinoğlu on Saturday afternoon.
Despite objections to such meetings from certain quarters within Turkey’s Armenian community, Şirinoğlu claimed there is underlying sympathy within the Armenian community toward the ruling AKP for its role in passing new laws about minority foundations.
“All visits to the hospital are [normally] scheduled from many days ahead, whereas Minister Çubukçu’s visit was quite abrupt. Frankly that was quite a surprise. We primarily spoke about the election process,” Şirinoğlu, the foundation’s president and a businessman, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
After the meeting, Çubukçu also spent some time with the occupants in a retirement house that operates under the hospital foundation and distributed flowers to them. The minister did not make any comments regarding her conversation with Şirinoğlu.
“Turkey is undergoing a process of change. The Turkish people want to know more about the peoples they are living together with. As of course, there is also some curiosity within political parties, [and] that is very favorable,” said Şirinoğlu, who met with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on March 26 and told the Daily News at the time that he was warm on the idea of running for a seat in Parliament. Şirinoğlu, however, also said he was not going to declare himself a parliamentary candidate unless the AKP made an official proposal to him.
The Surp Pırgiç Armenian Hospital Foundation in Istanbul’s Kazlıçeşme neighborhood is only second to the Armenian Patriarchate in terms of its protocol status in Ankara. Political party leaders, however, have paid frequent visits to Şirinoğlu over the past year, rather than going to the Patriarchate itself.
These visits were quite natural, frank and sincere, said Şirinoğlu, despite occasional objections arising from the Armenian community.
“I have difficulty understanding why [the Armenian community] reacts [to these meetings.] If it were not me but some other foundation president, these appointments would still have been granted. Unfortunately, I end up having to give the same explanation to the community on each occasion. Our protocol status in Ankara ranks in second place after the Patriarchate. These visits, therefore, are paid to the foundation president, and not to my person as such,” said Şirinoğlu.
New laws passed during the AKP’s rule have allowed the Armenian community to reclaim their foundations through lawsuits in recent years. These gains have created sympathy for the ruling AKP, according to Şirinoğlu.
“It will be easier to maintain the community’s balance thanks to the property we retrieved due to the changes enacted in laws pertaining to foundations. All community institutions are kept through donations,” said Şirinoğlu and also added they were holding cordial meetings with the government in Ankara to retrieve the currently occupied area across from the hospital.
Şirinoğlu further said they were hopeful about regaining the area and that another fully equipped Armenian hospital was also in the works; if such a hospital is opened, it will be the third in the Republic’s history.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Daily News with wires
Şirinoğlu claimed there is underlying sympathy within the Armenian community toward the ruling AKP for its role in passing new laws about minority foundations.
Education Minister Nimet Çubukçu paid a surprise visit to the Surp Pırgiç Armenian Hospital Foundation and held an exclusive meeting that lasted for roughly half an hour with the foundation’s president Bedros Şirinoğlu on Saturday afternoon.
Despite objections to such meetings from certain quarters within Turkey’s Armenian community, Şirinoğlu claimed there is underlying sympathy within the Armenian community toward the ruling AKP for its role in passing new laws about minority foundations.
“All visits to the hospital are [normally] scheduled from many days ahead, whereas Minister Çubukçu’s visit was quite abrupt. Frankly that was quite a surprise. We primarily spoke about the election process,” Şirinoğlu, the foundation’s president and a businessman, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
After the meeting, Çubukçu also spent some time with the occupants in a retirement house that operates under the hospital foundation and distributed flowers to them. The minister did not make any comments regarding her conversation with Şirinoğlu.
“Turkey is undergoing a process of change. The Turkish people want to know more about the peoples they are living together with. As of course, there is also some curiosity within political parties, [and] that is very favorable,” said Şirinoğlu, who met with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on March 26 and told the Daily News at the time that he was warm on the idea of running for a seat in Parliament. Şirinoğlu, however, also said he was not going to declare himself a parliamentary candidate unless the AKP made an official proposal to him.
The Surp Pırgiç Armenian Hospital Foundation in Istanbul’s Kazlıçeşme neighborhood is only second to the Armenian Patriarchate in terms of its protocol status in Ankara. Political party leaders, however, have paid frequent visits to Şirinoğlu over the past year, rather than going to the Patriarchate itself.
These visits were quite natural, frank and sincere, said Şirinoğlu, despite occasional objections arising from the Armenian community.
“I have difficulty understanding why [the Armenian community] reacts [to these meetings.] If it were not me but some other foundation president, these appointments would still have been granted. Unfortunately, I end up having to give the same explanation to the community on each occasion. Our protocol status in Ankara ranks in second place after the Patriarchate. These visits, therefore, are paid to the foundation president, and not to my person as such,” said Şirinoğlu.
New laws passed during the AKP’s rule have allowed the Armenian community to reclaim their foundations through lawsuits in recent years. These gains have created sympathy for the ruling AKP, according to Şirinoğlu.
“It will be easier to maintain the community’s balance thanks to the property we retrieved due to the changes enacted in laws pertaining to foundations. All community institutions are kept through donations,” said Şirinoğlu and also added they were holding cordial meetings with the government in Ankara to retrieve the currently occupied area across from the hospital.
Şirinoğlu further said they were hopeful about regaining the area and that another fully equipped Armenian hospital was also in the works; if such a hospital is opened, it will be the third in the Republic’s history.
20 Mayıs 2011 Cuma
Opposition representative expounds on Turkish-Armenian relations
Opposition representative expounds on Turkish-Armenian relations
Thursday, May 19, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
'The AKP began its Armenia initiative with an inappropriate partner under inappropriate circumstances,' said Korutürk.
Turkey’s main opposition’s foreign policy specialist and former Ambassador Osman Korutürk has criticized the government’s policies toward Armenia while reiterating his party’s election promises following his visits to the religious leaders of Turkey’s Armenian, Greek, Syriac and Jewish minorities this week.
“The painful [events of 1915] were reciprocal; we need to talk tete a tete [with the Armenians.] The diaspora claims they were the only ones to suffer; the pain of the Muslim Turks needs to also be recognized. We can move forward if we dress our wounds and leave the past to historians. Even the Germans and Jews have managed to overcome all this. Why shouldn’t we?” asked Korutürk from the Republican People’s Party, or CHP. He added that they wanted good relations with Turkey’s neighbors and signaled the possibility of reinvigorating the issue of Turkey’s closed border with Armenia.
Korutürk also said significant mistakes were committed in regards to the Interior Ministry’s decision to appoint Aram Ateşyan as the acting deputy patriarch of the Armenian church. The CHP representative said the spirit of the Lausanne Treaty should have been followed in this regard.
Patriarch Mesrop II was diagnosed with “frontal demans” in 2007 and is no longer capable of fulfilling his duties due to health reasons. The Interior Ministry then chose to appoint Ateşyan as his deputy despite protests from within the Armenian community.
“The AKP began its Armenia initiative with an inappropriate partner under inappropriate circumstances. Consider the fact that anyone who says there was no genocide gets punished in Switzerland, which is the mediating country,” said Korutürk, who also accused the AKP of failing in its Kurdish Initiative as well.
“The AKP failed to act in coordination. Azerbaijan was not kept sufficiently informed ... The Karabagh problem requires many years to be resolved, just like the Cyprus problem. When they received negative reactions from Azerbaijan, the AKP took a wrong turn and pushed forth the issue of Karabagh, [as a result of which] the process lost its momentum. If things were coordinated with Azerbaijan and [Azerbaijan] was kept sufficiently informed, all this would not have happened,” said Korutürk, referring to the protocols initialized in 2009 between Turkey and Armenia to normalize relations.
