Author: Taslakhchian Andranik

Le Monde, France
23 avril 2009

La Turquie et l’Arm?Ã?©nie entrevoient une r?Ã?©conciliation

LEMONDE.FR avec AFP | 22.04.09 | 23h11

La Turquie et l’Arm?Ã?©nie sont tomb?Ã?©es d’accord sur une "feuille de
route" devant mener ?Ã?  une normalisation de leurs relations, a
annonc?Ã?©, mercredi 22 avril, le minist?Ã?¨re des affaires ?Ã?©trang?Ã?¨res
turc. L’accord a ?Ã?©t?Ã?© obtenu au cours de discussions entre les deux
pays conduites sous l’?Ã?©gide de la Suisse.

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Ces pourparlers ont abouti ?Ã?  "des progr?Ã?¨s concrets et ?Ã?  une
compr?Ã?©hension mutuelle", est-il ?Ã?©crit dans le communiqu?Ã?© du
minist?Ã?¨re turc. Ankara et Erevan "sont tomb?Ã?©es d’accord sur un cadre
global pour la normalisation de leurs relations bilat?Ã?©rales d’une
mani?Ã?¨re propre ?Ã?  satisfaire les deux parties. Une feuille de route a
?Ã?©t?Ã?© d?Ã?©termin?Ã?©e dans ce contexte", ajoute-t-il.

La Turquie a ferm?Ã?© sa fronti?Ã?¨re avec l’Arm?Ã?©nie en 1993 en soutien
?Ã?  l’Azerba?Ã?¯djan turcophone, Bakou ?Ã?©tant en conflit avec Erevan pour
le contr?Ã?´le de la r?Ã?©gion du Haut-Karabakh, enclave peupl?Ã?©e
d’Arm?Ã?©niens en territoire azerba?Ã?¯djanais. La reconnaissance du
g?Ã?©nocide commis par l’Empire ottoman contre les Arm?Ã?©niens en
1915-1916 est aussi au c?Å`ur de la discorde entre les deux Etats.

Armenian parliamentarian from Heritage: With Armenian president’s
support Turkey has launched long- term strategy which will blow a
serious damage on international recognition of Armenian Genocide

2009-04-25 16:33:00

ArmInfo. When the Foreign Ministries of Armenia, Turkey and Switzerland
made a joint statement on the "road-map", there was no doubt that
striving to maintain the so-called Armenian-
Turkish relations, the US president would not call spade a spade,
Armenian MP from the oppositional Heritage Party faction Stepan
Safaryan told ArmInfo correspondent. According to him, today the
Armenian society and Armenian Diaspora have fewer arguments to accuse
the US president of perjury than the Armenian president who presented
time to Turkey, a year or more, by means of such foreign political
policy. "I think within the next few years the term "genocide" will be
the hostage of the "road-map" which will be presented as a real and
necessary document, implementation of which will need much more time",-
Safaryan said. He also stressed that with the Armenian president’s
support, Turkey has worked out and launched a long-term strategy, which
will deliver a serious blow on the process of international recognition
of the Armenian Genocide.

SERZH SARGSYAN ADDRESSES ARMENIANS ON THE DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF VICTIMS OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

ArmenPress
April 24 2009
Armenia

YEREVAN, APRIL 24, ARMENPRESS: President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan
addressed Armenians on the Day of Remembrance of the victims of the
Armenian Genocide. The address of the president runs as follows:
"Dear Compatriots, Today we bow to the memory of the innocent victims
of the Armenian Genocide.

Ninety-four years ago, in the Ottoman Turkey took place the
state-designed and state-executed Armenian Genocide. A great number of
our people were cold-bloodedly annihilated. Today, for the survivors
of the Genocide, their descendants, and all Armenians the Genocide
is not only past reality but an indivisible part of our present and
our destiny.

Crimes against humanity do not have expiration date neither in the
memories of the people nor for history trial. For the Republic of
Armenia and the Armenian people the international recognition and
condemnation of the Armenian Genocide is a matter of reinstating
historic justice.

The Armenian people are not alone in their condemnation of the
Genocide. At this time of remembrance we express our heartfelt
gratitude to the states, organizations and individuals who support us
in our quest for condemnation and prevention of this crime against
humanity. We support those Turkish intellectuals who struggle for
historic justice, who share our pain. We have said numerous times that
the process of recognition of the Armenian Genocide is not directed
against the Turkish people and recognition of the Genocide by Turkey
is not a precondition for the establishment of bilateral relations.

At the time the lessons of the Armenian Genocide were ignored. During
the last decades sophisticated mechanisms against the Genocide denial
and denunciation of the recognition process have been developed. To
deny Genocide means to through into oblivion this crime against
humanity and to pave the way for new similarly ferocious crimes. Today,
when the world faces new instances of hatred, nationalism, and
intolerance, a united and unanimous response of the human kind to the
crimes against humanity becomes of crucial importance. As President
of the Republic of Armenia, I wish no other nation ever goes through
that tragedy again.

