Armin T. Wagner - Photographer during the Armenian Genocide

« Une (foot) balle dans le pied » par Ara Toranian

For once in a lifetime, I must admit I am in full agreement with nouvelles d'Armenie editorial.

ABDULLAH GUL ARRIVES IN ARMENIA

The press service of the president of Turkey reports that on September 6 Abdullah Gul will arrive in Yerevan on Serge Sargsyan’s invitation to watch the football match Armenia vs. Turkey. "The visit may promote peace and establish a new climate of friendship in the region", the release of the press service holds.
Well, as a Armenian, I must say that this is the last betrayal I will endure from the Armenian state. The Republic of Armenia has lost its honor and credentials to me.

Shame ! Shame on Armenia ! Shame on all Armenians !

"We Are Ready to Talk to Turkey" By SERZH SARGSYAN FROM TODAY'S WALL STREET JOURNAL EUROPE

Must be f** kidding us ? ... Shame ! Shame on us !

Le 23 juin le president Serge sarkissian a rencontré les représentants de la communauté arménienne à Moscou. S’exprimant sur les relations turco-arméniennes il a déclaré « Notre position en la matière est claire : il ne devrait y avoir aucune frontière fermée entre des pays voisins au 21e siècle. La coopération régionale peut être le meilleur moyen pour établir la stabilité. La partie turque suggère de former une commission qui étudierait les faits historiques. Nous ne sommes pas contre établir cette commission, mais seulement quand la frontière entre nos pays sera ouverte. Autrement, cela peut devenir un moyen de prolonger la solution de la question pendant de nombreuses années. Dans l’avenir j’ai l’intention d’entreprendre de nouveaux pas pour normaliser les relations arméno-turques. Le plus probablement, j’inviterai le Président turc Abdullah Gul à Yerevan afin de voir le match entre les équipes nationales de football d’Arménie et de Turquie ».

Le match de la Honte: Arménie-Turquie le 6 septembre

"On pardonne beaucoup à l’Arménie..... A ce titre, et compte tenu des défis auxquels elle doit faire face, on est naturellement enclin à lui accorder toutes les circonstances atténuantes lorsqu’elle en vient à décevoir, dans tel ou tel domaine. Notre degré de tolérance à l’égard de ses failles est immense, notre patience envers ses dysfonctionnements est à la mesure de l’affection qu’on lui porte. "

Mais s’il est une chose que l’on ne saurait comprendre, en particulier depuis la diaspora, c’est qu’elle accueille l'équipe nationale Turque sur la terre ancestrale. On ne conçoit pas que le stade "Hrazdan", symbole trop important de l'imaginaire collectif arménien, devienne un lieu de honte.

Recemment les autorites armeniennes lancaient un procedure d'expulsion contre un résident de la diaspora d’origine arménienne, ancien heros de la guerre du Karabagh.

A quoi devoons-nous attendre ? Quel est le prochain acte - d'une portée symbolique et qui ira une fois de plus à l’encontre de nos principes - que nous prepare ce gouvernement inapte ?

Enfin ? L'Armenie s'engage dans une politique volontaire pour sauver la diaspora du moyen-orient

"Les autorités arméniennes soutiennent toujours notre communauté dans les situations de catastrophe" a déclaré du rédacteur en chef du journal Azdak basé à Beyrouth Shahan Kandakharyan.

L’aide rendue par la division du Moyen-Orient du Ministère arménien des Affaires Etrangères est un témoignage brillant de cela selon le journaliste.

« L’ambassadeur d’Arménie au Liban, Vahan Ter-Ghevondian, qui a achevé sa mission dans le pays, a été le premier diplomate à être reçu par le nouveau Président [du liban] Michel Suleiman et décoré avec l’ordre suprême du Liban » a-t-il précisé.

« Le 31 mai, les journaux arméniens au Liban publieront une annonce de l’Ambassade d’Arménie disant que tous les Arméniens au Liban peuvent s’adresser à l’Ambassade pour obtenir la citoyenneté arménienne. En recevant la citoyenneté, on accordera aux Arméniens du Liban et des autres états non seulement une aide morale, mais aussi légale » a dit M. Kandakharyan.

