Author: Jagharian Tania

New perspectives will open up for Armenia after the lifting of Iran sanctions, expert of Iranian studies Vardan Voskanyan told reporters today.

According to him, with Iran-Azerbaijan and Iran-Turkey relations strained for now, Armenia remains the most efficient, the most reliable and the most important route for Iran to the north.

“In this context Armenia can assume a very important role, as it has allied relations with Russia and good relations with Iran and Georgia,” he said.

According to the expert, the fears that Russia will necessarily block Iran’s energy projects through Armenia have no basis. “Russia understands that it must participate in the programs, as it’s clear that Iran will get to the international market anyway,” he said.

“We have the best opportunity to link Iran to the Black Sea through the North-South Highway, and we have to accelerate the process of construction, since every day spared works against Armenia’s interest in this new conjuncture,” Vardan Voskanyan said.

The expert believes the construction of the Iran-Armenia railway is also realistic. “Funding can be the only obstacle,” he said, reminding that China is another party interested in the project.

Vardan Voskanyan said “the unfreezing of Iranian assets will results in the further growth of investments in Armenia, especially considering that Armenia enjoys privileged regimes with both the Eurasian Economic Union and the EU.”

Photo: REUTERS/Fatih Saribas

Commemorating the ninth anniversary of the assassination of the Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović reiterated her call for a swift and transparent judicial procedure to identify the masterminds behind the murder.

“I remain hopeful that recent developments in the trial will help bring the masterminds behind the murder to justice,” Mijatović said, referring to the December 2015 decision of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office to approve an indictment by prosecutor Gökalp Kökçü to investigate 25 public officials on charges of negligence and misconduct related to the murder.

Dink, the editor-in-chief of the bi-weekly Agos newspaper was gunned down on 19 January 2007 in front of his office in Istanbul. In 2011, the perpetrator Ogün Samast was sentenced to 22 years and ten months in prison for the murder. His accomplice, Yasin Hayal, is serving a life sentence for supplying Samast with a weapon and money.

“I trust that the trial will finally serve justice to Dink’s family, friends and colleagues,” Mijatović said. “Exposing the masterminds would also demonstrate to the entire society the importance of freedom of expression, and the continued need to fight violence against journalists.”

Press Statement by Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian following the 16th meeting of Armenia-EU Cooperation Council

2016-01-18

Dear Colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

In the framework of the 16th session of Armenia-EU Cooperation Council, together with our EU colleagues, we have had extensive discussions on the further development of Armenia – European Union relations, which included such issues as: Political dialogue, negotiations on a new framework agreement between Armenia and the EU, that would adequately reflect the depth and essence of our partnership, mobility, human rights, pace of reforms and others.

2015 was a special year for the Armenia-EU cooperation. We witnessed high level visits, an intense and constructive dialogue with an impressive number of bilateral meetings, simultaneous negotiations on Armenia- EU agreements in various areas.

The Eastern Partnership summit in Riga in May 2015 was a success with Joint Declaration reaffirming our shared vision of the Partnership based on mutual interests and commitments, supporting sustained reform processes in partner countries and highlighting the main directions for the further developing and strengthening of comprehensive cooperation in all areas of mutual interest.

Armenia welcomed the European Neighborhood Policy review process. We highly appreciated the EU initiative to engage the partner countries in this process. We are pleased to note that on 14th December 2015 the EU Council endorsed the principle of differentiation to be applied to the partners, taking into account the progress made in implementation of their commitments and reforms.

We expressed our appreciation to the EU for its continued support and assistance provided to our country over the years which have been instrumental for the effective implementation and sustainability of the reform process and institutional capacity building in Armenia.

Last month’s launch of the negotiations on a new legal framework of Armenia – EU relations was a new threshold in our relations. We hope that the new agreement will reflect the depth and essence of our bilateral relations and set new guidelines for mutually beneficial cooperation.

