Author: Emil Lazarian

FEAJD.org (Communiqués de presse), Belgium
May 27 2005
CANCELLED CONFERENCE : THE JOINT DECLARATION OF THE CONFERENCE
ORGANIZERS AND PARTICIPANTS’
The three day conference entitled ‘The Otoman Armenians during the
Era of Otoman Decline’ that we, as academics and public intellectuals
of Turkey, had planned with Bosphorus University as host was
unfortunately forced to be deferred as a consequence of pressures,
threats and slander.
We protest that two deputies serving under the roof of the Turkish
National Assembly, which is presumed to be the guarantor of
scientific activities, academic freedom and security of life and
property, have engaged in provocations that are totally in opposition
to these fundamental principles, and that the spokesperson of the
government incriminated all the conference participants by serious
claims such as ‘thrusting a knife into the nation’s back.’
We are additionally ashamed that this spokesperson also carries the
title of ‘Minister of Justice.’ We think that it would be more
appropriate for him to be utilized with a duty outside of that of law
and justice.
We herewith notify the public that this conference will be convened
in the near future.
We organize this conference to seek answers to the question ‘what
happened before, during and after 1915?’ We attempt to understand and
recount a historical issue that during the last years has become
trapped and increasingly politicized between the radical Armenian
national and official Turkish theses.
Scientific meetings are not necessarily covered like television
debates conducted on certain issues. Scientific meetings also do not
have the prerogative to bring together all sides who are in
opposition to one another and who are also convinced of their own
‘truths.’
Furthermore, the decision to determine who should comprise the
participants of a scientific conference is the most natural right of
the hosts and the most fundamental application of the freedom of
thought that is supposed to exist at universities.
No one individual, organization and institution has the right to
intervene in a scientific conference organized outside of its own
body.
In addition, we find the unjust and prejudiced accusations made
against the not yet presented papers of a not yet actualized
conference totally unlawful.
Had the actualization of this conference been tolerated, the rich,
varied and not at all monotonous approaches to the issue of what
happened before, during and after 1915 would have emerged.
We, the participants of this conference whose signatures are enclosed
below, want to especially point out, as we also noted on our press
release dated 17 May 2005, that ”The emergence of different,
critical and alternative voices, the demonstration of how Turkey
actually contains such a rich multiplicity of thoughts would be, once
again, to the utmost benefit of Turkey.’
We believe that the actualization of our conference in the very near
future would be one of the most significant steps taken in our
country on the path to academic freedom, to the independence of
universities, and in general toward democracy.’
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESENTATION OF BOOK BY CHARLES AZNAVOUR IN YEREVAN FAILED BECAUSE OF
ACTION ORGANIZERS
YEREVAN, MAY 27. ARMINFO. The presentation of a book by a great singer
Charles Aznavour in Yerevan failed because of the action’s organizers
– the young wing of Armenia’s Republican party and the Fund after
Aznavour.
Thousands of admirers of works of Aznavour gathered in a small foyer
of “Moscow” movie-theatre. On action’s organizers idea, they had to be
taken Aznavour’s autograph on his “Past Days” book bought
beforehand. However, as a result of crush Aznavour could put his
autograph only on some copies and then moved away from the hall.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

startribune.com
[Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA]
World/nation briefs
Published May 27, 2005
Turkey: Genocide conference postponed
Three Turkish universities have postponed a conference to discuss last
century’s mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks after the justice
minister accused organizers of treachery. The three-day conference was
scheduled to start Wednesday at Istanbul’s Bosporus University. A
University of Minnesota visiting associate professor of history, Taner
Akçam, was one of the conference organizers. Armenians say Ottoman Turks
killed 1.5 million of their people in a campaign of genocide between
1915 and 1923. Turkey says the death count is inflated and insists
Armenians were killed or displaced in civil unrest.