Korutürk said if Turkey wants to be a powerful player in the region, then it must develop consistent dialogue with its neighbors. The CHP representative noted that Armenia conducts a significant portion of its trade through neighboring Iran and Georgia, and added that Turkey is still Armenia’s second largest export market despite the closed borders. All the benefit from this trade, however, go to Iran and Georgia, said Korutürk.
“We see everyone as equal Turkish citizens. The distance [of minority communities] toward the CHP must be emanating from certain problems that occurred during the single-party period,” said Korutürk, who also urged minority communities to become more engaged in politics.
Korutürk also reiterated CHP’s election promises, including removing the 10 percent election threshold that prevents smaller parties from entering the parliament and the foundation of a special commission to elucidate unresolved political murders. Korutürk also promised to pave the way for people to be able to learn in their mother tongues, as well as recognition of representation rights for Kurds. Korutürk further claimed that the infamous Diyarbakır Prison, the site of gruesome torture sessions that allegedly took place during Turkey’s 1980 coup, was going to be turned into a Human Rights Museum if the CHP came to power.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
'The AKP began its Armenia initiative with an inappropriate partner under inappropriate circumstances,' said Korutürk.
Turkey’s main opposition’s foreign policy specialist and former Ambassador Osman Korutürk has criticized the government’s policies toward Armenia while reiterating his party’s election promises following his visits to the religious leaders of Turkey’s Armenian, Greek, Syriac and Jewish minorities this week.
“The painful [events of 1915] were reciprocal; we need to talk tete a tete [with the Armenians.] The diaspora claims they were the only ones to suffer; the pain of the Muslim Turks needs to also be recognized. We can move forward if we dress our wounds and leave the past to historians. Even the Germans and Jews have managed to overcome all this. Why shouldn’t we?” asked Korutürk from the Republican People’s Party, or CHP. He added that they wanted good relations with Turkey’s neighbors and signaled the possibility of reinvigorating the issue of Turkey’s closed border with Armenia.
Korutürk also said significant mistakes were committed in regards to the Interior Ministry’s decision to appoint Aram Ateşyan as the acting deputy patriarch of the Armenian church. The CHP representative said the spirit of the Lausanne Treaty should have been followed in this regard.
Patriarch Mesrop II was diagnosed with “frontal demans” in 2007 and is no longer capable of fulfilling his duties due to health reasons. The Interior Ministry then chose to appoint Ateşyan as his deputy despite protests from within the Armenian community.
“The AKP began its Armenia initiative with an inappropriate partner under inappropriate circumstances. Consider the fact that anyone who says there was no genocide gets punished in Switzerland, which is the mediating country,” said Korutürk, who also accused the AKP of failing in its Kurdish Initiative as well.
“The AKP failed to act in coordination. Azerbaijan was not kept sufficiently informed ... The Karabagh problem requires many years to be resolved, just like the Cyprus problem. When they received negative reactions from Azerbaijan, the AKP took a wrong turn and pushed forth the issue of Karabagh, [as a result of which] the process lost its momentum. If things were coordinated with Azerbaijan and [Azerbaijan] was kept sufficiently informed, all this would not have happened,” said Korutürk, referring to the protocols initialized in 2009 between Turkey and Armenia to normalize relations.
Korutürk said if Turkey wants to be a powerful player in the region, then it must develop consistent dialogue with its neighbors. The CHP representative noted that Armenia conducts a significant portion of its trade through neighboring Iran and Georgia, and added that Turkey is still Armenia’s second largest export market despite the closed borders. All the benefit from this trade, however, go to Iran and Georgia, said Korutürk.
“We see everyone as equal Turkish citizens. The distance [of minority communities] toward the CHP must be emanating from certain problems that occurred during the single-party period,” said Korutürk, who also urged minority communities to become more engaged in politics.
Korutürk also reiterated CHP’s election promises, including removing the 10 percent election threshold that prevents smaller parties from entering the parliament and the foundation of a special commission to elucidate unresolved political murders. Korutürk also promised to pave the way for people to be able to learn in their mother tongues, as well as recognition of representation rights for Kurds. Korutürk further claimed that the infamous Diyarbakır Prison, the site of gruesome torture sessions that allegedly took place during Turkey’s 1980 coup, was going to be turned into a Human Rights Museum if the CHP came to power.
17 Mayıs 2011 Salı
US court requests Turkey’s defense in lawsuit filed by Armenian-Americans
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Lawyer Yaghlayan claims the case will be important not only for Armenians, but 'all the people whose rights have been trampled upon by governments.'
A United States court has granted Turkey 21 days to respond to a lawsuit filed by Armenian-Americans demanding compensation for property allegedly seized by the Ottoman government from its own Armenian subjects during the events of 1915. The case worth $64 million concerns properties located near and under a U.S. airbase located in Incirlik in the southern province of Adana.
“This case is important, not only for the Armenian community but also the international one. It will set a precedent on the basis of the lawsuit that revolves around the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, or FSIA. The Government of the Republic of Turkey is benefiting from the exploitation of these properties. As such they are to be held accountable for the consequences of their actions,” lawyer Vartkes Yeghiayan told Hürriyet Daily News by e-mail.
The lawsuit was opened in 2010, to seek compensation from the Turkish state, Turkish Central Bank and the Ziraat Bank. Yeghiayan, the Armenian-American lawyer who took over the case on behalf of Rita Mahtesian, Anais Harutyunyan and Alex Bakalian, is also known for having filed a lawsuit that resulted in the French firm Axa and Oyak Insurance, a Turkish firm with links to the Turkish military, breaking off from a joint deal in 2005.
“In a related matter, we recently learned that the government of Turkey recently granted 3,800 euros to each of the 300 families that had filed a suit against it in Samsun some 50 years ago,” said Yeghiayan, who further claimed that the following 21 days were going to be crucial not just for the three institutions on trial but for all people whose rights have been trampled upon by foreign governments worldwide.
“In this case our clients are able to sue the government of the Republic of Turkey, the Central Bank of Turkey and the Ziraat Bankası because of the following reasons: Turkey committed a violation of international laws and proceeded to illegally confiscate properties from their rightful owners in the process, Turkey also proceeded to violate its own constitution and the Lausanne Treaty. But more importantly, they have used these ill-obtained properties to run commercial operations,” Yeghiayan said.
Bakalian, Mahdesian and Harutyunyan who also represent their respective families and relatives, are jointly in possession of some 11 title deeds located in the vicinity of Incirlik airbase, according to their lawyer. Yeghiayan also said they were contacted by other individuals with 15 more property deeds, while expressing his hopes that they, too, will join the case in the coming months.
Yeghiayan also partook in a suit filed against New York Life Insurance, which paid some $20 million to Armenians in 2004. Over the preceding months, Yeghiayan assumed another case on behalf of the Center for Armenian Remembrance, or CAR, an Armenian charity in the U.S., and had requested information pertaining to property that was allegedly seized from Anatolian Armenians by the Ottoman government in 1915.
Ottoman Armenians took out policies regarding cargo transportation, sea travel, fire and life insurance from 103 foreign insurance firms before 1915, mainly from Europe and the U.S., according to Yeghiayan.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Lawyer Yaghlayan claims the case will be important not only for Armenians, but 'all the people whose rights have been trampled upon by governments.'
