Author: nina hovnanian

OBAMA’S ‘NEVER AGAIN’ SPEECH IGNORES GENOCIDE

asbarez
Monday, April 23rd, 2012

President Obama delivers remarks at the US Holocause Museum on Monday
(Reuters photo)

WASHINGTON-Armenian National Committee of America Executive Director
Aram Hamparian issued the following statement in response to President
Obama’s remarks at the U.S. Holocaust Museum, on Monday, outlining
U.S. commitment to the prevention of genocide and mass atrocities.

“President Obama undermined his own commitment to ‘Never Again’ in
his speech at the U.S. Holocaust Museum this morning, when, on the
day before the annual commemoration marking the Armenian Genocide
– the atrocities that Hitler himself referenced prior to launching
the Holocaust – he cited several past genocides but remained entirely
silent on the Armenian Genocide, the crime that, as a candidate for the
White House, he so prominently and repeatedly promised to recognize,”
stated Hamparian.

“President Obama has the chance, on April 24th, to give real meaning to
his words about genocide prevention by rejecting Ankara’s gag-rule and
honoring his pledge to properly condemn and commemorate the Armenian
Genocide,” concluded Hamparian.

As Senator and presidential candidate, President Obama consistently
and repeatedly urged former President Bush to properly characterize
the Armenian Genocide, and pledged, as President, to recognize that
crime. In a January, 2008, statement, then Senator Obama clearly
stated, “as President, I will recognize the Armenian Genocide.”

To read then Senator Obama’s complete statement, visit the following
link:

To review then Senator Obama’s complete record on Armenian Genocide
affirmation related issues, visit the following link:

President Obama’s April 23rd ‘Never Again’ speech at the U.S.

Holocaust Museum took place one day before Armenians and people of good
conscience worldwide commemorate the murder of 1.5 million Armenians by
the Ottoman Turkish Government during the years 1915-1923. Forty-two
U.S. states and over 20 countries have properly recognized the
Armenian Genocide. Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan acknowledged the
crime as genocide in 1981. The U.S. House adopted Armenian Genocide
legislation in 1975 and 1984 and included reference to the crime in
House adopted amendments in 1996 and 2005. More recently, the House
Foreign Affairs Committee has passed Armenian Genocide legislation
in 2007 and 2010. The Republic of Turkey continues its international
campaign of Armenian Genocide denial, issuing economic and political
threats against countries who properly characterize the crime. Those
threats have largely been hollow, with economic trade data showing
a marked increase in trade with Turkey after the Genocide has been
recognized.

“THE COUNTRY MUST DEVELOP WITHOUT MAKING CONCESSIONS OF ITS INTERESTS”

19:08 . 23/04

By the Zurich protocols the Armenian political diplomatic vocabulary
was added by not only the term “football diplomacy” but also by the
term “night diplomacy”. Three years ago on these days, ahead of April
24, the Armenians waking up learnt about the “path map” outlining
the Armenian-Turkish diplomatic relations. In October a signature
was put by the support of the international community in Zurich.

“Much time is needed for the incredulity, distrust created among
the Armenians both in Diaspora and Armenia to be recovered. But
we really had serious losses. This was the field where the source
for our unification would be looked for in order we could develop
without making concessions,” ARF-D Supreme Body representative Armen
Rustamyan says.

At the very same day ARF-D announced about coming out of the political
coalition. “We have deviated from the national state course.

According to Armen Rustamyan they have nothing to do with political
force if it moves in quite a different direction. We don’t have a
problem of having or not having those portfolios. Our problem is to
bring the country to the course which must serve our state national
interest. But in the opinion of ARF-D Supreme Body representative,
Turkey’s interest was served. While the experts’ opinions serving
the Armenian authorities that the Armenian-Azerbaijani tandem will
be destroyed by opening the border, failed.

Turkey explains it is senseless to open the border unless
Armenian-Azerbaijani border is opened. And the international
structures listen to this with pleasure as it is also important
for them that the whole South-Caucasus region becomes a bridge
of communication,” Rustamyan says and adds, “Moreover, serious
principle and conceptual problems have emerged in the issues of the
Artsakh problem settlement. In all the documents the principle of
self-determination is subordinated to non-use of force and maintenance
of the status quo. This is profitable for Turkey. In order not to
prolong the settlement it is necessary to exert pressure on Armenia to
make concessions as soon as possible. The behaviour of the authorities
is also strange for the politician.

