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California Courier Online, August 25, 2005
1 - Commentary
Turks Scare Themselves by Claiming
Armenians Spend Millions on Lobbying
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The Califorrnia Courier
2 - Ambassador Edward Djerejian to Keynote
Dec. 7 Haigazian 50th Anniversary Banquet
3- Interfaith Committee Presents
Tribute to Armenia Nov. 5 in NYC
4 - Scottish Capital to Discuss Recognition
Of 1915 Armenian Genocide in October
5 - Scholar's Name Removed from Ankara
Street Because of 'Pro-Armenian' Stance
6 - Triple X Golden Gate Golf Tournament
Raises $16,000 for Armenian Charities
7 - DNC Chairman Howard
Dean Visits Armenia
************************************************** ***********************
1 - Commentary
Turks Scare Themselves by Claiming
Armenians Spend Millions on Lobbying
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
Hundreds of Turkish "scholars" are hired by various centers, institutes and
foundations in Turkey to write and publish articles and books on Armenian
issues, in general, and the Armenian Genocide, in particular.
Almost all of these centers, funded directly or indirectly by Turkish
governmental sources, have been set up to produce anti-Armenian propaganda
which is translated into dozens of languages and mailed to libraries,
parliaments, scholars and journalists around the world.
Despite the millions of dollars spent on this propaganda war, the Turkish
government is apparently not satisfied with the results. Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul announced last month that Ankara was devoting even more
resources to this campaign in order to flood the world with revisionist
materials on the Armenian Genocide.
One of these Turkish propaganda mills, appropriately located in Ankara, is
called the Institute for Armenian Research (Ermeni Arastirmalari
Enstitusu), a division of the Center for Eurasian Strategic Studies. This
so-called Institute has been publishing a periodical since 2001 that is
exclusively dedicated to denigrating Armenians.
Last week, Fatma Sarikaya, a Board member of the Turkish Forum, translated
into English and posted on the Forum's web site a summarized version of an
article on the Armenian-American lobby, written by Dr. Senol Kantarci, a
researcher at the Institute for Armenian Research. The article was
originally written in Turkish and published in the Institute's periodical
in 2001, under the title: "The Armenian Lobby: The Creation of the Armenian
Diaspora in America and the Lobby's Activities."
While Kantarci's Turkish article remained unknown and unread, Sarikaya's
English translation attracted widespread attention after it was posted on
several Turkish and Armenian web sites. Her version had a more sensational
title: "Money spent by the Armenian Lobby in America: In 1994 alone, the
Armenian Assembly of America spent $7,000,000, most of it on lobbying the
Congress."
Not surprisingly, the article contains many historical and factual errors
that even a high school student, let alone a "researcher" with a Ph.D.,
would not make. Before refuting the ridiculous Turkish claim that
Armenian-Americans spend astronomic sums to lobby Congress, let's focus on
some of the other assertions made by the author.
Kantarci wrote that Armenian students started arriving in America as early
as 1840. He said that these young men were "raised with hate for the Turks.
Though small in number, this elite group of Armenians was very effective in
creating anti-Turkish sentiments in America." Kantarci is trying to make
the point that Armenians have been campaigning in America against Turkey
for 165 years. What he does not say is why these young Armenians from
Turkey were so anti-Turkish? What had the Turks done to them and their
families, even before the Genocide, to cause them to have such intense
feelings against Turks?
To justify the advances scored by Armenian political activists in recent
years and excuse the Turkish setbacks, Kantarci wrote: "Hundreds of
Armenian lobby groups were founded in America. The total number is
staggering when considering they all have branches in all corners of the
land. Excluding the
religious groups, the number of Armenian establishments is 1,046. With the
religious groups this number reaches 1,228. The aim of all these
establishments is making anti-Turkish propaganda...."
Kantarci further claimed that, while the Armenian population in America is
estimated between 800,000 and one million, "their representation in
Congress is far beyond proportion." This is obviously false, as there are
no Armenian-Americans at all in the Senate and only two House members are
partly of Armenian origin.
