Author: Kalantarian Kevo

NEITHER ARMENIA’S AUTHORITIES NOR OPPOSITION KEEPS PROMISES

Tert.am
27.12.11

This year, neither Armenia’s authorities nor the opposition forces,
particularly the Armenian National Congress (ANC), has honored its
public promises.

So the former will not be able to receive 5% of votes to get into
parliament, and the latter will, but with difficulties, said Aram
Harutyunyan, Chairman of the National Unity party.

“If the ANC considers it a success to get its members released
from prison or re-occupying Freedom Square, I do not think it was a
success,” Aram Harutyunyan told journalists Dec. 27.

The ANC is going to split soon. “They will have problems with
their ticket, and Levon Ter-Petrosyan will not be able to please
everyone,” Harutyunyan said. The ANC is intolerant to alternative
opinions. The Free Democrats party is evidence thereof. “The ANC
practices personality cult,” Harutyunyan said.

The political forces “sick and tired of” both the ANC and Armenia’s
authorities will gain a majority in Armenia’s parliament, he said.

The National Unity party is getting ready for elections. The party
is negotiating with political forces for possible alliances. However,
Harutyunyan did not name any of them.

LA RECONNAISSANCE D’UN GENOCIDE ARMENIEN DEBATTUE EN ISRAEL

Paris Match

26 de 2011

Les deputes israeliens ont debattu lundi de la reconnaissance des
massacres d’Armeniens de 1915 comme genocide mais le ministère des
Affaires etrangères les a avertis qu’une telle decision ne serait
pas opportune dans une periode de forte tension entre Israël et la
Turquie. Le debat s’est tenu au sein de la commission de la Culture et
de l’Education du parlement, qui a programme une reunion sur le sujet
a une prochaine date. “Une reconnaissance de ce type, en ce moment,
pourrait avoir de très graves implications strategiques”, a declare
Irit Lillian, une responsable du ministère des Affaires etrangères qui
s’est adressee a la commission. “Nos relations avec la Turquie sont
aujourd’hui si fragiles et si delicates qu’il n’est pas opportun de
les faire basculer au-dela de la ligne rouge, où elles se trouvent,
je suis desole de le dire, depuis de nombreux mois”, a-t-elle ajoute.

L’Assemblee nationale francaise a adopte jeudi dernier une proposition
de loi penalisant la negation des genocides, dont celui des Armeniens
reconnu comme tel par une loi du 29 janvier2001. Cette decision a
provoque une vive crise diplomatique entre Paris et Ankara.

LE PRIX DU PARI ARMENIEN DE SARKOZY

Le Telegramme

26 dec 2011
France

Nicolas Sarkozy joue gros avec cette proposition de loi deposee
reprimant toute negation de genocides dont celui des Armeniens en
1915. Le president sortant s’attire les foudres de la Turquie et
divise tant chez ses partisans que chez ses adversaires. Pourquoi
prendre un tel risque alors?

[A_CLERC-Q]Jusque-la, les initiatives les plus contestees de
Nicolas Sarkozy (par exemple, le discours de Grenoble) se voulaient
“clivantes”: il s’agissait de rendre plus visible la frontière entre
droite et gauche et de recuperer l’electorat du FN. Or, la loi adoptee
par l’Assemblee nationale visant a punir de lourdes amendes et peines
de prison toute contestation du genocide armenien de 1915 provoque
l’effet contraire: elle sème a nouveau le doute chez les “decus du
sarkozysme” qui commencaient a revenir au bercail. Certes, le President
n’est pas l’auteur de la proposition de loi deposee par une deputee UMP
des Bouches-du-Rhône et votee a main levee par la quarantaine d’elus
encore presents dans l’Hemicycle a la veille de Noël. Mais cette loi
n’aurait pas ete inscrite a l’ordre du jour s’il ne l’avait pas voulu.

Ministre bafoue

Pourquoi cette decision? Elle divise certes le PS: de nombreux elus
sont pour, tandis que Robert Badinter la juge “peu conforme a la
Constitution” et Francois Hollande denonce “une manoeuvre electorale”.