Tucsonan' Bardizagtsi won't rest until Congress recognizes slaughter of Armenians

The stories Aram Chorebanian's mother told of her Armenian childhood during the final years of the Ottoman Empire were filled with blood and brutality.
Zevart Chirinian was 10 years old in May 1915 when she watched a Turkish soldier slice open the stomach of her pregnant 17-year-old cousin, chop off the head of the fetus and finish by decapitating the mother as well.
So, please, don't try to tell Chorebanian that now is not the right time for the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a declaration recognizing as genocide the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians between 1915 and 1923 in the Ottoman Empire, today's Republic of Turkey.
"It's a simple acknowledgement," said Chorebanian, a Tucson real estate broker and member of the Armenian Cultural Society of Tucson.
It would seem so, even though it appears that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has backed out of her promise to bring the controversial measure to a vote.
With the exception of the Turkish government, the world largely agrees that what happened in Ottoman Turkey starting in 1915 to the minority Armenians was genocide. More than 20 countries have officially recognized it as such.
The historical record, including survivor testimony, photographs, film and other documentation, shows the Young Turks government first disarmed the 40,000 Armenian men serving in the Turkish Army and assigned them to slave labor battalions. Those who survived the back-breaking labor were shot. Then the government rounded up and killed Armenian political and intellectual leaders.
Mass arrests of Armenian men throughout the country and murder by death squads followed. Finally, the government began "relocations" of the women, children and elderly, marching Armenians off to desert concentration camps and allowing them to die of thirst, hunger, exhaustion and brutal treatment by their guards.
Corpses littered the landscape.
The Chirinian family was to be deported to the Syrian desert, but Zevart's father was able to bribe the Turkish soldiers with gold he had hidden in his cummerbund into letting the family go free. They hid out with a friendly Turkish family for a few years and later returned home to the village of Bardezag, inland of the Sea of Marmara
"Their home had been confiscated by Turkish families. They had to start all over again," Chorebanian said.
About 16 family members were killed during the period, he said.
Chorebanian said his grandfather on his father's side baked bread for the army and got wind of what was to come. He sent his sons and their cousins to America in 1914.
Henry Morgenthau Sr., the U.S. ambassador to the Ottoman Empire from 1913 to 1916, described what was going on in a 1915 telegram as "a campaign of race extermination." The International Association of Genocide Scholarship calls the evidence "unambiguous."
The Turkish government denies there was a genocide, insists the death toll was far lower than 1.5 million and attributes those casualties to the turmoil surrounding the collapse of the empire.
The Bush administration asked Pelosi to back off on seeking a vote of the full House - and she capitulated, as she lost support among Democrats for the nonbinding resolution - because of Turkey's importance to us in the war against terror.
Turkey, which is apoplectic over the proposed resolution, is an essential ally. About 70 percent of U.S. air cargo to Iraq passes through Turkey.
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, an Arizona Democrat, voted for the resolution when it came up Oct. 10 in the House foreign affairs committee, despite concerns about the timing.
"I had to vote my conscience, quite frankly. I felt that someone like myself, who is Jewish, that I have a moral and a personal obligation to condemn acts of genocide no matter where they happen or when they occurred," she said.
Giffords said she doubts Turkey would follow up on threats of "punishing" the U.S. were the resolution to pass.
They get a lot from us, she said. In 2004, Turkey received the third highest amount of U.S. military aid of any country worldwide, Giffords said, adding that Congress is considering legislation to give three naval vessels to Turkey.
The U.S. has been helpful in working with Turkey to gain its acceptance into the European Union. And, she said, as a neighbor to Iraq, Turkey shares an interest with the U.S. in a safe and stable Iraq.
Chorebanian called the Turkish's government's unwillingness to acknowledge the genocide "an open wound that's lasted more than 93 years."
There are few survivors of the atrocities still alive. Chorebanian's mom died in 2001. Perhaps Turkey believes this demand for acknowledgment, which has persevered over several American presidential administrations, will die with them.
Not likely.
"I owe it to my mother's memory to push this," Chorebanian said.

The history of bahcecik video on youtube.com

Some of fellow Bardizagtsis might find relatives in these photos.

The idea of Armenian statehood once again trampled by the ARF cowards !

La FRA a décidé de rejoindre la coalition
11 avril 2008
Lors d’une conférence de presse Alvard Petrosian, membre du Parlement sous l’étiquette de la FRA, a précisé qu’elle considérait cette décision comme juste. Elle a affirmé que le parti ne soutient pas des individus mais des plans d’actions. « La FRA est un parti qui a dû beaucoup sacrifier. Ce qui est important pour nous ce sont les programmes pour l’action et non les individus et le nouveau gouvernement va poursuivre ce que nous avons défendu depuis dix ans » a-t-elle dit.
Alvard Petrosian a critiqué l’atmosphère de mal et de mensonge dans le pays, mais a ajouté qure tous les arméniens sont parents et que cela doit devenir le point de départ pour tous.
« Nous devons être debout côte à côte parce que les positions dans le gouvernement ne sont pas éternelles » a-t-elle indiqué précisant que les Arméniens ne doivent pas être divisés dans « des tribus ayant chacune leur chef ». « Il y a beaucoup plus qui nous unit, que ce qui nous divise et la victoire suprême appartient à tous et non à ceux qui sépare les individus ».
« Il y a des gens qui n’acceptent pas Serzh Sarkisian, mais il a une extraordinaire et intéressante personnalité. Je veux que mon pays soit gouverné par un homme extraordinaire et pas par un homme plat » a-t-elle conclut.