After misstating the names and activities of many Armenian-American
organizations, Kantarci made his biggest mistake by claiming: "In 1994
alone, the Armenian Assembly of America spent $7,000,000 - most of it on
lobbying the Congress."
The claim that Armenians spend huge sums to lobby Congress completely
freaked out some Turks. For example, one Turk after reading Kantarci's
article, wrote on a Turkish web site that even though he loves eating
basturma very much, he would be forced to give it up, because most of the
basturma sold in the U.S. is made by Armenians. He said he feared that a
part of the money he pays to the Armenian shop owner for the basturma would
go towards Armenian lobbying efforts.
Kantarci's reported lobbying figures are completely false. The Armenian
Assembly and all other Armenian groups collectively do not spend even a
tiny fraction of the $7 million claimed in his article.
According to the publicly available figures for the latest three years of
tax returns of the Armenian Assembly, the organization has spent on
legislative lobbying just $30,000 in 2003; $27,000 in 2002; and $100,000 in
2001. For the year 1994, the Assembly informed this writer that it had
spent a total of $272,000 on governmental, legal and lobbying efforts. One
can safely assume that less than $100,000 of that amount may have been
spent strictly on lobbying the Congress. This is a far cry from the $7
million
claimed by this Turkish "scholar."
The facts clearly point out that Armenians spend very little on lobbying.
On the contrary, it is the Turkish government that spends millions of
dollars to hire the best American lobbying firms that money can buy. When a
country is trying to cover up a massive crime like genocide, it does need
to spend millions of dollars. Even then, as the Turks found out, it is a
total waste of their money. You cannot hide a genocide, no matter how much
money you spend!
But when you have the truth on your side, as Armenians do, you don't need
to spend millions on lobbying!
************************************************** ************************
2 - Ambassador Edward Djerejian to Keynote
Dec. 7 Haigazian 50th Anniversary Banquet
LOS ANGELES - The Haigazian University Women's Auxiliary and its Honorary
50th Anniversary Committee announced last week that Ambassador Edward P.
Djerejian will be the keynote speaker at their 50th Anniversary Banquet on
Dec. 7, at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Universal City..
Ambassador Djerejian served as U.S. Ambassador to the Syrian Arab Republic
during the terms of Presidents Reagan and George Bush. A leading expert on
the complex issues of the Middle East, his career spans the administrations
of eight U.S. Presidents. He is currently the Director of the James A.
Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University.
Haigazian Auxiliary Chairman Joyce Stein, earlier this year, disclosed the
names of the Honorary Committee, Ambassador Djerejian, Dr. Vartan
Gregorian, Dr. Herant Katchadourian, Ann Swicker Kerr, and Carolyn Mugar.
The event will celebrate 50 years of quality education at Haigazian
University in Beirut, Lebanon.
An opportunity drawing for a rare Hovsep Pushman reproduction will take
place at the banquet.
For information, contact Joyce Abdulian 323-654-8031
************************************************** ***************
3 - Interfaith Committee Presents
Tribute to Armenia Nov. 5 in NYC
NEW YORK -The Interfaith Committee of Remembrance is making plans for its
15th annual free Concert of Remembrance at the Cathedral of St. John the
Divine in tribute to Armenia with the commemoration of coinciding milestone
anniversaries: the 90th year since the Armenian Genocide and the 60th year
since the end of World War II. The concert/event will be Nov. 5, at 8:00 PM
at the Cathedral, located at 112th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, NYC.
The program's centerpiece will be the world premiere of The Place of The
Place of Beginnings: Songs of Light and Peace, narrated by actor, writer,
Eric Bogosian. The new work was composed for the occasion by Interfaith's
resident composer and Armenian community liaison Michelle Ekizian, and is
based on portions of Franz Werfel's seminal 1933 novel, The Forty Days of
Musa Dagh, which chronicles a true-life incident during the Armenian
Genocide.