Mais cette loi “memorielle” divise davantage encore le camp
sarkozyste! “Que dirions-nous, interroge Michel Diefenbacher, depute
UMP et president de l’Amicale France-Turquie, si les Turcs condamnaient
le” genocide francais ” de 1793 en Vendee?”. Quant au ministre des
Affaires etrangères, Alain Juppe, le plus populaire du gouvernement,
deja bafoue lors de la reconnaissance surprise par l’Elysee des
“resistants” libyens soutenus par Bernard-Henri Levy, il pointe
“une loi pas opportune” (traduction diplomatique pour “une enorme
c… ie”). Cela le rapproche de son voisin et ami d’Aquitaine, Francois
Bayrou, de son ex-directeur de cabinet, Dominique de Villepin… et
meme de Marine Le Pen, qui accuse le president sortant de “mettre
notre pays en danger par electoralisme”!

Prix lourd

On le decouvre: les electeurs d’origine armenienne “pèsent” 500.000
voix. Mais combien de voix Sarkozy perdra-t-il si le Premier ministre
turc, RecepTayyipErdogan, annule des commandes d’Airbus et met fin
non seulement a des accords militaires mais aux relations avec les
entreprises francaises implantees en Turquie? Ici, on se pose la
question: et si Sarkozy avait agi pour laisser une certaine idee de
lui-meme? Parce qu’il en a assez de se sentir impuissant devant le
dictateur syrien et incapable d’empecher les fermetures d’usines et
la degradation de la note de notre pays? “La France est souveraine,
martèle-t-il. La France a des convictions…”. Et l’on croit entendre :
“Ici, c’est encore moi qui commande!” et “Oui, je suis attache a des
principes! J’en apporterai la preuve… fût-ce au prix d’une eclatante
defaite”. [/A_CLERC-Q]

SWITZERLAND URGES HISTORIANS TO DEAL WITH ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ALLEGATIONS

Today’s Zaman

Dec 26 2011
Turkey

Swiss foreign minister has urged Turkish and Armenian historians to
investigate events earlier last century that have been primary cause
of tensions between the two nations for decades.

Micheline Calmy-Rey, who is also the president of the Swiss
Confederation, told Turkish ambassadors in her keynote speech at
Ambassadors Conference in Ankara on Monday that historians from both
sides should investigate the Armenian genocide allegations.

â~@~The historians would then contribute to discussions with their
findings,â~@~] Calmy-Rey. Calmy-Rey stressed that there is not any
law in her country that acknowledges a certain incident as genocide,
like in France.

Armenia, backed by some historians and parliaments, says about 1.5
million Armenians were killed in what is now eastern Turkey during
World War One in a deliberate policy of genocide ordered by the
Ottoman government.

Successive Turkish governments and the vast majority of Turks feel the
charge of genocide is an insult to their nation. Ankara argues that
there was heavy loss of life on both sides during fighting in the area.

She said Switzerland had mediated between Turkey and Armenia between
2007 and October 2009 to enable the two countries to establish
diplomatic relations, open their borders and set up sub-committees
to investigate 1915 events.

Turkey and Armenia signed twin protocols in 2009 to bury a century of
hostilities on establishment of diplomatic relations and normalizing
ties but the protocols failed after the two countries failed to ratify
the documents.

The foreign minister said Switzerland’s official mediation role ended
when the protocols were signed in Zurich on October 10, 2009.

Calmy-Rey said Swiss penal code punished discourses and propaganda
including racism, and the Swiss government had many times condemned
the “tragic incidents of 1915.” She added that the Swiss government
had clearly expressed its formal position about this issue in 2003,
and there had been no change in Switzerland’s stance.

French lawmakers passed a bill on Thursday making it a crime to
deny that the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks constitute
genocide.

Turkey was already frustrated by French opposition to its stalled
European Union bid, and hopes for Western-backed rapprochement between
Turkey and Armenia seem ever more distant ahead of 2015, the 100th
anniversary of the Armenian killings.

