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06/08/2006
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1) Senators Kerry And Kennedy Demand Answers about Evans Firing
2) Self-Determination Remains Priority in Karabagh Peace Talks
3) Armenia-Diaspora Forum to Be Held in Yerevan in September
1) Senators Kerry And Kennedy Demand Answers about Evans Firing
WASHINGTON, DC–Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA), this
week, joined the growing list of legislators demanding answers from the
Administration regarding the recall of US Ambassador to Armenian John Evans
over his honest and accurate public statements about the Armenian genocide,
reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
In a June 5 letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the two
Massachusetts Senators conveyed their concerns regarding reports that the
Ambassador was dismissed “due to the use of the word ‘genocide’ when
describing
the atrocities that were committed against the Armenian people in 1915.”
They added that, “Reports from diplomats at the time make clear that genocide
accurately described these events. Henry Morgenthau, then our Ambassador to
the Ottoman Empire, described these actions as a campaign of racial
extermination.” They closed their letter by noting that, “Allegedly the
Government of Turkey was dismayed by Ambassador Evans’ remarks and expressed
this to the US Government. We would like clarification as soon as possible
about Ambassador Evans’ premature dismissal after 35 years of exemplary
service
to the United States Government.”
The letter was sent in the wake of the May 23 White House announcement
nominating Richard Hoagland to serve as the new Ambassador to Armenia.
Ambassador Evans will be replaced in Yerevan after Ambassador Hoagland’s
Senate
confirmation process is completed.
The State Department, with the blessing of the White House, fired Ambassador
Evans in response to his February 2005 statements at Armenian American
community functions, during which he properly characterized the Armenian
genocide as “genocide.” Following his statements, Ambassador Evans was forced
to issue a statement clarifying that his references to the Armenian genocide
were his personal views and did not represent a change in US policy. He
subsequently issued a correction to this statement, replacing a reference to
the genocide with the word “tragedy.”
The American Foreign Service Association, which had decided to honor
Ambassador Evans with the “Christian A. Herter Award,” recognizing creative
thinking and intellectual courage within the Foreign Service, reportedly
rescinded the award following pressure from the State Department in the days
leading up to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to
Washington, DC to meet with President Bush.
“We join with Armenians throughout Massachusetts and around the nation in
thanking Senators Kennedy and Kerry for demanding an explanation of the
circumstances of Ambassador Evans’ firing–particularly as they relate to the
role of the Turkish Government,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.
“Despite repeated Congressional inquiries dating back more than three months,
the Administration has yet to respond to a single question, to provide any
meaningful explanation of its actions, or to release even one of the
diplomatic
cables from the Turkish Government on this matter.”
After sending the letter, Senator Kennedy noted, “What happened in Armenia
was
genocide. No one should lose their job for stating the plain truth.”
Senator Kerry elaborated, stating: “If history has taught us anything, it’s
that when we see it we must call genocide by its name. There is no doubt about
the genocide of 1.5 million Armenian men, women, and children, and the United
States Government should be straight about this piece of world history. It’s
an outrage that a respected lifelong diplomat would be fired simply for
speaking the truth. In 1990 I fought alongside Senator Dole to designate
April
24 as a national day of remembrance so we could learn from this dark period
and
honor the memories of those Armenians who suffered.” Senator Kerry continued,
noting that, “The Ambassador and his career should not be made a scapegoat for
this administration’s refusal to face the facts and strengthen the ties
between
our countries.”
As early as March 8, ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian expressed grave
disappointment over reports that Ambassador Evans would be penalized for
speaking the truth about the Armenian genocide. In a letter to Secretary
Rice,
Hachikian wrote that, “the prospect that a US envoy’s posting–and possibly
his
career–has been cut short due to his honest and accurate description of a
genocide is profoundly offensive to American values and US standing
abroad–particularly in light of President Bush’s call for moral clarity in
the
conduct of our international affairs.”
On May 23, sixty US House members cosigned a letter to Secretary Rice,
spearheaded by Representative Markey, calling for an explanation of the
Ambassador’s recall. Earlier, Representatives Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Grace
Napolitano (D-CA) submitted questions at House International Relations
Committee hearings with Secretary Rice. On May 25, Representative Pallone
condemned Ambassador Evans’ firing, expressing concerns about Turkish
Government intervention in the decision.
2) Self-Determination Remains Priority in Karabagh Peace Talks
YEREVAN (RFE/RL/Armenpress)–Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian said Thursday
that he and his Azeri counterpart Elmar Mamedyarov will likely meet this month
to discuss the Karabagh peace process after the latest Armenian-Azeri summit
failed to produce any results.
