Author: Manouk Vasilian

Kazinform, Kazakhstan
July 11 2005
Settlement of Nagorny Karabakh conflict to be discussed in Tbilisi
BAKU. July 11. KAZINFORM. On the initiative of the International
Crisis Group (ICG) and Reconciliation Opportunities Organization
(ROO), an international seminar on the topic “Opportunities and
prospects for settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict” on July
12-15, in Tbilsii, Kazinform has learnt from Azer-TAj.
Deputy chairperson of the international relations and
inter-parliamentary links standing committee of Azerbaijan Parliament
Gultekin Hajiyeva will also partake at the action.
She will participate in the discussions, state the position of the
Azerbaijan Republic on the issue.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian officials, Norwegian speaker discuss cooperation
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
22 Jun 05
A delegation led by the head of the Norwegian parliament, Joergen
Kosmo, has arrived in Armenia for the first time. Armenian Speaker
Artur Bagdasaryan thanked the Norwegian government for the work of the
Armenian office of the Norwegian council on refugee affairs. Joergen
Kosmo spoke of Armenia’s important role in establishing peace and
stability in the region and stressed that any problems should be
solved only by political means.
He also expressed readiness to assist Armenia in establishing regional
ties.
Andranik Markaryan [Armenian prime minister] and Joergen Kosmo
discussed trade and economic relations and called for serious work in
boosting trade between the two countries and cooperation in the sphere
of high technologies, energy, agriculture, science, education and
culture.
The prime minister expressed the hope that the Norwegian council will
continue its work in Armenia and aid programmes to the tune of 12m
dollars will be implemented.
[Video showed the meetings]
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CIS foreign ministers agree on ratification of adapted conventional arms
treaty
Interfax news agency
22 Jun 05
Moscow, 22 June: The foreign ministers of the Collective Security
Treaty Organization’s member-states on Wednesday [22 June] signed a
statement on the ratification of the agreement on the adaptation of
the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty.
“The Collective Security Treaty Organization’s member-states believe
that the adapted Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty is a
fundamental security guarantee in Europe and are doing everything
possible to ensure the earliest possible implementation of the
political commitment to make active efforts to finalize the national
ratification procedures, which were adopted in Istanbul in 1999,” the
foreign ministers said in a statement circulated today.
“The member-states hope that all signatories to the CFE treaty will
make similar efforts, which would allow the CFE treaty to remain an
important factor of stability and trust in Europe, and encourage other
countries to join it, which is expected to seriously strengthen the
architecture of European security,” the statement says.
The Collective Security Treaty Organization comprises Russia, Belarus,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Armenia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Daily Star – Lebanon, Lebanon
June 17 2005
The Chameleon: Ariane Delacampagne blends into the urban environment
Beiruti-turned-New York photographer unveils her first show in
Lebanon
By Kaelen Wilson-Goldie
Daily Star staff
Friday, June 17, 2005
BEIRUT: Stand long enough on a busy street corner in a bustling city,
any city, and you’ll see a million melodramas in minutia erupting all
around you. The trick, for Ariane Delacampagne, is to catch them with
her camera, to frame them in compositions that later, when reproduced
and hung on an interior wall, will crack open and release the same
energy that was palpable on the street.
Schooled on the work of Gary Winograd and Lee Friedlander,
Delacampagne is a photographer of the urban and the everyday. The
lush and deliberate arrangement of form and color apparent in every
one of her images probably puts her more in line with William
Eggleston (born in Memphis, raised on a cotton plantation in the
Mississippi Delta, widely considered the most influential color
photographer the U.S. has ever seen), who once described his pictures
“like jokes and like lessons,” according to novelist and fellow
southerner Donna Tart. Delacampagne’s style draws strength from
vintage street photography with its embrace of the vernacular, but it
also indulges more formal structures and more weighty conceptual
concerns.
Through June 18, nearly 40 of Delacampagne’s photographs are on view
at Galerie Rochane in Saifi for an exhibition entitled “Villes
Japonaises (Japanese Cities).” The show is her first in Lebanon,
after a handful of group exhibitions in the U.S.
It also comes at a time when she is preparing for an upcoming outing
at the Nimes Fine Art School in the South of France, for which she
has been commissioned to produce a body of work in black and white on
flamenco.
Born Ariane Ateshian in Beirut (Delacampagne’s Armenian maiden name,
she explains with a slow burning smile, means “fire” in Turkish), she
studied political science at the American University of Beirut and
worked for two years in Lebanese television during the mid 1980s. She
now lives and works in Yorkville, on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, and
considers herself a true New Yorker, though she returns to Beirut
every summer to see her family.
