Author: Antonian Lara

OSCE mission submits its Armenian resettlement report to Azeri minister

ANS Radio, Baku
2 Mar 05

The OSCE fact-finding mission which looked into whether Armenians were
illegally settling in Azerbaijani occupied territories has submitted
its final report to Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov at
a meeting with the fact-finding mission and the OSCE Minsk Group
co-chairmen in Prague.

Foreign Minister Mammadyarov said that he familiarized himself with
the report fully. But it was decided not to disclose the details until
16 March. To recap, the report by the OSCE’s fact-finding mission will
be submitted to the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen and the OSCE standing
council in Vienna on that day.

Mammadyarov was to hold the next round of consultations with his
Armenian counterpart Vardan Oskanyan today. But the meeting was put
off due to the Armenian minister’s problems with health. The meeting
will take place in France tomorrow [4 March].

`THE BLOOD-THIRSTY NATURE OF THE AZERBAIJANIS HAS NOT CHANGED’

A1+
25-02-2005

A number of Armenian youth-student organizations have today called the
world society with a letter to give a proper evaluation to the
Sumgayit genocide, massacre acts against Armenians in other
territories of Azerbaijan and to respect the right of sovereignty of
the Artsakh people.

`The first expression of the hateful character of the Azerbaijanis was
the genocide in the city of Sumgayit, which caused tens of victim,
while thousands became invalid or refugee. The only guilt of the
victims was that they were Armenians.

Supported by the inactivity of the Soviet totalitarian regime and the
atmosphere of unpanishability, the Azerbaijanis continued their
massacre-organization actions in Baku and Gandzak, unleashing a real
war against the Arstakh people. Unable to suppress the combat for
independence of the Artsakh people, today the criminal tries to wear
the mask of a victim, violating the historic facts, and speaking about
anti-Azerbaijani violations which have never taken place.

in 2004 in Budapest the Azerbaijani officer Ramil Safarov killed the
Armenian officer Gourgen Margaryan, which testifies to the fact that
the blood-thirsty nature of the Azerbaijanis has not changed’.

This document has been adopted in the round table and exhibition of
photos organized in connection with the anniversary of the 1988
Sumgayit massacres. It was organized by the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation `Nikol Ahgbalyan’ student union, Analytic center `Sense’
and the Nork House of Armenians

Armenian official, NATO envoy discuss Individual Partnership Programme

Arminfo
24 Feb 05

YEREVAN

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Tatul Markaryan and the special
representative of the NATO secretary-general in the South Caucasus and
Central Asia, Robert Simmons, discussed the prospects for the
development of relations between Armenia and NATO in Yerevan today.

Simmons is also NATO’s deputy secretary-general for security
cooperation and partnership, the public relations department of the
Armenian Foreign Ministry has told Arminfo. Simmons’s visit is mainly
factfinding, during which he intends to familiarize himself in more
detail with the current problems, to report on his activities and to
introduce NATO’s newly-appointed communications officer, Romualds
Razuks, to the Armenian leadership.

During the meeting, the Armenian deputy foreign minister and the
special representative of the NATO secretary-general discussed spheres
which are a priority for Armenia in the context of cooperation with
NATO on the Individual Partnership Programme. The sides also discussed
the work that NATO’s communications officer will carry out in Armenia
and a number of organizational issues.

The NATO delegation led by Robert Simmons will leave Armenia tonight.

Broadway.com, NY
Feb 23 2005

Zorich and Metwally to Star in Beast on the Moon at the Century
Center
by Broadway.com Staff

Richard Kalinoski’s Beast on the Moon is coming to New York’s Century
Center for the Performing Arts. The drama, starring Tony-nominated
actors Louis Zorich and Omar Metwally, is set to begin performances
off-Broadway on April 12, according to The New York Times.
In Beast on the Moon, an Armenian mail-order bride comes to Milwaukee
to begin a life with her new husband, Aram (Zorich). However, both
are tormented by the Armenian genocide. He desperately wants a large
family, but she is barren from the years of torture and starvation
she endured. Then a young stranger (Metwally) enters their lives and
changes them forever.

Beast on the Moon, directed by Larry Moss, will officially open on
April 27.

