Author: Kalantarian Kevo

RUSSIAN-AZERBAIJANI ARMS TRADE NOT SOMETHING NEW – ARMENIAN ANALYST

14:58 * 19.03.15

Political analyst Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan does not view as a new
emphasis by the Armenian side Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s
statementthat Russian arms sales to the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict is a problem that needs resolving

In an interview with Tert.am he expressed hope that official Moscow
will draw relevant conclusions from the message.

“I cannot say it is something new, though the fact that the president
publicly spoke of that for the first time is really new. But I would
like to note that Armenia’s foreign minister spoke of that a few
days ago. In an interview with a foreign newspaper he said that it
is desirable for Yerevan that Russia not sell arms to Azerbaijan,”
Mr Melik-Shahanazaryan said.

According to him, the issues has for a long period been on the agenda
of Armenian-Russian relations.

“The Russian arms sales to Azerbaijan is obviously a problem. No
doubts this problem has for a long period been discussed, and the
president just publicly spoke of it.”

Asked about Russia’s possible reaction to the statement, the analyst
said he doesn’t think that the problem has been ultimately resolved.

“Because, after all, the weapons’ supply arrangement for Azerbaijan
has long been dominating the agenda, and there haven’t been any
recent deals between Russia and Azerbaijan over the supply of such
a quantity of weapons, although Azerbaijan negotiates all the time
and has recently procured a new batch. It is difficult to say for
now how Russia will behave. Anyway, Armenia, as an ally country,
has expressed its position which was a clear-cut demand addressed to
Russia to demand the halt of the weapons’ supply. I think it is in
the political interests of Russia to attend to this calls by Armenian
leaders, and I am hopeful the official Moscow will issue corresponding
conclusions,” he added.

The expert further referred to President Serzh Sargsyan’s statement
confirming the high-level mutual understanding between Armenia
and Russia.

“That’s also evidenced by the fact that Russian President Vladimir
Putin will be in Yerevan on April 24 to join the Armenian nation’s
Genocide commemoration ceremonies. But it’s too early to say that
all the problems have been resolved. Anyway Putin’s visit to Yerevan
is a good occasion as our president is to later attend the events
celebrating the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. They will have
quite a lot of time to discuss and clarify issues, so for the moment,
we only voiced our position in the negotiations, addressing the subject
matter on the agenda. I believe Russia will have time to think and
re-evaluate its policies, and there is a great hope that the problem
will find a solution when Putin is on a visit to Armenia,” he added.

TURKISH POLICY OF DENIAL SETS DANGEROUS PRECEDENT FOR E RECURRENCE OF NEW GENOCIDES- PRESIDENT SARGSYAN SAYS

YEREVAN, March 18. / ARKA /. Addressing an international media forum
in the Armenian capital entitled ‘At the Foot of Mount Ararat,’
dedicated to the centenary of the Armenian Genocide, President
Serzh Sargsyan said Armenia, Armenians all over the world and the
international community will remember and commemorate the Armenian
Genocide committed in the Ottoman Empire one century ago.

‘The genocide took lives of one and a half million Armenians,
hundreds of thousands of people became refugees or were forcefully
converted into other religion. Each Armenian from any corner of
the world continues to feel the consequences of the Mets Yeghern
psychologically, culturally, linguistically and politically.

We wish we could have also commemorated the Centennial of the Armenian
Genocide together with the Turkish people, thereby heralding a new
haven of the rapprochement of the two nations and normalization of
their relations. This was the goal pursued by the protocols between
Armenia and Turkey signed back in 2009 and of my invitation to the
President Erdogan of Turkey to join us on April 24 in honoring the
memory of the Armenian Genocide victims. Unfortunately, once more we
encountered denial, one that acquired a particular manifestation this
year,’ he said.

‘I believe you are well aware that this year Turkish authorities
decided to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli
on the very day of April 24. The only motive for that was the
simple-minded goal to distract the attention of the international
community from the events dedicated to the Centennial of the Armenian
Genocide. By the way, in this context your Norwegian colleague BÃ¥rd
Larsen published in February an article titled “Useless Diplomacy,”
in which he very aptly put that “this would be tantamount to Germany
celebrating heroic victories of Wehrmacht in the Eastern Front during
World War II.”