Dear Compatriots, Every one of our innocent victims has a name,
family and story. The committed crime has concrete culprits – those
who planned it and those who executed. Many of those tragic stories
have not been told yet. Even though a huge amount of work has been
conducted, the world is yet to see abundant evidence testifying to
the fact of the Armenian Genocide, testimonies, and documented facts.

Centuries-long Armenian history has many heroic pages, pages of losses
and pages of creation. Today, when we are building our new statehood,
when we shape new biography of our freedom we prove that we ourselves
can be the guarantors of our security and eliminate any possibility
of the repetition of similar crimes in the future."

HRAYR KARAPETIAN: ARMENIA HAS OPENED ITS DOORS FOR ALL ARMENIANS

Noyan Tapan
April 23, 2009
Yerevan

Any pan Armenian initiative is welcomed and participation of
architectures in the first all Armenian event initiated by the
newly established Diaspora ministry is symbolic, since "in general,
Armenian national architecture has always been one of the most vivid
qualities of our national character". Hrayr Karapetian, vice speaker
of the RA National Assembly, member of ARF "Dashnaktsutyun" fraction,
opened with these words "The Armenian Architecture and 21st century"
conference took place in the Parliament on April 21. The audience of
more than 80 Diasporan Armenians from 15 countries gathered at the
National Assembly building. Ms. Hranush Hakobyan, minister of Diaspora,
also participated also participated in the meeting. According to the
vice speaker of the National Assembly, the more Armenian forces unite,
the easier to overcome various problems. "Thank to the policy adopted
by our authorities, the state has opened its doors for all Armenians to
enable them contribute their potential in pursuance of more developed,
prosper and powerful Armenia," told Hrayr Karapatian.

He on behalf of NA wished fruitful work to conference participants.

Public Radio of Armenia

Armenia’s Parliament Speaker issues an address on the Day of
Remembrance of the Genocide victims
24.04.2009 17:13

`Dear compatriots,
Today, on April 24, we commemorate the victims of the Armenian
Genocide. We mourn the death of those who fell victims of the
unspeakable and indescribable crime.

Today we cannot but remember those who survived the Genocide, those
who were strong enough to settle in Armenia or the Diaspora after
passing though imposed emigration and disaster, those who struggled
for life with their inflexible willpower, those who kept bright the
Armenian identity, those who bore children, grandchildren and
grand-grandchildren, those who brought up their heirs as Armenians.

Almost 100 years have passed, but nothing has been forgotten. We are
grateful to all the countries, whose parliaments have recognized and
condemned the Armenian Genocide. We continue awakening the conscience
of mankind to avoid such crimes in the future against any nation of
the world.

We should not allow the deniers of the Armenian Genocide to commit
another injustice. We should not allow the memory of the people who
died simply for being Armenian to be offended with the denial of the
Armenian Genocide. This is our primary objective with regard to the
Armenian Genocide.

The Armenian State is the shield protecting the Armenian people. I’m
confident that the Armenian nation that has survived genocide will be
able to surprise everyone with Armenia’s achievements. Looking at our
historic path, we get assured that with joint effort Armenians are
able to overcome any difficulty.’

US AMBASSADOR RECEIVED HERITAGE PARTY’S LETTER ADDRESSED TO PRESIDENT OBAMA

PanArmenian
April 21 2009
Armenia

The protesters handed the US Ambassador the letter addressed to
Barack Obama. Steven Banks, Head of the US Embassy Political-Economic
Department, received rally participants. After the meeting with
the embassy’s high-ranking diplomat, Heritage Party activist David
Sanasaryan told the journalists that the party members had introduced
their positions on the United States recognition of the Armenian
Genocide. "Steven Banks promised to send the letter to the White
House," Sanasaryan said.

In response, Mr. Banks expressed concern over the possibility of
impairing Armenian-Turkish relations and said that "the US policy is
based on such considerations."

Heritage Party’s rally was dedicated to the 94th anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide. In their letter, the party activists called on
the US President to keep his pre-election promise and recognize the
Armenian Genocide committed by Turkish authorities in 1915-23.

UNDECIDED ON AIRTIME

A1+
April 21, 2009

"ALM" television set the highest price for advertisements during the
local self-government elections in Yerevan at 110,000 drams for a
minute of airtime.

"H2" and "Kentron" television stations set 84,000 drams for a minute
of airtime, 82,000 at "Armenia" TV, while AR and "Yerkir Media" set
80,000 drams for a minute of airtime respectively. Public Television
will grant 30 minutes free and will charge 80,000 drams a minute for
50 minutes.

Leader of the Armenian Socialist Labor Party Movses Shahverdyan,
who is running in the elections for mayor, says that the prices set
by television stations are very high.

"How is the public going to use the services provided by Public
Television at those rates? We will use free airtime and consider if
we can afford the high price, but only very rich political parties
may use that," says leader of the party .

Leader of the People’s Party Tigran Karapetyan’s press secretary
Ruzan Stepanyan says that Tigran Karapetyan will use the paid airtime
provided by other television stations, but it is not clear how much
from each television network. According to her, the prices are good
and they were the same two years ago as well.

