PARIS : CONFERENCE DU GIT AVEC L’EDITEUR TURC RAGIP ZARAKOLU
Publie le : 07-12-2012
Info Collectif VAN – – Dans le cadre de
l’atelier du Groupe international de travail (GIT)
CONFERENCE ON “NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT AND SECURITY IN THE SOUTH CAUCASUS” TO BE HELD IN HAGUE
APA
Dec 6 2012
Azerbaijan
Baku – APA. Chairman of the Coordination Council of Azerbaijani
Community of Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan Orhan Akbarov will
attend the conference on “Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and security in
the South Caucasus” in the Hague.
The Community told APA that Akbarov will deliver a speech on
Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, its history, the
conflict’s consequences in the region, as well as the current situation
of internally displaced persons at the conference to be held at the
Parliament of the Kingdom of the Netherlands on December 10.
Note that, the conference is organized by Benelux Azerbaijanis
Congress, Union of European Turkish Democrats (UETD), Turkish Housing
Research Centre, EcoEurasia and Cooperation Center of Azerbaijanis
and other Turkic Speaking Peoples.
The purpose of the conference to be held on the International Human
Rights Day is to give detailed information to the world community on
the ethnic cleansing policy that Azerbaijanis underwent due to the
Armenian occupation, the destruction of our historical and cultural
monuments in the occupied territories and the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict.
Azerbaijani MPs Ganira Pashayeva and Adil Aliyev will also attend
the conference.
HRANT, EMBARRASSMENT, A DISASTER
Today’s Zaman
Dec 6 2012
Turkey
ORHAN KEMAL CENGÄ°Z
[email protected]
The government has introduced a new institution which we all welcomed
at first. I am talking about the newly established ombudsman.
However, the government’s choice to fill the role has shaken all the
country’s democrats from head to toe. It’s like a bad joke; it is
an insult to anyone with a little intelligence in this country. Our
conscience was deeply wounded with this appointment.
The government appointed, through parliamentary election, one of
those judges from the Supreme Court of Appeals who voted in favor of
punishing Hrant Dink under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK)
for the infamous article that brought about charges of “insulting
Turkishness” to be the ombudsman. Actually, later on I learned that
he was not only one of the judges who voted to sentence Hrant, but
he, in particular, was one of those who actively lobbied to get this
punishment. This former judge has taken his oath before Parliament
and will very soon take office as Turkey’s first ombudsman.
I do not know if you remember all this time later what it was that
lead to Hrant’s murder. He was first labeled an Armenian who insulted
Turks, and then, of course, became an open target and was shot down
in front of the Armenian Agos weekly in 2007. It is such a sad,
painful story to remember.
Everything started with a media campaign. Hrant had uttered some
words that made some circles extremely angry; he said Sabiha Gökcen,
Ataturk’s adopted daughter, was actually an Armenian. His words
made headlines.
Then some lawyers and some notorious figures brought lawsuits against
Hrant by cherry- picking some of his words from one of the pieces
in a long series of articles he published in the Agos, where he was
editor-in-chief.
In this series of articles, Hrant was speaking to Armenians and
advising them to get rid of hatred of Turks in order to emancipate
themselves from the chains of the past. The Turkish judiciary,
however, read his words in a completely distorted manner. He just said
“replace the poisoned blood associated with the Turk with fresh blood
associated with Armenia.” Both the court of first instance and the
court of appeals evaluated this sentence as if Hrant was insulting
Turkish blood, and he was sentenced to a suspended prison sentence.
I think what Hrant said was unmistakably clear. Interestingly,
back then “expert opinions” requested by the courts reaffirmed that
Hrant’s words had nothing to do with insulting Turkishness, but the
court of appeals just wanted to understand his words as an insult
under Article 301.
And now we have one of those judges who punished Hrant as the
nation’s ombudsman. How on earth can a judge who has the capacity
to misunderstand these words that were so clear be relied upon
to understand the true meaning of the words of citizens who have
problems with state institutions? Is his appointment as ombudsman
a reward for his deliberate misunderstanding of Hrant’s words? Has
he been appointed by the government for that very purpose, namely,
to make sure that he will always misunderstand the words of citizens
when they have a conflict with the state?
It is hard to believe that the government chose one person out of
70 million in Turkey to be ombudsman and that this person happened
to be the one who sent Hrant Dink to his death by deliberately
misinterpreting his statements.
In my view, with this move alone, the government cancelled out 1,000
good things they have done, like they killed our hopes for the future
of this country.
U.S. CONGRESSMEN JOIN NKR FM TO MARK ARTSAKH INDEPENDENCE ANNIV.
December 6, 2012 – 21:40 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net – On Dec. 5, U.S. legislators joined on Capitol Hill
with the Nagorno Karabakh Republic’s Foreign Minister, Karen Mirzoyan,
in a spirited, standing-room-only celebration of Artsakh’s independence
and democratic development.
“We were pleased to join this evening with so many friends of
freedom-in Congress, among our coalition partners, and from our
community – who know that the blessings of liberty belong to the
free people of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic and to all nations,”
said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.
The program, held in the historic Russell Senate Office Building,
was hosted by the Armenian Caucus, which is co-chaired by Congressman
Ed Royce (R-Calif.), the incoming Chairman of the influential Foreign
Affairs Committee, and Congressman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.). Among the
legislators offering powerful statements at the event in support for
Nagorno Karabakh were Senator Jack Reed (D-R.I.), and Representatives
Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), David Cicilline (D-R.I.), and Eliot Engel
(D-N.Y.), the incoming Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs
Committee. Representatives Jeff Denham (R-Calif.) and Linda Sanchez
(D-Calif.) participated in the program, meeting with Minister Mirzayan
and joining in the celebration of Artsakh’s independence. Senator
Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and Representative Jackie Speier (D-Calif.)
shared powerful statements of support for Nagorno Karabakh.
A central theme throughout the evening was the broad-based condemnation
of the Azerbaijani government’s praise, pardon, and promotion of
convicted axe-murderer Ramil Safarov as an action that was manifestly
unjust, incited anti-Armenian hatred, and moved the region closer
to conflict and renewed Azerbaijani aggression. Members of Congress
cited Karabakh’s democratic and economic progress, even in the face
of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s continuing belligerence,
noting the overwhelmingly positive assessment of the July 2012
presidential elections. Legislators also discussed the need for
continued U.S. support for Karabakh’s self-determination, through,
among other things, expanded humanitarian and developmental assistance
to Artsakh.
A highlight of the evening was the ceremony, conducted by the
Ambassador of Armenia, bestowing the Republic of Armenia’s “Mkhitar
Gosh” award upon Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) and Congressman
Brad Sherman (D-Calif.).
After a strong and far-reaching pro-Artsakh statement by Armenia’s
Ambassador Tatoul Markarian, and warm words of introduction by Nagorno
Karabakh Representative Robert Avetisyan, the key note address of the
program was offered by Minister Mirzoyan, who, in a moving speech,
voiced his appreciation to the U.S. Congress for its ongoing support
for the developing nation.
Also offering comments on the challenges facing Artsakh and the
region was the highly-regarded former U.S. Ambassador to Armenia,
John Marshall Evans.
BARONESS COX THANKED ARMENIAN NATION “FOR FORMING ARTSAKH FRONT LINE OF FAITH AND FREEDOM”
21:07, 6 December, 2012
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS: More than 300 gathered for an evening
of celebration, recognition and reflection at the Armenian National
Committee of America Eastern Region’s (ANCA-ER) 6th annual banquet,
where Armenian studies luminary Dr. Richard Hovannisian and Artsakh
rights champion, her ladyship Baroness Caroline Cox were bestowed the
organization’s highest honors. Armenpress reports that under applauses
Baroness Caroline Cox went to stage and greeted the attendees. She
presented to the guests the photos taken during her visit to Karabakh
and expressed her excitement about the future.
“Speaking in the British parliament is a place to give voice to the
voiceless, to speak for those who can’t speak for themselves. … I
would like to say thank you to the Armenian people, who in that holy
land of Artsakh have formed that front line of faith and freedom for
the rest of the world. We who live in freedom, we who call ourselves
Christian, owe you a debt of gratitude for holding that front line
for us. With all my heart, I thank you,” the Baroness said.
Baroness Cox has visited Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh 78 times to
date, many of them during the war with Azerbaijan in the early 1990s,
and is planning on at least two more visits in 2013. Working with the
Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART), she helped establish the Lady
Cox Rehabilitation Centre in Stepanakert in 1998, which has become a
leader in providing care and rehabilitation for those with physical
or mental disabilities. It looks after babies, children and adults
who have been disabled from birth as well as patients suffering from
war injuries, accidents and illnesses such as strokes.
The Center is internationally recognized as a “Center of Excellence,”
disseminating its wide-ranging therapeutic repertoire far beyond
Karabakh to other countries throughout the South Caucasus.
Baroness Cox was awarded the ANCA Freedom Award for her undying
support of the Armenian people and for her dedication to human rights
for all. She has traveled to many other countries, particularly those
affected by severe human rights violations, to provide aid to those
in need.
As part of her trip to the U.S., Baroness Cox was accompanied by
ANCA Eastern Region Executive Director Michelle Hagopian, HART-US
Executive Director Donna Mundy, ANC of United Kingdom member Vahan
Krikorian and ANCA Eastern Region Board Member Ani Tchaghlasian, at
a series of meetings with human rights groups including Human Rights
Watch and Human Rights Foundation.
Among the special guests of the evening was New Jersey Congressman
Frank Pallone, who praised the grassroots efforts of the ANCA and
paid tribute to Dr. Hovannisian and Baroness Cox with Community
Service Awards. “One of the best things about the ANCA is the different
programs they have and how they educate and get young people involved,”
said Rep. Pallone. “As the founder and co-chair of the Armenian Caucus
in the House (of Representatives) for so many years, I will tell you
that without the ANCA, grassroots activities of the Armenian community
would really be very minimal.”
Dr. Hovannisian, a professor of Armenian and Near Eastern Studies
at UCLA, is a pioneer of Armenian studies in the United States. He
has authored many books and edited and contributed to at least a
dozen other works. In 1987, he was appointed the first holder of
the Armenian Educational Foundation Endowed Chair in Modern Armenian
History at UCLA.
“I’m deeply honored and thankful to the ANCA for considering me worthy
of receiving this award. Vahan Cardashian remains a champion and a
symbol for the Armenian people. I feel very satisfied after my long
career, and I feel rewarded that I’ve had more than a half century of
wonderful experiences in the classroom teaching generations regarding
Armenian history and identity,” Hovannisian said.
ARTAK ZAKARYAN AND BELARUSIAN AMBASSADOR DISCUSSED THE ISSUE OF INCLUSION TO EURONEST PA
15:30, 5 December, 2012
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 10, ARMENPRESS: Artak Zakaryan, chairman on National
Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs had a meeting with
Ambassador Extraordinary Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus
to the Republic of Armenia Stepan Sukhorenko and his First Deputy
Valery Gorelko. As Information and Public Relations department of the
National Assembly informed Armenpress, issues refer to the development
of inter parliamentary relations between the two countries have been
discussed in the course of the launched meeting. In particular the
role of the inter parliamentary cooperation in the strengthening of
bilateral relations have been touched upon.
The interlocutors also dwelled on development prospects of mutually
beneficial cooperation in the frame of international organizations.
According to Artak Zakaryan the inclusion of Belarusian Parliamentary
delegation as an equal partner to Eastern Partnership Euro nest PA
is a pivotal issue. Euronest PA adjacent special working group is
undertaking efforts in this direction.
Stressing the importance of European integration Stepan Sukhorenko
stated their desire to become an equal partner. In the course of the
meeting the sides spoke about Belarusian Parliamentary elections,
as well as possibilities to enliven further works amid Armenia-
Belarus inter-parliamentary commission and Parliaments. The sides
have agreed upon to take measures to strengthen cooperation between
the Foreign Relations Committees of the two countries parliaments.
ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT VIOLATES LAW ON LANGUAGE – NEWSPAPER
news.am
December 06, 2012 | 07:17
YEREVAN. – A photo exhibition symbolizing Armenian-Russian friendship
was opened at Armenia’s National Assembly. NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan
was at the center of this event, together with Russian Ambassador
Vyacheslav Kovalenko and Prosperous Armenia Party Chairman Gagik
Tsarukyan, Hraparak daily reports.
“According to the persons in charge at the NA, the Russian side
organized the exhibition, [and] on the occasion of the visit [to
Armenia] by Nikolai Ryzhkov, the co-chairman of the Russian-Armenian
[Commission on] Interparliamentary Cooperation.
This notwithstanding, [opposition Armenian National Movement Party
Board Chairman and opposition bloc Armenian National Congress] ANC
[NA Faction Secretary] MP Aram Manukyan complained as to why the
‘detail’ underneath the photographs is written in Russian, which is
a violation of the Law on Armenia’s State Language,” Hraparak writes.
