Author: Tavakalian Edgar

AZG Armenian Daily #078, 30/04/2005

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OFFICIAL VISIT OF ARMENIAN PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION TO GEORGIA

Artur Baghdasarian, chairman of RA National Assembly, met with Mikheil
Saakashvili, President of Georgia. On the eve of the meeting Mikheil
Saakashvili visited Ninotsmina region that has many Armenian residents
where a new Armenian school will be established. Mr. President assured
that the Georgian authorities began settling the issues of
Akhalkalaki. It is envisaged to repair the roads leading to
Akhalkalaki, Akhaltskha and Tbilisi, as well as the inner road network
of Akhalkalaki.

Saakashvili said that the withdrawal of the Russian military bases
from Akhalkalaki will affect the social-economic situation of the
region’s residents. In response to Artur Baghdasarian’s question about
the social-economic situation of the Armenians living in Akhalkalaki,
Saakashvili said that that everything is being done to solve all the
existing problems there. As for the issue of using the Abkhazian
railroad, Saakashvili gave consent of the Georgian side. It’s worth
reminding that two weeks ago Artur Baghdasarian received the consent
of the Russian side.

Afterwards, Artur Baghdasarian met with Nino Burjanadze, speaker of
the Georgian parliament. In the course of the press conference held by
both speakers, they emphasized the importance of Georgian-Armenian
friendly relations and assured that they will spare no efforts to
contribute to the development of these relations.

Artur Baghdasarian stated that he received the consent of all the
sides in the issue of utilizing the Abkhazian railroad, adding that in
case the political will is displayed the financial investments will be
made.

Nino Burjanadze assured that the issue of the social-economic
situation of the Armenians dwelling in Akhalkalaki is in the center of
the Georgian authorities’ attention. The hard socio-economic situation
of the region is explained by the social-economic situation of the
country, as a whole. Burjanadze expressed satisfaction about the
position of the Armenian authorities in the issue of Akhalkalaki.

The speakers of both countries’ parliaments arranged to perform a
consistent program for the “Wider Europe. New Neighborhood”.

It is envisaged that the speakers of the parliaments of the three
South Caucasus republics, as well as the chairman of the Russian State
Duma will meet soon.

By Nana Petrosian

Pan Armenian News

ONE OF PAMIRS PEAKS NAMED AFTER ENTREPRENEUR OLEG MKRTCHIAN

29.04.2005 06:57

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Well-known mountaineer and traveler Sergey Kaifedzhian
named of the Pamirs peaks after Oleg Mkrtchian, the Director General of
Industrial Union of Donbass, Yerkramas newspaper reported. With bringing the
pictures of Pamirs taken during the expedition to Armavir, the home town of
Oleg Mkrtchian, Sergey Kaifedzhian thanked the entrepreneur for the
opportunity to undertake a 11-day foot travel across the Arabian Desert and
climb the peak, which now has the name of Oleg Mkrtchian.

AZG Armenian Daily #076, 28/04/2005

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PRESIDENTIAL AWARD FOR YOUNG SPECIALIST OF INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES

This year, in September an annual award will be established for the best
students and the specialists of the international technologies. Hovik
Mousaelian, executive director of Synopsis Armenia CJSC, informed Azg daily
about that yesterday. Synopsis Armenia and “Hayastan” All Armenian
Foundation will sign an arrangement on awarding the prizes.

The students of the relevant faculties of RA State Polytechnic University
and RA State University participate in the annual awards. The best students
of the special school at YSU and “Kvant” Collage will be awarded special
prizes.

Mr. Mousaelian stated that the competition fund will amount to $10 thousand.