I regret that the Turkish authorities instead of availing themselves
of this Centennial to confront their own history and reconcile,
put themselves in an awkward position by obviously distorting the
well-known chronology the Battle of Gallipoli, and thereby embellishing
their policy of denial with new manifestations.

The Turkish policy of denial pursued not only vindicates the crime
committed by the Ottoman authorities – the dispossession of Armenians
– but also sets a dangerous precedent for the recurrence of new
genocides. The Holocaust, the Rwandan and Cambodian genocides, the
ethnic cleansing and destruction of cultural heritage carried out by
the Islamic State in recent years have all been striking examples of
this. Their efforts to avoid responsibility or consign the Armenian
Genocide to oblivion can be characterized as continuation of the
crime and encouragement of new genocides.

Nevertheless, I must note that larger and larger segments of the
Turkish intelligentsia and progressive youth are demonstrating courage
to confront their historical past, desiring to live a dignified life
and relieving themselves of such a heavy burden of sin.

It is a matter of plain fact that the policy pursued by the current
Turkish government rules out the possibility of bringing the
famous Protocols into life at which official Ankara looked from the
perspective of the absurd preconditions perpetually set forth by it.

For that very reason I decided to recall them from our parliament.

Thus, the process did not reach its logical conclusion, and everybody
knows which party is to blame for its failure. This does not mean that
we are closing the window for rapprochement with Turkey. Nevertheless,
we are not going to get involved in a process, which may fall victim
to the third country’s unconstructive whims and, most importantly,
without hope of restoring mutual trust.

Initially, we thought that the policy “Zero Problems with Neighbors”
proclaimed by the Turkish authorities enshrined Turkey’s sincere
intentions to normalize relations with neighboring countries, including
Armenia. I do not want to comment on the nature of current relations
between Turkey and other states, but as the subsequent developments
demonstrated, Turkey had to face the reality of “Zero Neighbor and
Numerous Problems.” In fact, Turkey’s real intention was not to
have zero problems with neighbors, but to impose its own perception
of those relations on the neighbors, which was nothing else than a
manifestation of Neo-Ottoman policy.

The State Commission for coordination of the events for commemoration
of the Armenian Genocide Centenary was established. Its members
encompassed heads of all the largest Armenian institutions. The
Commission adopted All-Armenian Declaration, which determined the
united will of the Armenian people; by that Armenia and the Armenian
people reiterated their commitment to continuing the international
struggle for the prevention of genocides, restoration of the rights
and establishment of historical justice for the nations subjected
to genocide.

In that perspective, the Armenian Genocide Centennial events are not
solely of all-Armenian nature; they are a unique appeal to prevent
any encroachment upon universal values. For that very reason I have
invited the leaders and high-level officials of various countries to
visit Armenia on April 24 and, thus, send a powerful message of the
inadmissibility of the crime of genocide to the world.’ -0-

EU VALUES THE CURRENT DIALOGUE AND COOPERATION WITH ARMENIA

17:57, 18 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

President Serzh Sargsyan today received Johannes Hahn, EU Commissioner
for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations.

The Armenian President said that continued dialogue with European
partners and senior-level visits provides a good opportunity to
discuss the prospects for development of relations between Armenia
and the European Union (EU) and to exchange views on issues of mutual
concern. In this context, Serzh Sargsyan welcomed Commissioner Johannes
Hahn’s visit to our country.

Commissioner Johannes Hahn underscored that he highly values the
current dialogue and cooperation between Armenia and its European
partners. He noted that at present the Strategy Paper on the European
Neighborhood Policy is being reviewed and an active exchange of its
principles is being conducted. According to Commissioner Hahn, among
those important principles is that the EU should adopt an individual
approach to each of its Neighborhood Policy partners through taking
into account and respecting the given country’s understanding and
viewpoints on cooperation.

President Serzh Sargsyan said that the cooperation within the framework
of the European Neighborhood Policy is helpful in terms of fostering
reforms in Armenia and thanked all the European organizations for
the assistance rendered hitherto to our country.

Johannes Hahn mentioned that the previous phase of negotiations within
the framework of the EU Eastern Partnership should not be deemed
wasteful, and regardless of further developments, they were useful in
terms of identifying the expectations and the defined standards, as
well as some potential competitive advantages in the European market.

At the meeting, President Serzh Sargsyan and Commissioner Johannes
Hahn also exchanged views on regional issues and challenges, as well as
on the recent developments around the Nagorno Karabakh peace process.

ZHOGHOVURD: POLISH PRESIDENT TO COME TO ARMENIA ON APRIL 24

10:18 18/03/2015 >> DAILY PRESS

Vice-President of the European Parliament Ryszard Czarnecki, who is
participating in the Fourth Ordinary Session of Euronest PA ongoing
in Yerevan, has told Zhoghovurd that he hopes he will represent the
European Parliament and will be in Yerevan on April 24.

Asked whether Poland’s President will come to Yerevan to attend
commemoration events dedicated to the centennial of the Armenian
Genocide, Mr Czarnecki said that Serzh Sargsyan has invited him to
visit Yerevan on April 24 and the President will be in Armenia on
that day.

French President Francois Hollande and Russian President Vladimir
Putin have announced that they will come to Yerevan on April 24.

MAS DE 40 LEGISLADORES DE EE.UU PRESENTAN PROYECTO DE RESOLUCION SOBRE GENOCIDIO ARMENIO

Radio Monte Carlo CX20 AM930, Uruguay
18 marzo 2015

Legisladores estadounidenses urgieron al presidente Barack Obama
a reconocer la masacre de armenios bajo el imperio Otomano como un
“genocidio”, una iniciativa que seguramente enojara a Turquía cuando
se acerca el 100 aniversario de los hechos.

(Washington/AFP) Monte Carlo/EL

La resolucion Armenian Genocide Truth and Justice (Genocidio Armenia.

Verdad y Justicia) es apoyada por mas de 40 miembros de la camara de
Representantes de ambos partidos.

La iniciativa insta a Obama a ayudar a estabilizar y mejorar
los vínculos entre turcos y armenios “sobre la base del pleno
reconocimiento por la Repúblca de Turquía de los hechos y las
consecuencias del genocidio armenio, así como una justa y amplia
resolucion internacional de este crimen contra la humanidad”.

Armenia dice que aproximadamente 1,5 millones de personas fueron
asesinadas por las fuerzas otomanas en 1915 en el marco de lo que
considera un verdadero genocidio.

La Turquía moderna siempre rechazo el termino de genocidio y sitúa
el saldo de muertes en 500.000 y atribuye la culpa a la guerra y
al hambre.

Adam Schiff, representante democrata y uno de los promotores de la
resolucion, dijo que los armenios “fueron asesinados deliberadamente
en el primer genocidio del siglo XX: son hechos incuestionables”.

ERDOGAN “COMPLAINS” TO PUTIN ABOUT SARGSYAN

14:02, 18.03.2015

The Presidents of Russia and Turkey, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip
Erdogan, had a telephonic conversation at the initiative of the
Turkish side.

During the talk, the presidents of the two countries discussed the
prospects for the development of bilateral relations, energy issues,
and matters related to Ukraine, informed the Turkish Service of the
Sputniknews agency of Russia.

It is noted that, during this telephone conversation, Erdogan also
reflected on the Armenian Genocide issue claiming that Turkey supports
the approach of a “just memory,” whereas Armenia disregards the calls
for peace, and does not display a positive approach toward the proposal
to set up a joint historical commission.

Armenia News – NEWS.am – See more at:

ARMENIA TO OPEN CONSULATE IN ERBIL

Rudaw, Iraqi Kurdistan
March 18 2015

By Rudaw

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region- The country of Armenia is planning to open
a general consulate in the Kurdistan Region’s capital Erbil, special
envoy to Iraq Levon Sargsyan announced.

Armenia’s Ambassador to Iraq Karin Gregorian, and the country’s special
envoy, Levan Sargsyan, met on Wednesday with Kurdistan Regional
Government Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani to officially announce
the consulate and pledge stronger bilateral ties.

The Armenian diplomats also said the country will offer direct flights
from Yerevan, the Armenian capital, to Erbil in near future.

Armenia and the Kurdistan region are also looking to boost economic
and cultural ties. Armenia is a land-locked, mountainous nation of
an estimated three million people located in the South Caucasus region.

The Kurdistan Region, which remains the relatively prosperous and
stable portion of war-torn Iraq, has attracted many multinational
corporations that have invested in the energy, construction and
tourism.

WORLD BANK APPROVES LOANS FOR SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN ARMENIA

EastDay.com
March 18 2015

2015/3/18 11:15:13

YEREVAN, March 17 (Xinhua) — The World Bank decided on Tuesday to
grant a loan worth 30 million U.S. dollars for the development of
social infrastructure in Armenia.

The loan will be spent on constructing new schools and kindergartens
and developing social service in 150 most vulnerable communities across
the country, the World Bank’s Yerevan office said in a press release.

It is estimated that the loan will assist in creating 300 permanent
and 1,100 temporary jobs in rural and suburban communities, said
Laura Bailey, World Bank’s Country Manager for Armenia.

SYRIAN PARLIAMENT CONVENES SPECIAL SESSION ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE CENTENNIAL

March 18, 2015 09:44

Mohammad Jihad al-Laham

Photo: REUTERS

Yerevan /Mediamax/. On March 17, the People’s Council of Syria convened
a special session on the Armenian Genocide Centennial.

In his speech, Speaker of the People’s Council of Syria Mohammad
Jihad al-Laham particularly noted:

“We express our utter solidarity with friendly Armenian people as
well as with our Syrian Armenian compatriots who were subject to a
horrible genocide committed by Ottoman authorities 100 years ago. The
international community and all peoples in the world call on standing
side by side to confront the criminals, executioners and terrorists
threatening the Middle East in order to prevent other atrocities
against the mankind, civilization and history.”

Afterwards, the MPs of the People’s Council stood in silence for one
minute in honor for the Armenian Genocide victims.

Over 20 MPs addressed the session.

RECOGNITION AND CONDEMNATION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE STEMS FROM TURKEY’S INTERESTS

YEREVAN, March 18. / ARKA /. Recognition and condemnation of the
Armenian Genocide stems from Turkey’s interests, because with such
past it can not move forward, chief of Armenian president’s staff,
Vigen Sargsyan, told an international media forum in Armenia today.

He said unlike any other genocides, the Armenian Genocide is being
denied to this day.

‘So, we can say that the genocide continues for as long as it is not
officially recognized and condemned. Modern-day Turkey continues the
policy of denying the Armenian Genocide, and this leads to a repetition
of this crime, like in the Middle East and Africa,” said Sargsyan.

He said Turkey is pursuing a hostile policy towards Armenia, seeking
to create economic problems for it, by keeping its border with
Armenia closed and trying that way to exert pressure on Armenia in
the context of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which is not related
to Armenian-Turkish relations.

“Recognition of the Armenian Genocide is an important fact for
Armenia, however, it never raised this issue as a precondition for
the establishment of relations with Turkey,” said Sargsyan.

At the same time, Sargsyan pointed out that the civil society in
Turkey is getting stronger with every passing year openly speaking
about the need to recognize the Armenian Genocide. He said also in
an unprecedented act of diplomatic folly, Turkey seeks to use the
centenary of the Gallipoli Battle to smother memory of its own mass
killing of the Armenians of the Ottoman Empire by sending invitations
to 102 nations to attend the Gallipoli anniversary on 24th April —
on the very day when Armenia always honors its own genocide victims
at the hands of Ottoman Turkey.

“Those political leaders who will take part in the centenary of the
Battle of Gallipoli in Turkey are either fully aware of the cynicism
of the situation, or pursue only their own political priorities and
interests,” said Sargsyan.

According to him, the problem must be resolved through the recognition
of the Armenian Genocide, after which the heirs of Armenians killed
in he genocide may demand compensations for the damages.

He said a special group of lawyers was set up in Armenia to develop
a package of proposals to eliminate the consequences of the genocide.

“However, the recognition is not a precondition for full normalization
of relations,” said Sargsyan.-0-