Based on shared values, Armenia is interested in working with the EU on to the continuous promotion of human rights and rule of law, consolidation of democratic institutions and improvement of judiciary, good governance, fight against corruption, strengthening the civil society. We are thankful to the EU for its valuable support in this regard.

Constitutional reform in Armenia that the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe characterized as of “extremely high quality” and “ in line with international standards”, was approved by the nation-wide referendum last December. It is another important step also aimed at advancing many of the mentioned goals.

Dear Colleagues,

During recent months alongside the deliberations on the legal basis of our relations, the Armenian side has been actively engaged in negotiations with the relevant bodies of the European Commission regarding our participation in a number of EU programs. We are glad to state today that negotiations on Armenia’s participation in the EU Framework Program for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020 are successfully concluded and we expect the Agreement to be signed shortly.

We look forward to develop our cooperation in the transport area as well, in this respect we underlined the importance of timely starting of negotiations on the Common aviation area.

We attach great importance to people to people contacts, and view enhanced mobility of our citizens as an important prerequisite for bringing our societies closer. It is almost two years now that the EU-Armenia Visa Facilitation and Readmission agreements are being implemented. We believe that time has come to move forward towards the Dialogue on Visa liberalization as it is enshrined in Joint Declaration of Eastern Partnership Riga Summit.

I have presented our European colleagues on the worldwide events on Armenian Genocide centennial, which we marked last year. Several thousands commemoration events held on all continents, supported by the four fundamental pillars. Those are remembrance, gratitude, prevention, and revival. These four notions are also deeply symbolic for the commemoration of all other crimes of genocide committed throughout the human history. I have used this opportunity to express our gratitude to the European Parliament, EU countries for their principled position on this issue and expressions of support and sympathy to Armenia.

I also talked about Armenia’s active engagement in efforts of international community on prevention of genocides and crimes against humanity. We thank the EU countries for their support to Armenian initiatives within the UN formats.

I briefed the Council on latest developments related to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and in particular on the results of the meeting between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Bern. The agenda of that summit was dictated by the escalation of situation as a result of Azerbaijan’s provocations, gross violations of cease-fire regime. Unfortunately, the relative calmness in the conflict area has ended with resumption of gross violations of cease-fire regime by Azerbaijan.

We also touched upon regional security issues and other topics of international political agenda.

Thank you.

Armenian economist Carlos Melconian was appointed as President of the National Bank of Argentina on Wednesday December 23, reports.

Stressing that the Bank of the Argentine Nation “will take a more prominent role as a development bank,” Melconian began his tenure after being appointed by the newly elected President Mauricio Macri.

In 1980s Melconian worked in the Central Bank of Argentina and then as a private consultant at the World Bank, among others.

By Miriam Kairey

2015 marked the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide.  While many of us have heard about this tragedy, few are aware of what happened and how it foreshadowed the calamity that was to virtually destroy the Jews of Europe less than 25 years later.

The Armenian people have lived in the Northeastern portion of Asia Minor (now Turkey) for thousands of years.  They also inhabited Northern Syria.  In ancient times they were pagans who in time adopted the Christian religion, while their neighbors, the Turks and Kurds, became Muslims.  Up until their near extermination in 1915 they were an industrious and successful people who lived in comfortable villages.  They looked to their intellectual upper class for leadership.  Armenia was, for centuries, ruled by the Ottoman Turks.  They were loyal subjects who paid a special tax for being non-Muslims, the same way the Jews of the Ottoman Empire did.

By the late 1800’s the Ottoman Empire was in decline.  While many factors can be pointed to as the cause, Industrialization in Europe moved manufacturing westward and money began to drain from the Ottoman east.  The already precarious situation of the Armenians became more dangerous as the Turks looked to grab the possessions of their relatively successful subjects.  Using the rallying cry “Turkey for the Turks” the Ottomans periodically incited pogroms against the Armenians.  Turks and Kurds raided their villages, stole what they could and burned their churches.

