Author: Andres-Papazian

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
May 5 2011

France’s UMP to push circular after Senate drops genocide bill

05 May 2011, Thursday / EMRE DEMÄ°R , PARÄ°S

After the French Senate on Wednesday buried a draft bill to
criminalize denying that Armenians were subjected to genocide at the
hands of the Ottoman Empire, which was submitted by Socialist
senators, the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) government has
proposed a circular for trying those who deny the claims.

Senators voted on a procedural motion, declaring the text
`inadmissible’ with 196 votes against 74, which is equivalent to
rejection. The bill proposed to punish those who challenge the
existence of the Armenian genocide with a year in prison and a
45,000-euro fine.

However, the UMP government, which has promised Turkish officials on
many occasions that they would say `no’ to the proposed bill, has
bowed to pressure from the Armenian lobby and made a compromise. The
justice minister, delivering a speech at the Senate on Wednesday,
offered to issue a circular to pave the way to trying those who deny
the alleged genocide.

Justice Minister Michel Mercier announced at the Senate that the
circular will be drafted later this week. Suggesting that the
government has been preparing this circular to prevent racist
incidents against the Armenian society, Mercier said sanctions will be
implemented against denial statements.

Mercier gave a special commission held between the Jewish society and
the Ministry of Justice as an example, saying: `I invite the
representatives of the Armenian society to jointly work with members
of the judiciary and the Ministry of Justice in order to determine all
of the incidents of genocide denial and racism.’

According to the circular, a commission comprised of representatives
of the Armenian society will be able to file complaints to punish
those who deny the existence of genocide with jail sentences.

The move by the UMP, in a bid to appease Armenian society ahead of
next year’s presidential elections, has been enthusiastically welcomed
by the Armenian lobby. Turkish officials, meanwhile, were `shocked’ by
the circular proposal, which they learned about during some
discussions on the bill.

Analysts say that the justice minister cannot make such a move without
the consent of President Nicolas Sarkozy. After the rejection of the
draft bill, bringing similar bills to the agenda will become more
difficult.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million Armenians were either sent to their
deaths or slaughtered in eastern Anatolia at the hands of Ottoman
Turks in 1915, an accusation that Turkey vehemently rejects. Turkey
says both sides suffered tragic losses in a state of war during World
War I.

The French Parliament recognized the so-called Armenian genocide in
2001, which resulted in short-lived tension between France and Turkey.
In 2006 the French National Assembly adopted the bill proposing
punishment for anyone who denies the Armenian genocide. However, it
had to be passed by the Senate in order to be enforced.

In late March, as a result of efforts by a group of Socialists, the
bill was debated at the Senate’s plenary session on Wednesday.

It was presented by Serge Lagauche of the Socialist Party and 30 of
his Socialist colleagues in a `niche’ (meeting of parliamentary
initiative) reserved for the Socialist group, at the request of the
first party secretary, Martine Aubry.

From: A. Papazian

news.am, Armenia
May 5 2011

France will struggle against Armenian Genocide denial

May 05, 2011 | 15:28

The French Government announced it will launch actions to struggle
against denial of the Armenian Genocide.

The corresponding circular will be sent to all prosecutors to
`organize the punishment of crimes in which members of the Armenian
community may become victims because of their origin’ and `because of
the fact that they survived the genocide,’ said Justice Minister
Michel Mercier, writes French Le Monde newspaper.

French Senate rejected on Wednesday the bill penalizing denial of the
Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Empire with 196 votes `against’ and 74
`for’. The bill was rejected after a heated debate between supporters
and opponents.

`We will remind of all criminal measures that may be applied,’ said
Mercier, stressing that based on law an action can be taken, since
French law punishes any provocation to discrimination, hatred or
racially motivated violence.