A United States court has granted Turkey 21 days to respond to a lawsuit filed by Armenian-Americans demanding compensation for property allegedly seized by the Ottoman government from its own Armenian subjects during the events of 1915. The case worth $64 million concerns properties located near and under a U.S. airbase located in Incirlik in the southern province of Adana.
“This case is important, not only for the Armenian community but also the international one. It will set a precedent on the basis of the lawsuit that revolves around the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, or FSIA. The Government of the Republic of Turkey is benefiting from the exploitation of these properties. As such they are to be held accountable for the consequences of their actions,” lawyer Vartkes Yeghiayan told Hürriyet Daily News by e-mail.
The lawsuit was opened in 2010, to seek compensation from the Turkish state, Turkish Central Bank and the Ziraat Bank. Yeghiayan, the Armenian-American lawyer who took over the case on behalf of Rita Mahtesian, Anais Harutyunyan and Alex Bakalian, is also known for having filed a lawsuit that resulted in the French firm Axa and Oyak Insurance, a Turkish firm with links to the Turkish military, breaking off from a joint deal in 2005.
“In a related matter, we recently learned that the government of Turkey recently granted 3,800 euros to each of the 300 families that had filed a suit against it in Samsun some 50 years ago,” said Yeghiayan, who further claimed that the following 21 days were going to be crucial not just for the three institutions on trial but for all people whose rights have been trampled upon by foreign governments worldwide.
“In this case our clients are able to sue the government of the Republic of Turkey, the Central Bank of Turkey and the Ziraat Bankası because of the following reasons: Turkey committed a violation of international laws and proceeded to illegally confiscate properties from their rightful owners in the process, Turkey also proceeded to violate its own constitution and the Lausanne Treaty. But more importantly, they have used these ill-obtained properties to run commercial operations,” Yeghiayan said.
Bakalian, Mahdesian and Harutyunyan who also represent their respective families and relatives, are jointly in possession of some 11 title deeds located in the vicinity of Incirlik airbase, according to their lawyer. Yeghiayan also said they were contacted by other individuals with 15 more property deeds, while expressing his hopes that they, too, will join the case in the coming months.
Yeghiayan also partook in a suit filed against New York Life Insurance, which paid some $20 million to Armenians in 2004. Over the preceding months, Yeghiayan assumed another case on behalf of the Center for Armenian Remembrance, or CAR, an Armenian charity in the U.S., and had requested information pertaining to property that was allegedly seized from Anatolian Armenians by the Ottoman government in 1915.
Ottoman Armenians took out policies regarding cargo transportation, sea travel, fire and life insurance from 103 foreign insurance firms before 1915, mainly from Europe and the U.S., according to Yeghiayan.
16 Mayıs 2011 Pazartesi
Forgotten community seeks to join elections with new party
Forgotten community seeks to join elections with new party
Monday, May 16, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Historical communities of Islamisized Armenians, who live on the Black Sea coast in northeastern Turkey, are getting ready to found a new political party. The party’s founder, İsmet Şahin, is a former deputy candidate from Istanbul’s second region who ran on the ranks of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party, or BDP, until he was left out of the candidate list. The new party’s name will be publicly announced following the general elections on June 12. Şahin also served in BDP’s ranks in previous elections.
“We will become a party that produces global solutions for societal problems and protects the general interests of all oppressed people. Our party will remain completely outside the left-right paradigm,” Şahin, who is a prominent member of the Hemşin community, told Hürriyet Daily News.
The Hemşin were originally Armenians who fled to the Pontus region along the eastern Black Sea as Arab troops occupied their homeland in 790. In 1480 the Ottomans conquered the area and in 1600 instituted the “devşirme,” in which suitable young boys were taken from Christian families to be educated. The Christians in the region often converted to Islam to get rid of the “devşirme” and other taxes that were applied to them.
“CHP and AKP are nationalists; BDP is becoming corrupt”
A total of seven Turkish-Armenians ran for seats in the parliament with the AKP, the CHP and the BDP, but all of them were left off the candidate list.
“It would have been naive to expect positive results. The AKP still uses the Armenian identity as a form of curse in tete a tete debates,” said Şahin, who accused the ruling AKP and the main opposition CHP of nationalism, and then added that the Armenian community of Istanbul is still an inconsequential factor in Turkey’s political and social structure.
“The presence of even a single Armenian deputy in parliament would remind Turkey of its history; it would force Turkey to face up to its own history. Turkey does not have the courage to face up to its history,” said Şahin.
“The BDP presents the Kurds and Turks as brothers in arms that fought against common enemies to protect the Republic, with the aim of gaining recognition from the state. The BDP is getting corrupt. Instead of aligning itself with other oppressed peoples, the BDP chose to go for an exclusively Kurdish constituency. In the past they had announced their support for me because I was from within the party and because I am a Hamshenite,” said Şahin, adding that he found it meaningless for other people to lay so much stress on his Hamshenite identity.
“In recent years, more and more people have begun claiming they are discovering their Armenian identity, and I do not find this sincere. Hamshenites have always identified themselves as Hamshenites. If you ask whether they are Turks, you would elicit a negative response. If you ask whether they are Armenians, again you would elicit a negative response. They would only tell you they are Hamshenites,” said Şahin.
Monday, May 16, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Historical communities of Islamisized Armenians, who live on the Black Sea coast in northeastern Turkey, are getting ready to found a new political party. The party’s founder, İsmet Şahin, is a former deputy candidate from Istanbul’s second region who ran on the ranks of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party, or BDP, until he was left out of the candidate list. The new party’s name will be publicly announced following the general elections on June 12. Şahin also served in BDP’s ranks in previous elections.
“We will become a party that produces global solutions for societal problems and protects the general interests of all oppressed people. Our party will remain completely outside the left-right paradigm,” Şahin, who is a prominent member of the Hemşin community, told Hürriyet Daily News.
The Hemşin were originally Armenians who fled to the Pontus region along the eastern Black Sea as Arab troops occupied their homeland in 790. In 1480 the Ottomans conquered the area and in 1600 instituted the “devşirme,” in which suitable young boys were taken from Christian families to be educated. The Christians in the region often converted to Islam to get rid of the “devşirme” and other taxes that were applied to them.
“CHP and AKP are nationalists; BDP is becoming corrupt”
A total of seven Turkish-Armenians ran for seats in the parliament with the AKP, the CHP and the BDP, but all of them were left off the candidate list.
“It would have been naive to expect positive results. The AKP still uses the Armenian identity as a form of curse in tete a tete debates,” said Şahin, who accused the ruling AKP and the main opposition CHP of nationalism, and then added that the Armenian community of Istanbul is still an inconsequential factor in Turkey’s political and social structure.
“The presence of even a single Armenian deputy in parliament would remind Turkey of its history; it would force Turkey to face up to its own history. Turkey does not have the courage to face up to its history,” said Şahin.
“The BDP presents the Kurds and Turks as brothers in arms that fought against common enemies to protect the Republic, with the aim of gaining recognition from the state. The BDP is getting corrupt. Instead of aligning itself with other oppressed peoples, the BDP chose to go for an exclusively Kurdish constituency. In the past they had announced their support for me because I was from within the party and because I am a Hamshenite,” said Şahin, adding that he found it meaningless for other people to lay so much stress on his Hamshenite identity.
“In recent years, more and more people have begun claiming they are discovering their Armenian identity, and I do not find this sincere. Hamshenites have always identified themselves as Hamshenites. If you ask whether they are Turks, you would elicit a negative response. If you ask whether they are Armenians, again you would elicit a negative response. They would only tell you they are Hamshenites,” said Şahin.
