Z'areh

I agree. Today I am a little more pessimistic. I am afraid that the second option in your assessment is more likely. President Serj Sarkissian has shown in the past that he likes to shine under the spotlight. From his early period he has demonstrated that he wants to control and dominate. This is fine, and perhaps a needed character for a leader. But my problem with this gentleman is that the more he controlled his surroundings the more more megalomaniacal behaviour he showed. From the farce called "Armenicum" where he immediately took over the productions, to naming himself the president of Armenian Chess Association. This guy is in it for himself, not unlike a 3rd world despot. Why am I taking about Sarkisian? It is because he wants to bask under the glory of "acceptance" by the international community. He is looking for legitimacy outside the country for he has none inside. He wants to force his presidency for the next 10 years (min.) of power in Armenia. To me he is a character that would sell his own mother to attain that limelight. With him convincing the international community that he is truly their man in Armenia, next elections he will use that as a card-blanche to do as he wishes. Worse, if in fact he has capitulated Armenia's principals, he will have the blessing of outside powers to ruthlessly put down any popular uprising should Turkey's conditions become evident that they are indeed met. What are the consequences of such a pessimistic scenario? If he is overthrown by the Armenian populace in a coup, Armenia will be punished and banned from a slew of international organizations. The problem with that is Azerbaijan will finally succeed in declaring the Minsk group process as dead. Azeris will be backed by the Turks and the EU to transport the Artsakh issue to the UN, where the mostly Islamic friends of Turkey and Azerbaijan will have a field day in quashing Armenia's position. Russia on the other hand will only watch and think how to succeed in convincing Azerbaijan to have their gas flow through their territory, and abandon Armenia. How will the Armenians counter such a scenario is the question I hope the Armenian leadership, all of them, are contemplating. The empty rhetoric of Jew this Jew that is not only useless in this context but it drains our energy in a futile exercise of mental masturbation. Let us focus and overcome ALL conspiracies, the Jews are simply coat-tailing everyone else, why shouldn't they? It seems like nations are picking numbers and lining up. We should work at times loudly and other times quietly and steadfastly against ALL who are against us. We have to be united, period. To start, I propose a very loud mudslinging campaign against Obama. Let the mud that he threw against us bounce right back at him. Let us be his worst political nightmare. .

Hellektor, I think many of us are angry and frustrated, with very good reason. But we must not let that get to us, and by "us" I mean the entire Armenian social/political system that so far has shown a very determined fight, (Inside and outside Armenia), without abatement. A few notes: You are angry about, as you correctly say, the leader of the most powerful nation not recognizing the genocide, or the most powerful nation on earth doing this or not doing that. I think the root cause why the actions of the "most powerful nation" angers us lies in the fact that......the US IS the most powerful nation. Imperialism is the main driving factor of this powerful nation, despite their declarations about defending democracy and justice for all. Imperialism, by definition, moves the leadership to act with policies that extends a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force. A definition that perfectly fits the US. Secondly, we have to realize that it is Turkey that made the Armenian genocide issue a political trap for themselves. Of course a powerful nation like the US will smell blood and shape a policy using blackmail. To Americans' eyes Turkey has shown a bone-shaking fear in a thing called Armenian Genocide, therefore, very easy case for blackmailing. Read Hurriyet Daily or Today's Zaman, and you'll see that only now they have come to the realization that it is due to their obsessive rejection of the Armenian suffering that resulted in this Turkish-made trap for themselves. Some commentators are furious (as furious as one can be in a Turkish setting) about Gül and Erdofan expressing anger for Obama using the words "Meds Yeghern". They are saying "this approach (the absolute rejection of Armenian view point) has only worked to sharpen the swords over Turks' heads". There is certain truth in this opinion. Thirdly, as long as Turkey vehemently refuses to accept responsibility, and fight aggressively against Genocide recognition, they show to the entire world their Achilles' heel, that can only help us with the issue of Artsakh, this needs no explanation. One unintended consequence of Turkey fighting a futile negation war? free world-wide publicity of the Armenian Genocide, and so far nothing I have read in international media show's anything but acknowledgment of the reality of the Turkish crimes and a profound understanding and respect towards the Armenian cause. All this, we can say paid by Turkey, how ironic isn't it? In conclusion, the US interests lie far beyond Turkey's borders, and for better or worse the Armenian genocide issue is being used in an effective manner. For us, it is imperative that we play the game in such a flexible manner as to prevent, as much as possible, an outcome that forces us to be boxed in a situation that goes against the national interests of an imperialist superpower, whatever language they happen to speak at the time.