From: A. Papazian

news.az, Azerbaijan
May 5 2011

Baku responds in kind to Armenian criticism
Thu 05 May 2011 11:57 GMT | 14:57 Local Time

A senior Azerbaijani official has dismissed accusations from the
Armenian president that Baku is looking to start war over
Nagorno-Karabakh.
Novruz Mammadov, head of the international affairs department at the
Azerbaijani Presidential Administration, said that Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan was giving misinformation when he claimed that Baku was
protracting resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and seeking a
pretext to resume hostilities.

Serzh Sargsyan made the remarks at a press conference in Yerevan with
visiting Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite.

Novruz Mammadov told 1news.az that it was Armenia that was dragging
out the peace process, not Azerbaijan.

`I believe Sargsyan’s unrealistic statement is a part of the
destructive and unscrupulous policies pursued by Armenia in the
region. Whenever there are grounds to more forward on a peaceful
resolution of the conflict, the Armenian side immediately resorts to
machinations to thwart the negotiating process.

`The fact is that in recent weeks the OSCE co-chairs and other
interested international parties have noted the presence of an
atmosphere conducive to promoting peace negotiations. The Armenian
leadership is trying to exacerbate the situation and undermine the
dialogue. Armenia does this whenever there are favourable conditions
to solve the conflict.”

Mammadov commented on Serzh Sargsyan’s role in the Armenian forces
that fought in Karabakh.

“It is lamentable that the Armenian leader speaks of peace when he
personally participated in the occupation of Azerbaijani lands and now
initiates military exercises in the occupied territories.”

`Sargsyan spoke about peacemaking at a time when Armenian snipers are
deployed along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and front line, and
after an Armenian sniper killed a 9-year-old Azerbaijani boy,’
Mammadov said, referring to the death of Fariz Badalov, killed on 8
March as he played outside his home near the front line.

`Sargsyan dares to say that Azerbaijan makes belligerent and
provocative rhetoric, creating tension,’ Mammadov said.

He thought that Sargsyan talked about bellicose rhetoric from Baku as
the Armenian authorities feared possible war with Azerbaijan.

`My long-term research has taught me that the key reasons for the many
troubles facing Armenia and its authorities are that they are unable
to analyse ongoing events in the world and region. This inability is a
source of constant anxiety and uncertainty for them. It has even
reached the point when Armenian leaders consider the continued
occupation of Azerbaijani lands as normal and legal. This is despite
the Armenian president having signed many international documents on
the inadmissibility of occupation,’ the Azerbaijani official said.

“The tragedy of the Armenian side is that while continuing the
occupation of Azerbaijani land, the leaders of Armenia shamelessly
think it possible to talk about regional cooperation, peace and
neighbourliness. The Baltic countries, as well as the president of
Lithuania who is visiting Yerevan, are well aware that the occupation
policy pursued by Armenia is a source of tension and conflict in the
Caucasus. And they see that Armenia and its people are on the verge of
poverty and collapse as a result of this occupation policy. Armenia is
lagging dozens of years behind and this process continues.

“The Armenian government is afraid that one day Azerbaijan will regain
its occupied lands and Armenian leaders will be held accountable for
their crimes and atrocities,’ Mammadov said.

1 news.az

From: A. Papazian

news.az, Azerbaijan
May 5 2011

Azerbaijan has clear position and action plan on Karabakh conflict resolution
Thu 05 May 2011 13:17 GMT | 16:17 Local Time

‘History shows that the Armenian leaders have always sought to invent
a false history of their people’, said senior official Novruz
Mammadov.
As of late, the Armenian authorities have made apparent attempts to
build contacts with the opposition which showed that it can strongly
influence public and political situation in the county.

Armenia will hold presidential and parliamentary elections in
2012-2013. That is why President Serzh Sargsyan is trying to mend
relations with the head of the opposition Armenian National Congress,
ex-president Levon Ter-Petrosyan to resist their common rivals former
President Robert Kocharyan and Dashnaks.

The factor of unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict plays a significant
role in all these processes.

Head of the international relations department at the Azerbaijani
Presidential Administration Novruz Mammadov has commented on a current
public and political situation in Armenia.

