21 YEAR The Noah’s Ark #17 (1057) 27 April 2015 Published Since 1993 Weekly Newspaper HIGHLIGHTS ÜáÛÛ³Ý î³å³Ý ß³μ³Ã³Ã»ñà (³Ý·É. / ýñ³Ýë.) Armenia Remembers Genocide 100 Years On see page 3 In This Issue Germany Recognizes Noyan Tapan Printing House Armenian Genocide p.2 is offering coloured and black and white offset and digital Putin, Hollande Join Armenian Genocide printing of books, brochures, booklets, journals, etc with Remembrance In Yerevan p.4 high quality and low prices Tel: 060 27 64 62 Address: Isahakyan 28, 3rd floor, Yerevan 0009 2014 GIT Award Laureate Mario Mazzola Donates USD 1mln to the AUA Students p.10 News from Armenia's Leading Telecom Noyan Tapan Video Studio Operator p.p.11-12 is offering professional video and photography for indoor and outdoor events such as weddings, birthday parties, "Mr. Mario is Back!": official events, seminars and conferences. Tel: 060 27 64 62 A Story of Lifelong True Charity Address: Isahakyan 28, 3rd floor, Yerevan 0009 and the Love Indeed p.p.12-13 27 April #17 (1057) 2015 2 www.nt.am The Noyan Tapan Highlights POLITICS Germany Recognizes Armenian Genocide (Reuters) The German parliament overwhelmingly approved on April 24 a resolution branding the mass killings of up to 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman Turkish forces a century ago as geno- cide, risking a diplomatic rupture with Ankara. The vote marks a significant change of stance for Germany, Turkey's biggest trade partner in the European Union and home to a large ethnic Turkish diaspora. Unlike France and some two dozen other countries, Berlin has long resisted using the word. The term 'genocide' also has special resonance in Germany, which has worked hard to come to terms with its responsibility for the murder of six million Jews in the Holocaust. In a parliamentary session to commemorate the 100th German President Joachim Gauck also used the word 'geno- anniversary of the start of the killings, all parliamentary groups cide' in a speech on Thursday. Gauck, a former East German in the Bundestag lower house backed the resolution in a vote pastor with a penchant for defying convention, also suggested likely to infuriate Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. Germany itself might bear some of the blame because of its "What happened in the middle of the First World War in the actions during World War One. Ottoman Empire under the eyes of the world was a Genocide," The Ottoman Empire, whose large ethnic Armenian popula- Bundestag President Norbert Lammert said at the start of tion had flourished for centuries, was an ally of Kaiser German lawmakers' debate on the resolution. Wilhelm's Germany during World War One when the massacres Muslim Turkey denies that the massacres, at a time when occurred. Ottoman troops were battling Russian forces in the east of the Most Western scholars refer to the mass killings of the empire, constituted genocide. It says there was no organized Ottoman Armenians as genocide. Pope Francis also used the campaign to wipe out the Armenians, who are Christians, and term this month, prompting Turkey to accuse him of inciting no evidence of any such orders from the Ottoman authorities. hatred. Austrian Parliament Recognizes Armenian Genocide Austria became on April 22 the latest country to recognize the 1915 Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey, a First World War- era ally of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Austrian parliament approved a corresponding statement drafted by the parliamentary leaders of the country's six main political parties after observing a minute of silence for up to 1.5 million Armenians massacred by the Ottoman Turks. "April 24, 1915 marked the beginning of a policy of deporta- tion and persecution, which ended in genocide," parliament speaker Doris Bures said at a special session dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the tragedy. The parliamentary faction leaders stressed the importance of recognizing the Armenian massacres as genocide in their ensuing speeches delivered at the National Council. liament session, was quick to welcome the declaration coming The declaration authored by them reads, "Due to a historical just two days before official ceremonies in Yerevan that will mark responsibility -- the Austro-Hungarian Empire was allied with the the centenary of the genocide. "With this step Austria has made Ottoman Empire in the First World War -- it is our duty to recog- an important contribution to the noble task of preventing geno- nize the terrible events as genocide and condemn them." cides and other crimes against humanity," Foreign Minister "It is also Turkey's duty to face the dark and painful chapter Edward Nalbandian said in a statement. of its past and recognize the crimes committed against Armenians Turkey did not immediately react to the Austrian move. under the Ottoman Empire as genocide," it says, echoing a reso- Ankara