Author: Taslakhchian Andranik

NO LONGER POOR?

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[03:23 pm] 22 October, 2007

October 21 RA Prime Minister Serzh Sargsian hosted the OSCE Minsk
Group American Co-Chair Matthew Bryza at the Armenian Embassy in the
USA. The parties dwelt oniIssues of bilateral importance.

Later that day the RA Prime Minister had meetings with the leadership
of the World Bank. During the meeting with WB Vice-President Shigeo
Katsu the Prime Minister expressed appreciation for the current level
of cooperation with the Bank. He presented the priorities of the
Armenian Government that can become the most important directions
of future partnership with the World Bank. The WB Vice-President
noted that the International Development Association has recognized
Armenia as a country that has achieved highest results with regards
to the economic indices and the pace of economic development. Very
often the World Bank presents Armenia as a "successful example"
of effective implementation of reforms.

PRESIDENT AHMADINEJAD TO VISIT ARMENIA ON MONDAY

Islamic Republic News Agency
Oct 21 2007
Iran

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad heading a high ranking delegation is
to leave Tehran on Monday for Armenia, it was announced on Sunday.

According to the Press Bureau of the Presidential Office, during his
two-day official visit to Armenia, the president is to confer with
his Armenian counterpart Robert Kocharian on issues of mutual ties
as well as regional developments.

He will also make a keynote address at the Armenian National Congress.

President Ahmadinejad is scheduled to deliver a speech at Yerevan
University where he will receive an honorary PhD and a medal.

On the second day of his visit, the Iranian president is to exchange
views with Iranian nationals residing in Armenia.

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
Oct 19 2007

ACCORDING TO TURKISH PARTY, ONLY ONE CITIZEN OF RA RECENTLY ARRESTED
IN TURKEY

According to the Turkish party, only one citizen of RA has been
recently arrested in Turkey on charge of violating visa regime, RA
MFA Spokesman Vladimir Karapetian told journalists.
To remind, the information on arresting the citizens of RA on the
territory of Turkey has been recently disseminated. RA MFA is known
to have responded to the information and undertaken measures on
inquiring the arrest’s circumstances. Answering RFE-RL question,
Vladimir Karapetian stated, `’In Turkish leadership’s official reply
to our inquiry it is noted that 542 people have been recently
arrested on the territory of Turkey for the violation of visa regime.
One of them is the citizen of Republic of Armenia”. DE FACTO got the
information at RA MFA Press Office.

Financial Times (London, England)
October 18, 2007 Thursday
London Edition 1

Pelosi backtracks over Armenians resolution

By DANIEL DOMBEY

Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives,
yesterday backtracked on her support for a US Congressional
resolution that has infuriated Turkey’s government, amid increasing
doubts over whether the measure would ever be approved.

As recently as the weekend, Ms Pelosi said that she planned to take
the bill, which denounces mass killings of Armenians during the
Ottoman Empire as genocide, to the full House this year. Ms Pelosi is
a long standing backer of the measure, in spite of the anger it has
caused in Turkey.

But, yesterday, facing increasing criticism and a series of high
profile defections from the ranks of the bill’s supporters, she toned
down her commitment to take it to a full House vote.

"Whether it will come up or not and what the action will be remains
to be seen," she said.

During this week, declared support for the bill has fallen below the
level needed for House approval, with at least 10 Congressmen
withdrawing their backing in addition to several others who peeled
off earlier this year. As of yesterday, the bill had 215 sponsors or
co-sponsors in the 435 member House.

"If it came to the floor today it wouldn’t pass," Representative John
Murtha, an influential Democratic legislator, said at a press
conference with four other Democrats who also called on Ms Pelosi not
to proceed with the bill.

"This is clearly causing nervousness among House members who are only
now realising the implications," a Republican aide said. "It puts in
doubt whether this resolution will ever be voted on by the House."

The legislation, which was backed by the House’s foreign affairs
committee last week, has sparked concerns that US influence with
Ankara could be weakened at a time when the Turkish government is
contemplating a large scale military incursion into Northern Iraq, to
Washington’s dismay.

The US military is also alarmed that the Turkish government could
reduce logistical support for its troops in Iraq.