The bill strikes at the heart of national honor in Turkey, which
maintains there was no systematic campaign to kill Armenians and
that many Turks also died during the chaotic disintegration of the
Ottoman Empire.

The French bill still needs Senate approval, but after it passed
the lower house, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ~_an
halted bilateral political and economic contacts, suspended
military cooperation and ordered his country’s ambassador home for
consultations.

France formally recognized the Armenian killings as genocide in 2001,
but had previously provided no penalty for anyone refuting that. The
bill sets a punishment of up to one year in prison and a fine of
45,000 euro ($59,000) for those who deny or “outrageously minimize”
the killings, putting such action on par with denial of the Holocaust.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet DavutoÄ~_lu told ambassadors on Monday
during a session that Turkey is ready to confront its history but
said this history must be handled with objective and just memory,
referring to tragic losses in both sides during the World War I. He
urged that historians should discuss Turkish-Armenian history in an
intellectual environment with open archives. He said Turkeyâ~@~Ys
reaction to France is because the European Union member state even
made it impossible for such an intellectual atmosphere to take place.

DavutoÄ~_lu said he hopes France will fulfill its mission in
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group,
a body that is assigned to mediate the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute between
Armenia and Turkeyâ~@~Ys key ally Azerbaijan, and that France will
contribute to restore peace in the South Caucasus.

DavutoÄ~_lu said solution of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will also
unblock normalization process between Turkey and Armenia and will
result in enduring peace.

VETERANS OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH REPUBLIC WILL RECEIVE FINANCIAL AID AS NEW YEAR PRESENTS

noyan tapan
2011-12-26

STEPANAKERT. – The President of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR)
Bako Sahakyan signed an order on December 24 according to which 370
veterans, participants and disabled veterans of the Great Patriotic
War who are living in NKR are to receive financial aid of AMD 25,000
as New Year presents.

AMD 9,425,000 have been allocated for the donation. It was annonced to
“NT” by the the press service of NKR president.

FOREIGN MINISTRY: ISRAEL’S RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE COULD THREATEN TURKEY TIES
By Jonathan Lis

Ha’aretz

Dec 26 2011
Israel

Knesset holds first discussion on possible recognition of Turkey’s
Armenian genocide; Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin says Israel has an
ethical commitment to recognize other nations’ genocides.

The Foreign Ministry warned that Israel’s possible recognition of
the Armenian genocide, which was discussed in a Knesset committee
on Monday, could lead to the serious deterioration of Israel’s ties
with Turkey.

A Knesset committee discussed on Monday the possibility of setting a
memorial day for the Armenian genocide by the Turkish people nearly
100 years ago, marking a first in Israeli history.

Several MKs expressed support for the move, saying that Israel,
as a nation of the Jewish people who have experienced genocide,
cannot ignore genocides in other countries.

However, the recognition of the Armenian genocide has long been a
sensitive diplomatic issue due to the implications it has on Israel’s
relationship with Turkey, which denies it.

“This subject, given the current atmosphere, could deteriorate our
ties with Turkey,” A Foreign Ministry representative said during
the discussion. “Our relationship with Turkey is very fragile and
sensitive right now, and we cannot cross the line – we must approach
the subject intelligently. Such a decision could have very serious
strategic consequences. ”

Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin (Likud) said that the discussion did
not arise because of the weakening ties between Israel and Turkey,
maintaining that as a nation and a country, Israel cannot allow the
denial of a disaster.

“We stand before all the world’s countries with the highest and most
ethical demand, saying that Holocaust denial is something human kind
cannot agree with,” Rivlin said, stressing that Israel must recognize
other countries’ genocides.

“For many years, Israel’s government has refused to recognize the
genocide for cynical, strategic and economic, reasons, connected
to its ties with Turkey,” said MK Zahava Gal-On (Meretz), who has
sponsored the call for recognizing the Armenian genocide.

“Now, given the state of relations between the countries, I can’t
rule out the possibility that the Foreign Ministry is exploiting
affairs and trying to goad Turkey.”