I think the more we talk about the Pontic Greek genocide, along with the Assyrian and the Armenian, the more it becomes clear to the world that the so-called "Armenians stabbing the Turks in the back" nonsense is unattainable. Clearer picture emerges about the Turks wanting the Christian lands without Christians in it, period. I am not trying to sound like this is a Christian-Muslim conflict, but in this case the murderers happen to be Muslim and they used the religious differences masterfully to reach their goal. I live in Canada, Armenians are very active in politics here, so are the Greek Canadians, but I have yet to hear anything about the Pontian Genocide pushed by the Greek community here in Canada on provincial or federal level. Having said this, I think it is time the Armenian government recognized the genocide of Greek and Assyrian citizens of the Ottoman Empire.

This only proves that, at least at this stage of Obama's presidency, the US administration follows a pattern in foreign policy set by his predecessors, all the way to Clinton and Bush. Which, by the way includes the mandatory phrase "the terrible events of 1915".

I think Hurriyet columnist and university professor, Cenkiz Aktar, is waving a red cape in front of huffing Turkish bull. By far he seems to be the most vocal Armenian supporter in the Turkish media today, in the past Elif Shafak expressed similar sentiments in the media, with her captivating "family" stories that she so skillfully wrote in the Turkish Daily News to show the absurdity of denying the Armenian reality in today's Turkish society. Mr. Aktar with this article is definitely pushing the limits of his safety. He is one of three who initiated now famous "Armenian apology campaign". Opinion Beyond genocide, the Great Catastrophe There was a fair amount of thoughtful reactions from Turkey and abroad regarding the apology campaign that was launched on December 15, 2008. The main criticism from the Armenian Diaspora and from some Turkish scholars and activists was stressing that the word "genocide" is skipped in the body of the short text. Developed in the West, the concept of genocide and its meanings are of great importance not only to Armenians but also to western public opinions. For them, the word "genocide" and what it stands for is beyond dispute, time and space. But I am not certain if the concept of genocide is adequate to the task of describing entirely what happened. To overcome the dilemma I propose to go back to those times of horror and the way Armenians themselves described it. With due respect to the vast knowledge accumulated through genocide studies, I must point out that the notion of genocide remains, as far as the Armenian Genocide is concerned, confined to the understanding and the description of the act as well as the victims of genocide and the committers. The term "Great Catastrophe," which was shaped and used by the Armenians of the Ottoman Empire in those days to describe what was going on then and which we used in the apology campaign, however, is more evocative of the past events. In fact, the decision of the Committee of Union and Progress to eliminate Armenians, as one of the oldest groups of Anatolia, is a disaster that permanently affected the future of, not only the Armenians, but also all other entities living in the same land. Already torn apart by wars, Anatolia, which lost its Armenians, Assyrians and Roums (Greeks), has become a depleted piece of land that had to struggle with human, economic, social, political and cultural disintegration and decline. In this sense, the Armenian Genocide is a common tragedy of Anatolia, and even today what is uttered in the villages of Anatolia as part of the old stories is the tally of an unprecedented catastrophe. Yet, I am not convinced that the "genocide" word is sufficient to accurately read the consequences of this irrational decision that Anatolia was subjected to. It is inadequate to explain what happened beside the genocide of Armenians and confines historic understanding of this horrible event. The Armenian history is then taken out of Anatolia and is being revived all around the world through the Diaspora. It doesn’t, however, tell about Anatolia after 1915. Today the gap between the word "genocide," its cold, eerie and "distant" meanings on the one hand, and the "closeness" of words such as "çart" (massacre), disaster, catastrophe or slaughter on the other, is as deep as the gap between that awful decision of the state taken in Istanbul and the human drama that took place in Anatolia. In fact, so many different grey areas subsist between the genocide victims and the perpetrators, so many people, including those who had to change their identity to survive, who were indirectly victimized, who saved lives, who simply remained to bear the consequences of the genocide. The Great Catastrophe is the great catastrophe for these people also. Native and individual stories of disasters that have been dug out through nascent historical research reveal the dimensions of the great catastrophe that Anatolia experienced, and witness a disaster that somehow goes beyond the genocide. From this perspective, the Great Catastrophe means more than the Genocide. Again in this sense, if the recognition of the genocide will be a punishment, the learning of the Great Catastrophe would be a virtue paving the way for living together again. The debates that have started with the apology campaign on December 15, 2008 offer an immense opportunity for us to learn what happened to Armenians as well as their neighbors. Likewise, this year is the centenary of the takeover by the military wing of the Committee of Union and Progress and consequently the beginning of a special political mindset that still continues to hold Turkey in its grip. More centenaries to come, almost every year until 2023 and even beyond, will provide us the opportunity to learn and remember the fate of Armenians, as well as the consequences of that common catastrophe for people of Anatolia. Justice will rule as we learn about the dimensions of the process which has begun a hundred years ago and about what it has cost to all of us. http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/opinion...292&gid=260 .