10 Mayıs 2011 Salı
CHP visited Fener Greek, Turkish Armenian patriarchies
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - HURRIYET DAILY NEWS
The Republican People’s Party, or CHP, Deputy President, Osman Korutürk pay a visit to Fener Greek and Armenian patriarchies of Turkey. His visit to Armenian Patriarchy of Turkey took longer than anticipated. On the matter of the Armenian deputy who had declared candidacy from CHP yet been excluded out of the list, Korutürk said, ‘We do not separate people according to their ethnic identities, 4,300 people applied’
The main opposition reaches out to minorities ahead of elections.
The Republican People’s Party, or CHP, Deputy President and Foreign Politics Representative Osman Korutürk and General Secretary Bihlun Tamaylıgil paid a visit to Fener Greek Patriarchy and the Armenian Patriarchy of Turkey on Monday.
While the officials’ visit to Fener Greek Patriarchy took half an hour, their visit to the Armenians Patriarchy of Turkey took approximately an hour and half. They were met by the Acting Patriarch Archishop Aram Ateşyan at the Turkish Armenian Patriarchy and the meeting was held closed to the press.
Answering the questions of Hürriyet Daily News after the meeting, Korutürk touching upon the incidents of 1915, said: “Both of the sides experienced agonies, it would be unjust to say they are one-sided. As two rival parties the CHP, and Justice and Development Party, or AKP, we brought on the agenda the proposal of establishing a history commission. Nevertheless, the proposal was not approved in Armenia.”
Answering the question why Arev Cebeci putting candidacy from CHP on behalf of the Armenian community could not be elected, Korutürk said they do not separate people according to their identities. “More than 4,300 people applied and 550 of them won. We do not have an Armenian deputy in Parliament on behalf of our party. However, we have Armenian-origin citizens taking positions in the administration of CHP and local levels.”
Explaining why the visit to the Armenian Patriarchy of Turkey took a longer span of time, Korutürk said: “They had a long agenda to discuss. We have comprehensive projects, family insurance, agriculture projects and economic projects. These projects would change the country throughout.”
Saying that minorities are crucial for CHP, Korutürk said they stand by all of the rights recognized to minorities within the frame of Lozan Treaty.
One of the presidents of Istanbul Armenian Foundation Bedros Marzubanyan showing at the meeting said the recent statements of CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu upset the Armenian community. “Some people said Kılıçdaroğlu’s mother is an Armenian from Dersim and he tried to prove his mother is not an Armenian. I would like to ask him whether being an Armenian is really such a bad thing after all.”
Despite that they are welcome as the door is open to everybody, said Marzubanyan. “CHP is the closest rival of the government. Therefore, learning their opinions is to our advantage,” he said.
“There should have been at least two Armenian parliamentarians both in government and in the opposition. It is said on each occasion Turkey is a mosaic. If the parliament is a place where this mosaic is represented, and that is the case, as far as I know, then the pieces missing from the mosaic must be completed. We have deputy mayors and village headmen, but now we want to send a representative to parliament,” said Marzubanyan, who highlighted the fact that the 50,000-strong Armenians in Turkey did not have a single representative in parliament.
Another participant in the meeting, Apik Özfırıncı, said the visit was part of the election campaign in Turkey and the patriarchate had demonstrated its hospitality.
“As we stated earlier, we listen to both sides and our doors are wide open to both of them. The decision will undoubtedly stem from the ballot box,” said Hrant Hasbaşyan whose affinity with the ruling AKP is well known due to the Turkish-Armenian community’s gains on issues relating to minority foundations.
Bedros Şirinoğlu, the president of the Yedikule Surp Pırgiç Hospital Foundation, which ranks in second place in the protocol following the patriarchate, did not attend the meeting. Şirinoğlu, who is also known for his disposition toward the AKP, had told Daily News in a previous interview that he was ready to serve as a parliamentarian, if he was offered a position.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - HURRIYET DAILY NEWS
The Republican People’s Party, or CHP, Deputy President, Osman Korutürk pay a visit to Fener Greek and Armenian patriarchies of Turkey. His visit to Armenian Patriarchy of Turkey took longer than anticipated. On the matter of the Armenian deputy who had declared candidacy from CHP yet been excluded out of the list, Korutürk said, ‘We do not separate people according to their ethnic identities, 4,300 people applied’
The main opposition reaches out to minorities ahead of elections.
The Republican People’s Party, or CHP, Deputy President and Foreign Politics Representative Osman Korutürk and General Secretary Bihlun Tamaylıgil paid a visit to Fener Greek Patriarchy and the Armenian Patriarchy of Turkey on Monday.
While the officials’ visit to Fener Greek Patriarchy took half an hour, their visit to the Armenians Patriarchy of Turkey took approximately an hour and half. They were met by the Acting Patriarch Archishop Aram Ateşyan at the Turkish Armenian Patriarchy and the meeting was held closed to the press.
Answering the questions of Hürriyet Daily News after the meeting, Korutürk touching upon the incidents of 1915, said: “Both of the sides experienced agonies, it would be unjust to say they are one-sided. As two rival parties the CHP, and Justice and Development Party, or AKP, we brought on the agenda the proposal of establishing a history commission. Nevertheless, the proposal was not approved in Armenia.”
Answering the question why Arev Cebeci putting candidacy from CHP on behalf of the Armenian community could not be elected, Korutürk said they do not separate people according to their identities. “More than 4,300 people applied and 550 of them won. We do not have an Armenian deputy in Parliament on behalf of our party. However, we have Armenian-origin citizens taking positions in the administration of CHP and local levels.”
Explaining why the visit to the Armenian Patriarchy of Turkey took a longer span of time, Korutürk said: “They had a long agenda to discuss. We have comprehensive projects, family insurance, agriculture projects and economic projects. These projects would change the country throughout.”
Saying that minorities are crucial for CHP, Korutürk said they stand by all of the rights recognized to minorities within the frame of Lozan Treaty.
One of the presidents of Istanbul Armenian Foundation Bedros Marzubanyan showing at the meeting said the recent statements of CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu upset the Armenian community. “Some people said Kılıçdaroğlu’s mother is an Armenian from Dersim and he tried to prove his mother is not an Armenian. I would like to ask him whether being an Armenian is really such a bad thing after all.”
Despite that they are welcome as the door is open to everybody, said Marzubanyan. “CHP is the closest rival of the government. Therefore, learning their opinions is to our advantage,” he said.
“There should have been at least two Armenian parliamentarians both in government and in the opposition. It is said on each occasion Turkey is a mosaic. If the parliament is a place where this mosaic is represented, and that is the case, as far as I know, then the pieces missing from the mosaic must be completed. We have deputy mayors and village headmen, but now we want to send a representative to parliament,” said Marzubanyan, who highlighted the fact that the 50,000-strong Armenians in Turkey did not have a single representative in parliament.
Another participant in the meeting, Apik Özfırıncı, said the visit was part of the election campaign in Turkey and the patriarchate had demonstrated its hospitality.
“As we stated earlier, we listen to both sides and our doors are wide open to both of them. The decision will undoubtedly stem from the ballot box,” said Hrant Hasbaşyan whose affinity with the ruling AKP is well known due to the Turkish-Armenian community’s gains on issues relating to minority foundations.