In terms of photography, she explains, “I started professionally, and
seriously, five years ago. I had the opportunity to travel so I took
a camera with me. But I wanted to go beyond pictures you’d take as
souvenirs. I took a class at ICP, the International Center for
Photography in New York. My teacher pushed me toward street
photography. I fell in love with this kind of photography.”
It takes a long time, she explains, because you have to watch and you
have to wait. But if the process requires “patience, tenacity,” then
the reward is an aesthetic that captures “the intensity and vibrancy
of New York. This is the kind of photography I try to apply wherever
I go, whether Vietnam or Lebanon. I don’t like the idea of posing.
This approach suits me best.”
When Delacampagne is taking pictures, she doesn’t tell her subjects
and doesn’t ask for permission. Rather, she enters the city and
enters the crowd and waits long enough to blend in, long enough to
take in the full scope of the scene around her, long enough for her
subjects to notice her and get used to her.
“If I tell them it disrupts the equilibrium. I try to be part of the
crowd, not invisible,” she says, but practically so. “You have to
stay for a long time.”
For the time being, Delacampagne has no plans to go digital and
shoots with a small, traditional camera. Her work consists of
“untouched prints” without manipulation. “What I do doesn’t need it.
Street photography doesn’t really need it. You get raw emotion. I’m
not saying I won’t someday use digital but for now I like the fact
that my camera is discrete.”
To make her point, she lifts one elbow to reveal the case of her
conspicuous black Leica, heretofore invisible as Delacampagne sits in
the gallery at Rochane, clad in pomo New Yorker black with unruly
hair, smart spectacles, and lips stained the red of vintage 1940s
glamour.
“I don’t want to change yet,” she adds. “I haven’t exhausted all the
possibilities.” Still, she adds, “I’m not that much of a purist.”
Delacampagne is drawn to the life pulsing through big cities and big
crowds. “There is always so much happening, even if you stay on one
street corner,” she says. “I would love to go to New Delhi. I would
love to take more pictures in Cairo.”
At present, Delacampagne says, Asian cities are of particular
interest to her.
“There is all this movement and vitality. Japan was very new to me. I
am attracted by large crowds and Japanese cities are wonderful from a
photographer’s point of view.”
Tokyo and Kyoto also made for a nice contrast. “Kyoto is like
Florence – there are so many temples; it seems frozen in time; it is
absolutely pristine. I think one can spend months and years shooting
there.”
One of the things that interested Delacampagne most was the
juxtaposition in Japan between tradition and modernity, something
that extends far beyond any one particular geopolitical location and
finds expression in others, linking, in this case, Japan to Lebanon.
For her first show in Beirut, she explains, “I thought it was a good
opportunity to show something different and quite joyful. Japanese
cities have a joy and exuberance to them. And I was interested also
in how, in Japan after World War II, they managed to build a society
after the war. It is interesting to see how they did that and how
they maintained their traditions.
“Everyday rituals are something I try to photograph in many different
cultures. I’m interested in the relationships men have with religious
rituals. How do we live in modern societies? How do we maintain a
rapport between them?”
At Galerie Rochane, one of Delacampagne’s images captures a foxy,
leggy mom in knee-high stiletto boots, crouched down to arrange her
daughter’s traditional dress for a cultural celebration in Tokyo. In
Kyoto, she pictures a group of students visiting a temple before
their exams to catch water from a sacred source for a gesture of good
luck. In what looks like a typical inner-city greasy-spoon diner, she
frames a young fisherman, taking a rest after the early morning haul,
reading a newspaper in a dining room full of similarly solitary
clientele.
Delacampagne describes her work as spontaneous, but clearly her
approach is more methodological and more thoughtful. Taking the time
needed to blend into a city also involves taking the time required to
absorb it and to get to know its rhythms and customs and boundaries.
But in the end, Delacampagne takes her time to fulfill a more
artistic and aesthetic desire.
“I look for many things at the same time,” she explains. “I look for
movement, color, expression, form, and when they coincide, and always
when there is tension – that’s important – I am satisfied.”
Ariane Delacampagne’s “Villes Japonaises (Japanese Cities)” is on
view at Galerie Rochane through June 18. For more information, call
+961 1 972 238
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

STATUE OF HOVHANNES SHIRAZ TO STAND IN GYUMRI
AZG Armenian Daily #110, 16/06/2005
Home
While more and more cafes surround the statue of Avetik Isahakian in
Yerevan, the Gyumri administration has decided to erect the copper
statue of Hovhannes Shiraz beside the statues of Avetik Isahakian and
Mher Mkrtchian on the wide Theatre Square. The town administration
thinks that opening of the poet’s statue will add solemnity to the
celebrations of Gyumri Day this September.