"One thing Congress should not be doing is sorting out the historical
record of the Ottoman Empire," President George W. Bush said
yesterday, after having made a phone call to Ms Pelosi on the issue
the day before. "Congress has more important work to do than
antagonising a democratic ally in the Muslim world, especially one
that’s providing vital support for our military every day."

BIPARTISAN ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION WILL ENSURE UNITED STATES REMAINS A MORAL LEADER AROUND THE WORLD

AZG Armenian Daily
19/10/2007

Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and George
Radanovich (R-CA), lead sponsors of the Armenian Genocide Resolution;
Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), co-chairmen of
the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues; and Brad Sherman (D-CA)
and Ed Royce (R-CA), senior members of the House Committee on Foreign
Affairs highlighted the importance of recognizing the murder of a
million and a half Armenians between 1915-1923 as genocide.

The six lawmakers, all Members of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian
Issues, issued the following statement today:

"Today, Congress rightly honored the Dalai Lama with the Congressional
Gold Medal at a ceremony in the Capitol, despite the ardent objections
of the Chinese government.

"In this demonstration of moral virtue, Congress today stood up for
what is right and would not be intimidated by threats from another
nation. In awarding the Dalai Lama the highest civilian honor Congress
can bestow, Congress showed its commitment to promoting peace around
the world. We will not let another country impede our efforts to
speak out against inhumanity.

"As we take this principled moral stand in defiance of the Chinese
government, we must similarly be willing to speak out on the Armenian
Genocide. If we as a nation are to be a moral leader around the world
we must have the courage to recognize genocide whenever and wherever
it occurs."

The Armenian Genocide has been recognized by more than 20 nations
including Canada, Italy, Sweden, France, Argentina and Russia. This
resolution is consistent with the record of the U.S. House of
Representatives in speaking out against genocides – past and present.

The House has passed resolutions on the Holocaust and the genocides
in Cambodia, Darfur, Ukraine and Bosnia.

Sean Oblack Press Secretary Congressman Adam Schiff (CA-29)

EDITORIAL: ARMENIAN RESOLUTION NOT IN CURRENT INTERESTS

Baylor University The Lariat Online, TX
Oct 17 2007

The notion of "too little, too late," is appropriate to an issue that
has risen in regard to the Armenian genocide resolution that was sent
to Congress last week.

The resolution, which would officially declare the Turkish killing
and relocation of up to as many as 1.5 million Armenians as genocide,
could not come at a worse time. Sadly, the resolution has raised a
fire storm of controversy in Washington.

The U.S. and Turkey are NATO allies, and we currently use the
Incirlik Air Base in eastern Turkey as a strategic center for military
operations in Iraq. Turkish trucks are also used to transport crucial
supplies for American military operations in Iraq.

Though it seems we have probably gotten ourselves into enough trouble
in Iraq, it is becoming more and more obvious that we just can’t
resist digging the hole (that we already can’t seem to get out of)
even deeper.

Turkish officials have been quick to warn that the passage of this
resolution could be fatal to the alliance we currently have with them.

Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, chief of Turkey’s armed forces, said "our
military relations with the U.S. would never be as they were in the
past … the U.S., in that respect, has shot itself in the foot."

The resolution is based on the killing of an estimated 1.5 million
Armenians by the Ottoman empire between 1915 and 1923. The Turkish
government receives much of the blame for planning and administering
the attempted annihilation of the entire Armenian population —
which included massacres, torture, deportation and starvation —
but they refuse to label it a genocide.

Genocide is defined as the deliberate extermination of a national,
racial, political or culture group. The events involving the Armenians
have long been considered genocide by many human rights advocates
around the world.

The only difference now, more than 80 years after the events took
place, is that it would be symbolically declared as such by the
U.S. government.

>From a human rights standpoint, this is a significant acknowledgement
and is long overdue. But the fact is, the U.S. picked the wrong time
to bring up the issue.

The Bush administration is actively trying to keep the resolution
from being passed, but Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.,
said the resolution will be voted on by Congress.

We obviously condemn the acts of mass killings and torture, but at
this time, the passage of this resolution is not a necessity and may
do more harm than good.

For once, the Bush administration may be on to something. If the
House of Representatives passes the resolution, our objectives in
Iraq (whatever they are these days) may be put in jeopardy due to
the stubbornness of the Turkish government.