You make a couple of very good points DominO. Someone like Aris Babikian, who runs the ANC's Hye Tad office on Ottawa should not make such mistake, if in fact he did say "killed", PanArmenian might have gotten the story a bit wrong. secondly, the value of Talaat's references lies in not how many Armenians were killed or "removed" but the fact that the Ottoman leadership had such numbers in their possession, which contradicts today's Turkish official numbers. If in fact 925 000 people were removed and officially up to 5% of the Armenian population were allowed to stay at any given city or town (although this might not have been achieved due to the fact that the Turks/Kurds were more interested in killing rather than "hosting") combined with all those thousands that were Turkified, discredits the official Turkish numbers for Armenians, and these figures are specifically for Anatolia Armenians, what about the rest of the Empire? On another note about Turkkaya Ataov. His lecture in McGill University was a complete disaster for this "professor". The McGill Student Association together with the Armen Karo student wing of the ANCC descended on him relentlessly and completely embarrassed him. Right at the start they stood up and held up a huge banner saying "Stop the denial of AG", which apparently through Ataov off, and then bombarded him with questions. First there were some noises from the Turkish attendees, but the session was completely dominated by the Armenian students. Ataov, seeing that no Turk was participating in the questions, was seen writing a question to himself and slipping it to a Turkish student. This backfired when the student could not read properly "his" own question. Ironically he stumbled on the word "Dashnaktsutioun" and could not ask the question properly with the Armenians in the hall laughing out loud. /

Arpa jan we're not fighting. It's not worth fighting over them you're right. My only concern is us, and our disagreements are generated from how we think differently, sometimes.

Very good question that should be addressed to Jews. post a letter to editor. I have.

Not at all A-K, I am simply expressing my views. One can either share it or not, I'd be delighted to hear a counter view and learn from it, see I'm not that didactic. You, on the other hand, seem to have an allergic reaction to what I say, that's cool too. Thanks to your information now I know why ASALA is not as popular as Asala.

What AZG newspaper wrote ASALA "GUARANTEES" KAQAVIAN’S LIFE… The Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) and Vow to Ararat organization of liberators and former political prisoners made a statement on February 10. The statement touches upon Professor of Macquarie University in Sydney, Co-chairman of the Armenian-Turkish dialogue group Armen Kaqavian’s step. We have informed before that the Professor apologized to Turks for the acts of ASALA. At the end of the statement, explaining the fairness of their acts in 1970-90s, ASALA announces that it can guarantee Kaqavian’s life if the latter publicly renounces taking orders, apologizes to the victims of the Armenian Genocide in 1915-1923 and their homesick generations, and tells law-enforcement bodies the name of the client who drove him to crime. "Azg" daily wants to add that Mr. Armen Kaqavian sent a letter to the Armenian news agencies and newspapers, including our newspaper. The letter explains that though the Turkish newspaper "Radikal" expressed Kaqavian’s thoughts decently, the editor of the newspaper distorted his words, as he did not apologize on behalf of the Armenian people and as well as his friends. In our opinion, the Armenian-Australian politician did not take into account the traditions of the Turkish press of distorting facts and tangled the situation with his improvident step. What Today's Zaman Wrote, with a wet appetite. ASALA threatens Gakavian over apology initiative The Vow to Ararat organization, which is affiliated with the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA), announced that it can guarantee the life of Armen Gakavian, who was reportedly preparing to apologize to Turks for ASALA's actions in 1915, only if he backs down from the initiative. The word "only" does not appear in the original AZG report which changes the entire meaning, this suggests that otherwise they will not guarantee his life. Zaman then continues with "paraphrasing" the rest of the article. But these are mere details for an entity heavily involved in propaganda. AZG, when reminding the Armenian-Australian about the traditions of the Turkish press in distorting the facts should also have reminded the "offended" ASALA remnants the consequences of such declarations.