The poet already has one monument in Gyumri — his stone bust was
erected at the town park years ago — and this will be the second
monument.
Ara Shiraz is, the sculptor, said the statue will be 3.1 meters high
without the pedestal.
The other monument to be built in Gyumri this year is the memorial to
the Bagratuni Dynasty on occasion of the Dynasty’s 1120th anniversary.
By Gegham Mkrtchian
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Députés turcs en Suisse: question arménienne en toile de fond
SwissInfo, Suisse
lundi 13 juin 2005
BERNE – Une délégation de la commission de politique extérieure
du Parlement turc a entamé une visite en Suisse. Les députés
rencontreront Micheline Calmy-Rey et Joseph Deiss, alors que les
relations bilatérales ont souffert de la question arménienne.
La visite dure cinq jours. Selon le secrétariat de la Commission du
Conseil des Etats, les hôtes turcs doivent s’entretenir mardi avec la
cheffe de la diplomatie Micheline Calmy-Rey ainsi qu’avec le patron du
Département fédéral de l’économie (DFE) Joseph Deiss. Des discussions
sont aussi prévues ce jour-là avec les présidents du Conseil national
Thérèse Meyer et du Conseil des Etats Bruno Frick.
Mme Meyer préside la Chambre qui a reconnu en 2003 le génocide
arménien, suscitant les vives protestations d’Ankara. Au niveau
cantonal, le génocide a été reconnu par les autorités genevoises
(Conseil d’Etat et parlement) et par le Grand Conseil vaudois.
Suite à ces décisions, une visite de Micheline Calmy-Rey prévue
en septembre 2003 avait été annulée par la Turquie. Il aura fallu
attendre mars dernier pour que ce déplacement puisse avoir lieu.
Mais l’embellie aura été de courte durée. Le ministre turc du
commerce extérieur Kürsad Tüzmen vient en effet d’annuler une visite
qu’il devait effectuer fin juin en Suisse. Une rencontre avec M.
Deiss était notamment au menu.
Selon la presse turque, le ministre a voulu manifester sa mauvaise
humeur après l’ouverture par la justice suisse d’une enquête pour
violation de la norme anti-raciste visant l’historien turc Yusuf
Halacoglu. Ce dernier se serait rendu coupable de négation du génocide
arménien lors d’un discours tenu en mai 2004 à Winterthour.
Le président de l’Institut d’histoire turque est l’un des principaux
défenseurs des thèses turques sur les massacres commis entre 1915 et
1917 par le pouvoir ottoman contre les Arméniens.
D’après Ankara, il s’agissait d’une répression dans un contexte de
guerre civile. Selon les Arméniens, 1,5 million des leurs ont été
tués au cours des massacres, qui ont été officiellement reconnus comme
“génocide” par plusieurs pays.
–Boundary_(ID_dHcjnylRyr+Ru08yPVxoXw)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Baltic News Service
June 8, 2005
LITHUANIA’S PARLT CHAIR LEARNS ABOUT RUSSIA’S SUPPORT FOR SEPARATIST
MOVEMENTS IN SOUTH CAUCASUS
VILNIUS, Jun 08
Lithuania’s parliamentary speaker, currently on an official visit to
South Caucasus countries, has learned about Russia’s support for
separatist movements splitting the region’s countries.
“Both Georgians and Azerbaijanis have unambiguously said that Russia
is a player in South Caucasus and it is not without its influence,
not without its contribution that a majority of separatist movements
have been formed and autonomous regions have been established,”
Paulauskas told the Ziniu Radijas radio on the phone on Wednesday.
“Russia supports the leaders of these autonomous formations and does
not help Georgia and Azerbaijan settle the issues of territorial
integrity of states,” he said.
In Paulauskas’ words, Azerbaijan, which had been at war with Armenia
and Mountain Karabakh, is concerned over the plans to move Russia’s
troops that are being withdrawn from Georgia to Armenia.
The latter, unlike Azerbaijan and Georgia, does not set itself an
objective of EU and NATO integration, but links its future to Russia.
In Paulauskas’ words, Azerbaijan has “very clearly” declared its
orientation towards NATO and has started speaking about
Euro-integration processes, while Georgia has already confirmed its
Euro-Atlantic integration goals by parliamentary resolutions.
