Author: Kanayan Tamar

LITHUANIAN FM ON GENOCIDE: SOONER OR LATER WE’LL FACE HISTORY

PanARMENIAN.Net
January 27, 2012 – 11:31 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – During a press conference with Armenian Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandian Lithuanian FM Audronius Azubalis voiced
his stance on French Senate’s adoption of the bill criminalizing the
Armenian Genocide denial.

“Sooner of later we will come face to face with history, giving fair
assessment to the past. Otherwise there can be no peaceful relations.

That’s why I support those politicians who stand for debate of
historical events,” he stated.

For his part, Minister Nalbandian noted that the French draft law is
not aimed against any country.

The two men further dwelled on Armenia-EU cooperation and Nagorno
Karabakh conflict settlement, with Minister Ažubalis reaffirming
Lithuania’s adherence to OSCE Minsk Group format.

On January 23, the French Senate passed the bill, initiated by a Deputy
Valérie Boyer, with 127 votes for and 86 against. On December 22,
2011, it was adopted by the French National Assembly. The bill will
impose a 45,000 euro fine and a year in prison for anyone in France
who denies this crime against humanity committed by the Ottoman Empire.

SEVERAL HOMEOWNERS WHO LOST THEIR HOMES WERE CALLED IN FOR QUESTIONING

epress.am
01.27.2012

Homeowners promised apartments in new buildings on Aram, Yekmalyan,
Buzand and Saryan streets in Yerevan continued their protests
today outside the presidential residence. Protestors were chanting
“President, answer!”, but this time no one from the president’s office
approached them.

Protesting homeowner Sona Maghakyan told Epress.am that today they
decided to send a letter to Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, but
Special Investigation Services called several members of their group
in for questioning.

“Calling [them] for questioning was premeditated because they knew
quite well that we were preparing to come early in the morning to
the intersection of Baghramyan and Demirchyan and wait until Serzh
Sargsyan comes to his office. We hope that perhaps this way we will
be able to give him the letter and force him to pay attention to us.

Being questioned by the Special Investigation Services was done with
a special purpose [in mind], so that our group becomes fragmented
and doesn’t attract attention. As a result, there are few signatures
in the letter, but we’re here and we’re waiting, that the homeowners
being questioned will come to the presidential residence and join us,”
she said.

TSVETANA PASKALEVA: PRESENT GENERATION NOT WELL FAMILIAR WITH ARTSAKH HEROES

Panorama.am
27/01/2012

“The Armenian army was created just in the battlefield, when Karabakh
people’s fate was being decided, in those terrible days Karabakh people
was going through,” Bulgarian director, cinematographer and reporter
Tsvetana Paskaleva told a news conference. “The army was created in
that terrible situation, in the battlefield, without any foundation.”

“The inner determination of people in the battlefield helped them
unite and succeed,” said the Bulgarian reporter.

According to her, unfortunately, the present generation is not well
familiar with the Artsakh heroes.

“They should know the heroes and learn from their experience,”
said Paskaleva.

ABSURD TO SPEAK OF ARMENIAN ARMY’S COMBAT READINESS: WAR VETERAN

epress.am
01.27.2012

It’s absurd to speak of the combat readiness of today’s Armenian army,
said commander of the Shushi battalion during the Nagorno-Karabakh
War and one of the founders of the Sardarapat civic movement Jirair
Sefilian, speaking to journalists in Yerevan today.

Speaking a day before the 20th anniversary of Armenia’s Armed Forces,
Sefilian said the hopes he had pinned on the army during the years
of the Nagorno-Karabakh War haven’t been justified.

“The army was to have served our country’s foreign and domestic
policies. Now the army has become a tool in the hands of the
authorities. The example is that they immersed the army in pressuring
internal unrest, which can’t be without consequences. I am against
the view that the army is society’s mirror. We could’ve created an
army that would’ve had only a positive impact on forming society. If
heros, and not usurpers, held the high-ranking positions in the army,
we would’ve had not only another army, but also a completely different
society,” he said.

As for recent incidents in the army and the increase in public
attention toward them, Sefilian said he was against both harassment
against the army and crimes in the army.

“We have to differentiate the wet from the dry. There’s criticism
that’s done to discredit [the army] and there’s criticism that is
for improving the army,” he said.

THE DESTRUCTION OF ARMENIANS IN CILICIA, APRIL 1909
by Hratchik Simonyan

Noyan Tapan
2012-01-26

One of the greatest massacres in late Ottoman history took place
in April 1909, when Armenians were the target of two massive waves
of violence organized by Ottoman authorities. These massacres took
place in Cilicia (i.e. Adana province and surrounding areas) with an
estimated 30,000 victims plus huge material losses. Most Armenian
historians consider these massacres to have been a prelude to the
Armenian Genocide of 1915.
Hrachik Simonyan~Rs The Destruction of Armenians in Cilicia, April
1909 is a detailed account of the 1909 massacres based mainly on a
range of Armenian primary and secondary sources. His work helps us to
better understand the victimization of Armenians and the polarization
of Ottoman society along ethno-religious lines barely a year after
the Ottoman constitutional revolution of 1908.

CONSEIL CONSTITUTIONNEL : NE RAJOUTEZ PAS L’INSULTE A VOTRE OPPOSITION
Ara

armenews.com
vendredi 27 janvier 2012

Senateurs, deputes, ne rajoutez pas l’insulte a votre opposition :
pas de recours au Conseil constitutionnel

Le Conseil de coordination des organisations armeniennes de France
(CCAF) appelle solennellement les Senateurs et les Deputes qui seraient
tentes par un recours au Conseil constitutionnel après le vote de
la loi sanctionnant le negationnisme, a renoncer a cette surenchère
procedurière. La representation nationale s’est prononcee, dans un
vote hautement symbolique du point de vue des droits de l’homme et
du respect de la dignite humaine.

Après presque cent ans de deni de justice, enfin la memoire des
victimes du genocide de 1915 est appelee a etre pleinement respectee
dans notre Republique. Chercher a renverser cette decision a la faveur
d’un troisième round, ne relève plus du debat d’idee raisonnable ou
de l’opposition democratique, mais d’une obstination qui confine a
l’insulte et a la provocation pour la memoire de ces morts qui n’ont
que la conscience humaine pour seule sepulture.

Nous reaffirmons que la Loi de la republique symbolise la souverainete
de notre Etat, la France, qui ne peut agir sous la pression de
puissances exterieures. A cet effet, nous denoncons les dernières
manoeuvres de la Turquie, dont l’ambassadeur en France a envoye une
lettre, que nous nous sommes procuree, a tous les senateurs qui ont
vote contre la loi. Ankara exerce ce type de pression insupportable sur
nos institutions, notre Etat et nos elus et les appelle ouvertement
“a bloquer la loi” pour”contribuer a la sauvegarde des relations
franco-turques”. Messieurs les elus, ne vous engagez pas dans une
action irresponsable qui ne fera qu’attiser les blessures, jeter de
l’huile sur le feu et encourager les pires turpitudes du negationnisme.

Le Conseil national du CCAF Paris, le 26 janvier 2012

AZERBAIJANI ISLAMIC PARTY: “FRANCE WANTS TO CREATE ENEMY IMAGE FROM DIFFERENT MUSLIM COUNTRIES”

APA
Jan 25 2012
Azerbaijan

Baku. Ramil Mammadli – APA. Azerbaijan Islamic Party (AIP) issued
statement condemning the French Senate’s adoption of law criminalizing
the denial of made-up “Armenian genocide”, AIP press service told APA.

The statement says that it was a high time to fight against West,
including France which is trying to show itself as a human rights
defender: “This step of France appears from the desire to create an
enemy image from different Muslim countries. Nowadays every Muslim
country, including Azerbaijan must say its word to the exploiter
countries like France, America, which were founded on the basis of
invasions and plundering. It is important to renounce the mediation
of France in the OSCE Minsk Group, which was entrusted with the
settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict”.

The Islamic Party also called the Muslim countries to struggle against
the policy of the Western countries: “We want the Muslim countries
to fight jointly against the crafty policy of the enemy and declare
the impossibility of escaping from the enemy’s crafty policy until
this unity is achieved”.

TURKEY NOT IN HURRY WITH ECONOMIC SANCTIONS AGAINST FRANCE

Trend
Jan 26 2012
Azerbaijan

Turkey is not in a hurry with economic sanctions against France,
as the law criminalising denial of the so called “Armenian genocide”
adopted by the country’s Senate is not the final decision of Paris on
this issue, TRT Haber TV Channel quotes Turkish Deputy Prime Minister
Ali Babacan as saying on Thursday.

“Turkey has taken wait-and-see attitude toward issue of economic
sanctions against France,” he said.

Mr Babacan said Turkey keeps watch on developments over “Armenian
genocide” law and the country’s further steps will depend on the
decision of Paris on this issue.

After eight hours of discussion, the Senate (upper chamber of the
French parliament) voted for adoption of the law criminalising denial
of the so called “Armenian genocide”. Some 127 senators voted for,
while 86 against.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey was preparing
new sanctions against France.

The Lower House of the French Parliament adopted a bill criminalising
the denial of the so-called “Armenian genocide” on Dec.22, 2011

The bill demands about a year’s imprisonment and a fine of 45,000
euros for denial of the so-called “Armenian genocide”.

MPs from the French President’s Union for Popular Movement (UMP)
party which has the parliamentary majority, proposed the bill which
aims at criminalising denial of the so-called “Armenian genocide” to
the legislative committee of the National Assembly in early December.

Armenia and the Armenian lobby claim that the predecessor of the Turkey
– Ottoman Empire had committed the 1915 genocide against the Armenians
living in Anadolu, and achieved recognition of the “Armenian Genocide”
by the parliaments of several countries.

APA, Azerbaijan
Jan 25 2012

“WE DON’T WANT THE WAR BETWEEN AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA OVER NAGORNO KARBAKH PROBLEM START AGAIN

Strasbourg. Fuad Gulubayli-APA. “We will never want the war between
Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno Karbakh problem start again. We
support OSCE Minsk Group efforts on peaceful solution of the conflict
and I guess, Azerbaijan also supports the peace process in this
direction,” said David Cameron PM of UK answering Armenian delegate
Naira Zohrabyan’s question on “huge investment of UK to Azerbaijan
and Baku’s intentions to start war over Nagorno Karbakh.

ICRC REPRESENTATIVES VISIT THREE ARMENIAN SERVICEMEN AND FIVE CIVILIANS HELD CAPTIVE IN AZERBAIJAN

Milaz.info
Jan 26 2012
Azerbaijan

Representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
visited three Armenian servicemen and five civilians held captive in
Azerbaijan, spokesperson for the ICRC Delegation in Azerbaijan Shahla
Gahramanova told APA.

ICRC representatives delivered four “Red Cross” letters to the captives
and received three “Red Cross” letters and three “safe and well”
messages from them.

Currently there are three Armenian prisoners of war and five civilians
in Azerbaijan.

The civilians are the members of one family – Yegishe, Ruzanna, Alfred,
Gayane and Petros Gevorkian. They crossed the Azerbaijani borders in
January, 2010.

Two the captives – Ohan Arutunyan and Gevorg Tovmasyan passed into
Azerbaijani side in May, 2009, another one – Karen Arutunyan passed
into Azerbaijani side in July, 2009. All of three soldiers wish to
be sent to a third country.