© Copyright 2005 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Pan Armenian News
ARMENIAN AND FINNISH FMs DISCUSSED EU-ARMENIA COOPERATION
27.05.2005 03:07
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ May 26 Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian, who is
on a two-day formal visit to Finland, met with his Finnish colleague Erkki
Tuomioja to discuss the bilateral relations, the Karabakh conflict
settlement, the Armenian-Turkish relations as well as EU-Armenia cooperation
within EU New Neighborhood Policy. On the same day Vartan Oskanian paid a
call to the Finnish parliament, where he met with members of the commission
for foreign relations and the Finland-Armenia friendship group. Tomorrow the
Armenian FM is scheduled to meet with Finnish Defense Minister Seppo
Kaariainen. May 27 Vartan Oskanian will return to Yerevan, IA Regnum
reported.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenpress
CHARLES AZNAVOUR VISITS FRENCH UNIVERSITY OF ARMENIA
YEREVAN, MAY 27, ARMENPRESS: The famous French Armenian singer Charles
Aznavour was welcomed today by students and professors of the French
University of Armenia together with France’s ambassador in Yerevan Henry
Cuny, the University Rector Paul Russe and other dignitaries.
Aznavour took a stroll in the University and then joined students and
journalists for a group photo. Aznavour arrived in Yerevan yesterday
evening. Today he traveled to the village of Hartavan in Aragatsotn province
to attend the inauguration of a reconstructed drinking water pipeline and
later in the day he will attend the presentation of the Armenian edition of
his latest book, called The Past Days.
The drinking water pipeline reconstruction was implemented within the
frameworks of the Second Credit Program of the World Bank, the Armenian
Social Investments Fund in cooperation with Aznavour pour l’Armenie charity
organization (funding was provided by the World Bank and the French Ministry
of Foreign Affairs).
In the past Hartavan was supplied with drinking water from a spring
called Ambarlu near the village of Kuchak. The pipeline was built in 1960.
With the growing population of Kuchak, the amount of water flowing to
Hartavan had reduced and water to Hartavan was supplied from springs on the
slopes of Tsakhkunyats Mountain. However, the amount of the supplied water
was far from sufficient to meet the villagers’ needs.
A project of the Armenian Social Investments Fund rehabilitated the
deteriorated water catchment basin and built another one. The Fund has also
built a 2-km long new water pipeline, internal networks pipes and hatches.
Under the Second Credit Program funded by the World Bank, the Armenian
Social Investment Fund has already accomplished 224 community programs;
another 86 programs are in the process of construction.
The 81-year-old singer is also expected to join thousands of Armenians
for a May 28 circle dance around Mount Aragats and the next day he will make
a trip to Georgian Akhaltsikhe, the native town of his parents. Also
President Kocharian decorated today the outstanding French-Armenian singer
Charles Aznavour with Armenia’s highest medal-the Medal of Homeland, saying
it was another assurance of Armenians’ love and gratitude.
Aznavour in turn handed to Kocharian an old Armenian manuscript which he
had bought at an auction.
Then Kocharian and Aznavour spoke about Armenia’s economic achievements,
ties between Armenia and its vast Diaspora and cultural issues. Aznavour was
quoted by Kocharian’s press office as saying that he was greatly impressed
by extensive improvements he saw in Yerevan.

Pan Armenian News
ONE CAN SPEAK OF FINAL RESULTS WHEN NKR TAKES PART IN TALKS
26.05.2005 07:21
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ `I consider speaking of the 7 territories or moving troops
today meaningless,’ Nagorno Karabakh Foreign Minister Arman Melikian stated.
In his words, there are no agreements either over that issue or principles.
`Thus, I suppose Mr. Merzlyakov shows certain optimism in his statements.
However, we should be realists. There is no progress made over issue in
question – the talks. I will return to the problem again: Azerbaijan and
Armenia, as well as the OSCE MG Co-Chairs take part in the talks still.
Nagorno Karabakh is not included in the negotiations directly. `One will be
able to speak of final decisions, when the Nagorno Karabakh Republic takes
part in the talks and presents its stand to the public, the mediators and
the interested parties,’ the NKR FM stated, Regnum news agency.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azeris unhappy with possible Russian pullout from Georgia to Armenia – daily
Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Moscow
25 May 05

Text of report by Vladimir Bogdanov in Russian newspaper Rossiyskaya
Gazeta on 25 May headlined “Baku says no to Russia. But yes to
America?”
Petr Burdykin, Russian charge d’affaires in Azerbaijan, has been
summoned to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry to be handed a diplomatic
note in connection with reports of a possible transfer of Russian
military bases from Georgia to Armenia.
