Month: October 2006

‘THE SO-CALLED BLOCKADE AGAINST THE SO-CALLED GENOCIDE’

AZG Armenian Daily #201, 21/10/2006

Turkey

On the eve of the vote at the French Parliament for the bill
penalizing denial of the Armenian Genocide, when the Turkish press was
denouncing the French, an Istanbul-based Referans daily touched upon
Armenian-Turkish relations in an article titled "The So-Called Blockade
Against the So-Called Genocide: Result of Armenia’s Anti-Turkish
Stance". This article published Oct 12 can well be considered a
peculiar look at Armenia from Turkey. Though its author Selma Simseq
could not shun exaggerations, her article is interesting particularly
for raising the issues of Kars-Akhalkalak-Tbilisi-Baku railway and
the blockade of Armenia.

Here is what she writes: "For the past 24 years 17 states defended
the Armenian thesis in the issue of genocide. Turkey, which constantly
adds ‘the so-called’ phrase to the Armenian genocide, has officially
imposed blockade on Armenia. Yet, thanks to the dialogue between the
two people the blockade has also turned into a ‘so-called’. Kars mayor
Naif Alibeyogli’s following words evidence it: ‘There are regular
flights from Istanbul to Yerevan. 70% of goods in Armenian markets is
Turkish. 70.000 Armenians work in Turkey. And we do not understand what
kind of blockade is this. Turkey has opened its doors before Armenia,
only the border of Kars is closed, as a result of which our town was
deprived of benefit and investments for years’.

"As Alibeyogli put it, the important thing for the resident of
Kars is not the railway project but the opening of Turkish-Armenian
border. Armenia is of the same opinion.

"It’s obvious once this project comes true, Armenia will be in a
difficult situation. Its border with Turkey is closed because of
genocide allegations and with Azerbaijan because of the occupation
of Nagorno Karabakh. Moreover, the Iranian border areas are inhabited
with Azeris thus putting Armenia in squeeze and isolation, in fact.

"Realizing that Kars-Tbilisi-Baku railway will result in an even deeper
isolation, Armenia demands to open the Turkish-Armenian border as it
will enable Armenia to act as a transit corridor for transportation
of goods from the Caucasus to the Middle East and China.

"This project was turned down at the US Senate under the pressure
from Diaspora Armenians. As a result, the US Eximbank denounced its
credit of $400 million for the project.

"Since 1993 Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic relations. There is
no direct trade between the countries because of the blockade. Today,
Turkish goods enter Armenia via Georgia or Iran. The goods turnover
amounts to $100 million. Turkey exports mainly construction materials
and food and Armenia imports row materials. The Armenian import
amounts to $50 million.

"According to president of the Turkish-Armenian Business Union, Kaan
Soyaq, goods turnover between Turkey and Armenia can be raised up to
$500 million but Turkey has close the Kars border-gate and suffers
losses. ‘Only the residents of Kars pay for this mistake called
blockade, as Istanbul is open for Armenia. When the Armenia-Turkish
border was open trade between the two countries flourished. Now,
both Armenia and Turkey are losing. Turkish businessmen are forced to
go longer distances thus demanding higher price for goods. Armenia,
on its part, is forced to by spoiled goods for a high price. If the
border-gate is opened, both countries will gain access to the markets
in the Middle East and China. Turkey has missed the chance during
Ter-Petrosian’s tenure and is missing it today as Kocharian prepares
to leave the office. Though during Kocharian’s tenure relations have
aggravated a bit a more nationalist regime will change Kocharian’s.’

"Soyaq meanwhile pointed out that Kars-Tbilisi-Baku railway can hardly
become a reality as the US and Russian interests keep spreading in
the region. Then he went on: ‘These two countries have not come to
terms. Without an agreement no railway project can be implemented. The
USA is against the project as it demand opening of the Armenian-Turkish
border. This project emerged as a result of the closed border. If it
were open the US would not be against a second railway line through
Georgia. But at present it does not want to lose Armenia.’

"Drawing attention to Russian-Georgian tensions, Soyaq assumes it
will speed up the opening of Turkish-Armenian border. He thinks if
Nagorno Karabakh issue is settled, and Turkey meets Armenia halfway
the border can be opened. As to the genocide, it’s not an issue that
can be solved in a split second."

By Hakob Chakrian

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZG Armenian Daily #201, 21/10/2006

World press

A BOLD MESSAGE, LOST ON TURKEY

Vartan Oskanian International Herald Tribune,
Published: October 19, 2006

YEREVAN, Armenia: Armenia should be rejoicing at the passage of a
bill last week by France’s National Assembly that would make it a
crime to deny the genocide of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire in the
early 20th century.