European nations intervened to stop these vicious pogroms.  However, with the outbreak of WWI in 1914, these countries were too preoccupied to concern themselves with the Armenians.  Germany was allied with Turkey and certainly was not going to stop the genocide that was to come.  Turkey, taking advantage of the chaos of war, set about destroying the Armenian nation in a calculated and systematic way.  First, Armenian intellectuals were rounded up and killed.  Then the villagers were disarmed:  all guns were confiscated.  All military-aged males were supposedly  “drafted” but in fact they were taken to labor camps or killed. The Armenians left in the villages were the least able to resist.  The Turks emptied the villages and marched these unfortunate people eastward, giving them no food or water.

It is estimated that at least 1.5 million Armenians died this way.  Those who could get away swarmed into the towns of northern Syria, including Aleppo.   In Aleppo those who were not dying in the streets were hunted by the Turks.  Yet there is ample evidence that some made an effort to help these unfortunate refugees.  Orphanages, hospitals and refugee camps were set up around that area.

The forced marches the Armenians were subjected to were called “moving concentration camps”   by the author Franz Werfel, an Austrian Jew, in his book Forty Days of Musa Dagh.  This book was written in German and published in 1933.  Franz travelled in Syria in the late 1920’s.  It was here that he encountered Armenian survivors, malnourished orphans working in a carpet factory.  They told him the story of Musa Dagh, which means Mt Moses in Armenian — a story of resistance and survival. The hero of the story was Gabriel Bagradian (a pseudonym) who, just prior to the genocide, returns to his Armenia village from Paris with his French wife and son.

Gabriel feels the hatred of the Turks, and understands that the Turks seek nothing less than the total destruction of his people.  Under his leadership his fellow townspeople secretly stock nearby Mt. Moses with supplies, including guns that they had carefully hidden.  One night the five thousand villagers quietly took what they could carry and went to the top of mountain, which had a plateau.  Of course the Turkish army came after them, but remarkably they were able to hold off the Turks long enough to be rescued by the French navy.

Writing Musa Dagh probably saved Werfel’s life.  When Hitler ordered Werfels books burned, Franz understood what would happen next.  He escaped through Spain and wound up in California.

The story of Musa Dagh disappeared into obscurity thanks to the efforts of the Turkish government, which to this day denies the facts of the Armenian genocide.  The book was translated into English and became best-seller in the USA in 1934.  The movie rights were purchased by Louis B. Mayer of MGM who wished to turn this story into a major motion picture with Clark Gable in the starring role.  He resisted the objections of the Turks, which were full of anti-Semitic accusations against Mayer.  He finally caved in to pressure by the US government, who needed the cooperation of the Turks to build military bases there.

Today there are some 2 million Armenians living in 15% of the area of what used to be Armenia.  They never recovered from their calamity, and the loss of their intellectual class.  History, in general, is written by the victors.  It is up to us to pluck from obscurity stories such as this one, and learn their valuable lessons.

Miriam Kairey is a professional genealogist.  She holds a BA in History from Rutgers College.

US Secretary of State John Kerry is in Moscow for talks to try to bridge gaps with Russia over the political process to end Syria’s civil war, the BBC reports.

He is due to have meetings with President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

The US and Russia have long disagreed on what role Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should play in the process.

The US wants Mr Assad to stand down but Russia says only the Syrian people can decide his fate.

Mr Kerry is to try to prepare the ground for an international meeting on Syria mooted for later this week.

39.17 percent of the eligible voters participated in the referendum on Constitutional changes as of 17:00, the Central Referendum Commission reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lashed out at “part of the leadership in Turkey” during his annual address to the parliament, accusing Ankara of having trade ties with terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq,  reports.

He also promised more sanctions for Turkey over downing of the Russian jet.

Putin said Russia still cannot comprehend why the downing of the plane happened.

“We were prepared to cooperate with Turkey on most sensitive issues and go further than their allies. Allah knows why they did it. Apparently Allah decided to punish the ruling clique in Turkey by taking their sanity,” Putin said.

Putin stressed that Moscow’s anger over the incident is directed at particular individuals and not at the Turkish people.