By Tamar Minasian

AZG Armenian Daily #075, 27/04/2005

Armenia-Turkey

KOCHARIAN SUGGESTS ERDOGAN RELATIONS WITHOUT PRECONDITIONS

‘Governments are responsible for bilateral relations and we have no right to
authorize historians’

The President of Armenia replied to the letter of Turkish prime minister
yesterday and suggested establishing bilateral relations between the
countries without preconditions. Mediamax agency provided us with Recep
Tayyip Erdogan’s letter to President Kocharian where the PM offered “to
establish a joint group consisting of historians and other experts from our
to countries to study the developments and events of 1915 not only in the
archives of Turkey and Armenia but also in the archives of relevant third
countries and to share their findings with the international public”.

“Dear Mr. Prime Minister, as neighbors we indeed have to look for ways for
peaceful coexistence now and in future. For that very reason we have
suggested to establish diplomatic relations, to open the border and start a
dialogue between the states and peoples”.

“There are neighboring countries in the world, particularly in Europe, with
a tough past that brings out discords. But it is no obstacle for them to
have open borders, natural relations, diplomatic ties, representatives in
each other’s capitals and to discuss arguable issues meanwhile”, Kocharian’s
letter reads.

“Your proposal of studying the past cannot be productive if it has no tracks
to the present and future. For a productive dialogue we need a beneficial
and adequate political environment. Governments are responsible for
bilateral relations and we have no right to authorize historians. Thus we
suggest as we did before to establish normal relations between the two
states without preconditions”. President Kocharian’s letter reads in the end
that “in this context there may be set an intergovernmental commission to
discuss all bilateral issues with the aim to solve them and reach mutual
understanding”.

It is clear from the President’s letter that Yerevan is not going to leave
the issue of the Armenian Genocide to the historians. Foreign minister
Oskanian said earlier that the “historians have done their work” and Turkey
is now only to accept its past and recognize the Genocide.

By Tatoul Hakobian

DIE WELT 23.April 2005

“Eine Bürde, an der wir noch lange schwer tragen werden”

Aus den Archiven des Auswärtigen Amtes in BerlinBerlin – Im folgenden
dokumentiert die WELT Zitate aus Berichten deutscher Diplomaten,
Amtsträger und Offiziere, die im Archiv des Auswärtigen Amtes lagern:

Am 18. November 1915 berichtet Bagdadbahn-Vizechef Günther über den
vom deutschen Offizier Böttrich unterzeichneten Deportationsbefehl für
die armenischen Angestellten der Bagdadbahn:

“Unsere Gegner werden einmal viel Geld bezahlen, um dieses
Schriftstück zu besitzen, denn mit der Unterschrift eines Mitglieds
der (deutschen) Militärmission werden sie beweisen, daß die Deutschen
nicht allein nichts getan haben, um die Armenierverfolgung zu
verhüten, sondern daß gewisse Befehle zu diesem Ziel sogar von ihnen
ausgegangen, d.h. unterschrieben worden sind. Mit faustischem Lächeln
hat der (türkische) Militärkommissar den Finger auf die Unterschrift
des Herrn Böttrich gelegt, denn auch für die Türken ist die Tatsache
kostbar, daß dieses Dokument, von dem noch viel die Rede sein wird,
eine deutsche und nicht eine türkische Unterschrift trägt.”