This rendition is offset by declamations of ancient Armenian folk and
spiritual melodies performed by contralto Patrice Djerejian and
Lebanese-Armenian born mezzo-soprano Maro Partamian, and ultimately, by two
outreaching ballads with English lyrics placing things in a present-day
perspective. Drawing on the ensemble's full orchestral and choral forces,
these sections will include rising pop vocalist David Gaschen, currently
appearing in the lead role of Broadway's Phantom of the Opera, soprano
Karen Lubeck, clarinetist Lawrence Sobol, and a rhythm section under the
direction of jazz guitarist Owen O'Mahony.
The Interfaith Concerts are free to the public. Interfaith's Honorary
Chairmen include Governor Pataki, Mayor Bloomberg, Archbishop Khajag
Barsamian and Dr. Vartan Vartan Gregorian.
The Executive Committee for Armenia includes from the New York-New Jersey
area Mr. Garo Armen, Mr. Alexander A. Dadourian and Mrs. Hasmig Hovnanian,
and from Los Angeles, Mrs. Sylvia Minassian. The Concert Committee for
Armenia is comprised of a host of accomplished musicians from the classical
music world and arts supporters including Armand Andreassian of Boston, one
of Interfaith's advance contribution coordinators for the New York and New
England area.
Further information regarding supporting Interfaith's efforts and to secure
privileged seating and listing in the commemorative program booklet can be
obtained by calling Mr. Andreassian at (617) 527-5474.
************************************************** ************
4 - Scottish Capital to Discuss Recognition
Of 1915 Armenian Genocide in October
EDINBURGH, Scotland - the Edinburgh Evening News on Aug. 16 published an
article reporting the efforts of Edinburgh Councillor Donald Anderson to
have the Armenian Genocide recognized by the Edinburgh City Council.
If he is successful, Edinburgh will be the second council in the UK to
recognize the Armenian Genocide. Gwynneth County Council (north Wales) is
already the first one to have done so.
This Scottish development takes place in the background to a recent major
petition from the Turkish Parliament to the British Parliament denying the
Genocide. The petition was sent to London in April 2005. This petition is a
major attack on the 1916 British Parliamentary Blue Book, "The Treatment of
Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, 1915-16."
The Gomidas Institute, which just republished a critical edition of that
work, is currently working with British academics and parliamentarians to
counter the Turkish offensive.
Great Britain remains a key battleground for Armenian Genocide recognition.
The main supporters of the Genocide thesis are:
The Gomidas Institute (an academic centre dedicated to the study of the
modern Armenian experience); Garod Books, publishing and distributing an
extensive range of books on the Genocide; Wales-Armenia Solidarity (a
single issue lobbying group); The Voice of Nor Serount, a monthly
publication dedicated to Armenian issues; CRAG (the political arms of the
Armenian Community and Church Council of Great Britain); CAIA, a voluntary
organization sometimes lobbying for the recognition of the Armenians
Genocide.
Anderson plans to introduce a motion in October for the council to
recognize the events as "Genocide."
The proposed motion has been welcomed by Armenians in the Capital.
But the move has raised the ire of the Turkish community in Edinburgh and
Councillor Anderson has also received complaints from the Turkish
ambassador, who has pointed to the fact that history accepts many Turkish
people died at Armenian hands.
In a letter to the ambassador, Cllr Anderson said: "Having researched this
issue, I am in no doubt that the Armenian community suffered a genocide at
the hands of the Ottoman regime.
"There are substantial eyewitness accounts that are well documented and
there is, I believe, wide support for the view that the historical evidence
is robust and compelling for genocide.
"You mention in your letter that atrocities were carried out against Turks
by the Armenian side and undoubtedly this is true. There were atrocities on
all sides of what was an extremely bitter period of f ethnic conflict.
However, this was not genocide and was not state-sponsored."
He added; "As council leader I have to advise you that I am convinced of
the need to support recognition for what I believe was genocide.
"I would encourage you as ambassador for a great and dynamic country to
reconsider your position."
For more information, contact: [email protected]
************************************************** ************************
5 - Scholar's Name Removed from Ankara
Street Because of 'Pro-Armenian' Stance
ANKARA - Members of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and
Republican People's Party (CHP) from Ankara's municipal assembly have
changed a city street name, removing the name of a scholar after whom the
street was originally named.