Bedros Şirinoğlu, the president of the Yedikule Surp Pırgiç Hospital Foundation, which ranks in second place in the protocol following the patriarchate, did not attend the meeting. Şirinoğlu, who is also known for his disposition toward the AKP, had told Daily News in a previous interview that he was ready to serve as a parliamentarian, if he was offered a position.
9 Mayıs 2011 Pazartesi
Armenians split over who belongs to the 'diaspora'
Monday, May 9, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Minister Hagopyan arrived in Turkey on Thursday to participate in the Global Summit of Women, a conference held in Istanbul.
The granting of an award to Armenian intellectuals from Istanbul by Armenia’s diaspora minister has sparked a global debate among the prominent members of the Armenian community over what constitutes the “diaspora.”
Some of the figures who received awards Sunday objected to being considered part of the diaspora since they reside in their ancestors’ native lands.
“It is unacceptable to define people residing in their homelands as ‘diaspora,’” historian Ara Sarafyan, the director of the Gomidas Institute in London, told the Hürriyet Daily News on Monday, criticizing both the Armenian government and the people who received the awards.
“First of all, I would like to ask why those people who accepted the awards while maintaining their critical stance avoided pointing out during the ceremony the fact that they did not constitute a diaspora because [their ancestors] had been living in their own homelands for thousands of years,” Sarafyan said.
“I would [also] like to ask just how much Armenia recognizes and understands the Armenians of Istanbul who represent the milestone of worldwide Armenian culture,” he added.
Vahakn Karakashian, the editor-in-chief of Horizon newspaper in Canada, agreed that the 50,000-strong Armenian community in Istanbul should not be considered part of the diaspora, adding that Armenians have historical treasures in the area. But Karakashian said Diaspora Minister Hranush Hagopyan’s initiative to award the Istanbul Armenians was still very well placed and worthy of recognition.
“It seems Armenia is making an effort to build some bridges. Our intellectuals’ criticism must be regarded as but only a small reprimand,” said writer, academic and linguist Sevan Nishanyan, a Turkish Armenian, who also affirmed Hagopyan’s positive intentions.
“We can say that Istanbul Armenians are a de facto diaspora, but if they were Diyarbakır or Malatya Armenians, no one could argue that they are diaspora,” said Harout Ekmanian, a journalist from Aleppo, Syria. “However, I wonder if the attitude of Istanbul Armenians toward the word ‘diaspora’ might also be a result of the demonization of the Armenian diaspora in the daily discourse for decades in Turkey.”
Minister Hagopyan arrived in Turkey on Thursday to participate in the Global Summit of Women, a conference held in Istanbul. She presented 15 intellectuals from Istanbul with gold medals at a special reception hosted by the Turkish Armenian Patriarchate on the last day of her visit.
“It could have been any minister from Armenia, but I would not have preferred a diaspora minister to have come to Turkey. Where I live now is where I have lived for thousands of years; I am no diaspora. This is a terrible irony,” Mıgırdiç Margosyan, one of the award recipients, told the Daily News shortly before the ceremony.
“We are where we need to be, and we continue paying our debt to this land,” said Garo Mafyan, a highly influential figure in Turkish pop music, making the same argument as Margosyan.
Journalist Ekmanian also criticized the diaspora minister for the limited scope of her role. “Apparently, her only duty is limited to giving medals, honoring diaspora notables and organizing conferences and summer camps that could only be used as materials for the state TV evening news, with no long-term benefit for the diaspora participants or the Armenian state,” Ekmanian said.
A freelance journalist from Armenia, Ani Hovhannesiyan, also said she understood quite well the attitude of the Istanbul Armenians but thought the criticism was overblown.
I hope Turkey’s political stance toward the diaspora is not a factor behind this attitude,” she said.
Monday, May 9, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Minister Hagopyan arrived in Turkey on Thursday to participate in the Global Summit of Women, a conference held in Istanbul.
The granting of an award to Armenian intellectuals from Istanbul by Armenia’s diaspora minister has sparked a global debate among the prominent members of the Armenian community over what constitutes the “diaspora.”
Some of the figures who received awards Sunday objected to being considered part of the diaspora since they reside in their ancestors’ native lands.
“It is unacceptable to define people residing in their homelands as ‘diaspora,’” historian Ara Sarafyan, the director of the Gomidas Institute in London, told the Hürriyet Daily News on Monday, criticizing both the Armenian government and the people who received the awards.
“First of all, I would like to ask why those people who accepted the awards while maintaining their critical stance avoided pointing out during the ceremony the fact that they did not constitute a diaspora because [their ancestors] had been living in their own homelands for thousands of years,” Sarafyan said.
“I would [also] like to ask just how much Armenia recognizes and understands the Armenians of Istanbul who represent the milestone of worldwide Armenian culture,” he added.
Vahakn Karakashian, the editor-in-chief of Horizon newspaper in Canada, agreed that the 50,000-strong Armenian community in Istanbul should not be considered part of the diaspora, adding that Armenians have historical treasures in the area. But Karakashian said Diaspora Minister Hranush Hagopyan’s initiative to award the Istanbul Armenians was still very well placed and worthy of recognition.
“It seems Armenia is making an effort to build some bridges. Our intellectuals’ criticism must be regarded as but only a small reprimand,” said writer, academic and linguist Sevan Nishanyan, a Turkish Armenian, who also affirmed Hagopyan’s positive intentions.
“We can say that Istanbul Armenians are a de facto diaspora, but if they were Diyarbakır or Malatya Armenians, no one could argue that they are diaspora,” said Harout Ekmanian, a journalist from Aleppo, Syria. “However, I wonder if the attitude of Istanbul Armenians toward the word ‘diaspora’ might also be a result of the demonization of the Armenian diaspora in the daily discourse for decades in Turkey.”
Minister Hagopyan arrived in Turkey on Thursday to participate in the Global Summit of Women, a conference held in Istanbul. She presented 15 intellectuals from Istanbul with gold medals at a special reception hosted by the Turkish Armenian Patriarchate on the last day of her visit.
“It could have been any minister from Armenia, but I would not have preferred a diaspora minister to have come to Turkey. Where I live now is where I have lived for thousands of years; I am no diaspora. This is a terrible irony,” Mıgırdiç Margosyan, one of the award recipients, told the Daily News shortly before the ceremony.
“We are where we need to be, and we continue paying our debt to this land,” said Garo Mafyan, a highly influential figure in Turkish pop music, making the same argument as Margosyan.
Journalist Ekmanian also criticized the diaspora minister for the limited scope of her role. “Apparently, her only duty is limited to giving medals, honoring diaspora notables and organizing conferences and summer camps that could only be used as materials for the state TV evening news, with no long-term benefit for the diaspora participants or the Armenian state,” Ekmanian said.
A freelance journalist from Armenia, Ani Hovhannesiyan, also said she understood quite well the attitude of the Istanbul Armenians but thought the criticism was overblown.
I hope Turkey’s political stance toward the diaspora is not a factor behind this attitude,” she said.
'We are no diaspora,' prominent Turkish Armenians say
Sunday, May 8, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Hranuysh Hagopyan (second from L), Armenia’s diaspora minister, walks with acting Patriarch Aram Ateşyan after an award ceremony in Istanbul on Sunday. DAILY NEWS photo, Hasan ALTINIŞIK.
Prominent Turkish Armenians who received awards Sunday from Armenia’s diaspora minister said they cannot be seen as members of a diaspora because they live on the land where their ancestors have lived for thousands of years.
“I would prefer not to have a diaspora minister in Turkey,” author Mıgırdıç Margosyan told the Hürriyet Daily News before receiving his gold medal from Armenian minister Hranuysh Hagopyan.