“If I said that it could happen tomorrow I wouldn’t be exaggerating,” he
said,
referring to the meeting. “It could happen very soon, it could happen at the
end of this month. Everything depends on the co-chairs [of the OSCE Minsk
Group].”
Mamedyarov likewise said earlier this week that he is “awaiting news from the
co-chairs.”
The American, French, and Russian mediators have yet to announce their next
steps. The failure by Presidents Robert Kocharian of Armenia and Ilham Aliyev
of Azerbaijan to reach any agreements during talks in Bucharest on Sunday and
Monday dealt a serious blow to their efforts to settle the Karabagh conflict
this year. In a joint statement on Tuesday, the Minsk Group insisted that
“2006
remains the favorable window” to achieve peace in Karabagh.
“That window is still open,” agreed Oskanian. “One should not rule out any
development.”
According to Oskanian, the Bucharest talks collapsed over the same stumbling
block that precluded a breakthrough in the previous Armenian-Azeri summit held
at the Rambouillet castle near Paris on February 10-11.
“The issue which the presidents discussed and tried to solve is very
complicated indeed,” he told a news conference. “This was the same issue which
was put before the presidents at Rambouillet. It wasn’t solved then and it
wasn’t solved now either.”
Oskanian said only that the mediators came up with unspecified “new
approaches” to the Karabagh dispute at Bucharest.
He said a one-page document on the basic principles of the framework
agreement
for resolution of the Karabagh conflict that had been put before the
Presidents when they met in February in Rambouillet had grown to become a
2.5
page document in Bucharest, “but unfortunately the Presidents’ meeting did not
mark a breakthrough.”
He also said Azerbaijan’s recognition of the Karabagh Armenians’ right to
self-determination is a key condition for a peaceful settlement.
Aliyev maintains, however, that he will never agree to Karabagh’s secession
from Azerbaijan. Defense Minister Serge Sarkisian indicated on Wednesday he
believes this was the main reason for the Bucharest fiasco. He warned that
Baku
is “losing its chance to resolve the Karabagh conflict by peaceful means.”
A senior aide to Mountainous Karabagh Republic President Arkady Ghoukassian
said that he is not surprised with the outcome of the Bucharest talks. “The
parties’ positions on the issue are still very different,” Arman Melikian
said.
“Azerbaijan must recognize the Nagorno Karabagh Republic. But it shows no
signs of taking positive steps in that direction,” he said.
Oskanian, meanwhile, confirmed that his talks with Mamedyarov should clarify
whether it would make sense for Aliyev and Kocharian to meet again later this
year. “I really don’t know [if the two presidents will meet in 2006],” he
said.
“We left Bucharest without agreeing on when the next meeting will take place.
The only agreement was that if the co-chairs feel the need for a meeting of
the
Foreign Ministers, the President will have no problem with that.”
3) Armenia-Diaspora Forum to Be Held in Yerevan in September
YEREVAN (Yerkir/Armenpress)The Third Armenia-Diaspora Forum will be held
September 18-20 in Yerevan, said Armenian Foreign Minster Vartan Oskanian at a
news conference in Yerevan.
Oskanian said Thursday that the event will coincide with the 15th anniversary
of Armenia’s independence. The conference will examine, analyze, assess
Armenia’s past and current geo-political realities, said the minister.
The Foreign Minister also said that challenges created and problems solved in
the past 15 years will be discussed. “We have other opportunities now, more
potential. Armenia is much stronger now and is able to solve challenges the
people and the country face,” he emphasized.
Oskanian said that the forum will also host a variety of cultural events.
“Cultural events will be held within the forum framework. ‘One Nation, One
Culture’ festival and Golden Apricot Third Cinema Festival will be held before
the forum,” Vartan Oskanian remarked.
The forum will open September 18. Armenian President Robert Kocharian and
Mountainous Karabagh Republic President Arkday Ghoukassian, Catholicos Karekin
II of All Armenians and His Holiness Aram I of the See of Cilicia will address
the forum. Relations between Armenia and the diaspora and prospects for
cooperation will be discussed at the session.
The second day will focus on exclusively agriculture. The aim of this
conference is to rally the resources of the Armenian Government, Armenia’s
business community, the diaspora, and international organizations to renovate
rural infrastructure, facilitate economic development, and create the
necessary
contemporary conditions rural communities to prosper.
A conference titled “New Solutions to Old Problems for a New Nation-State in
the 21st Century” will be held on the third final day of the forum. This
conference will discuss Armenian identity in the context of
globalizationpreservation of language and culture, education, dual
citizenship,
and repatriation.
Oskanian said that by organizing the Armenia-Diaspora Forum, the Armenian
Government hopes to utilize the potential of all Armenians to “jointly solve
all national problems and create secure conditions for the development and
prosperity of the country.”
The conference is open to all who wish to attend.
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