The name change was prompted by "pro-Armenian" statements made by the
deceased scholar, Dr. Abdullah Cevdet. Cevdet had also said it was
necessary to bring "studs" from the West to educate the Turkish nation.
AKP local assembly member Cevket Tandogan proposed the name change after
reading an article written by Milliyet columnist Hasan Pulur.
"Cevdet was also pro-Armenian. He tried to blacken our glorious army during
his speeches," Tandogan said.
Now the street has been given the name of Professor Yusuf Halacoglu, head
of the Turkish History Association, and a strong supporter of the Turkish
government's denialist policies regarding the Armenian Genocide.
************************************************** *************************
6 - Triple X Golden Gate Golf Tournament
Raises $16,000 for Armenian Charities
SAN FRANCISCO - Does it get better than playing golf on the PGA's choice
Harding Park Golf Course in San Francisco, on a beautiful August day?
Apparently not for the 88 participants in the Golden Gate Charitable
Trust's first Charity Golf Tournament on Aug. 1,
Under the leadership of Tournament Chair, Ralph Kazanjian, Tournament
Director, Ara Sarkisian, and Committee chairs Vartan Hovsepian, Ara
Kaprielian, George Atashkarian, Sarkis Sarkisian, John Dahlberg, and Arlene
Hovsepian, all the participants and the 100+ attending the awards dinner
enjoyed the well-organized event at the Harding Park facility.
The Golden Gate Charitable Trust is the charitable arm of the Golden Gate
Chapter of the Triple X Fraternity.
The $16,000 raised will benefit the Bay Area Friends of Armenia, Inc.
(BAFA), the Armenian Eye Care Project, NorCal Armenian Senior Services, and
the Krouzian-Zakarian-Vasbouragan Armenian School in San Francisco.
Special thanks go to the Tournament Sponsor, the Zovinar-Davidian Trust -
Mr. and Mrs. Steve Noroian, and the "Hole-in-One" Sponsor, Dee and Brad
Kassabian of Kassabian Motors, of Dublin, Calif.
************************************************** ************************
7 - DNC Chairman Howard
Dean Visits Armenia
By Emil Danielyan
YEREVAN - Howard Dean, a former U.S. presidential hopeful who now heads the
Democratic National Committee, began a two-day visit Armenia on Aug. 19,
meeting with President Robert Kocharian and other senior officials.
Official Armenian sources said his talks with Kocharian, parliament speaker
Artur Baghdasarian and Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian focused on the
current state of U.S.-Armenian relations, the situation in the South
Caucasus and international efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabagh
conflict. Armenia's strained relations with Turkey, a key U.S. ally, were
also on the agenda, they said.
Kocharian was quoted by his press service as welcoming the "dynamic"
development of U.S.-Armenian ties and commending the US for its "weighty
contribution" to economic reforms implemented in Armenia. Baghdasarian
hailed Washington's "great mission to strengthen democracy around the
world,"according to the speaker's office.
Dean, who nearly won the Democratic Party's nomination in the last U.S.
presidential election, told Baghdasarian and leaders of the Armenian
parliament factions that "development of democracy is the only possibility
of progress in Armenia" and that the U.S. has always been ready to support
the process. A resolution of the Karabagh conflict and a normalization
ofTurkish-Armenian relations are also important for the country's
development, he said.
Dean was also reported to note the Democratic Party's "strong ties" with
the influential Armenian-American community, saying that it will continue
to support pro-Armenian resolutions in Congress.
Dean's first-ever visit to Yerevan was organized by the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), an influential party that
controls one of the two main Armenian lobbying groups on Capitol Hill: the
Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). ANCA and other
Dashnaktsutyun structures in the U.S. supported the former Vermont
governor's presidential bid in the Democratic primaries. They as well as
many other Armenian-American groups later endorsed John Kerry, Bush's
Democratic challenger.
Dashnaktsutyun representatives said that although they arranged the
high-level meetings, Dean himself had expressed a desire to visit Armenia
as well as Georgia as part of his ongoing tour of Eastern Europe. The
prominent Democrat also met on Friday with U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John
Evans and visited the Genocide Memorial in Yerevan.