Remember a recent statement by Gen Yuriy Baluyevskiy, chief of
Russia’s General Staff: “The military bases will definitely be
withdrawn from Georgia to Russian territory. It is quite possible that
some of the inventory and military equipment will be withdrawn to
Armenia.” The general said that this would enable the timetable for
the withdrawal of the bases to be reduced from 10-11 years to four.
Right now there are up to 5,000 Russian servicemen together with 115
tanks, 220 infantry fighting vehicles and armoured personnel carriers,
and 170 artillery systems [in Georgia]. It is that part of the
armament that could be temporarily deployed at the base in Gyumri
[Armenia]. And this is what caused the negative reaction from Baku,
which is still in a state of undeclared war with Yerevan over Nagornyy
Karabakh. The belief in the Azerbaijani capital is that, in reaching
agreement with Armenian President Robert Kocharyan on redeploying
military equipment, Moscow has ignored Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev’s view on the issue.
It looks as though any reinforcement of Russia’s military grouping in
Armenia is unacceptable to Azerbaijan. In fact, Baku plans to be
quartering US servicemen by the end of this year.
According to experts from the American-Israeli Stratfor strategic
forecasting centre, the US forces in Azerbaijan will be called
“temporarily deployed mobile forces.” Stratfor’s information is that
the first American units will arrive here in the next few weeks. “If
this information accords with reality, this will constitute a major
strengthening of American military control over the energy resources
and the priorities of the Caspian region,” the centre experts believe.
Under the agreement, American forces will be deployed at three former
Soviet bases in central districts of Azerbaijan: Kurdamir (the main
base), Nasosnaya [Tagiyev village] and Yevlax. The landing strips have
already been upgraded to meet American military requirements. Hangars
for the US air force and barracks for the special forces have also
been erected there.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azeri authorities have “difficult decisions” to make – NKR official
Arminfo, Yerevan
26 May 05
STEPANAKERT
The foreign minister of the Nagornyy Karabakh republic [Arman
Melikyan] believes that Azerbaijan will have to make a difficult
decision regarding Kashatag [Lacin] District. He said this in an
interview with the public TV and radio company of Nagornyy Karabakh.
Kashatag District and other territories have always been of vital
importance to the Nagornyy Karabakh republic, Melikyan said.
“I believe that this will be so in the future, too. I do not know what
Mr [Azerbaijani President Ilham] Aliyev meant, but I am sure he is
aware that Azerbaijan has to make difficult decisions regarding this
issue,” he said.
Asked whether Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov had any
grounds to say that “Armenia is preparing to withdraw from the seven
districts [outside Nagornyy Karabakh]”, Melikyan said: “I would say
that the only reason for Mammadyarov’s statement is the practical
policy carried out by Azerbaijan and intended to create the impression
that it is Armenia that has complete control of the territories in
question.”
It is obvious that this is not the case and Azerbaijan’s efforts have
purely political considerations, Melikyan said. Control of the
territories is in the remit of the Nagornyy Karabakh authorities and
decisions regarding them cannot be taken without the consent of the
people of Nagornyy Karabakh. And this consent must be clearly
expressed. Therefore, any vociferous calls and statements by the
Azerbaijani side about the territories and withdrawal of the Armenian
forces from them are nothing other than wishful thinking, the minister
said.
Commenting on Azerbaijani media reports quoting the Russian
co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group, Yuriy Merzlyakov, as saying that
the “Armenian troops must pull out from the territories adjacent to
Nagornyy Karabakh, but there is no final agreement to that effect
yet”, Melikyan said that any talk about the territories and troop
movements was meaningless at the current stage.
“There are no agreements on the issue and there are no agreements on
principles. Hence, Mr Merzlyakov seems to be somewhat optimistic in
his judgments. But we have to be realistic. This issue is the subject
of negotiations and there is no progress on it so far,” Melikyan said.
“Nagornyy Karabakh is not directly involved in the talks. It will be
possible to speak about final decisions only when the Nagornyy
Karabakh republic takes part in the talks and has the opportunity to
express its position to the public, mediators and interested parties,”
he said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Frankfurter Allgemaine Zeitung German
25 Mai 2005
Konferenz über Mord an Armeniern verschoben

25. Mai 2005 Die Universität von Istanbul hat dem Druck der
türkischen Regierung nachgegeben und eine geplante
Historiker-Konferenz über die Ermordung von etwa 1,5 Millionen
Armeniern im Ersten Weltkrieg verschoben.
