Author: Kajoyan Gevork

NKR PRESIDENT’S MEETING WITH THE OSCE MINSK GROUP RUSSIAN CO-CHAIR

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
2010-04-29 17:10

On April 29, President of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (Artsakh
Republic) Bako Sahakyan received a newly-appointed Russian co-chair
of the OSCE Minsk group Igor Popov.

According to the Central Information Department of the Office of the
NKR President, the Head of the State congratulated Mr.Popov on the
new appointment and wished him fruitful work.

A number of issues related to the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict
settlement were discussed during the meeting. The necessity of
peaceful settlement of the conflict within the Minsk group framework
and participation of Artsakh in the negotiation process were mutually
noted.

NKR Foreign Minister Republic Georgy Petrosyan took part in the
meeting.

LAWYER IN ARMENIA TRIED TO BRIBE THE AGGRIEVED PERSONS

ArmInfo
2010-04-30 11:20:00

ArmInfo. A lawyer in Armenia tried to bribe the aggrieved persons. As
press service of Armenian Prosecutor General’s Office reports, a
criminal case has already been initiated on this fact. According to
the investigation data, a case of hooliganism was fixed on April 2,
2010, near "Archanots" restaurant in Yerevan. Participants in the
incident, a citizen of Iran S. Shakrekhoseini and a citizen M.

Sharifyan have been arrested. The restaurant waitress Haykanush
Galstyan, a watchman Vaghinak Yeghikyan and a client Arsen Khachatryan
have been recognized aggrieved persons. However, the lawyer decided to
take ‘corresponding measures’ and tried to bribe the aggrieved persons
for them to refuse from the earlier given testimonies. In particular,
he paid $600 to Yeghikyan and $700 to Gastyan. A criminal case has
been initiated according to p. 1 of Article 340 of Armenia’s Criminal
Code. The lawyer’s name is not informed.

SUPREME COUNCIL APPROVES TENTATIVE MID-TERM BUDGET EXPENDITURES FOR 2011-2013

/ARKA/
April 30, 2010
YEREVAN

The supreme council, set up by the government to develop its mid-term
spending program has approved today tentative amounts of budget
expenditures funding for 2011-2013, the government said.

The meeting of the supreme council, chaired by prime minister Tigran
Sarkisian, decided to send tentative amounts to government agencies
after elaborating the final option of the spending program, IT SAID.

REP. JOHN SARBANES: WHY I SUPPORT RECOGNITION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

armradio.am
30.04.2010 13:13

Representative John Sarbanes has issued a statement, explaining why
he supports the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, The Hill reports.

The full text of the statement is provided below:

"April 24th marked the 95th commemoration of the Armenian Genocide,
the systematic annihilation of more than 1.5 million Armenians by
Ottoman-era Turkish authorities. On March 4, 2010, the House Committee
on Foreign Affairs voted in favor of Resolution 252 to recognize the
Genocide. The next step is to achieve recognition in the full House of
Representatives. The Armenian Genocide, the first of the 20th Century,
included massacres, deportations, and death marches where hundreds
of thousands were herded into the Syrian Desert to die of thirst and
starvation. Without final rites, the remains of these victims lay
strewn across the desert in testament to a horrific demise.

Modern-day Turkish authorities sadly have chosen to deny this chapter
of Turkish history and have sought every opportunity to discredit
the findings of legitimate genocide scholars. Notable scholars
and historians who recognize the Armenian Genocide include the
International Association of Genocide Scholars and the Elie Wiesel
Foundation for Humanity whose opinion is supported by 53 Nobel
Laureates. Yet, in the face of all the evidence, Turkey presses
on, exporting a legacy of Genocide denial – a legacy ruthlessly
enforced within its own borders. In Turkey, anyone who uses the word
"genocide" to describe the massacre of the Armenians is subject to
criminal punishment under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code. The
late journalist Hrant Dink was prosecuted under this article, and
after being marked as an "enemy of the state," was slain in 2007 by a
17-year old Turkish nationalist. In 2005, Orhan Pamuk, Turkey’s first
Nobel Laureate, was charged with the crime of insulting Turkishness,
because he too made mere reference to the Armenian Genocide during
an interview. Thankfully, an international outcry spared him from
full prosecution.