Kanzler Bethmann Hollweg am 7. Dezember 1915: “Unser einziges Ziel
ist, die Türkei bis zum Ende des Krieges an unserer Seite zu halten,
gleichgültig ob darüber Armenier zu Grunde gehen oder nicht.”
Botschafter Paul Graf Wolff-Metternich in einem Dokument vom 3. April
1916: “Die türkische Regierung vertritt den Standpunkt, daß die
Umsiedelungsmaßnahme nicht nur – wie wir zugegeben haben – in den
Ostprovinzen, sondern im ganzen Reichsgebiet durch militärische Gründe
gerechtfertigt war. Hieran wird sowohl die jetzige Regierung wie jede
folgende, falls kein völliger Systemwechsel eintritt, mit größter
Zähigkeit festhalten.” Der deutsche Botschafter Hans Freiherr von
Wangenheim zum Zielder Jungtürken: “Die Art, wie die Umsiedelung
durchgeführt wird, zeigt, daß die Regierung tatsächlich den Zweck
verfolgt, die armenische Rasse im türkischen Reiche zu vernichten.” Am
20. Mai 1915 berichtet der Verweser in Erzerum, Max Erwinvon
Scheubner-Richter, an Botschafter Wangenheim in Konstantinopel: “Die
Massen der ausgesiedelten Armenier ziehen, von wenigen Gendarmen
begleitet, in breitem Strom über die mit Mühe frisch bestellten Felder
oder lagern auf denselben. Das Vieh weidet die Saaten ab. … Das
Elend – Verzweiflung und Erbitterung sind groß. Die Frauen und ihre
Kinder warfen sich vor mein Pferd und baten um Hilfe. Armenische
Bevölkerung erblickt in mir als einzigem Vertreter christlicher Macht
ihren natürlichen Beschützer. Lage schwierig und peinlich. Bitte Ew.
Exzellenz, mich möglichst durch entsprechende Schritte bei der Pforte
(türkische Regierung) unterstützen zu wollen.” Telegrafische Antwort
von Botschafter Wangenheim am 3. Juni 1915) “Ich muß zu meinem
Bedauern von einer erneuten Verwendung für die Armenier bei der Pforte
zunächst absehen. Auch wollen Ew. pp. in dieser Sache keine weiteren
Schritte bei den dortigen Militärbehörden unternehmen.” Drei Tage
zuvor hatte Wangenheim an das Auswärtige Amt in Berlin folgende
Einschätzung gemeldet: “(Kriegsminister und oberster Militärführer)
Enver Pascha beabsichtigt zur Eindämmung armenischer Spionage und um
neuen armenischen Massenerhebungen vorzubeugen, unter Benutzung des
Kriegs- (Ausnahme-) Zustands eine große Anzahl armenischer Schulen zu
schließen, armenischeZeitungen zu unterdrücken, armenische
Postkorrespondenz zu untersagen und aus den jetzt insurgierten
armenischen Zentren alle nicht ganz einwandfreien Familien in
Mesopotamien anzusiedeln. Er bittet dringend, daß wir ihm hierbei
nicht in den Arm fallen.” Im Sommer 1918 hat Botschaftsprediger
Pfarrer Graf von Lüttichauseine Erkenntnisse durch ausführliche
Reisen, Gespräche und Recherchen schriftlich festgehalten: “In den
östlichen Provinzen … sind von der (armenischen) Gesamtbevölkerung
80 bis 90 Prozent, von der männlichen Bevölkerung 98 Prozent nicht
mehr am Leben. … Die Vernichtung der Vertriebenen, die nur allzu gut
und gründlich gelungen ist, war eine politische Maßnahme der
Regierung. …Die Türkei handelte mit vollem Bewußtsein,
selbstherrlich. … Überall auf meiner Reise habe ich die Erkenntnis
gewonnen, daß es sich um ein ganz systematisches Verfahren
handelte. … Nicht nur die Feinde, auch die breite Masse des
(armenischen) Volkes belastet uns mit der Schuld, eine Bürde, an der
wir noch lange schwer tragen werden.” DW

FAZ.net
24.04.2005

Armenien fordert Anerkennung des Völkermords

M.L. MOSKAU, 24. April. In einer Botschaft an die armenische Nation hat
Armeniens Präsident Robert Kotscharjan in der Hauptstadt Eriwan am
Sonntag die internationale Staatengemeinschaft aufgefordert, die
Massenmorde an den Armeniern …

F.A.Z. vom 25.04.2005

AZERBAIJAN’S ATTITUDE TO KARABAKH ARMENIANS WAS POLICY OF PERMANENT GENOCIDE: NKR PRESIDENT

YEREVAN, APRIL 21. ARMINFO. What was the attitude of Azerbaijan to
the Karabakh Armenians if not a policy of permanent genocide, NKR
President Arkady Goukassyan said during today’s Yerevan international
conference on the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

The best evidence is the history of former Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous
Region where the Azeri authorities consistenly worked to change
demography to later abolish autonomy.

They discriminated against the NKAR Armenians in economical, social
and cultural life. They banned any economic or cultural links with
Armenia. They destroyed monuments and distorted history. They presented
Armenians as enemies of Azeris and all other Turkic nations. The
same has been done in Nakhichevan where there already was no single
Armenian by mid XX. So the sad fate of Nakhichevan must be presented
to the international community as a vivid example of what Karabakh
would have faced had it remained within Azerbaijan any longer.

The above actions by the Azeri authorities were just preparation for
a large-scale bloody genocide. The Azeri leaders did not even care to
hide that they considered the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey an
example to follow. They proved to be worthy pupils of their teachers
when they started killing and deporting Armenians from Sumqayit, Baku,
Ganca, Shamkhor, Semakha and other districts, shelling Stepanakert,
massacring women, old people and children in Maraga, chocking Karabakh
in a blockade. This all is internationally defined as genocide,
says Goukassyan.

Moldovan, Azerbaijani presidents call on UN to help resolve separatist conflicts
By CORNELIU RUSNAC

The Associated Press
04/21/05 12:10 EDT

CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) – The presidents of Moldova and Azerbaijan
called Thursday on the United Nations to discuss separatist conflicts
in the two ex-Soviet countries.

“We are countries who have suffered from aggressive separatism,”
said Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliev, who met with his Moldovan
counterpart, Vladimir Voronin, during a visit to the Moldovan capital,
Chisinau.

Separatist movements in Moldova and Azerbaijan have hampered the two
countries’ development since they became independent in 1991. Facing
similar problems, the countries’ leaders vowed to collaborate in
resolving their conflicts.

Increased involvement by the international community would also help,
though, Aliev said.

“The truth and the international laws are on our side,” Aliev said.

The two presidents also pledged to boost economic ties and to
collaborate on their countries’ European integration.

Aliev was in Chisinau to take part in a meeting of a regional
organization known as GUUAM, which groups the ex-Soviet countries of
Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Moldova.

The group was established in 1997 in a bid to seek economic cooperation
outside the influence of Russia.

The summit on Friday will also be attended by Ukrainian President
Viktor Yushchenko and Georgia’s President Mikhail Saakashvili.
Romania’s President Traian Basescu and the president of Lithuania,
Valdas Adamkus, will also participate as observers.

Moldova has struggled for years to reach a settlement with
its separatists in the eastern, Russian-speaking province of
Trans-Dniester. A brief war in 1992 left more than 1,500 people dead.
Trans-Dniester is not recognized internationally, but receives support
from Russia, which has troops in the province.

Azerbaijan has faced ethic strife in Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous
region that has been under the control of ethnic Armenians since the
early 1990s, following fighting that killed an estimated 30,000 people.

A cease-fire was signed in 1994, but the enclave’s final political
status has not been determined and shooting breaks out frequently
across a demilitarized buffer zone.

SERGE SARGSIAN: MEDIA TOO MUCH FREE IN ARMENIA

Pan Armenian News
19.04.2005 05:54

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Too much freedom is provided to the media in
Armenia, Secretary of the National Security Council at the President
of Armenia, Defense Minister Serge Sargsian stated in the course of
a press conference today. “We are in unequal conditions and we can
do nothing within the legal framework,” he stated. In S. Sargsian’s
words, an Armenian official cannot protect himself even in the court,
as in case the dicision is in his favor, the society will say the
state puts a pressure upon the media again.

Armenian premier says no progress in London talks on Karabakh

Arminfo
18 Apr 05

Yerevan, 18 April: There has not been any change in the settlement of
the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict following the meeting of the Armenian
and Azerbaijani foreign ministers with the co-chairmen of the OSCE
Minsk Group in London, Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan
has told journalists.

The Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers, Vardan Oskanyan and
Elmar Mammadyarov, met the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen in London
on 15 April. “Indirect talks” were held at the initiative of the
co-chairmen. A similar meeting is planned in Frankfurt this month.