What idiots!!!! Talking about falling in a trap. The level of intelligence of these so-called ASALA individuals, (yes individuals) and whatever pseudo name they give themselves to look and sound relevant or important, must match the size of their shrunken dinkies. Instead of turning this issue into what it's actually is a DISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN by Turks, these kakod martig decide to "wage" a "holy" war against a person, Mr. Gakavian, who is a nobody representing no one in a non-existing issue. Instead, what do we have now? These idiots have given the Turks exactly what they wanted, "intolerant Armenians threatening innocent Armenians who want peace with Turks", they have thus successfully tailored their lies to fit the Armenians' "crimes". I think these few kakod Armenians, who count enough to fit in a twin engine cesna with a lot of room to spare, should be either deported to a place no one can here them, or painted red all over with a waterproof paint, and made fun of wherever they show their stupid faces. Aaaaaahhhh@#?&*%.....SALA, jivvéruhs, !! .

Another headline that can best be described as wishful thinking, if not a lie altogether. This mad-dash by the Turkish Foreign Minister Babacan to hold meetings with Nalbandian and be seen as "solving" the Artsakh problem is nothing but posturing to show the new US administration that they would be spoiling these efforts is AG is officially recognized. Check the last paragraph where Armenians are denying such an agreement, but despite that this headline appears! the propaganda continues! I doubt though this qualifies as being "masterful" From Hurriyet Azerbaijan-Armenia agree on Turkey-led Nagorno-Karabakh plan Armenia and Azerbaijan reached a partial agreement on a solution plan for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The agreement came after the Turkish foreign minister’s contacts with officials from both countries, Hurriyet daily reported on Wednesday. The sides agree on the four points of the draft plan that aimed at resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Hurriyet added. According to the plan, Armenia will return some of the towns surrounding the Nagorno-Karabakh region to Azerbaijan in a specific timetable and repatriate those Azeris who were forced to leave the regions, the report said. The administration of the Nagorno-Karabakh region will be handed to a provisional body and Kelbejer will be returned to Azerbaijan after the status of the region is determined, Hurriyet added. The railroad and highway between Azerbaijan and Armenia will be opened, while an international peace force will be deployed at the border region between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, the report said. Officials said any step taken towards the solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will have a positive impact on Turkey-Armenia relations. Turkey closed its borders with Armenia in the 1990s to protest Yerevan's occupation of Azerbaijani territory. BABACAN'S CONTACTS Hurriyet said the agreement came after the busy meeting traffic of Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan. He met with Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian and President Serzh Sargsyan on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. He later held a meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Memmdyarov on the plane on their way to Ankara. On board, the two ministers took the snap decision not to land in Ankara but travel onto Baku where they met with Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev on Monday. Nagorno-Karabakh, a frozen conflict legacy of the Soviet Union, has been standing at the center of Azerbaijan-Armenia and Turkey-Armenia relations. Turkey closed its borders with Armenia due to Yerevan's aggression against Azerbaijan. The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia began in 1988 on Armenian territorial claims over Azerbaijan. Since 1992 Armenian Armed Forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and its seven surrounding districts. Both countries continue with fruitless peace negotiations. The OSCE Minsk Group, co-chaired by the United States, Russia, and France, is engaged in efforts to the conflict peacefully. TURKEY, ARMENIA DENIALS A spokesman from the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday Turkey is not included in a solution plan to the issue, though it is an issue that concerns the country. "There is no discussion of Turkey’s inclusion in a Nagorno-Karabakh plan. We are just gathering information from both sides," Burak Ozugergin told Anatolian Agency. A spokesman from the Armenian Foreign Ministry also said the Nagorno-Karabakh issue was not discussed at the meeting of Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers. "Talks on the settlement of the Karabakh problem with Turkey's help were not held", said Tigran Balayan, head of Armenian Foreign Ministry press department, according to Azeri and Azerbaijani media. "As Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan said repeatedly, talks about a resolution of the Karabakh problem were being held under the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs on the basis of Madrid proposals", said Balayan.