Affirmative denial of the Armenian Genocide – as well as denial
of similar aggression directed in the past at millions of Greeks,
Assyrians and other religious minorities — compromises Turkey’s
ability to tell the positive story of its economic and political
progress in recent years. It also reinforces international perceptions
that Turkey is still governed by a repressive impulse – one that
continues to be directed at those of its peoples who do not comply
with a rigid definition of "Turkishness." For years, Turkey has
discriminated against its largest ethnic minority by outlawing the
Kurdish language, suppressing the Kurdish culture, and officially
classifying Kurds as Mountain Turks, or Eastern Turks. Even the
religious liberties of Turkey’s Muslim majority are subjected to
discriminatory state controls.

In Congress, there is significant support for recognizing the Armenian
Genocide, but sponsors of a resolution to do just that have been
thwarted by Turkey’s relentless lobbying campaign. Threatening
all manner of retaliation should the resolution pass, Turkey has
convinced some members that such action would imperil Turkish-American
relations. The United States should be confident enough about
the mutual stake both parties have in their relationship to know
otherwise. Furthermore, the experience of other nations suggests
there is every reason to believe that America’s recognition of the
Armenian Genocide will ultimately enhance, not damage, its relations
with Turkey. The European Parliament and the legislatures of more
than twenty countries including Canada, France, Italy, and Russia,
have officially recognized the Armenian Genocide. Turkey has not
halted its attempts to join the European Union, and its political
and economic relationship with each of these countries has only grown
since their Genocide recognition.

By speaking candidly to our ally, we can encourage Turkey to face
the dark chapters of its past and abandon the destructive ventures
of its present, such as the ongoing state-sanctioned discrimination
against the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the continued occupation of the
Republic of Cyprus and the disenfranchisement of the Kurdish minority.

Recognition of the Armenian Genocide can serve as a catalyst in
securing Turkey’s status as a European democracy worthy of full
European Union membership.

I have heard the common refrain: "It’s just not a good time." That
excuse – and it is only an excuse – can always be trotted out based on
one or another issue that may be pending between the United States and
Turkey. But that excuse ignores the moral imperative to recognize the
Genocide and misunderstands that such recognition will actually enhance
Turkish-American relations and advance America’s strategic interests.

For the sake of its core values and in true furtherance of its
strategic interests, the United States must take a deep breath, look
its ally Turkey in the eye, and recognize the tragedy of the Armenian
Genocide to be an unambiguous fact of history."

RUSSIAN CO-CHAIR OF OSCE MINSK GROUP ARRIVES IN NAGORNY KARABAKH REPUBLIC

ArmInfo
2010-04-29 13:08:00

ArmInfo. Russian Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group for settlement of the
Karabakh conflict Igor Popov has arrived in Nagorny Karabakh Republic.

ArmInfo correspondent to Stepanakert reports that I. Popov is expected
to meet with NKR President Bako Sahakyan at 1:00pm local time.

PACE PRESIDENT MEVLUT CHAVUSHOGLU TO VISIT ARMENIA

APA
April 26 2010
Azerbaijan

Strasbourg. Fouad Guubeyli – APA. PACE President Mevlut Chavushoglu
said he would visit Georgia, Russia and Armenia in June.

In a press conference held within PACE spring session and devoted
to the results of his visits since taking the office of presidency,
Chavushoglu said he intended to discuss the ways of elimination of
the results of Georgian-Russian war, APA correspondent reports from
the Council of Europe. Chavushoglu spoke about the ban on Muslim
women’s headscarves in France. "PACE Bureau discussed this issue
this morning and we recommended to prepare special report. But the
Bureau decided to send the proposal to the PACE Committee on Science,
Education and Culture and then to prepare special report on Islam and
Islamophobia in Europe. Regarding my personal opinion, I am against
the ban on headscarves because it is restriction of freedoms. The
Council of Europe is always advocating for the freedoms".

VLADIMIR ZHIRINOVSKY: ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MOST APPALLING CRIME IN HISTORY OF HUMANITY

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 26, 2010 – 12:01 AMT 07:01 GMT

Around 3000 people participated in the Armenian Genocide memorial rally
held in Moscow on April 24 on the initiative of the Russian-Armenian
Commonwealth and the Union of Armenians of Russia.

Deputy chairman of the Russian State Duma, leader of the LDPR Vladimir
Zhirinovsky, MPs Maxim Mischenko (United Russia) and Kira Lukyanova
(Just Russia), heads of national communities, representatives of
public and youth organizations were present.

"Recognition of the Armenian Genocide is a universal issue and we
should combine efforts to seek historical justice," UAR president
Ara Abrahamyan said in his opening remarks.

For his part, president of the Russian-Armenian Commonwealth Yuri
Navoyan emphasized that neighborly relations between Armenia and
Turkey can be established only in case if the latter acknowledges
the fact of Genocide.