“I’ve been living on the land that [we have] been living on for thousands of years. I am not in the diaspora. This is a terrible irony,” Margosyan said. The writer also directed his criticism toward the Turkish government, saying the lack of a Turkish state official at the ceremony was disappointing.
After attending the Global Summit of Women in Istanbul, Hagopyan handed out medals to 15 Turkish Armenians, including Margosyan, composers Garo Mafyan and Cenk Taşkan and Alis Manukyan, the first Armenian female vocalist in Turkey’s State Opera and Ballet.
“We are living in the lands where we have to live. And we continue to pay our debt to these lands,” Mafyan, who is arguably the best-known popular music composer, told the Daily News. He added that he is ready to do everything he can to make sure dialogue continues between Turkey and Armenia.
“It is [still] very important to receive an award from Armenia for contributing to Turkish popular music,” he said.
Speaking after the award ceremony, acting Patriarch Aram Ateşyan said Hagopyan’s being invited to Turkey is a source of hope for Turkey’s Armenians. “All foreign heads of state and ministers visit the Armenian Patriarchate and the Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate,” Ateşyan said. “We are proud to host a minister from Armenia. We wish for friendship and dialogue between the two peoples.”
The Daily News has meanwhile learned that a top-level delegation from the main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, will visit the Armenian Patriarchate and the Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate on Tuesday. It was unclear as the Daily News went to press Sunday whether CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu would be joining the visit.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Hranuysh Hagopyan (second from L), Armenia’s diaspora minister, walks with acting Patriarch Aram Ateşyan after an award ceremony in Istanbul on Sunday. DAILY NEWS photo, Hasan ALTINIŞIK.
Prominent Turkish Armenians who received awards Sunday from Armenia’s diaspora minister said they cannot be seen as members of a diaspora because they live on the land where their ancestors have lived for thousands of years.
“I would prefer not to have a diaspora minister in Turkey,” author Mıgırdıç Margosyan told the Hürriyet Daily News before receiving his gold medal from Armenian minister Hranuysh Hagopyan.
“I’ve been living on the land that [we have] been living on for thousands of years. I am not in the diaspora. This is a terrible irony,” Margosyan said. The writer also directed his criticism toward the Turkish government, saying the lack of a Turkish state official at the ceremony was disappointing.
After attending the Global Summit of Women in Istanbul, Hagopyan handed out medals to 15 Turkish Armenians, including Margosyan, composers Garo Mafyan and Cenk Taşkan and Alis Manukyan, the first Armenian female vocalist in Turkey’s State Opera and Ballet.
“We are living in the lands where we have to live. And we continue to pay our debt to these lands,” Mafyan, who is arguably the best-known popular music composer, told the Daily News. He added that he is ready to do everything he can to make sure dialogue continues between Turkey and Armenia.
“It is [still] very important to receive an award from Armenia for contributing to Turkish popular music,” he said.
Speaking after the award ceremony, acting Patriarch Aram Ateşyan said Hagopyan’s being invited to Turkey is a source of hope for Turkey’s Armenians. “All foreign heads of state and ministers visit the Armenian Patriarchate and the Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate,” Ateşyan said. “We are proud to host a minister from Armenia. We wish for friendship and dialogue between the two peoples.”
The Daily News has meanwhile learned that a top-level delegation from the main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, will visit the Armenian Patriarchate and the Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate on Tuesday. It was unclear as the Daily News went to press Sunday whether CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu would be joining the visit.
4 Mayıs 2011 Çarşamba
Turkish documentary tells 'human story' of Armenian diaspora
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Turkey's state-run television channel has produced a documentary on the life of diaspora Armenians in Argentina and France. The big-budget film, 'Dostluğu Hatırlamak' (Remembering Friendship) does not feature historical problems between Turks and Armenians. 'Outside of politics, I convey the longings of ordinary people,' says director Sevinç Yeşiltaş
Sevinç Yeşiltaş speaks about her documentary 'Dostluğu Hatırlamak.'
A new, big-budget documentary on the life of diaspora Armenians will debut this weekend on the state-run Turkish Radio and Television, or TRT, which provided funding for the film.
Shot over a year in Armenian communities in Buenos Aires and in Valance, France, “Dostluğu Hatırlamak” (Remembering Friendship) reflects director Sevinç Yeşiltaş’s desire to tell a different story about Armenians.
“Before making the film, I watched all documentaries featuring the historical problems in the TRT archive. I wanted my production to tell the human story, not the historical one,” Yeşiltaş told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
“In order to talk about historical problems, I need to be a historian and I am not. I wanted to tell the story of ordinary people, outside of politics,” she said.
Yeşiltaş was able to film scenes in Buenos Aires thanks to her personal connections, but found it too difficult to gain access to Armenian communities in Aleppo and Beirut. “I was told those [Armenians] in Aleppo and Beirut had harsher attitudes toward Turkey. I gave up trying to film there as I was not able to find necessary connections,” she said.
Ordinary people’s longing for their land
The wife of a priest the director met in Valance was from the Southeast Anatolian province of Şanlıurfa, Yeşiltaş said. “They wanted to give me a family heirloom needlepoint as a gift. I told them I couldn’t accept it but they insisted. They held me and cried,” she said.
During the filming process, Yeşiltaş said, she realized during how much Turks and Armenians resembled one another.
“As Turkish people, we see the diaspora as a whole, as different from us, but the worries of ordinary [Armenian] people are the same as ours,” she said. “These people living thousands of kilometers away from us speak Turkish and sing Turkish songs. They miss the land where they were born. I saw how much we resembled each other.”
Noting that the Anatolian traditions continued in both Buenos Aires and Valance, Yeşiltaş added: “As a professional documentary maker, I could not believe how [emotionally] affected I was while making this film.”
Following the filming, it took Yeşiltaş six months to complete the documentary, which she said was quickly approved by TRT.
“There was no reason [for them] to reject it. TRT asked me to make a documentary on Armenians. I would not have made it if there were restrictions on what I could film,” she said.
“I told a human story, not a political one. My friends sometimes asked me if I hesitated to make a documentary on such a political issue but I thought that there was no reason to hesitate. I filmed the longings of ordinary people with the opportunity TRT provided for me,” Yeşiltaş added.
“It is such a sensitive issue that you need to tell it in the most accurate and simplest way. This will remove hostility and open the way for dialogue,” she said.
The documentary is made up of two parts, each 70 minutes long. In addition to the showings on TRT, it will be screened at domestic and international festivals.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Turkey's state-run television channel has produced a documentary on the life of diaspora Armenians in Argentina and France. The big-budget film, 'Dostluğu Hatırlamak' (Remembering Friendship) does not feature historical problems between Turks and Armenians. 'Outside of politics, I convey the longings of ordinary people,' says director Sevinç Yeşiltaş
Sevinç Yeşiltaş speaks about her documentary 'Dostluğu Hatırlamak.'
A new, big-budget documentary on the life of diaspora Armenians will debut this weekend on the state-run Turkish Radio and Television, or TRT, which provided funding for the film.
Shot over a year in Armenian communities in Buenos Aires and in Valance, France, “Dostluğu Hatırlamak” (Remembering Friendship) reflects director Sevinç Yeşiltaş’s desire to tell a different story about Armenians.
“Before making the film, I watched all documentaries featuring the historical problems in the TRT archive. I wanted my production to tell the human story, not the historical one,” Yeşiltaş told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
“In order to talk about historical problems, I need to be a historian and I am not. I wanted to tell the story of ordinary people, outside of politics,” she said.