`I can say that, unfortunately, no any international organization,
strategic research center, analytical, research centers, or media
engage in a detailed study of the socio-political, socio-economic
situation and the state of affairs in Armenia as a South Caucasus
country.

`Some external forces seem to be not interested in analysis of
Armenia. But if this kind of study is conducted, it will become
evident that the authorities and opposition in Armenia are involved in
some dirty and dark games. The essence of Armenian politics is to
create intrigue, hatred and confrontation, nothing else,’ Mammadov
noted.

`History shows that the Armenian leaders have always sought to invent
a false history of their people, and eventually they became hostages
to this history. So, whoever comes to leadership in Armenia, he will
be forced to play by the rules of this false story, which holds
Armenian people hostages.

`Therefore, it not surprising that Armenian President spoke of danger
of a possible war from Azerbaijan at a meeting with visiting
Lithuanian President which was to focus on fate of the Metsamor
nuclear power station,’ Mammadov added.

`Instead of discussing fate of outdated Metsamor nuclear power plant,
a matter of life and death for the Armenian people and also danger for
the whole region, Armenian leader resorted to provocation which
confirms my observations that he is indifferent to the fate of his
people.

`The Armenian leadership, being hostage of its own false history and
continuing aggression against Azerbaijan, builds its own policies and
views of the people only in this direction.’

`I have no doubts that the Armenian leadership will try to protract
the negotiating process this time, too. Armenia has made use of this
destructive step already numerous times. The OSCE co-chairs,
international organizations and interested parties already know this.
There are clear signs that Yerevan seeks to slow down negotiations.

Azerbaijan has a clear stance and action plan regarding the settlement
of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyegv has made it clear in his speeches and meetings
on numerous occasions that Azerbaijan will regain its lands in any
case,’ the senior official continued.

`We want to achieve this through negotiations. But we have every right
to gain back our territories and we will use it as necessary.

But if this happens, it will be serious signal for international
organizations, OSCE Minsk Group which should not use all sorts of
schemes to delay resolution of conflicts. This can not go on forever
and international community should take concrete steps,’ Mammadov
said.

1 news.az

From: A. Papazian

news.am, Armenia
May 5 2011

New park after Hrant Dink to open in Turkey

May 05, 2011 | 12:45

A new park after Istanbul Armenian journalist Hrant Dink will open in
Turkish city of Akdeniz.

`We are proud of opening a park named after famous Armenian journalist
Hrant Dink, symbolizing peace and freedom. We will make efforts to
convey Dink’s ideas to future generations,’ Mayor of Akdeniz Fazil
Turk said.

The opening ceremony of the park is scheduled for May 7, IHA agency reports.

Hrant Dink, editor-in-chief of the bilingual Turkish-Armenian
newspaper Agos, was assassinated in Istanbul in January 2007, by a
Turkish nationalist.

From: A. Papazian

The Messenger, Georgia
May 5 2011

Means and opportunities for cooperation across the Georgia-Armenia border

By Salome Modebadze Thursday, May 5
Lack of information on trade opportunities and import/export
proce¬dures, cumbersome customs proce¬dures, language barriers and few
platforms of interaction between the officials and communities are
major factors impeding cross-border cooperation between Georgia and
Armenia. A workshop held in Tbilisi on May 3 with the participation of
Georgian and Armenian civil society actors, local self-governance
officials and representatives of international organizations attempted
to identify means and opportunities for forging the cross-border links
further.

The workshop came as a half way through a study tour which CARE
International in the Caucasus organized on May 2-4 under the project
Poverty Reduction and Confidence-building in Border Areas of Georgia
and Armenia by Strengthening Civil Societies in Sustainable Rural
Development (STAGE II) . The project is funded by the Austrian
Development Cooperation (ADC). Over 15 Armenian visitors arrived to
participate in the event.

As Anthony Foreman, STAGE II project Director of told The Messenger,
the project attempts to create conditions in which the sides can find
out more about each other and identify the areas in which they may
cooperate. `Obviously one of the products of this kind of work is to
identify the information of what types of problems actually exist on
the cross-national level. It’s a very narrow but targeted issue and we
expect high quality results,’ Foreman stated.