Faced with the potential loss of a key ally in Turkey, we cannot
afford to risk prolonging the war in any way. It is unfortunate that
we are in this position, but we may face more obstacles as we struggle
to find more allies among a pool of ever-decreasing countries who
support our efforts in Iraq.

It is sad that we find ourselves in the position of having to choose
between calling a genocide a genocide and protecting our troops,
but such is the course of U.S. foreign policy as of late.

While the House may be trying to do something positive in the midst
of abounding negativity, the consequences of this action prove too
damaging to actually bring about the desired outcome.

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone: 212.319.6383, x118
Fax: 212.319.6507
Email: [email protected]
Website:

PRESS RELEASE

Thursday, October 18, 2007

AGBU Young Professionals Give Back to Armenian Home in Queens

On September 16, 2007, AGBU Young Professionals of Greater New York
(YPGNY) visited the New York Armenian Home in Flushing, NY, bringing
smiles, companionship, and entertainment to its senior residents.

As part of a series of events called "YPs Give Back," 20 young
professionals spent their Sunday afternoon visiting with the residents,
playing board games and dancing to Armenian music. One of the
residents, John Sarian, showed his appreciation to the young
professionals by entertaining the crowd with a piano recital of his own.

Resident Charlotte Kechejian appreciated YPGNY’s visit as well, "It
brings tears to my eyes to see these young people coming to the Home to
visit with us."

In addition to indoor entertainment, some volunteers also raked leaves,
trimmed trees, and collected garbage in an effort to beautify the
backyard garden of the Home.

Aghavni "Aggie" Ellian, Executive Director of the Armenian Home, said,
"I’m extremely grateful to the AGBU Young Professionals for remembering
the forgotten generation. When they come here and give up their time on
a beautiful Sunday, to me it means more than a million dollars."

At the end of a day filled with service, memories, and newfound peers,
the YP volunteers returned to Manhattan and enjoyed a group dinner to
celebrate their contributions to the community.

Jeff Aris, a newcomer to the YP group, enjoyed having an opportunity to
directly contribute to the local Armenian community, "I think it’s
important for YPs to get together to do community service; it
strengthens the bonds among the members and makes a difference in our
area."

Aggie hopes that the YPs will continue to come back to the Home for
visits and projects in the future. She reiterated, "These visits are
like a shot in the arm – it’s better than any vitamin the residents
could take."

As part of its "YPs Give Back" series, YPGNY anticipates future visits
to the Armenian Home, including an outdoor barbeque for residents, as
well as other community-service initiatives like building homes with
Habitat for Humanity(r), serving food to the underprivileged during
holidays, and volunteering at local Armenian churches and community
centers.

YPGNY Chairwoman Natalie Gabrelian said, "We are excited to expand the
types of events we offer, and think that community service is a
worthwhile addition to the cultural, educational, and fundraiser events
that we traditionally plan."

Fulfilling the YP mission, the "YPs Give Back" series provides a
platform to improve community life through a worthwhile humanitarian
program, while at the same time facilitating networking amongst the
young Armenian community members in a service-oriented setting.

AGBU YPGNY is part of a growing network of YP Groups and supporters
around the world who are committed to preserving and promoting the
Armenian identity and heritage through educational, cultural, and
humanitarian programs. For more information on YPGNY, email
[email protected].

For more information about AGBU and its worldwide programs, please visit

WILL JAVAKHQ BE GRANTED AUTONOMY?
Ruzan Amirjanyan, Brussels

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[05:33 pm] 17 October, 2007

Sabina Freizer, the Project Director of the International Crisis Group
(ICG) on Caucasus, presented the ICG report on Javakhq at the Second
Convention of European Armenians.

The referendum due in Javakhq on October 16 was postponed till
November. The Javakhqi Armenians are concerned over four issues-
language, local self-government bodies, prison and the Armenian
Genocide.

According to Sabina Freizer, the issues have aroused controversial
feedback in Georgia. President Saakashvili states minorities should
be granted equal rights and backs decentralization. The recent laws
came to prove the reverse: power lies with the Georgians.

Georgians reject discrimination while Armenians complaint of the
language barrier, they cannot use the Armenian language in social
and political life. At the same time they accept that corruption has
significantly decreased in the country after the "Revolution of Roses."