Gal-On added that “our moral obligation transcends such cynical
calculations, and I hope that the Knesset committee will reach a
decision in favor of recognizing the genocide, in the Knesset’s first
public hearing on the matter. The education committee is the right
place for examining the topic, which is omitted from school curricula.”

National Union MK Ariyeh Eldad, one of the initiators of the
discussion, said that “in the past, we were always told that we
cannot discuss this subject because of our good relationship with
Turkey. Now we are told we cannot discuss this because of our bad
relationship with Turkey. We cannot erase a chapter in history. We
cannot ignore this subject because of our interests.”

Kadima MK Otniel Schneller was the only one who expressed outright
opposition to an official recognition by Israel of the Armenian
genocide.

“We cannot disconnect the discussion from the fact that we must
rehabilitate our ties with Turkey – it’s an existential necessity,”
he said. “We need to fit in the Middle East even if it is difficult.”

Up to now, proposals for recognizing the Armenian genocide have been
considered by closed sessions of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and
Defense Committee. That committee rejected the proposals a number
of times.

Recognition of the Armenian genocide is a sensitive diplomatic issue.

Last week, the lower house of France’s parliament approved a bill
that bans denial of the genocide, which occurred 96 years ago. The
law imposes a one-year jail sentence and a 45,000-euro fine.

This step triggered a diplomatic crisis between France and Turkey.

Ankara recalled its ambassador, canceled diplomatic, economic and
military exchanges with France, and banned the landing of French
military planes at its airports and the docking of French ships at
its harbors.

ALEXANDER ISKANDARYAN: “WE NEED TO CHANGE THE NATURE OF SOCIETY PRIOR TO RESOLVING THE KARABAKH CONFLICT”

Vestnik Kavkaza

Dec 26 2011
Russia

The head of the ‘Caucasus’ Institute, Alexander Iskandaryan, sums up
the political developments that took place in Armenia in the passing
year in his interview to VK.

– What event was the most important one in the political life of
Armenia this year?

– The most important development was the search for a compromise
between the ruling coalition and the opposition – the Armenian
National Congress. I think they tried to work out some basic rules of
interaction on the eve of 2012 parliamentary elections. This attempt
by power and opposition to interact constructively was one of the
most important trends of the year.

– Is it possible that this dialogue will contribute to a relatively
calm election?

– It is obvious that the ANC is geared up for an election campaign
and not for a revolution (for the first time in our history, I
should mention). And I believe that, despite all the rhetoric, if
the ANC gets a number of seats that satisfies it, it will agree to
participate in our Parliament. This would signal the beginning of a
new political era in Armenia. Up until now those political parties
who lost the elections refused to recognize their legitimacy. Now
we’ll have to wait and see whether the opposition would accept its
mandates or declare the elections to be rigged.

– What would you say on the political picture of the year in general?

– There were three main trends. First of all, there was the
abovementioned process of the coalition-opposition dialogue. Secondly,
both political camps had to deal with internal contradictions. And
thirdly, there was a personnel reshuffle in the government, aimed
at reducing the influence of oligarchs and monopolists. This process
isn’t yet complete, so we’ll have to wait and see.

– What key event is most likely to happen next year?

– Of course, it is the parliamentary election. Will the elites
recognize its results or not? This is the main question.

– What was the most important event of the passing year as far as
foreign policy is concerned?

– I think it is the ‘Eastern partnership’ program and the growing
interaction with the EU. But close relations with Russia are also
important.

– What are the results of the Nagorno-Karabakh process this year?

– It is generally accepted that all sides are experiencing
disappointment after all the trilateral presidential meetings came to
nothing. It is true that Russia’s attempt to settle the conflict was
doomed to fail and now it is obvious that no solution to the conflict
will be found soon. Experts understood this a long while ago, but
now it is becoming clear to the general populations, however, the
societies themselves have changed.

– What social changes are you referring to?