"Functioning as a united force, Armenia, Arstakh and Diaspora can prove
that Armenians will never let anyone infringe their rights," he said.

"This day can never be forgotten. We share in the pain of the Armenian
people," said Dmitry Gudkov, the leader of Young Socialists of Russia.

"The Armenian Genocide is the most appalling crime in the history of
humanity," stated Vladimir Zhirinovsky.

"We want peace and neighborly relations but there can’t be trust
without repentance," remarked Levon Mukanyan, vice president of the
Union of Armenians of Russia.

Turquie : premières commémorations publiques du génocide arménien à Istanbul

TURQUIE

samedi24 avril 2010, par Stéphane/armenews

Des premières commémorations publiques des massacres d’Arméniens sous
l’Empire ottoman ont été organisées samedi à Istanbul, en Turquie,
pays qui rejette la thèse d’un génocide, défendue par les Arméniens.

Une manifestation a été organisée par la section stambouliote de
l’Organisation des droits de l’homme (IHD) pour commémorer la rafle de
220 membres de l’intelligentsia arménienne, le 24 avril 1915, point de
départ des massacres.

Rassemblés sous le slogan "Plus jamais ça" sur les marches de la gare
d’Haydarpasa d’où est parti le premier convoi de déportation, une
centaine de manifestants ont rendu hommage aux Arméniens disparus, a
constaté l’AFP.

Encadrés par la police, ils portaient des photos en noir et blanc de
quelques-uns des intellectuels, artistes et écrivains déportés. Le
rassemblement a pris fin après qu’ils eurent jetés des oeillets dans
la mer de Marmara.

Une autre manifestation est prévue à 16H00 GMT sur la place Taksim,
centre névralgique de la métropole. Les organisateurs – des
intellectuels, écrivains et artistes – appellent tous ceux qui
ressentent cette "grande douleur" à manifester leur deuil. Ils ont
lancé un pétition affirmant : "Cette souffrance que nous vivons tous,
est notre souffrance".

Les Arméniens qualifient de génocide les massacres et déportations
qui, entre 1915 et 1917, ont fait, selon eux, plus de 1,5 million de
morts.

La Turquie reconnaît qu’entre 300.000 et 500.000 personnes ont péri.
Selon Ankara, elles n’ont pas été victimes d’une campagne
d’extermination mais du chaos des dernières années de l’Empire
ottoman.

Par ailleurs, toujours à Istanbul, une manifestation a été organisée
dans le centre ville, par "les mères du samedi" qui se réunissent au
même endroit depuis des années pour interpeller les autorités sur le
sort de leurs enfants kurdes disparus dans le conflit entre forces
gouvernementales et rebelles kurdes depuis 1984. Elle s’est terminée
sans incidents.

Nouvelles centrale thermique ultramoderne à Erévan d’un coût de 284
millions de dollars
ENERGIE

dimanche25 avril 2010, par Krikor Amirzayan/armenews

Le président Serge Sarkissian vient d’inaugurer à Erévan, une nouvelle
centrale thermique ultramoderne à gaz. Les travaux de cette nouvelle
centrale débutèrent en juillet 2008. D’un coût total de 284 millions
de dollars elle fut financée grce aux prêts de la Banque
internationale de coopération ainsi que par le Japon. La mise en place
de cette centrale fut réalisée par des techniciens et ingénieurs
Coréens et Japonais. La particularité de cette centrale est une grande
production d’énergie et peu de consommation par rapport aux centrales
des générations anciennes.

Ethiopian Review
April 25 2010

Suspended accords highlight deep fissures in Turkey-Armenia relations

Ethiopian Review | April 24th, 2010 at 9:40 pm

Washington’s efforts to bury a century of hostility between the
neighbours were dealt a hefty blow this week when Armenia suspended
ratification of the US-brokered peace accords which were signed in
October 2009 to establish diplomatic relations and open their shared
border.

With both sides seemingly unwilling to move on from nearly 100 years
of deep mistrust, neither the government of Christian Armenia nor that
of Muslim Turkey chose to ratify the agreement on Thursday amid claims
of manipulation of the texts and the insertion of new unapproved
conditions.

Despite the obvious benefits of the agreement ` including huge
economic gains for poor, landlocked Armenia and a boost to Turkey’s EU
credentials ` both Armenia and Turkey have instead chosen to postpone
further negotiations, with the on-going feud over the World War I mass
killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks and the disputed region of
Nagorno-Karabakh at the heart of the dispute.