Yeşiltaş was able to film scenes in Buenos Aires thanks to her personal connections, but found it too difficult to gain access to Armenian communities in Aleppo and Beirut. “I was told those [Armenians] in Aleppo and Beirut had harsher attitudes toward Turkey. I gave up trying to film there as I was not able to find necessary connections,” she said.
Ordinary people’s longing for their land
The wife of a priest the director met in Valance was from the Southeast Anatolian province of Şanlıurfa, Yeşiltaş said. “They wanted to give me a family heirloom needlepoint as a gift. I told them I couldn’t accept it but they insisted. They held me and cried,” she said.
During the filming process, Yeşiltaş said, she realized during how much Turks and Armenians resembled one another.
“As Turkish people, we see the diaspora as a whole, as different from us, but the worries of ordinary [Armenian] people are the same as ours,” she said. “These people living thousands of kilometers away from us speak Turkish and sing Turkish songs. They miss the land where they were born. I saw how much we resembled each other.”
Noting that the Anatolian traditions continued in both Buenos Aires and Valance, Yeşiltaş added: “As a professional documentary maker, I could not believe how [emotionally] affected I was while making this film.”
Following the filming, it took Yeşiltaş six months to complete the documentary, which she said was quickly approved by TRT.
“There was no reason [for them] to reject it. TRT asked me to make a documentary on Armenians. I would not have made it if there were restrictions on what I could film,” she said.
“I told a human story, not a political one. My friends sometimes asked me if I hesitated to make a documentary on such a political issue but I thought that there was no reason to hesitate. I filmed the longings of ordinary people with the opportunity TRT provided for me,” Yeşiltaş added.
“It is such a sensitive issue that you need to tell it in the most accurate and simplest way. This will remove hostility and open the way for dialogue,” she said.
The documentary is made up of two parts, each 70 minutes long. In addition to the showings on TRT, it will be screened at domestic and international festivals.
3 Mayıs 2011 Salı
An exhibition focusing on past
Monday, May 2, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Artist Erhan Arık has turned an inspiring dream into a photographic exhibition titled 'Horovel,' showing images of Turkish and Armenian human portraits from border villages. The exhibition opens on Friday at Tütün Deposu in Istanbul’s Tophane district and will have a great influence on visitors
Erhan Arık's exhibition ‘Horovel’ includes human portraits from Turkey and Armenia.
Armenians try to remember bitter memories while the people in Turkey try to forget them, said artist Erhan Arık who has turned an inspiring dream into a photographic exhibition titled “Horovel,” showing images of Turkish and Armenian human portraits from border villages. The exhibition opens on Friday at Tütün Deposu in Istanbul’s Tophane district and will have a great influence on visitors.
Born in the southeastern Turkish province of Ardahan, Arık took photos in 13 border villages in Turkey and 10 border villages in Armenia over a period of six months and examined the historical memory. “Armenians were enemies to me; even their bread should have been taken from their hands. We were living in an Armenian house. Even though the house was owned by Armenians, I though we had the right to seize their property,” Arık told the Hürriyet Daily News.
He said a dream transformed his perception. “After Armenians left, I was born and grew up in this village house in Ardahan just like the other members of my family. We were using the oven section of the house as a barn. When I was 25, I saw a man in my dream and he said, ‘This house was ours, my children were playing in this room, my wife was cooking in this oven, but you turned it into a barn.’ I was impressed by this dream and decided to research Armenians.”
Arık said the dream might look like a utopia to some people but it really impressed him and showed him a different way. “My father is a Muslim and I told this dream to him. He was influenced by it, too, and cleaned the barn. Now we go to this house in summer only.”
Remembering – being remembered
While taking the photos Arık realized how people resemble each other in Turkey and Armenia. “Yes they look like each other physically but their thoughts and feelings are different. Those in Armenia try to remember bitter memories while the people in Turkey try to forget them,” he said. The images from Turkey and Armenia are exhibited in separate rooms for this reason.
“In this way I can explain two different memories to the audience. There is pain and tears in one part of the memory, and emptiness and silence in the other,” he said.
Arık defined the events as a tragedy. “You can name this pain however you like. Even if only one person died or only one person was forced to leave their homeland, as a human, this should be questioned.”
Arık said Turkish people were seized by hatred caused by prejudices and resistance created by official history. “It is very hard to progress unless you confront pain. There is real pain and we need to share it.”
Speaking about the exhibition’s name, “Horovel,” Arık said, “One day while speaking to Pakrad Öztukyan of daily Agos newspaper, he asked me if I knew the meaning of ‘horovel.’ I did not know it and he said, ‘Your father is a farmer, go and ask him.’ My father told me the songs farmers sing when working the field are called ‘horovel.’ ‘It is an old Turkish word,’ he said. But I learned ‘horovel’ was an Armenian word; my father hesitated to tell me about this fact.”
“In the exhibition, I question myself, my faith in the past and the pain people experienced on this land,” he said.
The exhibition “Horovel” will run through June 4. Besides photos, a documentary film made by Arık will also be shown during the exhibition.
Monday, May 2, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Artist Erhan Arık has turned an inspiring dream into a photographic exhibition titled 'Horovel,' showing images of Turkish and Armenian human portraits from border villages. The exhibition opens on Friday at Tütün Deposu in Istanbul’s Tophane district and will have a great influence on visitors
Erhan Arık's exhibition ‘Horovel’ includes human portraits from Turkey and Armenia.
Armenians try to remember bitter memories while the people in Turkey try to forget them, said artist Erhan Arık who has turned an inspiring dream into a photographic exhibition titled “Horovel,” showing images of Turkish and Armenian human portraits from border villages. The exhibition opens on Friday at Tütün Deposu in Istanbul’s Tophane district and will have a great influence on visitors.
Born in the southeastern Turkish province of Ardahan, Arık took photos in 13 border villages in Turkey and 10 border villages in Armenia over a period of six months and examined the historical memory. “Armenians were enemies to me; even their bread should have been taken from their hands. We were living in an Armenian house. Even though the house was owned by Armenians, I though we had the right to seize their property,” Arık told the Hürriyet Daily News.
He said a dream transformed his perception. “After Armenians left, I was born and grew up in this village house in Ardahan just like the other members of my family. We were using the oven section of the house as a barn. When I was 25, I saw a man in my dream and he said, ‘This house was ours, my children were playing in this room, my wife was cooking in this oven, but you turned it into a barn.’ I was impressed by this dream and decided to research Armenians.”
Arık said the dream might look like a utopia to some people but it really impressed him and showed him a different way. “My father is a Muslim and I told this dream to him. He was influenced by it, too, and cleaned the barn. Now we go to this house in summer only.”
Remembering – being remembered
While taking the photos Arık realized how people resemble each other in Turkey and Armenia. “Yes they look like each other physically but their thoughts and feelings are different. Those in Armenia try to remember bitter memories while the people in Turkey try to forget them,” he said. The images from Turkey and Armenia are exhibited in separate rooms for this reason.
“In this way I can explain two different memories to the audience. There is pain and tears in one part of the memory, and emptiness and silence in the other,” he said.
Arık defined the events as a tragedy. “You can name this pain however you like. Even if only one person died or only one person was forced to leave their homeland, as a human, this should be questioned.”
Arık said Turkish people were seized by hatred caused by prejudices and resistance created by official history. “It is very hard to progress unless you confront pain. There is real pain and we need to share it.”