A question rises: Why aren’t the protocols ratified? It was clear that
ratifying the protocols in the form they are will be the last serious
historical mistake, which they feel though not acknowledging. The
restoration of the national state course is the red line of ARF-D’s
programme. “the country must develop without making concessions of
its interests”, this is an indisputable formula and according to Armen
Rustamyan, in future they will cooperate with those forces which will
announce about the restoration of the national state course.

THE IRISH TIMES”: NAGORNO-KARABAKH’S PEOPLE ARE CLEAR ON THE FUTURE: ONLY INDEPENDENCE OR UNIFICATION WITH ARMENIA WILL DO

Panorama.am
24/04/2012

24 years on, the Armenian-Azeri conflict is still unresolved, writes
Daniel McLaughlin, the reporter for the Irish daily newspaper “The
Irish Times,” in an article about Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“It was very hard during the war. The whole city was being bombarded
and people lived in their basements, but we live freely now and will
defend that to the last. Whatever it takes,” says Robert Bagiryan,
who was a tank commander in the 1988-1994 war for the break away
of Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh from Azerbaijan and declaration of
independence, “The Irish Times” writes.

The author of the publication notes that amid the chaos of the Soviet
Union’s collapse, Nagorno-Karabakh’s majority Armenians demanded an
end to Azeri discrimination and the creation of their own state. About
30,000 people died in a war and more than one million were forced to
leave their houses.

24 years after the conflict began, it is still unresolved, no
peace deal has been signed, the world still does not recognize
Nagorno-Karabakh, and Azeri and Armenian soldiers regularly exchange
deadly fire across a tense ceasefire line, writes D. McLaughlin.

“The Azeris bombarded us relentlessly, it was a time of terrible
stress and the kids were traumatised. We couldn’t live with the
Azeris again. It’s impossible. All trust has been lost,” says 50
y.o. Gayane Danilyan.

Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia say the regional assembly’s 1988 vote
to break away from Azerbaijan was in line with Mikhail Gorbachev’s
liberalised Soviet laws, while Azerbaijan insists it was an illegal
attempt to change borders and destroy its “territorial integrity,”
“The Irish Times” writes. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the
row over Nagorno-Karabakh, which is rooted in the history of both
Christian Armenia and Muslim Azerbaijan, fuelled virulent nationalism,
vicious pogroms and allegations of ethnic cleansing. After initially
gaining the upper hand and besieging Stepanakert, the Azeris then
were forced back until Armenian troops took Nagorno-Karabakh and
seven adjoining regions.

Armenia accuses Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, who became
president in 2003 following his father’s death, of using bellicose
rhetoric to boost support for his autocratic regime, writes the author
in the article, adding that Armenia has withdrawn from Eurovision
Song Contest in Baku, because Ilham Aliyev recently called Armenians
the greatest enemy of Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan offers a maximum degree of autonomy to the region and
wants Armenian troops to leave areas adjacent to Nagorno-Karabakh as
a first step towards peace. Armenia claims that is impossible until
its safety and status are assured by a final agreement, insisting
on the Karabakhis’ right to self-determination. Nagorno-Karabakh’s
people are clear on the future: only independence or unification with
Armenia will do, the article says.

“Life isn’t easy here, but at least we live in our own state and
feel free,” notes a seller named Armine. In his turn, the former tank
commander Bagiryan says: “We spilt our blood to escape Azeri control.

If they try anything again they’ll get what they deserve. They will
regret it.”

‘BUILD HISTORY PUTTING AN END TO GENOCIDE’ – ARMENIAN YOUTH OF VIENNA

Panorama.am
24/04/2012

The Armenian Student And Youth Organization Of Austria (ASV) Held A
march to commemorate the 97th anniversary of Armenian Genocide.

The march participants gathered at St. Hripsime Church and proceeded
to Stephansdom (St. Stephen’s Cathedral) which is located in the heart
of the city.

The Armenian youth distributed leaflets in different languages telling
the truth about the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Turks
in 1915.

FILM ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE TO BE SCREENED IN BELGIUM

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 24, 2012 – 21:54 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – “Like previous years, this year too, we commemorated
the Armenian Genocide victims. Head of Armenians’ Committee in Belgium
Michele Makhmuryan and Armenian ambassador to Belgium Avet Adonts
attended the Genocide commemorative event,” AGBU Europe Board member
Nicolas Tavitian said in conversation with a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

According to Mr. Tavitian, a film on Armenian Genocide will be screened
on April 24 evening.