Rediscovering Armenian Bardizag

Please check the proceeding of the lecture delivered by Ara Melkonian at Armenian House in London on 27 Jan. 2008. I would like, of course, to congratulate the author for the excellent work and admit I was moved while reading.
One might find strange the article is missing references to famous bardizagtsis like: Hadji Artin, Dr. Garabed Hatcherian, Kurken Alemshah, Bedros Dourian, and Zabel Essayan.
I should also add a few comments as concerning some bardizag particularities also:
- The so-called port of Seymen or Iskeleh was the last stop of a ferry-boat line starting from Istanbul. A picturesque description of the trip can be found in Chambers' In an Anatolian Valley , Bouregy & Curl, Inc. (New York), 1955.
- The nickname was a stong tradition - to refer to individuals - not only in Bardizag but in all the Ottoman Empire. It originated most likely from a muslim, rather than Armenian, tradition. Nicknames are very used in the nowadays independant Republic of Armenia, though. Some French Armenian might rememenber the story of 'Cheval Vartan' - named so as he owned a horse. Today nicknames are a very popular feature not only in Turkey but also in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan.
- According to the Soviet Armenian Encyclopaedia, the Bythinian village of Bardizag was always administratively dependant from the vilayet of Sivas (Sebastia) during the ruling of the Ottoman. I always wondered if this was another confusion with the original Bardizag village in Sebastia as mentioned by the author.
- It is interesting to mention than in nowadays' Turkey there are several villages bearing the name of Bahcecik in different provinces. It is likely, or at least plausible, that all these villages are former Armenian Bardizags. This could be explain by the fact that, either original Sebastia's Bardizagtsis have founded several Bardizag villages in the western territory of Asia Minor, or that Small Garden (i.e. 'Bardizag') was a a common name for green areas at the outskirts of main cities.
- Historical fact is that the Bythinian Bardizag by its fame has erased the trace of other Bardizags.
- The move of Armenian populations towards the West of Asia Minor described by the author has probably started even earlier than the 16th century. Unfortunately, the period beginning near the end of the fifteenth century may rightly be called the darkest age of Armenian cultural life. While Europe was being flooded with the light of the Renaissance, Armenia was being bathed in bloodshed, as a result of the invasion of the Turks, Tatars and Mongols.
- I believe that refugees came - not only from Agn - but from all Anatolia. Agntsis were probably the first. It is common knowledge that the last refugees came from Hadjin.
- It is commonly agreed among Istanbul scholars that the language spoke in Bardizag was amongst the purest grammatical form of Western Armenian. It might even have influenced the classical Western Armenian spoken in Bolis. The contribution of Bedros Tourian and Zabel Essayan, both descendants of Bardizagtsis, in the shaping of the wrttten form of modern western Armenian is well-known. The opposite is also true like in most cross-fertilization phenomenom (Bardizag was a famous summer resort less than 100km from the eastern suburbs of the capital).
- Indeed it did not prevent Bardizagtsis from being perfectly bilingual.
- I think the importance of the Armash monastery in the life of Bythinia Armenians is understated in the expose. The pilgrimage to Armash was an essential event in the year as important as Christmas or Easter.
- As concerning surrounding villages, one important fact to mention about the 'Laz Armenians' is that they eventually converted to Islam and were protected during the 1915 events and not deported. The most ancient families established in the outskirts of modern Bahcecik are probably so-called Laz Armenians.
- As mentionned by the author, the 'Ishkhans' did not play a prominent role in the life and administration of the village after the second half of the 19th century.
- Although non-armenian population lived around Bardizag - the 5 villages detailed by the author - it is worthy to mention that the heart of Bardizag was exclusively Armenian - a very rare situation in Ottoman Turkey. With 10,000 inhabitants, Bardizag was a large village then.
- Ancestral life was harsh but the proximity of the sea allowed men to go fishing in the morning and work in the fields in the afternoon. The extreme fertiltity of the soil allowed various culture. Bardizag was famous for its grapes and Serkefirs harvest.
- Another custom worth mentioning in Bardizag - that is specific to a few other Armenian villages also - was for young men to go outlaw to escape military service (after 1907 constitution), avoid tax collections perceived by by the bey or any vendetta organised by the agha. The outlaws were organised in small groups living in the surrounding forests of mount Minas and coming back regularly to their families in the village when deserted by Turkish gendarmerie. Eventually, after payement of a bribe, amnesty was reached with the bey or agha and outlaws could come back to their families. Chambers, in his book In An Anatolian Valley, describing the murder of an outlaw by Turkish gendarme, gives a moving description of this event.
- As I mentionned Mount Minas, I might as well say that Bardizagtsis pretend that, on a clear weather day, one can see both the Black Sea and Marmara from the top.
- Typical Bardizagtsis male would be name: Vartan, Hagop, Sahag, Sarkiss, Taniel or Mardig, while women would classicaly be named Serpouhie, Macrouhie, Azniv or Manouchag.
- It is always a strong pride and dignity for Bardizagtis to recall that, in the village, all children were schooled and educated according to European standards. This is a unique case for a Christian village in Ottoman Turkey. After the genocide and during exile, Bardizagtsis, always proud and cultured, eventually gained reputation as pretentious and arrogant personnalities.
- Bardizagtsis were also popularly characterized as Tsoug-oudor [fish-eater] and Khoumardjis [gamblers]. They were also reputed for their dry wit sense of humour.