European Report
February 23, 2005

EU/ARMENIA: OFFICIALS MEET FOR EXPLORATORY TALKS ON PARTNERSHIP

For the first time high-ranking Armenian officials met
representatives from EU institutions and civil society in Brussels on
February 21 for a round table discussion of a future European
Neighbourhood Policy for Armenia.

In July 2004, the EU’s Council of Ministers endorsed the inclusion of
Armenia in the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), based on a
recommendation of the European Commission. Along with Armenia, two
other Southern Caucasus countries were invited into the ENP:
Azerbaijan and Georgia. This instable region was identified by the
EU’s December 2003 European Security Strategy for close monitoring by
the EU. The ENP objective is to share the benefits of the enlarged EU
with its neighbouring countries but distinct from full EU membership,
thus avoiding hard political and economic divisions across the
continent. Transformations for Armenia involve economic integration,
political cooperation and societal reforms.

Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia all have so-called Partnership and
Cooperation Agreements (PCAs) with the EU. But offering them ENP
status will mean a significantly enhanced partnership with the EU.
The Commission will prepare country reports to be presented to the
European Council in spring 2005. Armenia’s report is being developed
and due by mid-March. The reports will, in turn, eventually lead to
an action plan for each country, tailored to fit its needs and
interests for a three-to-five year period.

How far are the partners willing to go?

The outcome of the round table couldn’t have been clearer about
Armenia’s part. “Entering the ENP is very valuable to us,” said Armen
Baiburdian, deputy foreign minister of Armenia. He added: “The aim is
to bring Armenia to a European-level developed country, with EU
institutions and EU values…to join the EU family.” He stressed the
progress Armenia has made since 1999, when Armenia signed its
European Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA). The latter is a
first-stage relationship between the EU and Eastern Europe and
Central Asia.

In Armenia, 24 working groups have been set up to comply to PCA
implementation along with the appointment and training of around 150
government officials with the support the EU-funded project know as
AEPLAC.

Alona Bruce, deputy to the director of the Open Society Institute in
Brussels, emphasised the value of civil society’s contribution to the
EU’s country reports and action plans. Michael Emerson, senior
research fellow at the Brussels-based Centre for European Policy
Studies welcomed Armenia’s future ENP, but said the country still has
a number of standards to reach. These concern conflict resolution
with Azerbaijan; economic, social and judicial transformations; and
better communication with Armenia’s neighbours of Turkey, Azerbaijan,
Georgia and Russia. Regarding Armenia’s economy, for instance, Daniel
Gros, CEPS’ director, said the country’s exports to the EU are still
very low – only 10 % of its gross domestic product.

Daily Bruin – View Point
Tuesday, February 22, 2005

Remembering Armenian Genocide admirable, not hateful
Students working to spread awareness provide opportunities for valuable
dialogue

By Paul Von Blum

Like many others in the UCLA community, I was distressed to read Fatma
Asli Velieceoglu’s submission to the Daily Bruin misleadingly titled
“Armenian propaganda against Turkey untrue, divisive” (Feb. 10). Her
allegation that Armenians have engaged in a campaign of hatred against
Turkey utterly contradicts my experience as a teacher at UCLA for the
past 25 years.

During that time, I have had the pleasure of having hundreds of students
of Armenian heritage here. My contact with these intellectually and
morally engaged young men and women has been a highlight of my academic
career.

One major reason is that all of them have been passionately concerned
about Turkey’s shameful denial of the Armenia Genocide almost 90 years
ago. Their focus has properly been on educating their fellow students
about one of the most horrific eras of 20th-century history.

In all of my conversations with Armenian American students and others,
with no exceptions whatever, I have heard no expression of hatred toward
Turks or anyone else. Their sole focus has been on demanding that Turkey
acknowledge its historical accountability for the mass murders of
Armenians.

I join my Armenian brothers and sisters in working against genocide
denial. As the son of a Holocaust survivor, I feel an enduring
solidarity with all people whose lives have been shattered by both
genocide and its progeny, the cynical refusal to acknowledge historical
responsibility.

We live in an era where countless thousands of human beings were
slaughtered in Cambodia and Rwanda and presently in Sudan. Velieceoglu
should take advantage of her educational opportunity at UCLA to learn
about the sorry historical legacy of the 20th and early 21st centuries,
including her own government’s continuing refusal to acknowledge its
past.