Emphasizing the clear need for cooperation in sharing information,
CARE with its partner NGOs plans to identify these problems and find
out what the partner organizations can do within the advocacy
campaign. `Our first priority is to see which problems the NGOs are
able to assist through delivering information, and then after that
define the problems with decision-makers at the high level,’ he told
us.

In the frames of the study tour, Members of the Armenian delegation
met with Georgian government officials and partner civil society
organizations, to attend the Tbilisi Economic Forum organized by
Tbilisi City Hall, visit food processing and cheese factories in
Marneuli (Kvemo Kartli) and in Tsnisi (Samtskhe-Javakheti), a rural
advisory service centre established with the support of CARE in
Aspindza (Samtskhe-Javakheti), a bio-farm of project target
association in Akhalkalaki (Samtskhe-Javakheti).

Suggesting creation of networks uniting civil and municipal societies
and NGOs advocating the Georgian-Armenian cooperation, the sides
agreed that NGOs can be the basis for raising awareness among the two
nations through their flexible projects and serve as `bridges
connecting new ideas.’ David Melua Executive Director of the National
Association of Local Authorities of Georgia (NALAG) offered the local
NGOs to schedule their annual activities and discuss their plans with
local municipalities. `Georgian-Armenian friendship has started
centuries ago and we have to do everything to increase our cooperation
and ignore the borders,’ Melua stated.

As part of the study tour, the participants also met with Van Baiburt,
Adviser of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. Speaking about the
initiative in general Mr. Baiburt welcomed such cooperation and spoke
of Georgia as the `mediator in the South Caucasus.’ Wishing he could
also have seen Azeri guests at the meeting Baiburt told The Messenger
that friendship among the high-rank authorities can’t be strengthened
without cooperation between the `tiniest players.’ Hoping that this
tour would become the starting point for implementing large-scale
activities the President’s Adviser said this meeting would become the
“basis for tomorrow’s fine weather”.

From: A. Papazian

`Who are those Turks?’

A1Plus.am
05 May 2011

Today there are people in Yerevan whom editor-in-chief of “Agos”
weekly Hrant Dink linked to Armenia.

“If Hrant were here, he would fill this hall with love,” said writer,
Armenian by nationality, Turkish citizen Ayshe Gul Altna at the Center
for Innovative Experimental Art. Mrs. Altna, Hrant Dink’s attorney
Fetyie Chetin and photographer Atilla Durak are in Yerevan to
participate in the event entitled “From EBRU to Grandchildren: New
Concepts in Turkey” organized by “Civilitas” Foundation.

“These are the people who are working in Turkey by risking their
lives,” director of the foundation Salpi Ghazarian told the guests.

They all shared their memories with Hrant Dink and stories about
discovering their Armenian roots.

“In January 2007, Hrant Dink called me and said Armenians had loved my
book “My Grandmother” and that he had to take me to Yerevan. I was
very happy. I told him I would travel to Milan and then we would go to
Yerevan together, but I returned to Turkey to reveal the circumstances
of Hrant Dink’s murder and came to Yerevan alone in January 2007,”
Dink’s attorney said with tears in her eyes.

The hero of her book “Grandmother” is Mrs. Chetin’s grandmother who,
as she says, opened her eyes.

Mrs. Chetin and Altnay have published a new book called
“Grandchildren” and the Armenian version will be presented tomorrow.

According to them, the Armenian “grandchildren” living in Turkey today
speak more freely about the 1915 Armenian Genocide than the previous
generation. ” “Grandchildren” tells the real story of our ancestors. I
have advised the Turkish prime minister to read it,” said Fetiye
Chetin.

Writer Taguhi Tovmasyan was able to publish the story of her ancestors
under the veil of Armenian cuisine in Turkey. “After the book was
published, people were trying to find books about Armenian cuisine,”
said Mrs. Tovmasyan.

Armenian photographer Atilla Durak started touring Turkey 7 years ago
and discovered many things for herself.