last week strongly condemned Pope Francis and the lution adopted by the European Parliament last week. European Parliament for using the word genocide to honor the The statement also mentions hundreds of thousands of Greeks Armenians slaughtered during the First Word War. and Assyrians who were murdered on Ottoman government Incidentally, the Austrian declaration cited and endorsed the orders a century ago. statements made by Francis and the European Union's legislative Armenia, whose ambassador in Vienna was present at the par- body. 27 April #17 (1057) 2015 POLITICS The Noyan Tapan Highlights www.nt.am 3 Armenia Remembers Genocide 100 Years On Tens of thousands of people marched Tsitsernakabert. concluding declaration that calls on the to the Tsitsernakabert memorial in "Human language is powerless to outside world to ensure a greater interna- Yerevan on April 24 to pay their respects describe what an entire people endured," tional recognition of the Armenia geno- to some 1.5 million Armenians who were he said. "Around 1.5 million human cide and condemns its denial by Turkey. massacred by the Ottoman Turks 100 beings were slaughtered merely for being The declaration also calls for a worldwide years ago in the first genocide of the 20th Armenian." "strengthening of genocide prevention century. The 3-hour ceremony also involved mechanisms." In what has been an annual ritual in speeches by the visiting presidents of In his speech, Serzh Sargsyan similar- Armenia for almost 50 years, they laid Cyprus, France, Russia and Serbia and a ly denounced Turkey's continuing claims flowers by the hilltop memorial's eternal prayer service led by Catholicos Garegin, that Ottoman Armenians died in smaller fire surrounded by 12 inward-bending the supreme head of the Armenian numbers and not as a result of a premedi- columns symbolizing Armenian-populat- Apostolic Church. It ended with an tated government policy. "As Pope Francis ed provinces of the Ottoman Empire. address by Esther Mujawayo, a prominent rightly pointed out [on April 12,] The daylong procession began amid survivor of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. 'Concealing or denying evil is like allow- heavy rain after an official ceremony dur- "It is very important that we stand by ing a wound to keep bleeding without ing which Armenia's political and spiritual our Armenian sisters and brothers sharing bandaging it,'" he said. leaders as well as dozens of foreign digni- their pain, their struggle, and of course Serzh Sargsyan went on to thank for- taries marked the 100th anniversary of the their rebirth," Mujawayo told the partici- eign nations and various international bod- start of the genocide. pants of the event. ies that have officially recognized the "The western part of the Armenian "As one of the participants of the Armenian massacres as genocide. people, who had for millenniums lived in Global Forum Against the Crime of "Recognition of the genocide is a victory their homeland, in the cradle of their civi- Genocide, held in Yerevan over the last of human conscience and justice over lization, were displaced and annihilated two days, I would like to extend our grati- intolerance and hatred," he said. under a state-devised plan with direct par- tude to the government and people of The Armenian leader further praised ticipation of the army, police, other state Armenia for furthering prevention agenda scores of Turks who were due to gather in institutions, and gangs comprising crimi- and raising public awareness to combat Istanbul later in the day to commemorate nals released from the prisons specifically the crime of genocide and reach the noble the genocide victims. "They are strong for this purpose," President Serzh goal of its complete exclusion," she added. people who are doing the right thing for Sargsyan said in a speech at Mujawayo also read out the forum's their homeland," he said. 1.5 Million Victims of Genocide Canonized at Etchmiadzin The 1.5 million or so victims of the Armenia as well as Diaspora communities prayer as his companion" he went on. Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey around the world. "We believe that we are weaving the were collectively declared saints by the "During the dire years of the genocide crown of a new spiritual rebirth for our Armenian Apostolic Church on April 23, of the Armenians, millions of our people people, by canonizing the martyrs of the with Catholicos Garegin II saying that were uprooted and massacred in a premed- Armenian Genocide. The memory of our they died for their Christian faith. itated manner, passed through fire and holy martyrs will heretofore not be a The canonization took place at the sword, tasted the bitter fruits of torture and requiem prayer of victimhood and dormi- church headquarters in Echmiadzin in sorrow," Garegin said during the canoniza- tion, but rather a victorious song of praise front of thousands of people one day tion.