National Assembly Deputy, press speaker for the Republican Party
Edward Sharmazanov said that they will use the airtime provided
by all networks by the order constituted by law. According to him,
they are not too different from the prices set during the previous
elections taking into consideration the global economic crisis.

Press speaker for the Armenian National Congress Arman Musinyan
says that they will use the airtime, but not all of it. There are
television stations that have offered normal prices and there are
others whose prices can be considered "exaggerated". However, the
ANC has not made a decision yet.

SPEAKER OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA HOVIK ABRAHAMYAN TO LEAVE FOR POLAND ON AN OFFICIAL VISIT

National Assembly of RA
April 21 2009
Armenia

>From April 21 the official visit of the parliamentary delegation
headed by the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of
Armenia to the Republic of Poland begins.

On the delegation are: Chief of the Staff of the National Assembly
Mr. Gegham Gharibjanyan, head of the ARF faction Mr. Vahan
Hovhannisyan, Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Territorial
Management and Local Self-Government, Chairman of the NA Standing
Committee on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs Mr. Mkhitar
Mnatsakanyan, MPs Mr. Aleksan Petrosyan, Mr. Vardan Khachatryan and
other officials.

In Warsaw meetings with the Speaker of the Senate of Poland Mr. Bogdan
Borusewicz and Marshal of the Sejm Mr. Bronislaw Komarowski are
scheduled. The delegation headed by the Speaker of the National
Assembly will lay down a wreath at the monument of Unknown Soldier
in Warsaw.

In Krakow the delegation of the National Assembly will have a meeting
with Malopolska voevoda Mr. Jerzy Miller, will visit Auschwitz-Birkenau
concentration camp-memorial.

On April 23 the official delegation headed by the Speaker of the
National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Mr. Hovik Abrahamyan
will return to Yerevan.

OVER 12,000 DOCUMENTS ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE STORED IN NATIONAL ARCHIVE OF ARMENIA

ArmInfo
2009-04-21 15:44:00

Over 12,000 documents on Armenian Genocide stored in National archive
of Armenia

ArmInfo. Over 12,000 documents on the Armenian Genocide are stored
in the National archive of Armenia, Director of the National Archive
Amatuni Virabyan said at today’s press-conference in the National
press club.

He said the archive documents also contain memorials of the Russian
servicemen and diplomats from different countries of the world
accredited in the Ottoman Empire. According to A. Virabyan, only half
of the archive materials has been studied as of this day. ‘However,
we keep on working towards acquisition of new documents on the Armenian
Genocide’, he emphasized.

To note, new documents regarding the tragic events of 1915 are
received by the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute almost every
week. The can be conventionally divided into two parts: those with
the proved authenticity and included in the exposition and those
under study by the Museum employees. To replenish the exposition,
the Museum periodically participates in the internet-auctions where
rare documents are exhibited.

The information about the documents is received in different ways,
including through the embassies and representatives of the Armenian
Diaspora. Among the most affecting acquisitions of the Museum, there
is a greeting card written on April 23, 1915, i.e. on the eve of
the Genocide.

ARF MAY EXIT COALITION IF ELECTION’S MARRED, SAYS CANDIDATE

Asbarez
article=41655_4/20/2009_1
April 20, 2009

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–The Armenian Revolutionary Federation could go as
far as to pull out of Armenia’s governing coalition if the upcoming
municipal elections in Yerevan are marred by "blatant" irregularities,
the party’s top election candidate warned on Friday.

"We would not only make a statement not recognizing the election
results but take many other actions," Artsvik Minasian, who was
nominated by the influential party for the post of Yerevan mayor,
told RFE/RL in an interview.

When asked whether a coalition exit is an option for the ARF,
Minasian said, "Of course. It is now difficult to imagine what
situation can lead to such a move. But everything will be possible
if these elections follow a negative scenario."

Minasian already urged President Serzh Sarkisian earlier this month
to publicly pledge that his Republican Party of Armenia will not
use its extensive government levers to win the polls scheduled for
May 31. He echoed media reports that Yerevan’s incumbent Republican
Mayor Gagik Beglarian and his subordinates are pressuring public
sector employees to help the HHK win a majority in the new municipal
assembly. Sarkisian did not comment on the Dashnaktsutyun concerns
during his April 10 news conference.

Eduard Sharmazanov, the Republican spokesman, insisted on Friday that
Armenia’s main governing party will do its best to ensure that the
elections are held "without serious violations." "The Republican Party
has neither the need nor the ability or desire to rig the elections,"
he told RFE/RL.

The Republican Party was accused of using its government levers and
resorting to dirty tricks to win last year’s presidential election
and the May 2007 parliamentary elections which Western observers
described as flawed. It strongly denied any wrongdoing.

"We should not rule out that, as has often been the case, some people
will try to pay lip service to one or another political force," said
Minasian. "We should therefore jointly fight against pressure, ballot
stuffing, attempts to distort election results and other violations
that can significantly influence the real picture." He said the ARF
is ready to cooperate with all other election contenders.