The decision to suspend the peace accords came just two days before
the 95th anniversary of the killings on April 24th, again highlighting
the importance of the 1915-1917 massacres of Armenians in the history
of hostile relations between the two countries.

Armenian massacre at the heart of continuing animosity

Armenia claims that the Ottoman Turks deported and executed 1.5
million of their kin during World War I and has been fighting for the
massacre to be officially labelled genocide, a term the Turks reject.
Armenian officials claim the peace accords were suspended because they
betray Armenia’s efforts to have the massacres internationally
recognized as genocide.

Turkey says that 300,000 to 500,000 Armenians and at least as many
Turks perished in fighting between the two peoples as the Ottoman
Empire crumbled.

`Armenia has clearly stated that it wants Turkey to recognise the
massacres as genocide as part of the rapprochement process,’ Dr.
Stefan Meister, an expert on the South Caucasus at the German Council
on Foreign Affairs, told Deutsche Welle.

`Turkey won’t do this but has said that it wants a historical
commission to investigate the massacres to find out what really
happened. Armenia says that everyone knows the massacres are
historical fact and is concerned that a commission will bring the
nature of the event into question.’

`The genocide in the Armenians is a well documented historical event,’
Prof. Dr. Mihran Dabag from the Institute for Diaspora and Genocide
Research at the University of Bochum, told Deutsche Welle.

`Where there has been freedom to research, the researchers have
unmistakably proved the authenticity of the genocide policy in the
years1915/16. There has also been reassuring developments in this
research from Turkish intellectuals and Turkish historians. Still,
this is no substitute for official Turkish policy.’

US President Barack Obama pledged in his election campaign that he
would work toward getting the massacre recognised as genocide and
Armenians are hoping that Obama will use a statement he intends to
make on the anniversary to fulfil his promise.

However, with Turkey an increasingly important and geopolitically
strategic NATO partner, it is unlikely that the US president will do
this for fear of alienating Ankara.

The peace process is also unlikely to continue until a resolution to
Armenia’s conflict with Turkish ally and energy trading partner
Azerbaijan over the breakaway Nagorny-Karabakh region is found.

Breakaway region pits Armenia against Turkey

Ankara and Yerevan have been at odds over Turkic-speaking Azerbaijan
ever since 1993 when Turkey closed its border with Armenia in
solidarity with Azerbaijan over the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, when
ethnic Armenians backed by Armenia threw off Azeri rule after the
collapse of the Soviet Union.

Nagorno-Karabakh has been under control of Armenian troops and ethnic
Armenian forces since a 1994 cease-fire ended six years of war.

The border will remain closed, Turkey says, until ethnic Armenian
forces pull back from Nagorno-Karabakh.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said this week that ratification
of the peace accords would depend on Armenia reaching terms with
Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, a statement that caused uproar in
Armenia.

`Armenia rejects Turkey’s conditions over Nagorny-Karabakh as part of
the rapprochement,’ said Meister. `They see the region as part of the
former Armenian state and with almost 70 percent of Nagorny-Karabakh
inhabited by ethnic Armenians; they want to protect their people
there. Turkey wants the Armenians to leave and to help protect the
very few Azerbaijanis who are still there. Rapprochement can only
happen if the Armenians leave.’

`The Armenians and Azerbaijanis signed a memorandum in Moscow in 2008
saying they would not go to war but they soon said afterwards that a
war could still happen,’ he added. ‘The best solution would be a
federal system where Nagorny-Karabakh has its own sovereignty within
Azerbaijan but that is also unlikely to happen.’

Rapprochement in the interests of the US

Azerbaijan is a valued oil and gas exporter and one of the West’s key
hopes for gas for the planned Nabucco pipeline. It is said to be angry
at Washington over US support for the potential deal between Armenia
and Turkey to mend ties and reopen their border. Azerbaijan fears the
deal will weaken its hand in talks over the rebel territory. The US,
meanwhile, finds itself in a difficult situation where achieving its
own goals relies on keeping all those involved on side.

`The region is very important to the US due to its proximity to Iraq,
Iran and Afghanistan but also because of the Caspian Sea and its
natural resources,’ said Meister.

`Rapprochement is in Washington’s interests. If Turkey opens up the
border with Armenia then this gives the US another route into the
region and could allow gas and oil to flow without Russian
interference. But there is a large Armenian and Azerbaijani Diaspora
in the US and both are pressuring Washington for their own ends which,
along with Turkey’s needs, makes it very difficult for Obama.’

(Source: Deutsche Welle)