The message from France is clear: So long as Turkey refuses to confront
its own history, others will feel impelled to do so. If, on the other
hand, Turkey embarks on the difficult road of acknowledgement and
reconciliation, then others will have reason to step aside and let
the process take its course.

Instead, we note with dismay that this very strong message is being
lost on Turkey. It continues to surround itself with myths, evade
the past, and thus elude the future.

As we observe the reactions in Turkey, we find it disingenuous for
a country that itself doesn’t allow free speech and criminalizes
even the exploration of certain areas of its own (and therefore our)
history to be so indignant over a law that criminalizes the rejection
and denial of that same history.

After all, the actual, difficult discourse must evolve in Turkey,
and not in France, or Switzerland. It is in Turkey that a free and
open dialogue is deeply needed, and sorely absent. Those who cry
"leave history to the historians" have gagged the historians.

At the same time, Turkey objects vehemently to the involvement of
third countries in a discussion that really must take place between
Turks and Armenians.

No one wants such a dialogue more than Armenia. Yet Turkey has made
such give-and-take between our peoples and our states impossible. In
addition to the restrictions on speech, our borders remain closed. Nor
are there diplomatic relations between our countries.

In other words, there are no opportunities for new experiences, new
memories, new interactions to build up alongside the old. Instead,
there is a lingering security concern about a neighbor that has not
repudiated such state violence.

As Turkey continues to corner itself, it handicaps the future of this
region and impacts the lives of its people and ours. Worse, those
extremists who understand the great risks and costs of tolerance,
openness and rapprochement, are emboldened.

We are not the only neighbors in the world who have a troubled
relationship. Yet it is exactly because we live right next door that
we must be willing and prepared to transcend the past.

France’s principled acknowledgement of the 20th century’s first
genocide offers the hundreds of thousands of French Armenians, all
descended from genocide survivors, the dignity that they have been
denied because of the Turkish government’s continuing insistence that
the atrocities they lived through are unproven myths.

There is no doubt that if the word "genocide" had existed in 1915,
every one of the hundreds of articles in newspapers around the world
would have used it.

Look how frequently the word is used today to describe events and
cases where the scale and depth of the carnage are even smaller.

When a government plans to do away with its own population to solve
a political problem, that’s genocide. The U.S. ambassador to Turkey
from 1913 to 1916, Henry Morgenthau Sr., called what he witnessed the
"Murder of a Nation." Others called it "race murder." They did so
because the term genocide did not exist yet.

Those who deposed the Ottoman rulers – the early leaders of modern
Turkey, including Kemal Ataturk – actually court-martialed those
who instigated these crimes. Today’s Republic of Turkey, which has
inherited the nationalism of its founders but not their memory,
spends untold amounts to convince the world they didn’t happen.

Not just money. Today, their continued insistence on rejecting and
rewriting history costs them credibility and time. Today’s Turks do
not bear the guilt of the perpetrators, unless they choose to defend
and identify with them.

It is a political reality that both Turkey and Armenia exist today
in the international community with their current borders. It is a
political reality that we are neighbors. It is a political reality
that Armenia is not a security threat to Turkey. Finally, it is a
reality that today’s Armenia calls for the establishment of diplomatic
relations with today’s Turkey.

Armenia has no preconditions for establishing diplomatic relations. Nor
is Armenia opposed to Turkey’s membership in the EU. We’d like to see
Turkey meet all European standards. We’d like to see Turkey become
an EU member so that our borders will be open and we can cooperate
to build a secure, prosperous region.

We can only assume that Europe will expect that a Turkey which is
serious about EU membership will come to terms with its past. A few
in Turkish society have begun that difficult process of introspection
and study. We can only welcome this process.

It is essential that the international community does not bend the
rules, does not turn a blind eye, does not lower its standards, but
instead consistently extends its hand, its example, its own history
of transcending, in order for Armenians and Turks, Europeans all,
to move on to making new history.

AZG Armenian Daily #201, 21/10/2006

Middle East

ISRAEL APPLIED NEW WEAPONS IN GAZA

The Palestinian physicians in Gaza have registered strange wounds
caused by the unknown weapon. The British "Guardian" informed that
according to the testimonies of the physicians, the new weapon causes
internal wounds and traumas. The wounds may frequently cause amputation
of legs and hands, or be fatal for the patients.