The parliamentary speaker noted that on its way to NATO and the EU,
Georgia still has to solve “a number of problems,” but its leaders’
enthusiasm gives hope that this will be done.
“I believe that Georgia will cope with the set tasks,” Paulauskas
said, adding that Georgia could be considered a South Caucasus
“region leader.”
Parliamentary European Affairs Committee Chairman Vydas Gedvilas,
member of the parliamentary speaker-led delegation, has signed a
declaration on cooperation between Lithuania’s parliamentary European
Affairs Committee and Georgia’s parliamentary European Integration
Affairs Committee in Tbilisi.
According to a press release from the Lithuanian parliament, this is
the first declaration of the kind with a country seeking EU
membership.
In the declaration, the committee commits itself to supporting
Georgia in the efforts to promote regional cooperation, create
administrative capabilities and train public officials in European
integration issues, share Lithuania’s reform implementation
experience.
Lithuania became a full-fledged member of the EU and NATO last year.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THE FIRST VISIT OF THE NEWLY APPOINTED AMBASSADOR NA
A1plus
| 17:26:12 | 30-05-2005 | Official |
Today RA NA President Arthur Baghdasaryan received the newly appointed
Russian Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Armenia
Nikolay Pavlov.
Mr. Pavlov who has been in Armenia for the last two weeks, claimed that
the aim of his diplomatic mission is to develop the Armenian-Russian
relations.
RA NA President Arthur Baghdasaryan congratulated the Ambassador
on his mission and referring to the inter parliamentary relations
mentioned that the RF-RA inter parliamentary relations are on a high
level. Arthur Baghdasaryan expressed his readiness to support the
Ambassador while fulfilling his mission.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian National Committee of America
888 17th St., NW, Suite 904
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet:
PRESS RELEASE
May 27, 2005
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS SPEAK OUT AGAINST TURKISH GOVERNMENT CRACKDOWN
ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE CONFERENCE
“The sad reality, Mr. Speaker, is that when it comes to facing the
judgment of history about the Armenian genocide, Turkey, rather
than acknowledging the truth, has instead chosen to trample on the
rights of its citizens and still maintain lies.”
— Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ)
WASHINGTON, DC Members of Congress this week expressed outrage and
disappointment at the Turkish Government’s recent decision to block
a planned academic conference on the Armenian Genocide, reported
the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
The event, organized by scholars from Turkey’s Bilgi, Bogazici and
Sabanci Universities, was scheduled to take place May 25-27th at
Bosphorus University.
In remarks of the House floor yesterday, Congressional Armenian
Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) commented that the
government’s forced cancellation of the conference “further affirms
the speculation that the image that the Turkish Government has
attempted to create for itself is nothing more than a desperate
attempt to create a facade. Contrary to what Turkish Prime Minister
Erdogan and other Turkish officials would have us believe, the
Government of Turkey is not democratic, is not committed to
creating a democracy, is not making an effort to create better
relations with Armenia and is definitely not ready to join the
European Union.”
Rep. Pallone went on to explain that the U.S. “cannot sit by and
allow any nation that we consider an ally and a nation that is
desperately seeking admission into the European Union to behave in
such a manner. To bring this development into perspective, consider
that according to current law in Turkey, dozens of U.S. Senators
and hundreds of Congressmen would be punished simply for having
voted for Armenian Genocide resolutions, spoken about the lessons
of this crime against humanity or commemorated the victims of the
atrocity. So, too, would the American academic establishment, human
rights groups, the mainstream media and just about everyone else
aside from the Turkish Embassy and its paid lobbyists here in
Washington, D.C.”
Fellow Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Joe Knollenberg questioned the
Turkish Government’s commitment to democracy and free speech. “An
important test of whether a country is a healthy democracy is
whether someone can go out into a town square and speak their
opinions freely. When the Turkish government cancels an academic
conference like this and calls the participants traitors, it
becomes very clear that they have not made a sufficient commitment
to protecting free speech. These actions seriously undermine
Turkey’s credibility,” stated Rep. Knollenberg.
California Democrat Adam Schiff, author of the 2004 “Schiff
Amendment” on the Armenian Genocide, concurred. “The decision to
hold a conference at Bogazici University to discuss the Armenian
Genocide held out promise that Turkey would begin confronting all
aspects of its Ottoman past. Cancellation of the conference, and
the Justice Minister’s inflammatory accusation of ‘treason,’ shows
that Turkey’s intellectual freedom and academic independence has
taken one step forward and two giant steps back. How much longer
will it take modern Turkey to recognize the facts of a genocide now
90 years old,” asked Rep. Schiff.