DENMARK’S ROYAL LIBRARY UNDER FIRE FOR ARMENIAN GENOCIDE EXHIBITION
00:37 06.12.2012
Denmark’s Royal Library has attracted heavy criticism after agreeing
to let Turkey co-arrange an alternative exhibition about the Armenian
Genocide.
The library has complied with the wishes of the Turkish ambassador
to Denmark to be involved with the exhibition, ‘The Armenian Genocide
and the Scandinavian response’, which is currently on display at the
University of Copenhagen.
The Turkish Embassy has been granted the opportunity to stage a
Turkish version of the historical events in a move that has generated
criticism from a number of circles, including politicians, historians,
and the Armenian Embassy in Copenhagen.
“This is giving in to Turkish pressure and it won’t do. Without
comparing the two events, it’s like asking neo-Nazis to arrange a
Holocaust exhibition,” the Coenhagen post quottes Søren Espersen,
a spokesperson for Dansk Folkeparti (DF), as saying to Berlingske
newspaper.
Matthias Bjørnlund, a historian and leading Danish expert on the
Armenian Genocide, is perplexed over the Royal Library’s decision in
the case.
“If you believe that all versions of history are equal, then you’ve
undermined your role as a research institution,” Bjørnlund told
Berlingske. “It was genocide and not all interpretations of this
history are correct.”
The Armenian ambassador to Denmark, Hrachya Aghajanyan, who is a
co-host of the original exhibition, is disappointed by the move.
“I hope that the Royal Library will reconsider their decision and not
give in to the possible Turkish pressure,” Aghajanyan told Berlingske.
But Erland Kolding Nielsen, the director of the Royal Library, denied
that the institution buckled under pressure from Turkey.
“One can’t pressure us, and we have not spoken about removing the
Armenian exhibition. We have simply given them the opportunity to
show their alternative exhibition,” Nielsen told Berlingske.
It is not yet known when the Turkish exhibition version will debut,
but the Turkish embassy said that preparations were underway.
CIVIL SOCIETY MUST ESTABLISH DIALOGUE BETWEEN AZERBAIJANI AND ARMENIAN COMMUNITIES OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH
Trend
Dec 5 2012
Azerbaijan
The civil society has the large work to establish a dialogue between
the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of Nagorno-Karabakh, member
of “Azerbaijani Community of Nagorno-Karabakh” Public Union Rovshan
Rzayev told Trend today.
“We are interested in establishing a dialogue between the Azerbaijani
and Armenian communities of Nagorno-Karabakh and must negotiate
together,” Rzayev said.
The negotiations on the conflict settlement must be established
proceeding from the current requirements, Rzayev said.
“The main issue in the negotiations is to establish trust between
the communities,” he said. “We have made such an attempt in Germany,
but the Armenians failed to attend the meeting. The main reason is
the reluctance of the Armenian leadership to settle accounts with
our compatriots living in the Nagorno-Karabakh.”
The stereotypes of “ethnic discrepancy” claimed by the Armenian
leadership have been destroyed. Public support is very important. The
issue, known internationally as the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict today,
is an aggression against the Azerbaijani territorial integrity.
“The first meeting between members of the Azerbaijani community of
Nagorno-Karabakh and members of the Armenian community was perceived
negatively,” he said. “However, it became clear that the dialogue
is important.”
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France and the U.S. –
are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.
AZERBAIJANI RULING PARTY: RUSSIAN PRESIDENT’S VISIT TO TURKEY TO POSITIVELY IMPACT ON TWO COUNTRIES’ RELATIONS
Trend
Dec 5 2012
Azerbaijan
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Turkey will have a positive
impact on the development of relations between the two countries,
Deputy Executive Secretary of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party, MP
Mubariz Gurbanli said in an interview with the official website of
the ruling party today.
“According to the interview given following the negotiations, it is
clear that Russia and Turkey still disagree on the ways of considering
some processes in the region,” he said. “Specifically, there is no
consensus on Syria’s future, as opposed to the Palestinian issue.”
“The situation in the Caucasus, including the Nagorno-Karabakh problem,
which arose as a result of the Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan,
is one of the topics constantly discussed by the two countries.”
He stressed that all this shows the importance of Putin’s visit
to Turkey.
Turkey has the opportunity to significantly influence the processes
in the region, he added. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
has the authority among the world leaders.