As compared with traditional weapons used during the attacks,
the new weapon leaves no broken pieces in the human body. The
physicians revealed particles resembling dust spread on the wounds
of the patients.

The new weapon disfigures the human bodies and cuts them in parts,
one of the Gaza physicians stated. He added that they have found that
the internal organs are burnt and has small particles on them.

According to the British newspaper, the particles found on the wounded
organs can’t be seen through X Ray, which makes it different to find
the wounds and treat them.

Some of the experts believe that such traumas may be caused by weapons
that contain metal explosives.

By Petros Keshishian

AZG Armenian Daily #201, 21/10/2006

Home

HENRY CUNY SAYS GOOD BYE TO ARMENIA

Henry Cuny, French Ambassador to Armenia, is going to complete his
diplomatic mission soon. He provided his farewell letter to the mass
media. In the letter, he called Armenia a country of the sun, labor,
culture and smartness. Leaving from Armenia, Mr. Cuny regrets that
the sides failed to make progress in the Nagorno Karabakh settlement
issue. He added that the unsettled issue has quite a negative impact
on both Armenia and the region.

He spoke with admiration about the culture, the language and the
art of Armenia and added that the cultural heritage of Armenia
will be represented in 100 French cities in the course of over 500
arrangements. "There can be no better completion of diplomatic mission
for an ambassador than the visit of his native country’s president. I
am glad that Mr.

Chirak appreciated each moment of his visit and the perfect
organization of the presidential visit from the Armenian authorities,"
he said.

He said that that will be difficult for him to leave from Armenia on
October 29, he promised that he will be back to Armenia with a series
of lectures.

By Marietta Khachatrian

AZG Armenian Daily #201, 21/10/2006

Home

SOLUTION #1 FOR HOLDING LEGITIMATE AND FAIR ELECTIONS IN ARMENIA

Hovhannes Hovhannisian, Chairman of the Liberal Progressive
Party, touched upon the rating of Armenia from the viewpoint of
the international community at yesterday’s press conference at
"Pastark" club. He believes that Armenia’s rating has considerably
decreased. Hovhannisian added that the only solution to the current
problems of Armenia is to hold legitimate and fair elections. He added
that the society has a brilliant opportunity to shape new authorities,
meaning the coming parliamentary and presidential elections. "In
case these elections are also violated, your generation will have to
struggle for independence," he said.

Hovhannisian also said that his party has about 5500 members and they
are determined to participate in the coming elections.

As for the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh issue, Hovhannesian stated
that he expects certain progress to be fixed in the negotiation
process this year.

Moreover, he believes that the settlement may be achieved in the
course of the October 24 meeting of the Armenian and Azeri Foreign
Ministers in Paris.

By Gohar Gevorgian

AZG Armenian Daily #201, 21/10/2006

Bookshelf

NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA FOR ARMENIAN READERS

The presentation of the third volume of "The Family Encyclopedia"
took place at RA National Academy of Sciences, yesterday. The book was
published at "Armencyclopedia" publishing house. The experts elaborated
the third volume in about 10 years. The first volume is entitled
"House Wife," the second one was "Popular Medical Encyclopedia." The
second volume is dedicated to the flora and fauna of Armenia.

Hovhannes Ayvazian, editor-in-chief of the publishing house, the
collection is meant to be used in everyday life, at home, etc.

The third volume includes the description of not only Armenia’s nature
but also that of the Armenian Highland. The volume has been published
in 3000 copies. In total the program cost AMD 24 million. The book
will be sold at AMD 10000 in the book stores.

Hovhannes Ayvazian added that the encyclopedia help to get familiarized
with the nature of our country and with its environment. We are using
our herbal, animal, mineral and water resources very badly. Today,
we face the dnager of desertization," H. Ayvazian said. He added that
the young generation needs to get ecological education and expressed
hope that the book will greatly help in that.

The encyclopedia includes the photos of Tigran Babayan made in the
Western Armenia.

By Tamar Minasian

ARMENIA MUST GRANT CITIZENSHIP TO THOSE WHO SURVIVED THE GENOCIDE

A1+
[04:07 pm] 20 October, 2006

The owners of Armenia are ordinary people

84-year-old Samvel Lazarian who is citizen of the USA is searching the
villages of Armenia for the sons and grandsons of his father’s uncle
who came to Armenia at the beginning of the previous century. Artin
of Mko’s house (that was the name of the uncle) is the pride of the
Lazarians from Sasoun who survived the Genocide. They say Artin
was so brave that even the Kurds of the village were afraid of him.

One day, as Samvel’s father told him, Gevorg Chaush came to their
house and took Artin away as a soldier. This is the only accurate
piece information they have; the rest are gossips that reached the
relatives of Artin and passed on to the other generations.

Samvel Lazarian was born in Tigranakert, and as he says with pride,
"I was born in historical Armenia". Although he was born seven years
after the 1915 Genocide, he suffered the same feelings. He has been
to Syria, Lebanon, and has spent the last 17 years in the USA. He is
84 years old, but unusually hale and hearty for his age which is the
result of having played football for many years.

This is the first time 84-year-old Armenian writer Samvel Lazarian
has ever been to Armenia. "I have written exceptional articles about
the previous regime of the country", he explained the reasons of his
not coming to Armenia during the Soviet years and opens the brackets,
"The structure which sponsored me knew that it was dangerous for me
to come here". And the structure was the ARF Dashnaktsutyun.

During the 15 days spent in Armenia Samvel has realized that the ARF
is stronger abroad than in Armenia. Meeting different people he also
realized that it is not easy to live in Armenia.

"I have spoken to many people, learned different opinions, and
felt what they feel. That is why I can say that the first step the
Government has to take is to take care of the poor", the 84-year-old
Armenian says. He is convinced that the owners of Armenia are the
ordinary people and not those who have power.

CONSPIRACY AGAINST JAVAKHQ

A1+
[06:31 pm] 20 October, 2006

"Javakhq is not on sale", "Freedom to Vahagn Chakhalyan" – these
were the posters with which members and confederates of union "United
Javakhq" went on a sit-down strike in the park opposite the RA National
Security Service, near the statue of Nalbandyan.

They demanded to set free one of their heads, Vahagn Chakhalyan, who
was arrested on October 11 for crossing the border of Armenia illegally
and sentenced to two months’ imprisonment. The participants of the
strike think that arresting Chakhalyan, the RA authorities support the
Georgian authorities to suppress the movement of Armenians in Javakhq.

According to representative of "United Javakhq" Edgar Peleshyan, the
RA authorities accuse Vahagn Chakhalyan, "a patriotic boy who does
everything to make the situation in Javakhq more stable", trying to
solve their political problems.

The participants of the strike consider the arrest of Chakhalyan the
result of "Armenian-Georgian conspiracy". They announced that they
will go on with their strike until Vahagn Chakhalyan is set free.

LEVON TER-PETROSYAN WILL BE CANDIDATE OF THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

A1+
[04:42 pm] 20 October, 2006

"Levon Ter-Petrosyan will be nominated for the coming Presidential
elections", announced president of the Armenian Pan-National Movement
administration Ararat Zourabyan in "Pastark" club today. His statement
cannot be considered official and final as the final decision must
be made by Levon Ter-Petrosyan himself.

But why does Mr. Zourabyan think that the first President of the
Republic of Armenia will return to politics?

"I am sure that a few words by Levon Ter-Petrosyan are more important
that the activities of whole political powers", Mr. Zourabyan said. He
is sure that the present authorities have exhausted themselves; he
mentioned that at present the most urgent problem of the party is to
not allow the reproduction of the authorities, be it in the person
of Serge Sargsyan or Vardan Oskanyan.

Taking into account the experience of the previous elections,
Mr. Zourabyan claimed that the RA authorities never gather more than
10-15% of votes.

"The rest is the result of fabrications. We shall try to prevent
it". The previous elections showed not only the presence of
fabrications, but also the impossibility of their prevention. The APNM
has the solution to this problem too, "It was possible to prevent
the fabrications in 2003 too if the opposition were a little more
decisive".

According to Ararat Zourabyan, no political power in Armenia can have
significant success without cooperating with other powers. According
to him, they are ready to cooperate with the Republican party and
the RA Liberal-Progressive party.

OSKANYAN REPRESENTED THE EXPERIENCE OF THE ARMENIAN DIASPORA

A1+
[04:50 pm] 20 October, 2006

RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan who is in Canada on a official
duty made a speech in the international conference titled "Peace and
Development: The Role of the Diaspora" organized by the UN and the
University for Peace in Toronto.

President of the 61st session of the UN General Assembly Sheikha Haya
Rashed Al Khalifa opened the conference.

The Minister represented the experience of the Diaspora and spoke about
the activity of the structures of the Diaspora in different countries.

Representing a historical outline of the creation and formation of
the Armenian Diaspora, he referred to the problem of originality of
the Diaspora.

A reference was made to the relations of Armenia with the Diaspora. The
Minister mentioned that the Diaspora supports Armenia economically
and politically.