Rep. George Radanovich (R-CA), who spearheaded a successful effort
in 1996 to cut foreign aid to Turkey due to its ongoing denial of
the Armenian Genocide, stated: “Turkish government pressure on
historians from Bilgi, Bogazici and Sabanci Universities to cancel
the Armenian Genocide conference is yet another indication of the
Turkish government’s repression of freedom of speech and lack of
respect for academic freedom. The action exposes as a hollow
gesture Prime Minister Erdogan’s call for a dialogue between
Turkish and Armenian historians. The Turkish government’s labeling
of Turkish academics as ‘traitors’ simply for discussing the
Genocide amongst themselves underscores the need for those of us
here, in the United States, to call on Ankara to end its campaign
of genocide denial.”
Urging Turkey to end its ongoing denial of the Armenian Genocide,
Michigan Republican Thaddeus McCotter argued, “Only honesty can
begin to ease the ache of this evil perpetrated upon the Armenian
people, and to further guard against a recrudescence of genocide
anywhere in our world. Thus, any delay in acknowledging and
apologizing for their nation’s abhorrent historical crime only
serves to embolden other proponents of genocide, and to implicate
this generation of Turks in the sins of the past.”
Rep. Steve Rothman (D-NJ) took direct aim at statements by Turkish
Justice Minister Cemil Cicek, who dubbed conference organizers as
“traitors.” “I condemn the recent action taken by the Turkish
government to censor academic debate about the Armenian Genocide.
Democracy and truth were thrown out the window when Turkish Justice
Minister Cemil Cicek accused historians at three prestigious
Turkish universities of treason when they attempted to debate the
issue of the Armenian Genocide. Turkey does not deserve to be
granted membership in the European Union if they continue to shut
down educated discussion about this issue.”
The Conference, titled “Ottoman Armenians During the Decline of the
Empire: Issues of Scientific Responsibility and Democracy,” was
jointly organized by the Comparative Literature Department of
Bilgi University, the History Department of Bogazici University and
the History Program at Sabanci University. Originally set to take
place May 25th-27th at Bosphorus University, the schedule was to
include over 30 papers by Turkish scholars from Turkey and abroad.
In the days leading up to the conference, Turkish Government
officials spoke stridently against the conference and its
organizers. Turkish Justice Minister Cemil Cicek, in a speech
before the Turkish Parliament on Tuesday, went so far as to accuse
the academics of “treason.” The Minister described the conference
as a “a stab in the back to the Turkish nation.” Cicek expressed
regret that, as Justice Minister, he could not personally prosecute
the organizers and participants.
The government crackdown on the conference is the most recent
chapter in the Turkish government’s 90-year campaign of genocide
denial. This effort has intensified in recent years. In 2003,
Education Minister Hikmet Cetin issued a decree making student
participation in a nation-wide essay contest denying the Armenian
Genocide compulsory. The most recent revisions to the Turkish
Penal Code criminalize references to the Armenian Genocide and the
removal of troops from Turkish occupied northern Cyprus.
The complete text of Rep. Pallone’s May 26th statement on the House
floor is provided below.
#####
Statement by Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone
(D-NJ) in Opposition to the Cancellation of the Genocide Conference
in Turkey
Mr. Speaker, I rise this afternoon to voice my outrage and great
disappointment about a recent development in Turkey. A conference
set to begin yesterday in Bogazici University, of Turkish scholars
and academics, entitled “Ottoman Armenians During the Decline of
the Empire: Issues of Scientific Responsibility and Democracy,”
was indefinitely postponed by the university organizers.
According to Agence France-Presse, Turkish Justice Minister Cemil
Cicek yesterday accused conference organizers of committing
treason, saying, “We must put an end to this cycle of treason and
insults, of spreading propaganda against the Turkish nation by
people who belong to it.” In addition, Turkish officials have
demanded copies of all papers submitted to the conference.
The development further affirms the speculation that the image that
the Turkish Government has attempted to create for itself is
nothing more than a desperate attempt to create a facade. Contrary
to what Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan and other Turkish officials
would have us believe, the Government of Turkey is not democratic,
is not committed to creating a democracy, is not making an effort
to create better relations with Armenia and is definitely not ready
to join the European Union.