The slogan “Turkey belongs to Turkey. One Nation, One People” is not
genuine for her.

“They say Turkey is a multicultural country, but who are those Turks?
There are currently 44 ethnic groupings in Turkey that speak 34
languages.”

Durak has brought her best photographs to Yerevan and the opening of
her photo exhibition will take place in the evening.

From: A. Papazian

`Azerbaijan leaves Armenia no other choice’

A1Plus.am
05 May 2011

Chairman of the NA standing committee on international relations Armen
Rustamyan reminds that the NA is obliged to make a declaration stating
that Azerbaijan turned the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict into a bloody
war.

This declaration has been on the NA agenda for the past two years and
must be adopted during three sessions.

What serves as grounds for reminding the existence of this declaration
is the current conference held by the RA Ministries of Defense and
Education and Science during which experts are sounding the alarm that
Azerbaijan is distorting history.

“We shouldn’t just announce that Azerbaijan is distorting history. It
is also leading the negotiations to failure,” Mr. Rustamyan told
“A1+”. According to him, Azerbaijan has achieved success in terms of
propaganda.

“Azerbaijan is making it seem like the Azerbaijani were the victims,
not the Armenians. It presents Armenians as aggressors, as well as the
ones who started the bloody war. This is a grave issue and we must
raise it at the state level.”

Armen Rustamyan finds that the security of the people of Karabakh is
in danger now more than ever.

“Today we should truly affirm that since the 1994 ceasefire, the
number of people who have died on the border due to Azerbaijan’s
provocations and the fires opened by marksmen is enough to call it a
war.”

According to Rustamyan, Armenia must coarsen its position.

“Armenia must sign a military-political alliance with Karabakh.
Armenia must take that step since it is one exercising the
Nagorno-Karabakh people’s right to self-determination and the one
guaranteeing the people’s security. Azerbaijan leaves Armenia no other
choice.”

Why isn’t Armenia taking that step? In response, Armen Rustamyan said
Armenia likes to believe in the approach that the steps should favor
the international community.

“It is good to be constructive, but Armenia is going over the limit,
especially since the opponent is destructive. To this day, Azerbaijan
hasn’t accepted Karabakh and that says it all.”

Armen Rustamyan says Armenia’s flaw is the fact that Armenia keeps
talking about having the NKR join the negotiations, but makes
statements and adopts resolutions for Karabakh without having the
right to do that.

From: A. Papazian

Panorama, Armenia
May 5 2011

G. Manoyan: French authorities didn’t want to upset Turkey

`French authorities headed by President Sarkozy didn’t want to upset
Turkey, thus they have declined the bill, saying those issues have no
place in legal framework,’ Head of the Hay Dat office for political
affairs, Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D),
Giro Manoyan told Panorama.am.

French Senate has failed yesterday the approval of Armenian Genocide
bill making the denial of the Armenian Genocide under Ottoman-era a
crime.

`France, being against Turkish membership to EU family, at the same
time didn’t want to upset them in other issues,’ Mr. Manoyan said.

From: A. Papazian

news.az, Azerbaijan
May 5 2011

$750m rail link to break Nakhchivan’s isolation
Thu 05 May 2011 13:26 GMT | 16:26 Local Time

The cost of a 7-km railway extension, linking the town of Sadarak in
Nakhchivan with the new Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, is estimated to be
$750m.

The Kars-Igdir-Nakhchivan railway will open up rail communications for
the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, an exclave separated from the rest
of Azerbaijan by modern-day Armenia, with Baku and Turkey.

A former railway connecting Nakchivan to the rest of Azerbaijan passed
through Armenian territory and had to be closed at the height of the
war between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh.

The new rail link will be an extension of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars
railway, which is currently under construction.

Both railways will further boost Turkey’s relations with Azerbaijan,
Turkish media report.

Turkey and Azerbaijan are expected to invest in the
Kars-Igdir-Nakhchivan project, while Iran may join the project later.

1news.az

From: A. Papazian