Let no one doubt the intelligence of Turks. Do that at your own peril. Dr. Armen Gavakian from the Macquarie University in Sydney, in an atmosphere of reciprocal gesture of friendship expressed a view that it he was sorry for the killings of Turkish diplomats by Armenian groups and that it would be nice if Armenians apologized for those deaths in response to "ozurdiliyoruz" campaign. This wish of Dr Gavakian was taken by the Turkish "media" as a campaign already in process, even printing a made up sentence of the contents of this new "Armenian apology campaign". It even made the editorial of Hurriyet newspaper as "a model of friendship" between Armenians and Turks (essentially equalizing the Armenian genocide with the killings of the Armenians of the 70 diplomats) They knew damn well that this was not true, and they knew that eventually "the author" of this campaign would clarify what he actually said, but nevertheless, the few "sorryful" expressions of an Armenian individual, representing no one but himself, turned into a big headline today on Hurriyet Daily News. "Armenian academic retracts apology campaign over fierce reactions", the headline reads. There you have it! This " fierce reaction" shows the world how fanatical the Armenians are for having successfully stopped the campaign, whereas in Turkey despite opposition the friendly gesture towards the Armenians continues. Simply genius! Lesson learnt in propaganda, and how to take a mile from the other's inch. /

Hi Stormig, great to see you! I would humbly say stay away from those who try to impress you. Look for experience but don't ignore motivation, energy and humility. I have also encountered situations where people try hide behind "being nervous". I say if someone is confident in what s/he knows any inherent nervousness does not become an issue. Look for those who in spite of nervousness project confidence. Hope this will give you some ideas, but I'm sure you already have a good idea what to expect from a candidate, plus I am in a completely different domain but interview is interview and both use voices to communicate Great to see you in a position of hiring people, Stormig, congratulations

Add Nancy Killefer to the list of tax evaders... from Huffingtonpost WASHINGTON — Nancy Killefer withdrew her candidacy to be the first chief performance officer for the federal government on Tuesday, saying she didn't want her bungling of payroll taxes on her household help to become a distraction for the Obama administration. Killefer was the second major nominee to withdraw. Within hours, former Sen. Tom Daschle also withdrew his nomination to be secretary of health and human services. Now I wonder if Obama paid his taxes....all this says to me that we are living in a Third world mentality in First world clothing. And by the way, where are the good o'l days where Aratta-K disagreed with me...

Isn't it interesting that tax problems, or non-payment of taxes by high ranking US politicians, comes to light only after they have been nominated to highest government posts, which bring tremendous political powers with them? We read today that the latest tax-riddled "victim" is Tom Daschle, President Barack Obama's choice to head the Department of Health and Human Services. He has withdrawn his name from consideration for the post after being hounded for days by disclosures that he didn't pay his taxes on time. Previously Timothy Geithner, now the Treasury secretary was hounded for not paying 30 000 dollars in taxes. (what's wrong with these people not paying taxes). He was cleared when he "apologized". OK I have a theory. Please let me indulge in some speculative conspiratorial theories ....for once.... I think the Jews keep account of all possible potential candidates' financial/sexual/religious/personal weaknesses/ follies and when the time comes they say, OK Mr. candidate what do you have to give us and Israel? if the answer is satisfactory, the candidate moves on (e.g. Geithner) if he fails, he resigns (e.g. Daschle) How do you like my theory ? Aratta K ? Is this another miracle? OK I agree, I'm full if it.......only this time! 1

Erdogan has said, with indignation, about justifying the Hamas response of firing on Israel, "how do you expect Hamas to remain calm and not react to the arrests and killings of their leaders by Israel"? I wonder if he gives the same thought of Armenians "stabbing the back" of Ottoman Empire. If not he should be reminded, "How did you expect Armenians to have kept quiet and not react to the arrests and liquidation of Armenian leadership in 1915 and the so-called "deportations"? These words should and will be used to shove down the throats of those Turks who have a hard time understanding the Armenian resistance movement.