1908-2008: Centennial of the Young Turk Revolution

An international congress entitled “1908-2008: Centennial of the Young Turk Revolution” commemorating the 100th anniversary of the second Constitutional Period of the Ottoman Empire will be hosted by The Faculty of Political Sciences of Ankara University in Ankara, during 28-30 May 2008.
Papers will consider the place of the concept of bourgeois revolution in the social sciences, the connection between the Young Turk Revolution and bourgeois revolutions at the beginning of the 20th century, the impact of the Young Turk Revolution in the world and its influence on the Turkish Republic.

THIS IS A PETITION AGAINST THE CONGRESS ! Please join me in SUBMITTING OUR OWN PAPERS to the conference coordinator:
Sina Akşin
saksin@politics.ankara.edu.tr
Faculty of Political Sciences
Ankara University

OUR PAPERS SHOULD CONCERN THE ROLE OF THE LEADERSHIP OF THE YOUNG TURKS [TALAT, ENVER, DJEMAL] IN THE ANNIHILIATION OF THE ENTIRE ARMENIAN POPULATION OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE !

2007 The Year that was.

In the following days, Bardizag will launch the "Year that was" series. The worst and the best, Ups and Downs of 2007. So stay tuned ......

Bush administation has sent two senior officials to Ankara to ally Turkish anger

Reading this article, I was wondering: did it strike anyone that the two officials were named 'Erci Edelman' and 'Dan Fried' ?

Il y a vingt ans aujourd’hui...l’Europe marquait de sa reconnaissance le génocide des Arméniens

Il y a 20 ans aujourd’hui, le 18 juin 1987, le Parlement européen réuni en session plénière à Strasbourg devenait la première institution internationale majeure à reconnaître le génocide des Arméniens, en adoptant une résolution historique « Pour une solution politique de la question arménienne ». Après d’amples débats et en dépit des immenses pressions exercées par la Turquie et ses supplétifs, le législateur européen choisit d’apposer la juste qualification à ce premier génocide des temps modernes et apporta ainsi une victoire déterminante au combat pour la Justice que menaient depuis des années les Arméniens, en Europe et à travers le monde.

92nd Anniversary Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide: Reconciliation is impossible !

Further to the commemoration ceremonies or meetings I have personally been able to take part on April 24th, I must say that I have been quite in disgareement - not with the tone - but with the underlying meaningful core ideas of various speeches held by officials of Armenian diaspora in the region of Lyon, France.

Key quotes as I registered them: " There will be no reconciliation without dialogue (Decines, France, April 29th)". " To establish a real dialogue, 2 parties should be involved (Lyon, France, April 24th)".

I think the key finding of 2007 can be summarized as follows: "1,500,000 + 1". If Hrant Dink's murder has proven us one thing is that there is no reconciliation possible.

As a matter of fact, what is unforgivable cannot be forgiven. We would be lying to ourselves and to the world if we pursue in this direction. No one can deny that We have an historical repsonsability in front of all citizens from all nations around the world. We can mislead the entire world. Whatever Turkey does or does not do, there is no dialogue possible.

There can be no reconciliation.

April 24th, DerZor. No Comment Serie-3