Over the last year, we have witnessed the Government of Turkey
attempt to move towards democratization. However, the manner in
which they have chosen to do so is an insult to any truly
democratic government. Their attempts have included the adoption of
a penal code that, in reality, represents a dramatic display of the
Turkish government’s campaign to deny the Armenian genocide.
Furthermore, this new criminal code further hindered improved
relations between the Republic of Armenia and Turkey.
Section 306 of this penal code punishes individual Turkish citizens
or groups that confirm the fact of the Armenian genocide in Ottoman
Turkey or call for the end of the Turkish occupation of Northern
Cyprus, with up to 10 years in prison. Far from coming to terms
with the genocide or reaching out to Armenia, Turkey, in adopting
Section 306 of its new penal code, hardened its anti-Armenian
stance and undermined hopes for reduction of tension in the region.
This sets the stage for possible legal action against conference
planners and participants. The Turkish Government has refused to
support rescinding this prohibition against free speech, despite
international criticism.
Mr. Speaker, with the cancellation of this conference, we find that
the Government of Turkey will go to any length to avoid facing its
bloody past. In just 2 weeks, Turkey’s prime minister will be in
the United States for an official visit, proclaiming that his
nation is a democracy ready for full membership in the European
Community and asking for U.S. support. The sad reality, Mr.
Speaker, is that when it comes to facing the judgment of history
about the Armenian genocide, Turkey, rather than acknowledging the
truth, has instead chosen to trample on the rights of its citizens
and still maintain lies.
Hrant Dink, editor of the Armenian weekly Agos in Turkey stated,
“This decision strengthens the hand of those outside Turkey who say
Turkey has not changed, it is not democratic enough to discuss the
Armenian issue, it shows there is a difference between what the
government says and its intentions.”
Numerous European countries, including Poland, France and Greece,
have passed Armenian genocide resolutions and have continuously
urged Turkey to admit its crime. Just this week, French President
Jacques Chirac urged Turkey to recognize the genocide and said
failure to do so could harm Ankara’s drive to join the European
Union.
We cannot sit by and allow any nation that we consider an ally and
a nation that is desperately seeking admission into the European
Union to behave in such a manner. To bring this development into
perspective, consider that according to current law in Turkey,
dozens of U.S. Senators and hundreds of Congressmen would be
punished simply for having voted for Armenian Genocide resolutions,
spoken about the lessons of this crime against humanity or
commemorated the victims of the atrocity. So, too, would the
American academic establishment, human rights groups, the
mainstream media and just about everyone else aside from the
Turkish Embassy and its paid lobbyists here in Washington, D.C.
Only by being prepared to admit mistakes and make amends can the
Turkish Government truly be considered a nation governed by the
values of democracy. This recent event reveals the vulnerable side
of Turkey, one that is still hiding from its history and is
incapable of learning from its mistakes so as to ensure that they
will not be repeated in the future.
Mr. Speaker, the United States prides itself on being the world’s
leader in spreading democracy and liberty. As an effective leader,
it is our duty to recognize that Turkey is not yet a democratic
state and it will take a sincere effort on the part of Turkey to
make a transition from a government that currently advocates
censorship and lack of freedom of speech to one that embraces the
principles of democracy in its true meaning.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZERBAIJAN-ARMENIAN TURKISH RELATIONS WERE ON THE AGENDA OF CE SUMMIT IN WARSAW
2005-05-17 16:05
Azerbaijan News Sevice
May 17 2005
Elmar Mammadyarov, foreign minister of Azerbaijan gave a speech
during the second day of Council of Europe 3rd summit continuing
in Warsaw, Poland capital. Generally during the summit relations
between Azerbaijan-Turkey-Armenia were amongst major issues of the
big gathering. Azerbaijan’s top foreign policy officer said existing
conflicts in Eurasian region were harming Europe’s future. Mr.
Mammadyarov informed that it was rather danger if that carried by
ethnic cleansing and military occupation of lands. Foreign Affairs
Minister said Azerbaijan was in favor of peaceful solution of the
conflicts. We are ready guarantee the security of Armenians living
in those territories, Elmar Mammadyarov has said. Before Elmar
Mammadyarov, Turkish Prime Minister Receb Tayyib Erdogan asked the
floor for second time. Mr. Erdogan said he wasn’t going puff out
fibbed Armenian genocide issue however speeches of Robert Kocharyan
and Vartan Oskanyan have made him act so. Turkish Prime Minister
has once again called Armenian side not draw other nations in to
their hazardous activity but to give green lights for historians to
search it. We have opened our archives and ask Armenians do so. End
of quotations. Ali Ahmadov Warsaw
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress