Author: Karakhanian Suren

USA EXERTS PRESSURE ON ARMENIA AND TURKEY

PanARMENIAN.Net
29.04.2009 17:50 GMT+04:00

Rumors on Armenian-Turkish agreement being prompted by US are
likely to be true, Russian expert on Caucasus Andrei Areshev told
a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. According to him, US definitely forced
Turkey and Armenia into signing the document. "However, Baku’s
position on Karabakh conflict will complicate realization of route map
agreement. Turkish and Azerbaijani diplomacies are closely related
to one another, so I don’t think a breakthrough in Armenian-Turkish
relations is a possibility at current stage," Areshev noted.

Hurriyet periodical and other Turkish mass media insist that the
Armenian-Turkish agreement was singed under the pressure of the US.

A. RUSTAMIAN SAYS PROVIDING OFFICES TO THE OPPOSITION IN THE PARLIAMENT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE INCREASE OF THE ROLE OF THE NA

ARMENPRESS
APRIL 29, 2009
YEREVAN

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) will discuss the
political coalition’s suggestion over preserving the offices of
Heads of NA Permanent Commissions during today’s session of the ARF
Highest body. Before that the representative of the highest body
Armen Rustamian told journalists that for a long time they have been
thinking that in the parliament the opposition must have an opportunity
to conduct a full activity.

"It is adopted in the whole world, that’s to say it must not seem
unusual and be considered a natural process, it will be good if we
put the basis of this", – he noted.

The representative of the highest body reminded that he was one of
the co-authors of the autumn 2008 amendments in the "NA Regulation"
law with which it has been set that the opposition also, according to
the d’Ont’s resolution, must get offices of heads and deputy heads of
NA permanent commissions. According to A. Rustamian it will contribute
to the increase of the NA role, as the destination of the NA is that
the disputes be transported into the parliament and not be resolved
in the street.

Referring to the statements of the Armenian National Congress according
to which the ARF became an opposition, A. Rustamian noted that the
issues they intend to solve being into the opposition need time "but
as soon as these issues are being solved it will become clear that
we take the field irrespective of anyone’s wish".

"I do not understand figures of the opposition or the political forces
who instead of directing their fight to the authorities-opposition
field, direct it to the opposition field. These statements once more
convince me that at this moment we have serious discords of political
views, approaches and style of activity with the Armenian National
Congress", – he added.

COOPERATION WITH NATO AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF ARMENIA’S NATIONAL SECURITY

armradio.am
28.04.2009 18:24

The President said the European direction remains one of the priorities
of Armenia’s foreign policy, and the cooperation with NATO is one
of its main components. Serzh Sargsyan said he views the cooperation
with NATO within the framework of the Partnership for Peace Program
as a component of our national security.

Claudio Bisogniero conveyed the greetings of NATO Secretary General
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer to President Serzh Sargsyan. Noting that this
was the first high-level visit after 2004, Mr. Bisogniero said it
is a proof of the great importance NATO attaches to its relations
with Armenia. According to him, NATO is satisfied with the progress
registered so far in different spheres of Armenia-NATO cooperation.

NATO’s Deputy Secretary General ranked high the reforms implemented
in the field of defense, and Armenia’s participation in a number of
programs within the framework of NATO.

The parties were unanimous in their opinion that the Armenia-NATO
Individual Partnership Action Plan is an effective tool for promoting
bilateral cooperation.

The interlocutors exchanged views on a number of issues connected with
ensuring security and stability in the region. President Sargsyan said
the settlement of existing conflicts is important for the improvement
of the security atmosphere.

According to the NATO official, the Alliance welcomes the
Armenian-Turkish political dialogue and the progress in that
direction. Regarding the Nagorno Karabakh issue, he noted that although
NATO is not directly involved in the process, it closely watches the
developments and welcomes any effort that will bring to the peaceful
resolution of the issue.

The parties agreed that the conflict should be solved in compliance
with all principles of international law, no principle can prevail
or substitute another one.

DID YOU KNOW?

Polish Market
877?lang=PL
April 28 2009
Poland

It is a little known fact that Ignacy Aukasiewicz (1822-1882),
a Polish chemist of Armenian origin is not only the inventor of
the paraffin lamp but was, first and foremost, the father of the
petroleum industry. At the turn of 1852, Aukasiewicz and Jan Zeh
obtained petroleum by the fractioned method of distilling crude oil,
for which Aukasiewicz tried to find practical use. The first lamp
he constructed, (the previously applied oil lamps could not be used
with petroleum) was used to illuminate his pharmacy’s window, but
the 31 July 1853 must be recognised as the official birthday of the
petroleum industry, since it was then that petrol illumination was
used for the first time during an urgent night-time operation in the
common hospital in the Ayczakiw district of Lvov city. The world’s
first crude oil mine at Bibrka near Krosno started delivering in
the next year. It belonged to the Trzecieski-Aukasiewicz crude oil
company and is still operating today.

OBAMA AVOIDS USING ‘GENOCIDE’ IN ARMENIAN STATEMENT

Jewish Telegraphic Agency
April 27 2009

WASHINGTON (JTA) — President Obama avoided using the word "genocide"
to describe the killing of 1.5 million Armenians by Turks in 1915.