Highly unlikely that Israel is going to change their policies in genocide recognition. It all depends how things develop. I have said before that Erdogans long list of accusations against Israel cannot be regarded as just outbursts of a hot headed leader, I think there is more to it than that. Also the spineless Israeli response to such Turkish humiliating attitude in an international arena suggests they want this to blow over and turn the page. When you hear Peres saying that Erdogan's attacks are not to be taken personally to me that suggests there more here than meets the eye. What do you mean "not to be taken personally" ? On that stage in Davos Shimon Peres was representing the State of Israel, he was there in the capacity of a president, and was not there to have coffee in the name of Peres family clan. With his Peres's reaction I would think that there is a willingness to forget about this and continue business as usual, selling military hatdwear etc... But there are elections coming soon in Israel and the ruling Kadima party is slipping at the polls, so it remains to be seen what would the next administration do with Turkey. In Turkey however there is a tremendous rise in anti-Jewish hatred if they go overboard with this then it will be all over with Turkey.

This has been such an spectacle that public opinion in Israel is going to have its say. Just because Shimon Peres called to "calm" things down does not mean it is over. A few things also must be mentioned that this "outburst" is not an isolated event, it follows a set of declaration that strikes into the heart of Jewish States reality. 1) Erdogan called for banning Israel from the UN 2) He called IDF's actions as crimes against humanity 3) He said Hamas does not have advanced weapon for Israel to justify its use of modern and deadly weapons. He called the Hamas missiles as primitive and small weapons, as in saying they caused no harm to the Israelis. (A point that Israel vehemently rejects) 4) He called on the new Obama administration to reassess and redefine "terrorism" in the Middle East. And called for the inclusion of Hamas in direct talks with Israel. plus Jews are stunned to see the level of Turkish hostility against Turkish Jews. In other words all talk of "friendship" was a big BS. It remains to be seen also if the Turkish government is really interested in maintaining deep strategic ties with Israel. I cannot believe that this Turkish stance can only be attributed to an "angry" Prime Minister's follies. /

So Mr. Erdogan storms out of a Davos meeting to discuss Gaza. After giving Sh@t to Israel the Turkish PM walks out in an ultimate humiliation towards the UN's Ban Ki-Moon and Shimon Peres (who deserves it) I think the Jews are royally pissed off now.

Latest from Erdogan Jerusalem Post quotes Reuters about Erdogan's words to Obama in Davos <<<"President Obama must redefine terror and terrorist organizations in the Middle East, and based on this new definition, a new American policy must be deployed in the Middle East," Erdogan told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The Turkish leader appeared to be referring to the US position toward Hamas and Hizbullah, which the United States considers terrorist organizations>>> So Turkey wants Hamas and Hizballah to be declared as non-terrorist organizations, I am sure the Israelis, and Jews in general, will be delighted to hear this. If we, Armenians, miss the chance to use this to remind everybody where things stand, then we wold be qualified to be called Stupid! Erdogan is giving us ammunition on a silver tray.