“We have many friends in Turkey,” he said. “They should know that we do not equate them and part of the current Turkish leadership, which holds a direct responsibility for the deaths of our troops in Syria,” he said.

He added that the killing of Russian officers would have long-term consequences for those responsible.

“We will not forget this aid to terrorists. We have always considered betrayal the worst and most shameful act. Let those in Turkey know it who shot our pilots in the back, who hypocritically tries to justify themselves and their actions and cover up the crimes of terrorists,” he said.

Putin said Russia would not resort to saber-rattling to respond to the Turkish actions, but neither would it limit itself to the economic sanctions it imposed since the incident.

The incident with the Russian Su-24 bomber shot down by Turkish warplanes near the Turkish-Syrian border has greatly deteriorated relations between the two countries. Turkey insists it acted in response to a brief violation of its airspace and was justified in using lethal force. Russia insists no violation took place and has accused Turkey of supporting terrorists in Syria.

The downing of the bomber resulted in the deaths of two Russian troops, who were the first combat losses during the two month-long Syrian campaign. The pilot of the downed plane was killed by a pro-Turkish militant group as he was parachuting to the ground. A marine was killed by militants when a helicopter dispatched to rescue the bomber crew came under fire from the ground.

Putin’s address started with a minute’s silence to commemorate the two troops. The widows of the dead Russians were present at the event.

Putin stressed that the Russian operation in Syria is aimed first and foremost at preventing fighters who went to the Middle East from Russia and its neighboring countries from returning home and bringing the threat of terrorist attacks to Russian soil.

“They are getting money, weapons, gathering strength. If they get stronger, winning there, they will inevitably come here to sow fear and hatred, blast, kill and torture people,” Putin said.

Putin called on all nations that have pledged to fight terrorism to join forces and abandon the notion that terrorist groups can be used for country’s own goals. He stressed that the rise of terrorism in the Middle East over the last few years was caused to a large degree by foreign meddling.

“Some countries in the Middle East and North Africa, which used to be stable and relatively prosperous – Iraq, Libya, Syria – have turned into zones of chaos and anarchy that pose a threat to entire world,” Putin said.

“We know why it happened. We know who wanted to oust unwanted regimes, and rudely impose their own rules. They triggered hostilities, destroyed statehoods, set people against each other and simply washed their hands [of the situation] – giving way to radicals, extremists and terrorists.”

Russia’s lost thousands of lives over two decades of terrorist attacks and is still not safe from terrorist attacks, as evidenced by the bombings in Volgograd in 2014 and the bombing of a Russian passenger plane in Egypt in October, Putin reminded.

“Breaking the bandits’ back took us almost 10 years,” he said. “We practically pushed the terrorists out of Russia, but we are still engaged in a fierce fight against the remainder of the gangs. This evil still comes back occasionally.”

Putin said the rise of jihadists in the Middle East in our time is not unlike the rise of Nazism in the mid-20th century, and that the world should learn from the mistakes of the past, when a failure to act in time resulted in the loss of millions of lives.

“We are facing a destructive barbaric ideology again and we have no right to allow those new obscurants to achieve their goals. We have to abandon all differences, create a single fist, a single anti-terrorist front, which would act in accordance with the international law and under the aegis of the United Nations,” he said.

Putin was speaking on Thursday before the Federal Assembly, a joint session of the two chambers of the Russian parliament, plus regional governors and the cabinet. The annual address is a traditional key policy report of the executive, which focuses on domestic politics rather than international relations.

AP PHOTO/ ALEXANDER KOTS

Iran’s Fars news agency reports on gains made by the Syrian Army and National Defense Forces in the area around the port of Latakia.

Syrian government forces made gains against terrorist groups in Latakia Province, in the west of Syria close to the border with Turkey, eported.

“The Syrian Army alongside the country’s National Defense Forces (NDF) on Wednesday continued pushing back the militant groups in Latakia province and restored full security to at least five more key regions in the Northern part of the coastal province.”

The government forces regained control of several high points and hills in the region, killing many militants in the process, Fars reported.