The protest was organized by the Associations des Armeniens Democrates
de Belgique (AABD). The crowd commenced the commemoration in the
Armenian Church with a prayer and later slowly moved from the monument
memorial in Ixelles to the Schuman roundabout.

‘Turks assassins!’, ‘Turks barberians!’, ‘Justice pour les Armeniens!’
and ‘No silence for the Armenian genocide!’ were the slogans of
the protestors.

PM CONFIDENT TURKEY WILL FACE DARK PAGES OF ITS HISTORY

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 24, 2012 – 16:41 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – On April 24, 97th anniversary of Genocide,
Armenian Prime Minister issued a statement condemning the crime
against humanity.

“Genocide perpetrators aimed to follow physical extermination
of Armenian people by cultural annihilation, seeking to destroy
historic memory of our nation. We bow our heads to innocent victims
of Genocide, and promise to keep the memory of the massacre alive,”
Tigran Sargsyan stressed.

“Armenian people hold sacred the memory of their forefathers, confident
that sooner or later, Turkey will face the dark pages of its history,
with the international community to give adequate assessment to
Turkey’s crime against humanity.”

“While remembering Genocide victims, we must move forward, to build
a worthy future for our country,” the Prime Minister said.

KARDASHIAN TWEETS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

ARMENPRESS
24 April, 2012
LOS ANGELES

LOS ANGELES, APRIL 24, ARMENPRESS: Kim Kardashian, a well known
celebrity, twitted in her official Twitter account, calling the
followers to commemorate the Armenian Genocide. “Today lets all stand
together & remember the 1.5 million people who were massacred in the
Armenian Genocide. April 24th, 1915. #NEVERFORGET”,- Kardashian wrote.

Kimberly Noel “Kim” Kardashian is an American- Armenian socialite,
television personality, model, actress and businesswoman. She is
known for starring in Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

TBILISI RALLY PARTICIPANTS DEMAND GENOCIDE RECOGNITION

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 24, 2012 – 15:36 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – On April 23, a peaceful rally was held in front of
Georgia’s parliamentary building in commemoration of 97th anniversary
of the Armenian Genocide.

The event was initiated by Hayartun Cultural and Education Center
at the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church in Georgia,
Georgia’s Armenian Community, National Congress of the Armenians of
Georgia and the Assembly of Tbilisi Armenians.

Rally participants organized a flash mob in the center of Tbilisi,
constructing a cross out of candles and performing a national dance
in complete silence.

Further, demonstrators passed a message urging for recognition and
condemnation of the Armenian Genocide to Georgian parliament.

RUSSIA DISAGREES WITH ARMENIA’S OFFER ON FLIGHTS

news.am
April 24, 2012 | 11:50

Armenia offers to limit the number of airlines on the route Moscow –
Yerevan to two carriers from the each side. This is stated in the
protocol of the consultation conducted between the Russian Ministry
of Transport and the General Department of Civil Aviation of Armenia.

The Armenian side also offered to limit the number of Moscow –
Yerevan flights to 42 a week. The Russian side opposed the proposal
as presently 49 flights a week are operated by three Russian carriers.

The sides have agreed to analyze the outlined positions and to exchange
their proposals until May 30, 2012. Until that time, they should be
guided by the decisions taken before the signing of the protocol.

GERMANY-BASED TURKISH COMPANY DEMANDED TURKEY TO RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

ARMENPRESS
24 April, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, APRIL 24, ARMENPRESS. ” The company against the genocides”
based in Germany issued a message criticizing the denial policy of
Turkey on the issue of Armenian Genocide. The message ran “We demand
Turkish Government to recognize Armenian Genocide and undertake all
the obligations deriving from it”.

” Although the crime already dates 97 years it is still denied.

Turkish State was founded on the corpses of 3.5 million innocent
Armenians” the message stated. The members of the organization
highlighted that they will be insistent up to the end. They assured
that they will step up efforts to inform the future generations about
the truth.

The representative of ” The organization against the Genocides” Nuran
Marashin will lay a wreath in the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial and will
return to Germany after committing some obligations in Armenia.