– Azerbaijan is allegedly constructing a wall on its border with
Nagorno-Karabakh. I don’t know whether it’s true or not,but the very
suggestion is symptomatic. No, it’s not Azerbaijan that threatens
Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, the positions are reversed. On the other
hand, Armenia declares its intention to construct a highway from Sotok
to the northern part of Karabakh – through the very territory that
is supposed to be given back to Azerbaijan as soon as possible. You
can see that the elites as well as the general populations of
the countries in question have changed their attitudes towards the
conflict. Azerbaijani can’t take the construction of the road lightly,
nor can Armenians take the construction of the wall lightly.

– What is your prognosis on possible ways and terms of the conflict’s
resolution?

– There is no possible solution that hasn’t been invented yet.

Karabakh is more about the balance between the parties. And today it
is impossible to resolve the conflict, as the Azerbaijani side isn’t
ready for concessions acceptable to the Armenian side and vice-versa.

But we should stop thinking of it terms of the 18th century and turn
to 21st-century means of conflict settlement.

We need to change the nature of the society prior to resolving
the Karabakh conflict – change the societies in Nagorno-Karabakh,
Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is ‘younger’
than all other similar conflicts, so why should it be resolved sooner
than all of them?

We have decades of work ahead of us. I have no specific expectations
for the next year or the year after that.

Interview by Susanna Petrosyan, Yerevan, exclusively to VK .

ARMENIA-TURCHIA: OMBRE DI COMPLOTTO SULLA MORTE DI UN GIORNALISTA

26/12 17:44 CET

Tensioni a Istanbul, alla ripresa del processo per l’assassinio di
un giornalista turco-armeno.

Gia condannato a quasi 23 anni l’esecutore materiale, in circa duecento
hanno sfilato davanti al tribunale, reclamando il carcere anche per
quelli che ritengono essere i mandanti.

Sullo sfondo delle permanenti tensioni derivate dal mancato
riconoscimento da parte di Ankara del cosiddetto “genocidio armeno”,
accusa dei manifestanti è che le autorita turche stiano ostacolando
il corso della giustizia.

Fondatore e direttore di una rivista diffusa anche in armeno, Hrat
Dink era stato ucciso nel gennaio 2007 ai piedi del suo ufficio.

A luglio riconosciuto come responsabile un nazionalista turco,
la giustizia vaglia ora la posizione di una ventina di persone,
sospettate di esser coinvolte in un più ampio complotto.

RUBEN SAFRASTYAN: NO PREREQUISITES EXIST FOR THE NORMALIZATION OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS
Artak Barseghyan

“Radiolur”
26.12.2011 19:10

The process of international recognition of the Armenian Genocide will
get new impetus next year, Director of the Oriental Studies Institute
of the Armenian National Academy of Sciences Ruben Safrastyan told
a press conference today.

“The latest developments evidence that there are absolutely no
preconditions for the normalization of Armenian-Turkish interstate
relations,” Safrastyan said. However, according to him, one cannot
rule out that in case of changes in the geopolitical situation Ankara
may refuse from its policy of denial and take certain steps towards
normalization of relations with Armenia.

Touching upon regional developments, Ruben Safrastyan noted that the
visit of US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton to Ankara in February
2012 may clarify the future steps of Washingto, particularly as regards
the Syrian processes. He reminded that the Syrian opposition council
enjoys the support of the Turkish authorities, but is not accepted
by the United States. In any case, all prerequisites exist for 2012
to be fatal for Syria, Safrastyan said.

ISRAELI KNESSET POSTPONES DISCUSSION OF 1915 GENOCIDE

03:47 pm | Today | Politics

Israel is set to join France and recognize the 1915 Armenian
genocide. On Monday, Knesset Committee for Education, Culture and
Sportswas scheduled to discuss an initiative presented by MKs Aryeh
Eldad (National Union) and Zehava Gal-on (Meretz) to recognize
the Armenian genocide. The Committee today debated the issue of
introduction of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day. However, the
discussion has been postponed till the next session.

Most of the committee members responded positively to the question,
Hay Dat Bureau in Jerusalem reported.