************************************************** ************************
************************************************** **********************
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1 - Commentary
Turks Scare Themselves by Claiming
Armenians Spend Millions on Lobbying
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The Califorrnia Courier
2 - Ambassador Edward Djerejian to Keynote
Dec. 7 Haigazian 50th Anniversary Banquet
3- Interfaith Committee Presents
Tribute to Armenia Nov. 5 in NYC
4 - Scottish Capital to Discuss Recognition
Of 1915 Armenian Genocide in October
5 - Scholar's Name Removed from Ankara
Street Because of 'Pro-Armenian' Stance
6 - Triple X Golden Gate Golf Tournament
Raises $16,000 for Armenian Charities
7 - DNC Chairman Howard
Dean Visits Armenia
************************************************** ***********************
1 - Commentary
Turks Scare Themselves by Claiming
Armenians Spend Millions on Lobbying
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
Hundreds of Turkish "scholars" are hired by various centers, institutes and
foundations in Turkey to write and publish articles and books on Armenian
issues, in general, and the Armenian Genocide, in particular.
Almost all of these centers, funded directly or indirectly by Turkish
governmental sources, have been set up to produce anti-Armenian propaganda
which is translated into dozens of languages and mailed to libraries,
parliaments, scholars and journalists around the world.
Despite the millions of dollars spent on this propaganda war, the Turkish
government is apparently not satisfied with the results. Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul announced last month that Ankara was devoting even more
resources to this campaign in order to flood the world with revisionist
materials on the Armenian Genocide.
One of these Turkish propaganda mills, appropriately located in Ankara, is
called the Institute for Armenian Research (Ermeni Arastirmalari
Enstitusu), a division of the Center for Eurasian Strategic Studies. This
so-called Institute has been publishing a periodical since 2001 that is
exclusively dedicated to denigrating Armenians.
Last week, Fatma Sarikaya, a Board member of the Turkish Forum, translated
into English and posted on the Forum's web site a summarized version of an
article on the Armenian-American lobby, written by Dr. Senol Kantarci, a
researcher at the Institute for Armenian Research. The article was
originally written in Turkish and published in the Institute's periodical
in 2001, under the title: "The Armenian Lobby: The Creation of the Armenian
Diaspora in America and the Lobby's Activities."
While Kantarci's Turkish article remained unknown and unread, Sarikaya's
English translation attracted widespread attention after it was posted on
several Turkish and Armenian web sites. Her version had a more sensational
title: "Money spent by the Armenian Lobby in America: In 1994 alone, the
Armenian Assembly of America spent $7,000,000, most of it on lobbying the
Congress."
Not surprisingly, the article contains many historical and factual errors
that even a high school student, let alone a "researcher" with a Ph.D.,
would not make. Before refuting the ridiculous Turkish claim that
Armenian-Americans spend astronomic sums to lobby Congress, let's focus on
some of the other assertions made by the author.
Kantarci wrote that Armenian students started arriving in America as early
as 1840. He said that these young men were "raised with hate for the Turks.
Though small in number, this elite group of Armenians was very effective in
creating anti-Turkish sentiments in America." Kantarci is trying to make
the point that Armenians have been campaigning in America against Turkey
for 165 years. What he does not say is why these young Armenians from
Turkey were so anti-Turkish? What had the Turks done to them and their
families, even before the Genocide, to cause them to have such intense
feelings against Turks?
To justify the advances scored by Armenian political activists in recent
years and excuse the Turkish setbacks, Kantarci wrote: "Hundreds of
Armenian lobby groups were founded in America. The total number is
staggering when considering they all have branches in all corners of the
land. Excluding the
religious groups, the number of Armenian establishments is 1,046. With the
religious groups this number reaches 1,228. The aim of all these
establishments is making anti-Turkish propaganda...."
Kantarci further claimed that, while the Armenian population in America is
estimated between 800,000 and one million, "their representation in
Congress is far beyond proportion." This is obviously false, as there are
no Armenian-Americans at all in the Senate and only two House members are
partly of Armenian origin.