Das nach einem EU-Beitritt strebende muslimische Land bestreitet bis
heute, daß es vor 90 Jahren einen Völkermord an den christlichen
Armeniern gegeben hat. Die Bosporus-Universität hatte ursprünglich ab
Mittwoch zu der Konferenz geladen, bei der auch Kritiker der
offiziellen türkischen Darstellung sprechen sollten.
„Wissenschaftliche Freiheit gefährdet’
Nun teilte die Hochschule mit, die Veranstaltung wegen des in der
Türkei vorherrschenden Klimas in der Armenier-Frage vorerst nicht
abzuhalten. „Als staatliche Universität fürchten wir, daß die
wissenschaftliche Freiheit wegen der Vorurteile über eine Konferenz,
die noch gar nicht stattgefunden hat, in Mitleidenschaft gezogen
werden könnte.’
Die Türkei steht unter internationalem Druck, den Völkermord an den
Armeniern anzuerkennen, was sie bis heute ablehnt. Die derzeitige
pro-europäische Regierung signalisierte zuletzt aber zumindest die
Bereitschaft, unterschiedliche Sichtweisen mit den Armeniern zu
diskutieren.
„Dolchstoß in den Rücken des türkischen Volkes’
Die Türkei erkennt zwar offiziell die Ermordung Hunderttausender
Armenier durch das damalige Osmanische Reich an. Gleichzeitig rechnet
sie aber vor, es seien bei den Partisanenkämpfen nach dem
Zusammenbruch des Reiches noch viel mehr Türken ums Leben gekommen.
Justizminister Cemil Cicek war am Dienstag im Parlament in die
Rhetorik der Vergangenheit zurückgefallen. Die geplante Konferenz
hatte er als „Dolchstoß in den Rücken des türkischen Volkes’
bezeichnet. „Wir müssen diesen Verrat und die Verbreitung der
Propaganda gegen die Türkei durch Menschen, die diesem Land
angehören, beenden.’
Ein EU-Diplomat bewertete die Äußerungen als unglaublich. Diese
machten nicht nur die Politik der Türkei in dieser Frage zunichte.
Sie würden auch die Ambitionen des Landes, in die Europäische Union
(EU) einzutreten, zunichte machen. Die EU hat die Türkei dazu
aufgefordert, vor Beginn der Beitrittsverhandlungen am 3. Oktober
ihre Beziehungen zum Nachbarland Armenien zu verbessern. Einige
EU-Vertreter verlangen sogar ein Schuldeingeständnis vor den
Verhandlungen.
Wie Deutschland haben zahlreiche EU-Länder in Resolutionen den
damaligen Völkermord der Türken an den Armeniern anerkannt. Die
Türkei wirft der EU dagegen vor, sie bringe die Armenier-Frage vor,
um einen Beitritt zu verhindern.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Turkish Press
May 26 2005
Error In The Equation

BY OKTAY EKSI
HURRIYET- The conference on `Ottoman Armenians During the Fall of the
Empire,’ which had been scheduled for this week at Bogazici
University, was a misguided attempt, because it was made without
taking into consideration the context in Turkey.
It would be wrong to hold this conference to disprove the views of
those who argue that the Armenian genocide never took place.
Moreover, the subject should be handled in an objective manner and
though scholarly discussions. For example, those who represent the
opposing view should also be represented there equally. That this
wasn’t done was probably the biggest mistake.
However these were not the only mistakes made… Justice Minister
Cemil Cicek accused those who planned the conference of `stabbing
Turkey in the back’ and after that made statements a good democrat
should never make: He accused them of treason. This was the biggest
mistake of all.
I don’t find the government’s reaction democratic, but in fact very
wrong, as I wrote above.
I wish that the conference had been held and we could find the answer
to these two questions:
1. Could you hold the opposite version of this conference -which
could not be held because Turkey is not democratic enough – in
Armenia? For example, could a conference on `The Armenian Genocide
Allegations Are Based on Lies’ be held in Armenia?
2. Those who say that the Armenian genocide is real, when in some
European countries laws were passed making denying the allegations a
crime, did you oppose this with even a single breath?
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress