Author: Khondkarian Raffi

Federation of Armenian Organisations in The Netherlands (FAON)

Address: Weesperstraat 91 – 2574 VS The Hague, The Netherlands

Website: www.faon.nl

E-mail: [email protected]



PRESS RELEASE

Dutch Parliament discusses Erdogan’s Hate Speech on Armenian Genocide



The Hague, – The Federation of Armenian Organisations in the Netherlands (FAON) has rejected Foreign Minister Stef Blok’s lax response to the call from the House of Representatives to condemn the unacceptable words about the Armenian Genocide by Turkish president Erdogan on 24 April 2019, the commemoration day of the Armenian Genocide.



During the debate in the Chamber on 15 May 2019 on the situation in Turkey, the minister was urged by various factions to condemn the inadmissible denial practices by Turkish President Erdogan, who stated that “the relocation of the Armenian gangs and their supporters, who massacred the Muslim people, was the most reasonable action that could be taken in such a period”.



In his plea, MP Joël Voordewind (ChristianUnion – CU) recalled also the still valid motion by Rouvoet, in which the Chamber unanimously instructed the government to put constantly and explicitly the recognition of the Armenian Genocide on the agenda in the dialogue with Turkey. This motion from 2004 is the first unanimous recognition of the Armenian Genocide by Dutch Parliament. The motion has been quoted countless times in the Parliament, when the human rights situation in Turkey in general and the denial of the Armenian Genocide in particular has been discussed.



MPs Martijn van Helvert (Christian Democratic Appeal – CDA) and Kees van der Staaij (Reformed Political Party – SGP) also made an important point, that a Dutch response is necessary to the unheard statements made by the Turkish president.



Minister Blok dismissed these urgent questions about, in his words, “the issue of the Armenian Genocide”, by saying that he will not respond each time to what other people say.



The FAON believes that the trivialising responses of the Minister are an evidence of a far-reaching and dangerous political opportunism. In the discussions, the Minister had to answer several times the question about the method used not only to restore the relations with Turkey but also expand them. The question has also been raised if it wouldn’t be naïve to hope that by increasing trade relations, it will be possible to achieve improvements in the rule of law in Turkey.



Erdogan and Armenian Genocide

In a speech at a symposium on national archives and historical research and in a tweet on 24 April 2019, President Erdogan raged in unprecedented ways, suggesting that the Turkish archives uncover the truth about history. He spoke in terms of “Armenian gangs killing Muslims”, making the deportations of the Armenians “the most reasonable action”. He also addressed France full of hatred, where this year 24 April was declared a national day of commemoration of the Armenian Genocide.



Alteration and denial of the facts around the Armenian Genocide have been at the heart of Turkey’s denial policy for decades. Like the Dutch government, many have presumed to show a positive development trough vague statements about ”compassion with Armenians” from Turkey, but the recent comments show not only that the policy of denial has not changed, but as well that Erdogan will not hesitate to spread hate over the backs of innocent victims. This is a dangerous and unacceptable fact. In fact, a start should be made finally to face the black pages in history.



The Netherlands

In the Netherlands, the Armenian community tries to keep the memory of the victims of the Armenian genocide alive in a peaceful and dignified manner. The Turkish community is taken into account here, and where possible it is involved, such as at the national commemoration on 24 April 2019 in Assen, where the Armenian genocide monument also involved a joint wreath laying of Armenian, Turkish and Kurdish youth.



At the resumption of diplomatic relations between Turkey and the Netherlands, Minister Blok recently spoke about the many pillars on which they rest. It was assumed that the Netherlands would strongly condemn the flagrant denial in the aforementioned judgments and that Turkey would be challenged.



The FAON points out that in 2004 the House of Representatives had already instructed the government to put the recognition of the Armenian Genocide on the agenda in negotiations with Turkey. Also, apart from this motion, an appropriate response is necessary. The Parliament also explicitly recognised the Armenian Genocide in later rulings, such as in February 2018 with the virtually unanimous adoption of Motion by MP Voordewind. This is a moment when the government cannot remain silent. Even in the mistaken view of the government, that the government could not legally use the term genocide, which is strongly criticised by FAON, the Netherlands, which advocates international law, cannot remain silent. Silence is equivalent to consent!

20190418_001534.jpg

20190418_131239.jpg
20190418_131239.jpg

Thursday, 
Armenian PM Warns Of Tough Action Against ‘Fake News’
Armenia -- Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian speaks at a cabinet meeting in 
Yerevan, April 4, 2019. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Thursday threatened to respond “very harshly” 
to unnamed “former oligarchs” who he said falsely accuse his government of 
pushing up fuel prices in Armenia. Pashinian ordered the National Security Service (NSS) to crack down on anyone 
who uses mass media or social media to “manipulate public opinion.”
“Let nobody succumb to the temptation to feel on their jaw the power of a 
counterblow by the government enjoying the people’s trust,” he warned at a 
weekly cabinet meeting in Yerevan. Pashinian was incensed by a newspaper report which claimed that the retail 
price of pressurized natural gas, used by most vehicles in Armenia, has jumped 
by around 40 percent because of government plans to introduce new pricing 
requirements for it. Under a bill approved by the government in February, motorists would have to 
pay for every kilogram, rather than cubic meter, of gas purchased by them. Officials argued that the weight of gas is a more objective measure than its 
volume because the latter can have different degrees of density. The bill has 
yet to be debated by the Armenian parliament. Speaking at the cabinet meeting, the head of a government body monitoring the 
domestic fuel market, Armen Kotolian, said that car owners have paid more for 
pressurized gas for the last few days because of its increased density. Kotolian insisted that the cost of gas has not gone up in real terms. Pashinian seized upon that explanation to denounce “manipulative reports” about 
the impact of the measure planned by the government. He blamed them on owners 
of gas stations who he said want to continue to evade taxes. “If some former oligarchs think that in the existing situation they can enter 
the field of manipulations, they are mistaken,” he said. “I want to warn 
everyone for the last time not to interpret our civility as weakness. Or else, 
each of them will get a very harsh counterblow.”
The outspoken premier did not name any of those tycoons. The major owners of 
gas station chains include Gagik Tsarukian, one of the country’s richest men 
who also leads the opposition Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK). The BHK controls 
the second largest faction in the National Assembly. Pashinian went on to order the head of the NSS, Artur Vanetsian, to already 
launch a crackdown. “True, the freedom of speech and information is guaranteed 
in our country,” he told Vanetsian. “But if some criminal circles spend 
millions on manipulating public opinion through the press and social media, 
that’s a matter of national security, and I hope that your service will manage 
to achieve concrete results on this front.”
The premier also demanded NSS action against “fake” social media users who he 
said also openly call for violent actions, including against members of the 
former Armenian government. Speaking to journalists after the government session, Vanetsian said that the 
NSS will be treading “very carefully” on the issue. “If [social media] posts, 
whether by fake or actual users, do not contain elements of a crime, 
law-enforcement bodies will have no reason to act,” he said. All forms of libel were decriminalized in Armenia about a decade ago. Fake News Not Criminal Offence In Armenia, Says Activist
        • Ruzanna Stepanian
Armenia - Daniel Ioannisian of the Union of Informed Citizens talks to 
Azatutyun TV, Yerevan,10Dec2018
Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) is not legally allowed to launch a 
crackdown on false news reports and social media comments ordered by Prime 
Minister Nikol Pashinian, a prominent civic activist insisted on Thursday. “At the moment there are virtually no legal mechanisms allowing the NSS to 
fight against fake news, unless those who spread fake news commit other 
crimes,” said Daniel Ioannisian of the Yerevan-based Union of Informed Citizens. “At the same time, if we … talk about legislative changes, we have to bear in 
mind that in a democratic society the spread of fake news cannot be deemed a 
crime and prosecuted by the state,” Ioannisian told RFE/RL’s Armenian service. “In this regard, the state has very few possibilities of giving law-enforcers, 
within the framework of legislative changes, levers to fight against fake news.”
Ioannisian argued that the Armenian Criminal Code does not give law-enforcement 
authorities such levers. All forms of libel were decriminalized in Armenia about a decade ago. Earlier in the day, Pashinian ordered the head of the NSS, Artur Vanetsian, to 
crack down on anyone who uses mass media or social media to “manipulate public 
opinion.” He referred to “fake” social media users who he said also make untrue 
claims on government policies or openly call for violence. Pashinian’s supporters themselves have been accused by members of the former 
Armenian government and other critics of the country’s current leadership of 
spreading fake news during and after last year’s “velvet revolution.”
Asked whether the crackdown ordered by Pashinian could be seen as a threat to 
freedom of expression, Ioannisian said: “That depends on what steps would be 
taken. I don’t exclude that those who spread fake news also commit other 
crimes. Maybe by solving those crimes the NSS will manage to thwart the 
activities of those who spread fake news.”
Security Chief Downplays Mother’s ‘Resignation’
Ապրիլ 04, 2019
Armenia - Artur Vanetsian, director of the National Security Service, visits a 
medical center for rehabilitation of wounded soldiers, February 1, 2019. The head of Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS), Artur Vanetsian, urged 
media on Thursday not to politicize the dismissal of his mother who has held a 
senior position in Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s office. Margarit Azarian ran the office’s human resources division until being relieved 
of her duties on Tuesday. Pashinian also sacked several other senior members of his staff. His press 
secretary, Vladimir Karapetian, told RFE/RL’s Armenian service that the 
officials lost their jobs because of “inadequate execution of the prime 
minister’s orders.”
Vanetsian insisted, however, that Azarian, who also worked for Armenia’s former 
presidents, herself decided to resign. He cited an official statement posted on 
the prime minister’s website. “But I don’t want to discuss that because the prime minister’s decisions must 
be executed, not discussed,” he told reporters. “Please do not personalize this process,” Vanetsian went on. “My mother worked 
in the state system for a very long time, even when I was a schoolboy. My 
mother continued to work in the state system when I was appointed as director 
of the National Security Service.”
“So please do not link my and mother’s work with each other,” he said. Vanetsian has been widely regarded as an influential member of Pashinian’s 
entourage since the latter was elected prime minister in May last year. He has 
been instrumental in high-profile corruption investigations launched by the NSS 
in recent months. Armenian Tax Officials To Get Extra Bonuses
        • Naira Nalbandian
Armenia -- A customs checkpoint at the main Armenian-Georgian border crossing 
at Bagratashen, 4Nov2016. Ignoring strong objections from its finance minister, the Armenian government 
nearly tripled on Thursday the total amount of bonuses which will be paid to 
tax and customs officials this year. The government originally planned to spend 833 million drams ($1.7 million) for 
this purpose. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said the sum should be raised to 
2.33 billion drams to discourage corruption in the State Revenue Committee 
(SRC) and reward its employees for better-than-expected tax collection. “We have to understand what we are dealing with,” he told a cabinet meeting in 
Yerevan. “A customs officer who processes tens and sometimes even hundreds of 
millions drams worth of goods each day gets a [monthly] salary of 160,000 
drams.”
Pashinian said that the modest salary, which is below the current national 
average of 172, 000 drams ($355), tempts them to take bribes and engage in 
other corrupt practices. He also argued that the SRC, which comprises the 
Armenian tax and customs services, exceeded its revenue target in the first 
quarter of 2019 by 11.4 billion drams. Finance Minister Atom Janjughazian openly objected to the measure, sparking a 
bitter verbal exchange with the SRC chief, Davit Ananian. Armenia - Finance Minister Atom Janjughazian is about to present the 
government's draft budget for 2019 to parliament deputies in Yerevan, 13 
November 2018
Janjughazian said that the sharp rise in government funding for bonuses would 
make the SRC “the most equal among equals” in the government. He also 
downplayed the SRC’s first-quarter performance, saying that “in theory” it 
could have collected even more taxes given continuing economic growth in the 
country. “In theory, we can say anything,” countered Ananian. “For example, we can say 
in theory that we have messed up the management of public finances.”
Pashinian insisted on the proposed “interim solution,” while admitting that 
Janjughazian has a point. He promised to seek “more institutional and deep 
solutions” to the sensitive issue of extra pay for government officials and 
civil servants. The prime minister also argued that the sum in question will still pale in 
comparison with 6 billion drams in bonuses which the SRC’s leadership and other 
employees received last year. The disclosure by Armenian media of hefty bonuses paid to tax officials as well 
as the employees of other government agencies caused opposition uproar late 
last year. Ananian was forced to admit in January that he alone received 14 
million drams ($29,000) in bonuses during his eight-month tenure. Pashinian essentially defended those payments, arguing that they also benefited 
ordinary public sector employees, notably school teachers. He also complained 
that the government has trouble attracting skilled professionals working for 
private firms because government salaries are too low. Press Review
“Zhamanak” looks at implications of U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial 
decision to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights. The paper 
says the Israeli government has responded to the move by unveiling plans to 
build more Jewish settlements there. It says this policy should serve as an 
example for Armenia in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. “Haykakan Zhamanak” says Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev responded to 
Armenian Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan when he said that his country’s war 
with Armenia never ended. “He didn’t say anything new,” comments the paper. “Of 
course the war is not over and we have known that for a long time. This is why 
everyone in Armenia now speaks about lessons of the April [2016] war and what 
steps are needed to avert a repeat of it. But sadly, instead of finding a joint 
solution as a result of these discussions, political forces and expert circles 
are trying to use this topic for their parochial interests or the needs of 
their sponsors.” In particular, the pro-government paper says, any attempt to 
discuss the Armenian military’s shortcomings in April 2016 is immediately 
branded as a desire to persecute Armenia’s former leadership. “Zhoghovurd” says that one of the purposes of periodical joint statements made 
by the U.S., Russian and French co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group is to test 
Armenian and Azerbaijani public reactions to them. The paper says the mediators 
specifically want to see how prepared Armenians and Azerbaijanis are for 
peaceful settlements proposed by them. “In this regard, it is very important to 
raise the publics’ awareness of the current phase of the negotiating process to 
a proper level.”
Vladimir Kazimirov, Russia’s chief Karabakh negotiator in 1992-1996, tells “168 
Zham” that a renewed full-scale war in Karabakh is not likely. “But [shooting] 
incidents happen and they may continue,” says Kazimirov. “The party that is 
interested in them may want to test its forces as it did in April 2016. Such 
incidents may happen again. But I don’t think that the conflicting parties are 
interested in the resumption of a big war. One of the parties always threatens 
to use force. But this [threat] is primarily addressed to its own people.”
(Sargis Harutyunyan)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2019 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc. 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org