After misstating the names and activities of many Armenian-American
organizations, Kantarci made his biggest mistake by claiming: "In 1994
alone, the Armenian Assembly of America spent $7,000,000 - most of it on
lobbying the Congress."
The claim that Armenians spend huge sums to lobby Congress completely
freaked out some Turks. For example, one Turk after reading Kantarci's
article, wrote on a Turkish web site that even though he loves eating
basturma very much, he would be forced to give it up, because most of the
basturma sold in the U.S. is made by Armenians. He said he feared that a
part of the money he pays to the Armenian shop owner for the basturma would
go towards Armenian lobbying efforts.
Kantarci's reported lobbying figures are completely false. The Armenian
Assembly and all other Armenian groups collectively do not spend even a
tiny fraction of the $7 million claimed in his article.
According to the publicly available figures for the latest three years of
tax returns of the Armenian Assembly, the organization has spent on
legislative lobbying just $30,000 in 2003; $27,000 in 2002; and $100,000 in
2001. For the year 1994, the Assembly informed this writer that it had
spent a total of $272,000 on governmental, legal and lobbying efforts. One
can safely assume that less than $100,000 of that amount may have been
spent strictly on lobbying the Congress. This is a far cry from the $7
million
claimed by this Turkish "scholar."
The facts clearly point out that Armenians spend very little on lobbying.
On the contrary, it is the Turkish government that spends millions of
dollars to hire the best American lobbying firms that money can buy. When a
country is trying to cover up a massive crime like genocide, it does need
to spend millions of dollars. Even then, as the Turks found out, it is a
total waste of their money. You cannot hide a genocide, no matter how much
money you spend!
But when you have the truth on your side, as Armenians do, you don't need
to spend millions on lobbying!
************************************************** ************************
2 - Ambassador Edward Djerejian to Keynote
Dec. 7 Haigazian 50th Anniversary Banquet
LOS ANGELES - The Haigazian University Women's Auxiliary and its Honorary
50th Anniversary Committee announced last week that Ambassador Edward P.
Djerejian will be the keynote speaker at their 50th Anniversary Banquet on
Dec. 7, at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Universal City..
Ambassador Djerejian served as U.S. Ambassador to the Syrian Arab Republic
during the terms of Presidents Reagan and George Bush. A leading expert on
the complex issues of the Middle East, his career spans the administrations
of eight U.S. Presidents. He is currently the Director of the James A.
Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University.
Haigazian Auxiliary Chairman Joyce Stein, earlier this year, disclosed the
names of the Honorary Committee, Ambassador Djerejian, Dr. Vartan
Gregorian, Dr. Herant Katchadourian, Ann Swicker Kerr, and Carolyn Mugar.
The event will celebrate 50 years of quality education at Haigazian
University in Beirut, Lebanon.
An opportunity drawing for a rare Hovsep Pushman reproduction will take
place at the banquet.
For information, contact Joyce Abdulian 323-654-8031
************************************************** ***************
3 - Interfaith Committee Presents
Tribute to Armenia Nov. 5 in NYC
NEW YORK -The Interfaith Committee of Remembrance is making plans for its
15th annual free Concert of Remembrance at the Cathedral of St. John the
Divine in tribute to Armenia with the commemoration of coinciding milestone
anniversaries: the 90th year since the Armenian Genocide and the 60th year
since the end of World War II. The concert/event will be Nov. 5, at 8:00 PM
at the Cathedral, located at 112th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, NYC.
The program's centerpiece will be the world premiere of The Place of The
Place of Beginnings: Songs of Light and Peace, narrated by actor, writer,
Eric Bogosian. The new work was composed for the occasion by Interfaith's
resident composer and Armenian community liaison Michelle Ekizian, and is
based on portions of Franz Werfel's seminal 1933 novel, The Forty Days of
Musa Dagh, which chronicles a true-life incident during the Armenian
Genocide.
