Author: Kalantarian Kevo

APA, Azerbaijan
March 5 2010

Azerbaijan’s ruling party sends letter of protest to U.S. Congress

[ 05 Mar 2010 15:09 ]
Baku. Elbrus Seyfullayev ` APA. `We condemn the passage of the
so-called Armenian genocide resolution that has no evidences.

This is the distortion of historical truth and violation of the
principle of justice,’ deputy chairman of YAP, MP Ali Ahmadov told
journalists while commenting on the passage of the draft resolution on
the so-called Armenian genocide in the House Committee of Foreign
Affairs, APA reports.

Ali Ahmadov said the unfair decision caused protest in YAP.
`We have already sent a letter of protest to the House of
Representatives. The letter writes that the decision is unfair. We
have stated openly that this decision is against the interests of
Turkey and Azerbaijan,’ he said.

According to the parliamentarian, the decision that aims to exert
pressure for opening Turkey-Armenia borders is against the soonest
solution to Nagorno Karabakh problem.

Parliamentarians representing various parties have decided to hold a
meeting tomorrow on the passage of the so-called Armenian genocide
resolution in the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

RoA Foreign Minister Welcomes Passage of Genocide Resolution
2010/03/05 | 11:08

politics
rutyun-10/

This is the official statement released by the RoA Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

We highly appreciate the decision by the Committee on Foreign Affairs
of the United States House of Representatives to adopt Resolution 252
on the recognition of the Armenian genocide.

This is another proof of the devotion of the American people to
universal human values and is an important step toward the prevention
of the crimes against humanity.

Ynetnews, Israel
March 5 2010

Aide: No plans to bring Armenian measure to US House

Published: 03.05.10, 20:06 / Israel News

There are no plans at this point to schedule a full U.S. House of
Representatives vote on a resolution labeling as genocide the World
War One-era mass killings of Armenians by Turks, a Democratic
leadership aide said on Friday.

Advocates of the resolution will have to show the chamber’s Democratic
leaders that they have the votes for passage before the measure will
be brought to the House floor, said another Democratic aide. Both
spoke to Reuters on condition that they not be named. (Reuters)

,7340 ,L-3858439,00.html

GYUMRI MUSIC SCHOOL RECOVERS FROM RUINS
by Tom Vartabedian

0-03-03-gyumri-music-school-recovers-from-ruins
We dnesday March 03, 2010

Gyumri, Armenia – The sound of music is alive and well inside the
Tigranyan Institute.

Talented children are playing their instruments behind closed doors
while parents gather, wait, listen and hope.

Inside the main auditorium, a young diva is exercising her voice
before an audience that includes Sebouh Apkarian, artistic director
and conductor of the famed KOHAR Symphony Orchestra and Choir.

He’s there like he always is, scouting new talent and lending
encouragement. You can’t miss him. He’s the gentleman in the front
row with snow-white hair listening attentively and taking notes.

Obviously, he likes what he sees in this young nightingale.

"He’s very supportive to the youngsters who know that being in a
program with KOHAR and traveling around the world to perform would
be the ultimate," said Gayane Manoukian, the school principal. "They
all want to make a big impression."

Twenty-one years ago, a devastating earthquake sent tremors and shock
waves through northern Armenia, including Gyumri, claiming more than
25,000 lives.

The children here are too young to remember but continuously hear the
stories, not like Manoukian who experienced the tragedy first-hand
and lived to tell about it.

"I was at home with a newborn child when the earthquake struck," she
recalls. "I ran out into the street and saw buildings toppling over.

Two minutes can lead to a lifetime of tragedy and hardship. Many
of my closest friends were lost. Every time I think about it,
I’m devastated."

Like so many others, Manoukian pitched in, helping those in need and
rebuilding her city in the aftermath.

The 80-year-old Tigranyan Institute was among the casualties,
toppled in ruins. Life was uncertain. Recovery was slow. But they
were determined. Trailers served as temporary classrooms amid the
rubble along Abovian Street.

"For six years, we worked out of a fallout shelter, then moved into
a building with no heat." Manoukian traced back. "Winters were severe.

For 15 years, the school operated like that. People were poor. Homes
were devastated. The ultimate sacrifice was always being made."

Today, the institute boasts some 390 students between the ages of
7-15 and 75 instructors, housed in an adjacent building that once
served as a factory. The lyrical sounds of young soloists are mingled
with instruments that conserve the Armenian heritage and sustain its
national character.

Not all are traditional pieces. A certain emphasis is placed on such
Armenian instruments as the kanoun, duduk and tar. Choreography is
yet another staple.

As concertmaster and first violinist of the KOHAR Orchestra, the
49-year-old Manoukian also serves as a role model for these students.

It’s more than music here but a way of life. Through performance,
careers are established and money is earned — resources that are
currently scarce in Armenia.

A nominal tuition is assessed for those who can afford it. Assistance
is also met through the government. The faculty is paid, however
slight. Instruments are provided.

Students attend normal school elsewhere, then matriculate here for
further education. It makes for a long, but productive day.

Among the notable groups is YerazArt, a troupe of pristine young
singers which recently completed a successful tour of North America.

"We prepare them for the conservatory," said Manougian. "Many have
succeeded and carried the name of Gyumri to prominence. That we like to
see. My students mean the world to me. Without them, I am very lonely."

What you should know about Gyumri *Population: 170,000, center of
the region of Shirak and is Armenia’s second-largest city.

*Significant emigration over the past 20 years as a result of the
earthquake of Dec. 7, 1988 which claimed more than 25,000 lives.

Before the earthquake, the population was roughly 240,000.

*In recent years, Gyumri has began to finally emerged from its
post-earthquake legacy. Shipping containers that people once used for
shelter have been mostly replaced by more permanent and attractive
dwellings.

*Gyumri’s Tigranyan Music Institute houses 390 students (ages 7-15)
and 75 instructors.

RUSSIA PINS HOPE ON ‘PRAGMATIC POLITICIANS’ IN GEORGIA

RIA Novosti
March 5, 2010
Moscow

Moscow said on Friday it linked the improvement of soured relations
with Tbilisi to ‘realistically minded’ political figures in Georgia.

The statement came in the wake of a Thursday meeting in Moscow between
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and one of Georgia’s opposition
leaders, Nino Burdzhanadze.

The statement said Russia and Georgia need to search for a way out
of the impasse in their relations, which "is key to peace in the
Trans-Caucasus."

Moscow stressed that it linked the restoration of relations "with
those political figures in Georgia who take a realistic view of the
current situation in the region."

The ministry said various aspects of "the current complex state of
Russian-Georgian relations" were discussed and that "despite the
ongoing crisis and the absence of diplomatic relations between Russia
and Georgia, it is essential to search for a way out of this impasse."

Burdzhanadze also met with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

The former speaker of the Georgian parliament, once an ally of
President Mikheil Saakashvili, came to Moscow for talks with Russian
political leaders, saying that such dialogue was crucial for Georgia.

Burdzhanadze is one of a growing number of Georgian opposition leaders
seeking to start political dialogue between Russia and Georgia, calling
it crucial for Georgia’s future. Former Georgian Prime Minister Zurab
Nogaideli has visited Moscow several times in recent months.

However, Georgian parliamentary deputies loyal to Saakashvili have
already accused Burdzhanadze of "treason" over her Moscow visit.

"SARGSYAN SENT CHALLENGE TO TURKEY" COMMENT CAUSED A COURT CASE IN TURKEY

Panorama.am
13:26 04/03/2010

Law

Turkish "gercekgundem" web site published a story previous year
before Armenia’s Serzh Sargsyan’s travel to Turkey. The story was
about the Presidents of Armenia and Turkey and the site’s readers
had possibility to share with their thoughts. Currently the site is
under custody because of a comment written by one of the readers.

"If the reader who posted such a comment isn’t found, the web site’s
editor in chief Barish Yarqadashi will be sentenced up to 5 years,"
Turkish Milliyet reported. The comment which stipulated the court
case claims that "Sargsyan sent a challenge to Turkey."

Turkish President’s Administration called that an offense against
the President. "We are under custody for something we haven’t done,"
web site says.

TURKEY THREATENS TO RECALL AMBASSADOR IF GENOCIDE BILL PASSES

Asbarez
recall-ambassador-if-genocide-bill-passes/
Mar 4th, 2010

ANKARA (Reuters)-Turkey threatened Thursday to recall its ambassador
if a U.S. congressional panel votes to recognize the Armenian Genocide,
a government official said on Thursday.

NATO-member Turkey has said its ties with the United States would
be damaged and Ankara’s efforts to normalize relations with Armenia
could be endangered if the resolution is passed by U.S. lawmakers
on Thursday.

"We are open to all options," said a government official when asked
if Turkey would be willing to recall its ambassador to the United
States should the bill be passed.

Ankara recalled its ambassador in 2007 for consultations after a U.S.

panel approved a similar bill.

"But nobody should forget that the situation is different now than it
was in 2007. We are in the process of normalizing ties with Armenia,
so the stakes are higher," he said.

Turkey and Armenia signed a protocol last year to normalize relations
but the papers are yet to pass through the parliament of either
country.

President Barack Obama and Turkish President Abdullah Gul held a
phone conversation on Wednesday to discuss Turkey’s position on the
Armenia bill.

Obama visited Turkey last April. His administration sees Turkey as
a key ally whose help it needs in solving confrontations from Iran
to Afghanistan.

"We are at a stage when U.S.-Turkish ties need maximum cooperation.

Everybody should consider the importance of U.S.-Turkish relations
for regional and global stability," Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu told a news conference on Thursday.

The non-binding resolution, to be voted by the House Foreign Affairs
Committee, would call on Obama to ensure U.S. policy formally refers
to the massacre as "genocide" and to use that term when he delivers
his annual message on the issue in April – something Obama avoided
doing last year.

US VOTE ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ANGERS TURKEY

EUObserver
March 5 2010

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – Ankara on Thursday (4 march) recalled its
ambassador from Washington in protest over a resolution passed by US
lawmakers recognising the Armenian genocide in 1915.

The foreign affairs committee in the US Congress narrowly passed a
non-binding resolution condemning as "genocide" the First World War
killings of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman empire.

Turkey strongly rejects the term genocide to describe the mass killings
of Armenians back in 1915 (Photo: EUobserver.com) Print Comment
article Ankara reacted immediately by withdrawing its ambassador from
Washington. Turkey rejects the genocide label and argues that 300,000
to 500,000 Armenians and at least as many Turks died when Christian
Armenians took up arms against their Ottoman rulers and sided with
invading Russian troops.

"We condemn this draft resolution, accusing the Turkish nation with
a crime that it has not committed," a statement from the Turkish
government read.

The government also warned that the move may jeopardise a timid
revival of Turkish-Armenian relations, which was strongly supported and
mediated by the US and praised by the EU in its last monitoring report.

The agreement signed last year is still pending the approval of the
parliaments in Ankara and Erevan.

"Turkey plays a key role in regional security and the promotion of
dialogue between civilisations. Significant diplomatic efforts to
normalise relations with Armenia were made, resulting in the signature
of protocols for the normalisation of relations in October 2009. It is
important that these protocols are swiftly ratified by both countries,"
the commission report reads.

The rapprochement was one of the few positive developments noted by
Brussels in the last year. Turkey is moving toward EU requirements
for membership slowly, after having started negotiations in 2005.

Relations with its neighbours are "key" to its progress said the
EU commission.