Poverty and emigration are comparatively high in Javakhq. Georgians
fear that one day national minorities might demand sovereignty or
independence.

Freizer says Georgians are mistaken while equating autonomy with
separatism. Armenians of Georgia merely want cultural and religious
sovereignty.

Under the recent "Law on Education", Literature, History and Language
should be taught in the Georgian language. The Javakhqi Armenians
are really concerned over the law as they don’t master the language.

The ICG has requested the Georgian Government to allow Armenians
using Mother Tongue in communities where their number surpasses 20
per cent of the population.

(90% of the Akhalkalaki and Ninotsminda population are Armenians. There
are 250 thousand Armenians in Georgia. 120 thousand of them live
in Samtskhe-Javakhq.)

Samtskhe-Javakhq has never had an Armenian governor though most of
the population are Armenians.

Georgians get irritated each time someone speaks of federation or
confederation. They struggle for their identification via contradictory
methods. Georgia should realise that their stance is inadmissible
for Europe, Sabina Freizer said.

Serj Tankian: Genocide Resolution Is the First Step

The Armenian Weekly
Oct. 16, 2007

BOSTON, Mass. (A.W.)-In an interview with Armenian Weekly editor Khatchig
Mouradian at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston today, System of a Down’s
frontman Serj Tankian spoke about the current the Armenian Genocide
Resolution and the discussion it has generated.

"You can’t deny a genocide or holocaust based on political expediency. It
makes absolutely no sense. If we claim as America that we’re a democracy
then we have to look in the mirror and ask: Can we lie about a genocide or
hold off its recognition for the sake of geopolitical or strategic gains or
a military occupation that is unfair in itself? It’s trying to undo one
mistake with another mistake and it doesn’t make sense," Tankian said.
"That’s why a lot of Congressmen are behind the resolution, and it passed
[the House Foreign Relations] Committee and I’m confident that it will pass
the House. And it’s got Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi’s support," he added.

Tankian continued, "I feel like there’s always going to be an excuse. You
know, we’ve waited 92 years, but ultimately I want to go further and say
that recognition is not that important. Recognition is one part of the just
solution. If someone came to my house, killed my family and robbed my house,
I’m not going to run after them for a hundred years and beg them to
recognize that crime. That makes no sense. I’m going to take them to court
and I’m going to loudly request justice, and that’s what needs to be done
ultimately. But obviously, we all know that this is the first step, so we
got to keep the goal in mind."

Asked about Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice’s statement that "The passage
of this resolution indeed will be very problematic for everything we are
trying to do in the Middle East," Tankian responded, "I’m scared of
everything they’re trying to do in the Middle East. Maybe the resolution
will help them put their asses in place."

Turkey approves Iraq incursion

* Turkey’s Parliament approves military action on Kurdish separatists
* Move comes despite international calls for restraint
* Bush: "We don’t think it is in their interests to send troops into Iraq"
* Turkey says PKK separatists are launching attacks from Iraqi Kurdistan

(CNN) — The Turkish parliament has voted to allow its military to
make an incursion into Iraq and chase down Kurdish rebels staging
cross-border attacks.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government had asked
parliament in Ankara on Monday to authorize a military incursion, and
the lawmakers responded with overwhelming approval, 507 to 19.

Parliamentary approval, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
said before the debate, would not necessarily trigger immediate
military action and many analysts doubt a full-scale invasion will be
launched.

Turkey has already massed 60,000 troops in the region and over the
weekend it shelled farms across the border.

But the chances of such military action raises great concerns in the
United States, which fears it would undermine the stability of the
American-backed government in Baghdad and jeopardize the supply lines
that support U.S. troops in Iraq.

And it heightens anxiety in Iraq, where officials have been taking
all-out diplomatic efforts to keep Turkey from carrying out
cross-border assaults against Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, rebels
in northern Iraq.

Speaking as news of the vote was announced, U.S. President George W.
Bush — who said there already are Turkish troops stationed in Iraq —
said "we are making it very clear to Turkey that we don’t think it is
in their interests to send troops into Iraq."

