Month: November 2006

RETORSION DE L’ARMEE TURQUE CONTRE LA FRANCE
Semo Marc
Liberation , France
17 novembre 2006
Un general a decrete la suspension des relations dans le domaine
militaire.
La declaration sonne comme un avertissement. “Les relations dans
le domaine militaire avec la France ont ete suspendues”, a declare
mercredi soir le general Ilker Basbug, chef d’etat-major de l’armee
de terre, lors d’une reception marquant le 23e anniversaire de la
Republique turque autoproclamee de Chypre Nord. La reunion annuelle
qui passe en revue la cooperation militaire turco-francaise, prevue
en decembre, a deja ete annulee. Il s’agit de la première mesure de
retorsion directe contre la France, après le vote, mi-octobre, par
106 deputes, d’un projet de loi sanctionnant la negation du genocide
armenien entre 1915 et 1917. Le texte doit encore passer au Senat,
revenir a la Chambre, puis etre signe par le President.
Echanges.
Le chef de la diplomatie turque, Abdullah Gul, a affirme que, si cette
loi prenait effet, “les liens bilateraux seraient irreparablement
endommages dans les domaines economique, politique et de securite”. Les
echanges entre la Turquie et la France se chiffraient en 2005 a 8,2
milliards d’euros. L’annonce du chef de l’armee de terre turque
a surpris. “Elle a ete faite dans un cadre informel, lors d’une
reception, pas sous la forme d’une communication officielle”, a releve
un haut diplomate francais. Hier soir, le chef d’etat-major general,
le general Buyukanit, repute etre un faucon, n’avait pas confirme
cette annonce. La suspension ne concernerait que les relations
bilaterales, mais pas la cooperation au sein de l’Otan ou dans le
cadre d’operations multilaterales, comme en Afghanistan ou au Liban. A
Paris, on rappelle aussi que nombre de fournisseurs francais sont en
fait largement europeens, comme la societe franco-germano-espagnole
Eurocopter, filiale d’EADS, en lice pour un marche de 52 appareils
civils et militaires.
Obstacle.
L’armee, qui se veut la gardienne des valeurs republicaines, semble
vouloir obliger le Premier ministre, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a durcir
sa position. Au-dela des effets de manche, les reactions d’Ankara
sont restees contenues, car un appel officiel au boycottage des
firmes francaises aurait cree un nouvel obstacle dans les difficiles
negociations d’adhesion de la Turquie a l’UE.
–Boundary_(ID_tAW+ELMwOMLrVEDJWmO7bA)–

ARMENIE: PRATIQUES POLICIèRES INACCEPTABLES EN AVRIL 2004, SELON LE CPT
Agence France Presse
16 novembre 2006 jeudi 6:23 PM GMT
La police a eu recours a des pratiques inacceptables en Armenie
lors d’interpellations et de gardes a vue intervenues après une
manifestation le 13 avril 2004 a Erevan, a indique jeudi a Strasbourg
le Comite anti-torture du Conseil de l’Europe (CPT).
Rendant compte d’une visite inopinee du 20 au 22 avril 2004 a Erevan,
une semaine après une manifestation hostile au president Robert
Kotcharian, le CPT cite des temoignages faisant etat de coups de
poing et de matraque de la part de policiers.
Des manifestants ont affirme qu’ils avaient ete frappes avec des
matraques electriques par la police, après avoir ete prealablement
arroses par des lances a eau.
Le CPT, qui demande a l’Armenie de cesser de telles pratiques,
deplore egalement certaines methodes de garde a vue. Des personnes
ont ete retenues par la police “officiellement en tant que temoins,
mais en fait elles ont ete interrogees comme etant suspectes”.
Certaines ont ete retenues pendant deux jours, parfois dans differents
locaux de police, sans que cette detention soit enregistree.
Une personne rencontree en prison par les delegues du CPT a affirme
avoir ete retenue dix jours dans un local de police où elle aurait
ete battue regulièrement.
Le CPT estime aussi que les conditions de detention “restent pauvres”
en Armenie. Il constate cependant du mieux au centre penitentiaire
de Kenton a Erevan où il y a plus d’activites pour les detenus et
où le poste de medecin, vacant lors d’une visite du CPT en 2002,
a ete pourvu.
–Boundary_(ID_u6PeUONYklIT/PbdN9T2hQ)–

RUSSIAN MFA WILL ATTAIN DETAILED INVESTIGATION OF ARMENIAN TEENAGER MURDER
PanARMENIAN.Net
18.11.2006 14:37 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Russian MFA assures that the murder of the
Armenian teenager in localities near Moscow will be investigated in
detail and those guilty will be made answerable. The 15-year-old
boy was killed November 11 next to the Ivanteevka bay in Moscow
region. “The Russian MFA condoles with relatives of Nairi Kocharyan
and also denounces other crimes, committed on the ground of national
hostility.
We will attain detailed investigation of the murder of the Armenian
teenager,” Russian MFA official representative Mikhail Kamynin
stated. “Xenophobia is alien to the spirit of our people, the Orthodox
origins,” the said. In the diplomat’s words, “individual manifestations
of declassed marginals, aimed at instigating international and
inter-religious discord in our country, seriously harm interests of
our democratic multi-ethnic state.” “The authority structures will
severely rebuff this,” Kamynin underscored, reports RIA Novosti.

EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION WELCOMES SIGNING EU-ARMENIA ACTION PLAN
PanARMENIAN.Net
18.11.2006 14:56 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The European Armenian Federation (EAFJD) has welcomed
the adoption of the EU Neighborhood Policy’s Armenia action plan,
which was signed on November 14th, 2006 by the Armenian Minister of
Foreign Affairs, Vartan Oskanian, in the presence of the Commission
and the Council’s senior leaders. As the EAFJD told PanARMENIAN.Net,
“the EU takes note of the European aspirations expressed by Armenia
and will support the Armenian government as its continues to inform
the Armenian public concerning the Union, in particular through the
creation of a European information center in Yerevan.” “We welcome this
action plan to stimulate the integration movement between the European
Union and Armenia,” declared Hilda Tchoboian, the Chairperson of the
European Armenian Federation. “Building on a powerful convergence of
views and a strong sense of community, the Federation looks forward
to contributing to the future growth of Armenian-European relations,”
added Tchoboian.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

DIRECT TALKS WITH NKR INADMISSIBLE TO AZERBAIJAN
PanARMENIAN.Net
18.11.2006 15:06 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The most important in the EU-Armenia Action Plan
is developments in the region, specifically the conflict settlement
processes, Caucasus Center expert Manvel Sargsyan stated in Yerevan. In
his words, the EU displays rather high activity in Nagorno Karabakh
settlement lately. “As you remember, already in 2004 the current CE
Sec. Gen.
Terry Davis said that Europe is interested in people, not
territories. This was followed by the Atkinson resolution, which was
adopted and forgotten. The absence of direct contacts between the
NKR and Azerbaijan is the major problem. However, I do not think
a situation when NKR and Azeri delegations sit at the same table
is possible now. It is initially inadmissible to Azerbaijan and
it means deviation from the previous policy,” Sargsyan noted. “As
for the OSCE MG, it has done everything necessary. It attained a
cease-fire. At present continuation of the talks is urgent to it,”
the expert underscored.

EUROPEAN INTEGRATION NECESSITY ON THE WAY OF ARMENIA BUILDING LEGITIMATE STATE
PanARMENIAN.Net
18.11.2006 15:11 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The signing of the EU-Armenia Action Plan within
the European Neighborhood Policy is a very important step, Armenian
MP Shavarsh Kocharyan stated in Yerevan. In his words, the Armenian
people more than others in the region are ready to adopt European
values. “European integration is a necessity on the way of Armenia
building a legitimate state,” Kocharyan said. He also noted that three
South Caucasian countries have different ways and different programs.
“Georgia aspires to Europe via the NATO, Azerbaijan – via energy
resources and only Armenia acts within the Action Plan aimed at
economic and political stability in the country,” the MP said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKEY SHOULD NOT HAMPER EU, IT CAN BE BYPASSED EVENTUALLY
PanARMENIAN.Net
18.11.2006 15:23 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The signing of the EU-Armenia Action Plan is a road
in two directions: from Europe to the Caucasus and from Caucasus to
Europe, analyst from US Richard Giragosian stated in Yerevan. In his
words, the Plan provides for economic reforms, as well as military
security. “The region should become a zone of military and energy
stability. In the future the Action Plan will spread on Morocco,
Jordan, Israel and Ukraine. From the geopolitical point of view, EU
involvement in South Caucasian countries is also a step from Turkey
towards Iran, as Turkey should not hamper EU enlargement. It can be
bypassed eventually,” he noted. The EU is a competitor to the US,
but at the same time a counterbalance to Russia, he underscored.
As for the Action Plan itself, in the opinion of the American analyst,
Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia differ much. “Georgia aspires to
Europe more actively, using the NATO to that end, Azerbaijan leans
towards Central Asia not only in energy, but also in the military
field. And only Armenia implements the Plan all alone, proceeding
from the barest necessity. The loneliness, along with too close
relations with Russia, is dangerous to Armenia. However, Yerevan,
not Brussels decides how the events will develop,” Giragosian said.

SCANDAL BETWEEN FRANCE AND TURKEY EXPANDS
PanARMENIAN.Net
18.11.2006 16:36 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul announced on late
Thursday that France hasn’t been officially invited to a defense
industry fair over the French Parliament’s passage of an Armenian bill
last month, introducing punishments to those who question genocide
claims. Gonul stated that Ankara gave a notice to French companies,
instead of invitations, and added, “The French defense minister is
a valuable government member. But he has not been formally invited
here. We sent invitations to other countries.”
In related news, the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry canceled
the invitation of the a French music company to perform a remembrance
ceremony for Turkish poet and Sufi mystic Mevlana Rumi, reports The
New Anatolian.