Example of another lies AZERBAIJAN TO SPREAD REGULAR MOCKING AND DISINFORMATION Panorama.am 16:41 28/01/2009 It turns out that the rumors spread by Azeri mass media that the head of Armed Forces of Poland Franchesk Hagor during his meeting with the Defense Minister of Azerbaijan Safar Abiev announced that the conflict of Nagorno Karabakh can be regulated only by the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan are pure mocking. Note that Azeri mass media have referred to some official sources from Azerbaijan. The press spokesman of Foreign Ministry of Armenia Tigran Balayan answers to the questions of Panorama.am. "Armenian Embassy in Warsaw verified that information from the authorities of Poland, and we have found out that the Polish official has not made such announcement in Azerbaijan. Moreover, the Polish official landed in Baku because of some technical problems when flying back from Afghanistan," says T. Balayan. Hence, according to the official information the news spread by Azeri mass media is a pure lie and regular disinformation.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid...icle%2FShowFull Jan 29, 2009 1:47 | Updated Jan 29, 2009 2:31 'Erdogan's remarks aid anti-Semiticism' Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is encouraging expressions of anti-Semitism in his country by espousing biased views and wholeheartedly accepting the Hamas narrative of the recent Gaza fighting, a senior Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday. Erdogan blasted Israel throughout the fighting, called on it to be barred from the UN, accused it of using white phosphorus against Gaza civilians and charged it with other "inhuman actions which would bring it to self-destruction. Allah will sooner or later punish those who transgress the rights of innocents." Yet during the fighting, Erdogan "did not utter one word that placed even one percent of the responsibility for the conflict on Hamas," said the Israeli official. "He has utterly adopted the Hamas narrative." One example cited by the official of Erdogan's alleged encouragement of anti-Semitic sentiments came in a January 13 speech to Turkey's parliament in which, moments after he claimed to oppose anti-Semitism, Erdogan accused Jews of controlling the media and intentionally targeting civilians. "Media outlets supported by Jews are disseminating false reports on what happens in Gaza, finding unfounded excuses to justify targeting of schools, mosques and hospitals," Erdogan charged. As the country's prime minister was lambasting Israel repeatedly, Turkey's Jewish community was experiencing "the worst situation in memory," said someone close to the community. The community, estimated to number some 26,000, has seen a spate of anti-Semitic incidents in the wake of Israel's operation against Hamas. At anti-Israel demonstrations throughout the country, demonstrators were seen carrying blatantly anti-Semitic signs. At a demonstration in the industrial city of Eskisehir, for example, signs read, "Dogs allowed, but no Jews or Armenians." Posters placed on billboards throughout Istanbul showed bloodied children from Gaza, and addressed Jews directly, calling them "no sons of Moses." An Istanbul newspaper published a caricature this week showing Hitler flying an Israel Air Force jet, while another called for the expulsion of Turkey's chief rabbi and claimed the Torah permitted Jews to murder their own parents. In the weeks since the Gaza operation began, Jewish community institutions were targets - alongside Israel's diplomatic missions - of hundreds of e-mails, faxes and phone calls that included, in the words of the Israeli official, "blatant anti-Semitism and curses." At least one store in Istanbul's old city saw a sign posted outside notifying shoppers to avoid it because it was owned by Jews. Israeli officials have also followed calls on Turkish Internet sites to boycott Jewish businesses. There are reports of Jewish doctors who are losing patients because the patients are unwilling to be treated by Jews. "I feel worried, sad and scared for myself and for my country's future, which is leaning towards racism," Turkish-Jewish academic Leyla Navaro wrote in the Radikal newspaper, Reuters reported. Despite Jewish concern from Israel and abroad, however, the Post could get almost no reaction from the local Jewish community. Members of the Turkish Jewish community either did not return calls or refused to speak on the matter, with one Turkish Jew in Israel saying only that people "feel it's too sensitive to talk right now." According to Israeli diplomatic sources, official Israeli-Turkish relations have not been harmed, and the close military cooperation between the two states continues. Zareh:The prostitution continues There have, however, been reports of a 70 percent drop in Israeli tourism to Turkey. Perhaps to allay opposition anger at home over Erdogan's apparent siding with Hamas, the country's Foreign Minister Ali Babacan called on Hamas to abandon its violent ways. "Hamas should make a decision. Do they want to be an armed organization or a political movement?" he said. Speaking to Turkish television station NTV, Babacan reiterated that both Israel and Turkey wished to maintain their strong strategic ties. "The relations between Turkey and Israel are strategic relations," he said, but added what may have been a veiled warning: "In an environment in which Turkey's relations with Israel are non-existent, Israel's presence in the region will not be that easy. The Israelis also understand that." Zareh: Babacan is telling Israelis they need Turks more than Turks need Israel Despite the apparent conciliatory tone of Babacan's remarks, Israeli officials say it is Erdogan who determines policy and sets the political tone in the country. Criticism of Erdogan's comments have also come from inside Turkey. Opposition-supporting media have noted that the diplomatic row over Gaza and spate of anti-Semitic incidents could drive the US Jewish community toward the Armenians' side in the political battle in the US over congressional recognition of the Armenian genocide. American Jewish groups were widely reported in the Turkish press to have complained to the Turkish government about the rise in anti-Semitic incidents, including the closure of synagogues in Izmir and anti-Jewish propaganda in Istanbul. A call to the Turkish Embassy seeking comment was not returned.

Don't believe any colourful lies that the Azeris spit out periodically. Especially the highlighted part. What the Armenian side has said is that a young deranged civilian crossed the line to what seems a suicide, the Armenian soldiers ran after him to stop him but were fired upon by the Azeris and both the civilian and the Armenian soldier were killed. A tragic event.

I think we are seeing some really pissed off Jews getting back at Turkey. But I think this is a temporary glitch between the two loving couples, soon things will be smoothed over and it will be business as usual. Unless Turks show more anti-semitic hostilities, then all bets are going to be off! For us, if this glitch can be used to its maximum to our benefit in the mean while, that'll be a bonus. Politics is not that different from buying and selling vegetables, you either are going to be a buyer or a seller, anything else and you're out of the game...you loose.