Speaking about the exhibition’s name, “Horovel,” Arık said, “One day while speaking to Pakrad Öztukyan of daily Agos newspaper, he asked me if I knew the meaning of ‘horovel.’ I did not know it and he said, ‘Your father is a farmer, go and ask him.’ My father told me the songs farmers sing when working the field are called ‘horovel.’ ‘It is an old Turkish word,’ he said. But I learned ‘horovel’ was an Armenian word; my father hesitated to tell me about this fact.”
“In the exhibition, I question myself, my faith in the past and the pain people experienced on this land,” he said.
The exhibition “Horovel” will run through June 4. Besides photos, a documentary film made by Arık will also be shown during the exhibition.
1 Mayıs 2011 Pazar
Armenian archive digitalization might not shed light on 1915, scholars say
Sunday, May 1, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Armenia’s National Archives will begin posting hundreds of thousands of documents online this month, yet some researches have cautioned against optimists who say the primary sources will shed light on the events of 1915.
"Armenia was not a center of anything in 1915,” historian Ara Sarafyan, the director of the London-based Gomidas Institute, recently told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. “The administrative center of the Russian military and civil governments was in Tbilisi. That is the place to look for original records. Armenia has bits and pieces but I doubt members of the Turkish Historical Society [which hotly disputes Armenian genocide claims] even know where to begin looking."
Nonetheless, Amatuni Virabyan, the director of the National Archives of Armenia, said the documents will include many from 1915 – the year in which Armenians claim the Ottomans committed a genocide against their kin during World War I.
“The biggest reason we are transferring our archive to digital format is to present it to the attention of international researchers; the complete collection will be online by 2015,” said Virabyan, adding that their archives were already open to anyone, including a number of researchers who have already come to visit from Turkey.
Kemal Çiçek, an expert on the Armenian Desk of the state-established Turkish Historical Society, said Turkish historians and researchers were working on the Armenian archives but added that the documents there contained little information about 1915.
“It is not important that Armenia has opened their archives. The documents they have are not originals but copies brought from Russia. Let the Tashnak archives at the Jerusalem Patriarchate and Boston be opened. The mentioned archives will reveal the cooperation Tashnaks had with Great Britain, the United States and other allies [during World War I],” he said in reference to Turkish claims that rebel Ottoman Armenians were colluding with the empire’s war-time enemies.
Sarafyan also suggested 1915-related material was to be found in Jerusalem. “Armenian archives related to the genocide issue are in Jerusalem. It is where a great deal of the Istanbul Patriarchate's records can also be found today regarding the genocide issue. These materials have been cited by some Armenian historians who had privileged access to these records in the past. They are therefore relevant because of their actual content and the fact they have already been cited by some authors.”
The Gomidas Institute academic also suggested Armenian scholars conduct research at important Turkish archives such as the military archives or the Prime Ministry Ottoman Archives.
“Who in Armenia [has worked on] those archives? I am not aware of anyone from Armenia working in Turkey. If you want to see good research on the genocide issue based on the Prime Ministry archives, look at the work of Hilmar Kaiser, Fuat Dündar or Uğur Üngör. Frankly, the level of scholarship on the Armenian genocide is very poor in Armenia," said Sarafyan, who has been working at the State Archives of the Turkish Prime Ministry.
‘Boston archives limited’
But Sarafyan also disputed Çiçek’s assertion that the Boston archives could shed light on genocide claims.
“The Boston materials are archives of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, or ARF. Turkish historians who claim they are relevant to 1915 are fishing,” he said. “They do not know what is in there, but it suits them to make such claims. ARF archives in Boston are limited in terms of the information on 1915. Their organization in the Ottoman Empire was paralyzed by the Ottoman government, who also had informants within Armenian ranks. However it would be good to see what these archives hold.”
The Zoryan Institute collected the private papers of people related to the events of 1915 in Boston in the 1980s, said Sarafyan.
"A lot of people gave Zoryan their private papers but they have been kept under lock and key. As a historian and an Armenian, I have always stated the inaccessibility of these records, especially as they have been collected from private individuals, is a disgrace,” he said.
The National Archives of Armenia can be viewed online starting in May at www.armarchives.am.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Armenia’s National Archives will begin posting hundreds of thousands of documents online this month, yet some researches have cautioned against optimists who say the primary sources will shed light on the events of 1915.
"Armenia was not a center of anything in 1915,” historian Ara Sarafyan, the director of the London-based Gomidas Institute, recently told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. “The administrative center of the Russian military and civil governments was in Tbilisi. That is the place to look for original records. Armenia has bits and pieces but I doubt members of the Turkish Historical Society [which hotly disputes Armenian genocide claims] even know where to begin looking."
Nonetheless, Amatuni Virabyan, the director of the National Archives of Armenia, said the documents will include many from 1915 – the year in which Armenians claim the Ottomans committed a genocide against their kin during World War I.
“The biggest reason we are transferring our archive to digital format is to present it to the attention of international researchers; the complete collection will be online by 2015,” said Virabyan, adding that their archives were already open to anyone, including a number of researchers who have already come to visit from Turkey.
Kemal Çiçek, an expert on the Armenian Desk of the state-established Turkish Historical Society, said Turkish historians and researchers were working on the Armenian archives but added that the documents there contained little information about 1915.
“It is not important that Armenia has opened their archives. The documents they have are not originals but copies brought from Russia. Let the Tashnak archives at the Jerusalem Patriarchate and Boston be opened. The mentioned archives will reveal the cooperation Tashnaks had with Great Britain, the United States and other allies [during World War I],” he said in reference to Turkish claims that rebel Ottoman Armenians were colluding with the empire’s war-time enemies.
Sarafyan also suggested 1915-related material was to be found in Jerusalem. “Armenian archives related to the genocide issue are in Jerusalem. It is where a great deal of the Istanbul Patriarchate's records can also be found today regarding the genocide issue. These materials have been cited by some Armenian historians who had privileged access to these records in the past. They are therefore relevant because of their actual content and the fact they have already been cited by some authors.”
The Gomidas Institute academic also suggested Armenian scholars conduct research at important Turkish archives such as the military archives or the Prime Ministry Ottoman Archives.
“Who in Armenia [has worked on] those archives? I am not aware of anyone from Armenia working in Turkey. If you want to see good research on the genocide issue based on the Prime Ministry archives, look at the work of Hilmar Kaiser, Fuat Dündar or Uğur Üngör. Frankly, the level of scholarship on the Armenian genocide is very poor in Armenia," said Sarafyan, who has been working at the State Archives of the Turkish Prime Ministry.
‘Boston archives limited’
But Sarafyan also disputed Çiçek’s assertion that the Boston archives could shed light on genocide claims.
“The Boston materials are archives of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, or ARF. Turkish historians who claim they are relevant to 1915 are fishing,” he said. “They do not know what is in there, but it suits them to make such claims. ARF archives in Boston are limited in terms of the information on 1915. Their organization in the Ottoman Empire was paralyzed by the Ottoman government, who also had informants within Armenian ranks. However it would be good to see what these archives hold.”
The Zoryan Institute collected the private papers of people related to the events of 1915 in Boston in the 1980s, said Sarafyan.
"A lot of people gave Zoryan their private papers but they have been kept under lock and key. As a historian and an Armenian, I have always stated the inaccessibility of these records, especially as they have been collected from private individuals, is a disgrace,” he said.
The National Archives of Armenia can be viewed online starting in May at www.armarchives.am.
Kaydol:
Kayıtlar (Atom)