ARMENIAN DOCUMENTS ALSO DENY GENOCIDE CLAIMS
By Fatih Atik
Zaman, Turkey
Nov 19 2006
Armenians themselves have disagreed with genocide claims currently
made by the international Armenian Diaspora.
Grateful letters written to Ottoman sultans by Armenians living
in Anatolia in those times will be important trump cards in favor
of Turkey.
A letter of thanks sent to the Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamit II by
Armenians has drawn attraction. This letter refutes genocide claims
and has been displayed in an exhibition since Nov. 14 in the Turkish
Parliament.
The works in the exhibition drew attention to the freedoms Ottoman
sultans provided for different religious groups.
The letter, written on behalf of the Armenian community sent to
Abdulhamit II, stated that Ottoman sultans respected Armenians as
well as other groups, adding they would never stop working for the
Ottoman Empire despite some insurgents and their lies.
Speaker of the Turkish Parliament Bulent Arinc felt that the exhibition
proved Ottoman tolerance with concrete examples and was crucial
material for the Alliance of Civilizations project.
Dossiers to be Forwarded Abroad
The Turkish parliament commission in charge of European Union
adaptation is determined to forward the dossiers in the exhibition
to EU politicians.
Meanwhile, at the request of the EU Adaptation Commission, the
Turkish State Archives head office has gathered a collection of
peace agreements that the Ottoman Empire made with Western countries,
as well as edicts announced for non-Muslims.

ARMENIAN SPIRIT LIVES ON
By Snejana Farberov
New York Daily News, NY
Nov 19 2006
Nabe toasts independence
Red, blue and orange – the colors of the Armenian flag – were waved
proudly in Brooklyn last Sunday as the 15,000-strong local Armenian
community celebrated 15 years of national independence.
The main event of the day was organized by St. Gregory Mission Parish
and held at St. Edmund’s Church on Ocean Ave. More than 150 guests,
some from as far away as Germany, convened there for an evening of
poetry readings, traditional dance performances by the Sevan ensemble,
and a mixed bag of musical treats.
The evening began with a performance of the American and Armenian
national anthems by lead soloist Jenny Bagdasarian and passionate
community activist Elen Ohanyan, both of whom grew up in the U.S.
That set the tone for the event: Move forward, but remember where
you came from.
“I consider myself both an Armenian and an American,” said Bagdasarian,
15. “I want everyone to know that I’m not only an American who came
to live here, but also that I have Armenian roots.
“It’s important to me, because my family is from Armenia,” she
continued, “and when all those people died during the genocide,
we’re very proud they sacrificed everything so that we could have a
better life.”
The Sunday festivities were just a commemoration of the secession of
Armenia from the crumbling Soviet Union, which had controlled the
proud little nation since 1920. Perhaps more importantly, it was a
celebration of 3,000 years of rich culture and history marked by a
tragedy that galvanized the Armenian national character.
“We survived, and now – thank God – we have our homeland, even
a small one, and we try to protect it,” said Marina Bagdasarova,
principal of the Armenian School of Brooklyn, which is affiliated
with the St. Gregory parish.
The Rev. Mardiros Chevian, dean of St. Vartan Cathedral, Eastern
Armenian Diocese, who officiated the formal part of the event, said
that the Armenian Church has always been the true backbone of the
Armenian nation. Chevian noted that it has provided a safe harbor
for the worshipers to come together in fellowship and prayer, and it
remains at the heart of the Armenian diaspora in New York.
“During the Soviet period, when Armenia was not able to reach out as
much as it can now, [it was] the church that maintained the Armenian
identity outside of Armenia,” added Chevian.
Bagdasarova said that for the past several years, civic leaders
have been striving to build an Armenian community center that would
provide an additional venue to pass on the language and traditions
of the old country to the next generation before it is too late.
However, as it turns out, in such endeavors, size does matter.
“Considering the fact that we are a relatively small community here,
much smaller than others, we clearly receive far less attention from
the city and county governments,” lamented Bagdasarova.
In the meantime, students of the Armenian School perform in local
Jewish centers and nursing homes, and at fund-raisers and festivals,
introducing people to their heritage through music and dance. Some
of their regular gigs include the annual Russian Heritage Week and
charity concerts in Brooklyn’s Millennium Theater, and the Shorefront
YM-YWHA on Brighton Beach.
Bagdasarova explained that it is no coincidence that Armenians and
Jews are so close: In the past century, the two nations were united
by the horrors of genocide and repeated pogroms that confined them
but failed to break their spirit.
Armenia was the first nation in the world to officially adopt
Christianity as its religion in A.D. 301. Its people were repeatedly
persecuted by their Muslim neighbors, and dispersed throughout the
world. Not until 1991 did Armenia regain its long-lost independence.
“Armenians take great pride in their millennia of history,” said
Bagdasarova. “We are fortunate to be living in a country where you can
take independence, its inevitability, and the rights that it promises,
for granted.”