This rendition is offset by declamations of ancient Armenian folk and
spiritual melodies performed by contralto Patrice Djerejian and
Lebanese-Armenian born mezzo-soprano Maro Partamian, and ultimately, by two
outreaching ballads with English lyrics placing things in a present-day
perspective. Drawing on the ensemble's full orchestral and choral forces,
these sections will include rising pop vocalist David Gaschen, currently
appearing in the lead role of Broadway's Phantom of the Opera, soprano
Karen Lubeck, clarinetist Lawrence Sobol, and a rhythm section under the
direction of jazz guitarist Owen O'Mahony.
The Interfaith Concerts are free to the public. Interfaith's Honorary
Chairmen include Governor Pataki, Mayor Bloomberg, Archbishop Khajag
Barsamian and Dr. Vartan Vartan Gregorian.
The Executive Committee for Armenia includes from the New York-New Jersey
area Mr. Garo Armen, Mr. Alexander A. Dadourian and Mrs. Hasmig Hovnanian,
and from Los Angeles, Mrs. Sylvia Minassian. The Concert Committee for
Armenia is comprised of a host of accomplished musicians from the classical
music world and arts supporters including Armand Andreassian of Boston, one
of Interfaith's advance contribution coordinators for the New York and New
England area.
Further information regarding supporting Interfaith's efforts and to secure
privileged seating and listing in the commemorative program booklet can be
obtained by calling Mr. Andreassian at (617) 527-5474.
************************************************** ************
4 - Scottish Capital to Discuss Recognition
Of 1915 Armenian Genocide in October
EDINBURGH, Scotland - the Edinburgh Evening News on Aug. 16 published an
article reporting the efforts of Edinburgh Councillor Donald Anderson to
have the Armenian Genocide recognized by the Edinburgh City Council.
If he is successful, Edinburgh will be the second council in the UK to
recognize the Armenian Genocide. Gwynneth County Council (north Wales) is
already the first one to have done so.
This Scottish development takes place in the background to a recent major
petition from the Turkish Parliament to the British Parliament denying the
Genocide. The petition was sent to London in April 2005. This petition is a
major attack on the 1916 British Parliamentary Blue Book, "The Treatment of
Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, 1915-16."
The Gomidas Institute, which just republished a critical edition of that
work, is currently working with British academics and parliamentarians to
counter the Turkish offensive.
Great Britain remains a key battleground for Armenian Genocide recognition.
The main supporters of the Genocide thesis are:
The Gomidas Institute (an academic centre dedicated to the study of the
modern Armenian experience); Garod Books, publishing and distributing an
extensive range of books on the Genocide; Wales-Armenia Solidarity (a
single issue lobbying group); The Voice of Nor Serount, a monthly
publication dedicated to Armenian issues; CRAG (the political arms of the
Armenian Community and Church Council of Great Britain); CAIA, a voluntary
organization sometimes lobbying for the recognition of the Armenians
Genocide.
Anderson plans to introduce a motion in October for the council to
recognize the events as "Genocide."
The proposed motion has been welcomed by Armenians in the Capital.
But the move has raised the ire of the Turkish community in Edinburgh and
Councillor Anderson has also received complaints from the Turkish
ambassador, who has pointed to the fact that history accepts many Turkish
people died at Armenian hands.
In a letter to the ambassador, Cllr Anderson said: "Having researched this
issue, I am in no doubt that the Armenian community suffered a genocide at
the hands of the Ottoman regime.
"There are substantial eyewitness accounts that are well documented and
there is, I believe, wide support for the view that the historical evidence
is robust and compelling for genocide.
"You mention in your letter that atrocities were carried out against Turks
by the Armenian side and undoubtedly this is true. There were atrocities on
all sides of what was an extremely bitter period of f ethnic conflict.
However, this was not genocide and was not state-sponsored."
He added; "As council leader I have to advise you that I am convinced of
the need to support recognition for what I believe was genocide.
"I would encourage you as ambassador for a great and dynamic country to
reconsider your position."
For more information, contact: [email protected]
************************************************** ************************
5 - Scholar's Name Removed from Ankara
Street Because of 'Pro-Armenian' Stance
ANKARA - Members of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and
Republican People's Party (CHP) from Ankara's municipal assembly have
changed a city street name, removing the name of a scholar after whom the
street was originally named.