He noted that Iraq considers the issue sensitive. Saying Vice
President Tariq al-Hashimi traveled to Ankara to discuss the issue
with Turkish officials, he said the diplomatic discussions on the
issue are positive.

"There’s a better way to deal with the issue than having the Turks
send massive troops into the country," said Bush.

Meanwhile, Barhim Salih, Iraq’s deputy prime minister, who is Kurdish,
told CNN that Iraqis believe the "prospect of unilateral action will
mean irreparable damage to bilateral relations, and will be a bad
consequence to Iraq, bad consequence to Turkey, bad consequence to the
region."

Salih said before Wednesday’s parliamentary vote in Turkey that such a
move would also set a grim precedent.

"If Turkey were to give itself the right to interfere in Iraq
militarily, what is there to stop other neighbors from doing so?"

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has called for a series of steps
to tackle the dispute, including the dispatching of top-level
political and security delegation to Turkey.

Al-Maliki phoned Erdogan on Wednesday and reassured him that Iraq has
banned PKK terror activities, his office said.

The office said Erdogan expressed his desire for good relations with
Iraq and stressed Turkey’s determination to cooperate with the
government to deal with the PKK and welcomed negotiations and talks on
the issue.

Cross-border trade

In an agreement signed in late September, Iraq agreed to crack down on
the PKK, which the U.S. and the European Union consider a terrorist
organization.

Iraqi army has no plan to deploy its soldiers near the rugged
Turkish-Iraqi border to take on the Kurdish rebels targeting Turkey,
and Iraqi authorities are satisfied with the efforts by the Iraqi
Kurdish regional authorities to deal with the militants there, a top
Iraqi military official told CNN Wednesday.

"It’s a mountainous area, difficult terrain and our troops are not
trained for that," said Lt. Gen. Nasier Abadi, Iraqi Armed Forces
deputy chief of staff.

But Abadi said it was in the interest of the Kurdish Regional
Government to deal with the Kurdish rebel problem because of its
economic relationship with Turkey.

"They can’t afford the PKK to spoil it," he said.

Abadi underscored the importance of cross-border trade, saying that
the Kurdish region lost $1 million a day in trade when the Iraq-Iran
border was closed during the recent Ramadan holiday.

Iran closed border points in the Kurdish region to protest an arrest
of a man the U.S. military called a member of Iran’s Islamic
Revolutionary Guards Corps-Quds Force, a point disputed by Iran.

Abadi added that the Turkish military in the past has conducted a
series of hot-pursuit-style raids over the vast and mountainous border
into northern Iraq in recent years and it didn’t find a single Kurdish
rebel.

He said most PKK rebels are believed to be in southern Turkey, Syria and Iran.

"They are very good at hiding; it’s guerrilla warfare up there," Abadi said.

Armenian issue

The United States has been attempting to use its influence to keep
Turkey from launching an incursion but a U.S. domestic political
dispute involving the mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire
around 90 years ago has enflamed passions in Turkey and presented
challenges for American diplomacy.

Ties between the NATO allies are strained over a symbolic measure
making its way through Congress that would declare the Ottoman-era
killings of Armenians "genocide."

Bush on Wednesday urged Congress to drop the House resolution. "One
thing Congress should not be doing is sorting out the historical
record of the Ottoman Empire. The resolution on the mass killings of
Armenians beginning in 1915 is counterproductive," Bush told
reporters.

Two senior U.S. military officials told CNN that commanders in Europe
have been told to be "prepared to execute" alternatives to using
Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey if Turkey follows through on
threats to restrict U.S. use of the base in retaliation for the
resolution, which a House of Representatives committee approved last
week.

Lt. Gen. Carter Ham, the director of operations for the Joint Chiefs
of Staff, said on Tuesday that Pentagon planners are looking at "a
broad range of options" to keep food, fuel and ammunition flowing to
U.S. troops in Iraq if Turkey pulls the plug on Incirlik.

"We’re confident that we’ll find ways to do that," Ham told reporters
at the Pentagon. "There’s likely to be some increased cost and some
other implications for that, and obviously we’d prefer to maintain the
access that we have."

The move is a preliminary step to ensure that alternative aircrews,
planes, fuel and routes are lined up and that troops in Iraq will see
minimal interruption in their supply lines, the senior officials told
CNN.

Source: raq/index.html