EU mediation efforts have also been deployed in a frozen conflict
involving ethnic Armenians in Turkey’s neighbouring country and strong
ally, Azerbaijan. The enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh is still controlled
by Armenia, after a brief war in the early 1990s, which was backed
by Russia. Both Armenia and Azerbaijan are part of the EU’s so-called
Eastern Partnership aimed at boosting ties with post-Soviet countries.

U-turn on Armenian genocide

The US resolution, which was approved with 23 to 22 votes, calls on
President Barack Obama to recognise the "genocide" in his presidential
statement marking the Armenian remembrance day on 24 April.

The Obama administration had warned the congress against adopting
such a resolution, which may upset its relations with Turkey, a key
Nato ally of strategic importance for the US in the Middle East,
Iraq and Afghanistan.

Such approach marks something of a u-turn from Mr Obama’s pledges
during the campaign trail leading to his election in 2008, when he
repeatedly said that "America deserves a leader who speaks truthfully
about the Armenian genocide."

Last year, during a common press conference with his Turkish
counterpart Abdullah Gul, Mr Obama carefully avoided the term
"genocide" and only referred to a "difficult and tragic history,"
saying that it was up to historians to decide the terminology.

French parallel

A similar resolution was passed by EU member France, which is very
sceptical of Turkey’s membership bid to the bloc, as well as Canada.

Meanwhile, a French insurance company, Axa, is said to have paid
compensation to thousands descendants of Armenians massacred in World
War I based on life insurance policies taken at the time.

Hilda Tchoboian, the head of an Armenian association in the French city
of Lyon, told AFP that Axa had agreed to pay nearly 1,000 Armenian,
French and American families, and had started sending cheques of
about â~B¬8,000 each.

Axa is the second insurance company to pay compensation to descendants
of massacred Armenians. US company New York Life agreed in 2005 to
pay â~B¬8.8 million euros to victims’ heirs.

US AUTHORITIES AWARE OF TURKEY’S POSITION ON ARMENIAN RESOLUTION, DAVUTOGLU

Today’s Zaman
March 4 2010
Turkey

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Thursday the United
States authorities, including the US administration and members of the
US Congress, were aware of Turkey’s position on Armenian resolution.

Davutoglu’s comments came hours before the Foreign Relations Committee
of the United States House of Representatives will vote on a resolution
on Thursday regarding the incidents of 1915.

At a joint press conference with his New Zealander counterpart Murray
McCully in Ankara, Davutoglu said that US officials know closely
Turkey’s approach to the incidents of 1915.

We have made our views on the incidents of 1915 very clear while
talking with US dignitaries, Davutoglu stressed.

Turkish-US relations are probably going through a process in which
there is a crucial need for cooperation more than ever before,
Davutoglu underlined.

Whichever file you open in any corner of the world, you will notice
that there is a crucial need for close cooperation between Turkey
and the US, Davutoglu said.

We are in a period in which our close relations can have a (positive)
impact on the Balkans, Middle East, Caucasus, G-20 and, surely,
the United Nations, Davutoglu stressed.

It is highly important that all involved take into serious
consideration the Turkish-U.S relations and the relations’ influence
on global peace, Davutoglu said.

OBAMA’S VIEW OF HISTORY HAS NOT CHANGED

armradio.am
03.03.2010 17:39

Ahead of the vote on the Armenian Genocide Resolution (H. Res. 252)
at the Foreign Relations Committee of the US House of representatives,
US National Security Council spokesman has declared that President
Obama’s view on history has not changed.

US President Barack Obama pledged during his election campaign
that he would recognise the killings as genocide, but disappointed
Armenian-American supporters when he refrained from using the term
in his message last year to commemorate the killings.

"His view of that history has not changed," said US National Security
Council spokesman Mike Hammer. "Our interest remains the achievement
of a full, frank, and just acknowledgement of the facts."

"The best way to advance that goal is for the Armenian and Turkish
people to address the facts of the past as a part of their ongoing
efforts to normalize relations," said Hammer.

"We will continue to support these efforts vigorously in the months
ahead," said the spokesman.