The name change was prompted by "pro-Armenian" statements made by the
deceased scholar, Dr. Abdullah Cevdet. Cevdet had also said it was
necessary to bring "studs" from the West to educate the Turkish nation.
AKP local assembly member Cevket Tandogan proposed the name change after
reading an article written by Milliyet columnist Hasan Pulur.
"Cevdet was also pro-Armenian. He tried to blacken our glorious army during
his speeches," Tandogan said.
Now the street has been given the name of Professor Yusuf Halacoglu, head
of the Turkish History Association, and a strong supporter of the Turkish
government's denialist policies regarding the Armenian Genocide.
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6 - Triple X Golden Gate Golf Tournament
Raises $16,000 for Armenian Charities
SAN FRANCISCO - Does it get better than playing golf on the PGA's choice
Harding Park Golf Course in San Francisco, on a beautiful August day?
Apparently not for the 88 participants in the Golden Gate Charitable
Trust's first Charity Golf Tournament on Aug. 1,
Under the leadership of Tournament Chair, Ralph Kazanjian, Tournament
Director, Ara Sarkisian, and Committee chairs Vartan Hovsepian, Ara
Kaprielian, George Atashkarian, Sarkis Sarkisian, John Dahlberg, and Arlene
Hovsepian, all the participants and the 100+ attending the awards dinner
enjoyed the well-organized event at the Harding Park facility.
The Golden Gate Charitable Trust is the charitable arm of the Golden Gate
Chapter of the Triple X Fraternity.
The $16,000 raised will benefit the Bay Area Friends of Armenia, Inc.
(BAFA), the Armenian Eye Care Project, NorCal Armenian Senior Services, and
the Krouzian-Zakarian-Vasbouragan Armenian School in San Francisco.
Special thanks go to the Tournament Sponsor, the Zovinar-Davidian Trust -
Mr. and Mrs. Steve Noroian, and the "Hole-in-One" Sponsor, Dee and Brad
Kassabian of Kassabian Motors, of Dublin, Calif.
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7 - DNC Chairman Howard
Dean Visits Armenia
By Emil Danielyan
YEREVAN - Howard Dean, a former U.S. presidential hopeful who now heads the
Democratic National Committee, began a two-day visit Armenia on Aug. 19,
meeting with President Robert Kocharian and other senior officials.
Official Armenian sources said his talks with Kocharian, parliament speaker
Artur Baghdasarian and Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian focused on the
current state of U.S.-Armenian relations, the situation in the South
Caucasus and international efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabagh
conflict. Armenia's strained relations with Turkey, a key U.S. ally, were
also on the agenda, they said.
Kocharian was quoted by his press service as welcoming the "dynamic"
development of U.S.-Armenian ties and commending the US for its "weighty
contribution" to economic reforms implemented in Armenia. Baghdasarian
hailed Washington's "great mission to strengthen democracy around the
world,"according to the speaker's office.
Dean, who nearly won the Democratic Party's nomination in the last U.S.
presidential election, told Baghdasarian and leaders of the Armenian
parliament factions that "development of democracy is the only possibility
of progress in Armenia" and that the U.S. has always been ready to support
the process. A resolution of the Karabagh conflict and a normalization
ofTurkish-Armenian relations are also important for the country's
development, he said.
Dean was also reported to note the Democratic Party's "strong ties" with
the influential Armenian-American community, saying that it will continue
to support pro-Armenian resolutions in Congress.
Dean's first-ever visit to Yerevan was organized by the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), an influential party that
controls one of the two main Armenian lobbying groups on Capitol Hill: the
Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). ANCA and other
Dashnaktsutyun structures in the U.S. supported the former Vermont
governor's presidential bid in the Democratic primaries. They as well as
many other Armenian-American groups later endorsed John Kerry, Bush's
Democratic challenger.
Dashnaktsutyun representatives said that although they arranged the
high-level meetings, Dean himself had expressed a desire to visit Armenia
as well as Georgia as part of his ongoing tour of Eastern Europe. The
prominent Democrat also met on Friday with U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John
Evans and visited the Genocide Memorial in Yerevan.
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