Genocide deniers might begin by engaging in thoughtful dialogue with
many of the students Velieceoglu foolishly maligned in her Daily Bruin
submission.

————————————————————————
Von Blum is a professor of African American studies and communication
studies.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V. Rev. Fr. Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version:

WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
CALLS FOR THE RECOGNITION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Meeting in Geneva, the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches
called for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide. The statement says:

“Sunday April 24, 2005 will be the 90 years Commemoration of the Armenian
Genocide, the tragic massacre of one-and-a-half million Armenians in Turkey
and the deportation of another million from their homeland.

The world Council of Churches has on different occasions addressed the need
for public recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the necessity of Turkey
to deal with this dark part of its history. The importance of Turkey
evaluating its history has recently also been addressed by the Conference of
European Churches relating to Turkey’s relation to the European Union.

>From the Christian perspective, the path towards justice and reconciliation
requires the recognition of the crime committed as a sine qua non condition
for the healing of memories and the possibility of forgiveness. Forgiveness
does not mean forgetting but to look back with the intention to restore
justice, the respect for Human Rights and relationships between perpetrators
and victims.

The Public Committee recommends to the General Secretary and the staff, to
propose to all member churches to make Sunday April 24 a day of memorial of
the Armenian Genocide and to consider further appropriate actions related to
the 90 years Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide.

In a different statement on the International Criminal Court, the Central
Committee said:

“Human History is filled with examples of horrendous cruelties, aggressions
and inhumanities. In just 20th Century there are four recognized genocides –
90 years ago the Armenian genocide, 60 years ago the Holocaust, nearly 30
years ago the Khmer Rouge and the most recent genocide in Rwanda, a little
more than 10 years ago. There were very different ways of addressing these
horrific crimes: there was no consequence for the Armenian genocide, the
victors justice in the Nuremberg trail for the Nazi war criminals, a failed
local response with UN support to the Khmer Rouge and the ad-hoc
International Criminal Tribunal of Rwanda”.

It also called to “address issues such as impunity and accountability” to
prevent future crimes against humanity.

164 voting members are participating in this meeting of the Central
Committee together with more than 100 advisors, consultants and
representatives from Vatican and International Organisations. His Holiness
Aram I Catholicos of Cilicia is the Moderator of the Central Committee since
1991.

##

The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

JOHN EVANS: ARMENIA MOVING IN CORRECT DIRECTION AND HAS MADE
CONSIDERABLE PROGRESS

PanArmenian News
Feb 19 2005

19.02.2005 14:42

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The US mission in Armenia lies in contributing to
establishment of stability and peace in the South Caucasus, as well
as restoration of economy and strengthening democratic institutions,
stated US Ambassador to Armenia John Evans. In his words, there
were both victories and failure on the way of attaining these goals.
“Armenia is moving in a correct direction and has made considerable
progress already. It is necessary to be patient and stubborn at the
same time,” the Ambassador noted.

AZERBAIJANI PARTY LEADER REQUESTED GEORGE BUSH TO PERSONALLY ASSIST KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT

PanArmenian News
Feb 18 2005

18.02.2005 15:50

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Leader of the National Front of Azerbaijan Ali
Kerimli appealed to US President George Bush to assist the Karabakh
conflict settlement. The message says that being the OSCE Minsk Group
Co-Chair the US should be more active to settle the conflict fairly.
“The present situation, which can be described as “no war, no peace”
impedes both economic and democratic development of Azerbaijan and the
whole region. We would like the US and George Bush personally to take
active part in the fair settlement of the conflict. The Presidents
of the US and Russia are to meet in several days. And we hope that
during this meeting the US will support Azerbaijan, which fell a
victim to Armenia’s occupation”, the appeal runs.

HALF OF APPLICANTS OF US VISAS TURNED DOWN LAST YEAR

ArmenPress
Feb 17 2005

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 17, ARMENPRESS: Some 11,204 Armenian citizens applied
last year to the US embassy in Yerevan to request permissions to travel
to the USA, and more than half of them, 6,016 applicants were denied
visas. The rest, 5,188 applicants were issued nonimmigrant visas.

In last December alone 1,211 Armenians sought visas and 548
applications were turned down. The US consular in Yerevan said some
9,098 applicants requested visas to travel to the USA as tourists
and 181 sought student visas.