In a statement released Friday to commemorate Armenian Remembrance
Day, Obama said that "I have consistently stated my own view
of what occurred in 1915, and my view of that history has not
changed. My interest remains the achievement of a full, frank and
just acknowledgment of the facts."

As a presidential candidate, Obama explicitly said he would "recognize"
the Armenian genocide and that it was not a "personal opinion" but
a "widely documented fact supported by an overwhelmingly body of
historical evidence."

Recognition of the Armenian genocide became a controversial issue in
the Jewish community two years ago when some Jewish organizations,
notably the Anti-Defamation League, opposed an unsuccessful
congressional resolution recognizing the atrocities against Armenians
as genocide. Turkey opposed the resolution, and the ADL and others felt
it might hurt relations among Turkey, Israel and the United States.

The ADL previously had refused to use the term "genocide" to describe
the killings, but reversed itself in August 2007 and used the term
"tantamount to genocide" after a wave of criticism.

Le Monde, France
7 Avril 2009

Génocide arménien : "En Turquie, Obama a fait preuve
d’habileté"

LEMONDE.FR | 06.04.09 | 20h19 ¢ Mis à jour le 07.04.09 | 08h20

Raymond Kevorkian, directeur de recherches à l’université
Paris-VIII, spécialiste de la Turquie et de l’Arménie,
décrypte la position du président américain concernant
le génocide arménien. Ce dernier a répondu, lundi 6
avril à Ankara, à un journaliste : "Mon opinion est publique,
et je n’en ai pas changé. Je veux aujourd’hui mettre l’accent non sur
mes opinions personnelles, mais sur les opinions des peuples turc et
arménien. S’ils peuvent avancer… le monde entier doit les
encourager." Il a aussi estimé que le dialogue entre les deux pays
"pourrait très vite porter ses fruits".

Suivez l’information en continu, accédez à 70 fils de
dépêches thématiques Abonnez-vous au Monde.fr :
6?¬ par mois + 30 jours offertsQue pensez-vous des propos de Barack
Obama à Ankara sur le génocide arménien ?

Le président américain a fait preuve d’habileté. Il a
d’abord fait référence aux positions qu’il a exprimées
comme sénateur et comme candidat à la présidence des
Etats-Unis. A l’époque, il avait prôné une
véritable rupture : dire clairement qu’il s’agissait d’un
génocide. Alors que George Bush, comme ses
prédécesseurs, s’y était toujours refusé et
était personnellement intervenu auprès des parlementaires, en
octobre 2007, alors que la Chambre des représentants
s’apprêtait à adopter un texte sur ce sujet.

Aujourd’hui, Barack Obama, aux côtés du président turc,
Abdullah Gül, a fait savoir qu’il refuse de se dédire au
profit de la realpolitik, alors qu’on aurait pu craindre que les
considérations éthiques et morales passent au second plan
maintenant qu’il est au pouvoir. Cependant, il n’a pas prononcé le
terme de "génocide", ménageant ainsi la Turquie, et s’est
refusé à instrumentaliser le sujet. Alors qu’Ankara est
prêt à beaucoup de concessions sur d’autres dossiers pour
éviter que les Etats-Unis reconnaissent le génocide ` ce
qu’ont fait toutes les autres grandes puissances occidentales `, il n’en a
pas joué. Ses déclarations devraient donc satisfaire chaque
camp.

Peut-on imaginer que le président américain aille plus loin
lors de la date anniversaire du génocide arménien, le 24 avril
?

Traditionnellement, le président américain s’exprime à
cette date pour évoquer une "grande catastrophe", des "massacres" ou
un "crime contre l’humanité". Barack Obama ira-t-il plus loin ? Il
faut souligner qu’une nouvelle motion de reconnaissance du génocide a
été déposée au Congrès, mi-mars, par les
élus qui défendent la diaspora arménienne aux
Etats-Unis, forte d’un million de personnes et constituée en
lobby. Mais je ne pense pas que le président parlera
expressément de génocide, ce qui provoquerait sans doute le
rappel par Ankara de son ambassadeur aux Etats-Unis. Et ce dossier ne
paraît pas actuellement une priorité pour Washington,
confronté à la crise économique internationale et aux
bourbiers irakien et afghan. Les Etats-Unis ont besoin de soutien, et
notamment celui de la Turquie, dont ils attendent qu’elle serve de
plate-forme pour rapatrier leurs troupes d’Irak.

Doit-on s’attendre alors à un statu quo ?

Barack Obama a dit qu’il privilégie pour l’instant le dialogue entre
les Turcs et les Arméniens engagé depuis quelques mois, qui
vise à établir des relations diplomatiques entre les deux pays
et à ouvrir leur frontière commune. Les deux parties seraient
proches d’un accord, mais des rumeurs identiques, dans les années
1990, ne s’étaient jamais concrétisées… Jusqu’ici,
Ankara posait notamment deux conditions que son petit voisin ne peut
accepter : qu’il renonce à soulever la question du génocide,
et qu’il fasse des concessions sur le dossier du Haut-Karabakh, à
majorité arménienne, qui s’est autoproclamé
indépendant [en 1991] pendant la guerre remportée par
l’Arménie sur l’Azerbaïdjan (allié à la
Turquie). Barack Obama peut avoir une influence sur la Turquie pour mettre
fin à ces exigences, et a peut-être d’ores et
déjà mis la pression, en privé, lors de son entretien
avec M. Gül. Washington semble ainsi miser sur le fait que, une fois
leurs relations diplomatiques établies, Ankara et Erevan
règleront eux-mêmes leur différend sur le
génocide. Le président américain a laissé toutes
les options ouvertes, ce lundi.

Propos recueillis par Claire Ané

le/2009/04/06/genocide-armenien-en-turquie-obama-a -fait-preuve-d-habilete_1177204_3214.html#ens_id=1 145884

Eurovision.tv
April 24 2009

Armenia: How Inga & Anush were ‘high’ in Amsterdam

Published 24/Apr 2009 @ 11:17 by Jarmo Siim

Digg this article If you visit the official blog of the 2009 Armenian
participants Inga and Anush on their MyEurovision profile, you can
read an interesting story about the word combination ‘high’ and
Amsterdam.

"No, no, that’s not what you thought! We both strongly support the
healthy lifestyle, go to gym everyday and drink natural juices!" the
say in their blog at MyEurovision.

It’s simply a play of words – high (pronounced as ‘hai’) – means
‘Armenian’ in their native language, apparently.

"So, we are walking in the streets of Amsterdam, enjoying one of our
greatest trips so far, and suddenly we see a guy – with a typical
Armenian appearance. Anush says: "Hay a hastat (translated as ‘He is
definitely ‘Armenian’)!" and I’m like ‘hay a!’. Imagine our faces when
the guy turns to us and says: "Girls, it’s natural to be high in
Amsterdam, why are you so happy about that?" explains Inga.

They decided explanation was useless and continued their trip to a
museum.

You can read the full blog post on their MyEurovision profile and see
their video below.

Also read comments(especially Azeri one) at:

SOME RUSSIAN ANALYSTS AIM TO EMBROIL RUSSIA WITH ARMENIA

PanArmenian News
April 23 2009
Armenia

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Head of the Center of Caucasus Studies at Moscow
State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) Vladimir Zakharov
said that a large number of Russian analysts aim to embroil Russia
with Armenia.

"These, let us say commentators, work to create a negative image
of Armenia in Russia. Everybody knows that these are pro-Azerbaijani
journalists trying to discredit Armenia, since it agreed to participate
in NATO exercise in Georgia," he told PanARMENIAN.Net.

"Russian leadership has constant and positive attitude to Armenia. I
declare it with all responsibility. And President Ilham Aliyev’s visit
changed nothing. The point is that Azerbaijan can turn its back to
Russia, what is not desirable at the moment," he said.

INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MUSTN’T BE CONSIDERED ANTI-TURKISH POLICY

PanArmenian News
April 22 2009
Armenia

USA’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide will change the situation
in Armenian-Turkish relations and have a positive influence on
normalization of ties between Yerevan and Ankara, Armen Rustamyan
Head of RA NA Committee for Foreign Affairs, said at TV space
bridge entitled "Armenia-Turkey: Progress in bilateral relations or
geopolitical games of world powers?"

"Despite official Ankara’s statements that USA’s recognition of the
Armenian genocide will impair the negotiation process between Armenia
and Turkey, I believe it will promote establishment of trust in the
region," RA MP stated.

"International recognition of Armenian Genocide mustn’t be considered
as anti-Turkish policy manifestation. Turkey still believes that
the process is directed against Turkish nation. Armenian Genocide
recognition is necessary for prevention of crimes against humanity
in future," Rustamyan stated.

In his turn, Yerevan Armenian Genocide Museum Director Hayk Demoyan
noted that Armenian Genocide recognition is not a political, but
rather a humanitarian issue.

Armenian Genocide is not only a part of Armenia’s history. By
recognizing the Armenian Genocide, countries of the world will
honor memories of people who offered humanitarian help to genocide
survivors. "Armenian Genocide recognition is a homage to our own
memories," Demoyan noted.

YEREVAN AND ANKARA SIGN ‘ROAD MAP’

ArmInfo
2009-04-23 08:53:00

ArmInfo. On April 22, official Yerevan and Ankara signed a so-called
"road map" in Switzerland which enables to establish diplomatic
relations between Armenia and Turkey. The document signed has been
already called "historical" in both countries, ‘Vesti’ TV channel
reported.

According to the source, the document has been signed under mediation
of Switzerland. Diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey were
interrupted in 1993, that was caused by the events in Nagorno Karabakh,
when Ankara openly supported Azerbaijan. The fact of international
recognition of the Armenian Genocide has become an additional
stumbling-block in bilateral relations. It is interesting that the
document has been signed 2 days before the Day of Commemoration of
the Genocide victims marked in Armenia on April 24. Official contacts
between the two states have started very recently.

President of Turkey Abdullah Gul visited Yerevan in September, 2008,
on invitation of the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan to jointly watch
a football match between the national teams of Armenia and Turkey.