Author: Tvankchian Parkev

RA MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS TO MEET WITH NATO’S SECRETARY GENERAL IN BRUSSELS ON SEPTEMBER 4

Noyan Tapan
Sep 4, 2007

BRUSSELS, SEPTEMBER 4, NOYAN TAPAN. The meeting of the Ministers of
Foreign Affairs of the member countries of the European Union and the
EU New Neighbourhood Policy took place in Brussels on September 3,
in which Vardan Oskanian, the RA Minister of Foreign Affairs, as well
took part and made a speech. The challenges of trade liberalization,
climate changes, and energy security were included on the agenda of
the conference held under the following motto: "Let us strengthen
the New Neighbourhood Policy by working together."

According to the information provided to Noyan Tapan by the Press
and Information Department of the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Vardan Oskanian had meetings with his colleagues from Tunis, Estonia,
Cyprus, and Czechia within the frameworks of the conference.

The meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of South Caucasus
and the recent EU member countries of Eastern Europe took place on
the initiative of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Poland and
Lithuania on the eve of the conference. The meeting was attended by
the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Baltic countries, Poland,
Czechia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia.

During the meeting they exchanged thoughts on the possibilities of
the assistance of the countries of Eastern Europe for the cooperation
with the EU – South Caucasus countries, the implementation process of
the EU New Neighbourhood Policy, and the regional cooperation programs.

Vardan Oskanian’s meeting with Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, NATO’s Secretary
General, is sheduled for September 4.

CBA MAKES ADMINISTRATIVE AND CAPITAL EXPENDITURES ECONOMICALLY

Noyan Tapan
Sep 4, 2007

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 4, NOYAN TAPAN. The administrative expenditures
of the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) made 3 bln 337 mln drams (over
8.02 mln USD) instead of programmed 2 bln 851 mln drams, the CBA
chairman Tigran Sargsian said at the September 3 joint sitting of the
RA National Assembly standing committees when presenting the report
on the 2006 budget.

According to him, capital investments of CBA amounted to 1 bln 743
mln drams in 2006 instead of programmed 2 bln 254 mln drams. The CBA
ensured savings with respect to these two expense directions.

It was mentioned that the policy of replacing CBA experienced employees
with young ones resulted in salary savings. The CBA chairman said that
part of the work on construction of the new CBA building (envisaged
for 2006) will be implemented in 2007.

ICRC REPRESENTATIVES VISIT ARMENIAN TRESPASSING SOLDIER IN AZERBAIJAN

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Sept 3 2007

Representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC) office in Azerbaijan visited soldier of Armenian Army Ambarsum
Asaturyan, who gave himself up to Azerbaijani side, press service of
ICRC office in Azerbaijan told the APA.

This is the second visit of the soldier. The soldier’s detention
condition, physical and psychological condition was monitored during
the visit, he was allowed to exchange letter with his family.

Armenian Army soldier Asaturyan Ambarsum was born in 1984 in Armavik
region of Armenia. He was drafted on May 17, 2007 and gave himself up
to Azerbaijan not long ago. Asaturyan attributed the case to bullying,
ill-treatment in Armenian Army.

TIME TO SAY NEW THINGS ON THE ‘GENOCIDE’ ISSUE
View by Omer TASPINAR

Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
Sept 4 2007

The Anti Defamation League’s recent decision to acknowledge that
the Armenian "massacres" of 1915 were tantamount to "genocide"
has created a political storm in Turkey. Seen from Washington,
such Turkish resentment is counterproductive. It only confirms the
fact that Turkey needs to come to terms with its own history. When
you have prominent leaders of the Turkish Jewish community writing
letters to the ADL reminding them that the Turkish Jewish community’s
well-being is jeopardized, this does not exactly come across as a
ringing endorsement of Turkey’s democratic maturity.

What the Turkish body politic and public opinion fail to understand
is that the genocide issue is already a lost battle in the West. This
battle is lost partly because of Turkey’s own behavior and stern,
uncompromising image. The official Turkish narrative on the question
of "genocide" displays all the symptoms of an authoritarian state
that has created a taboo. The education system, nationalist press
and bureaucratic reflex are all symptomatic of a totalitarian way
of thinking where even a slight departure from the official line
creates mayhem. How else can one explain efforts to undermine academic
conferences on this issue, or the disgraceful treatment of Orhan Pamuk
by most of the nationalist press after he was awarded the Nobel Prize?

The official rhetoric of the government is simplistic: Leave history to
the historians. What is, then, the logic behind accusing historians
discussing the issue in an academic conference as traitors ready
to stab the nation in the back? Such conspiracy-prone approaches
increasingly produce an anti-European, anti-American, anti-Kurd,
anti-Armenian and anti-liberal nationalism. At the end of the day,
Turkey is seen by the West as a country that is fighting its own
religion, ethnicity and history. A normal country able to discuss its
history freely would probably be less alarmed when others accuse it
of having committed "genocide."

The Turkish overreaction to the slightest criticism on this issue —
even when it comes from traditional friends — reveals a disturbing
sense of insecurity, bordering on guilt. But it is perhaps the lack of
a commonsense strategy that is most disturbing. For years, Turks have
refused to engage the world community. There was a clear reluctance
to answer questions when Turkish embassies all over the world were
asked to participate in panel discussions and respond to questions —
in short, to make their own case.

What is often overlooked by Ankara is the fact that the official
rhetoric did not change the international perception of "genocide."

To the contrary, Turkey’s reluctance to engage left the field wide
open for anti-Turkish propaganda. Then, about 20 years ago, Ankara
finally decided to engage more seriously — but strictly on historical
and legal terms. What emerged was not a pretty scene. The Turkish
view, in a nutshell, is that you have to put things in historical
context. There was a war. Russians invaded and Armenians cooperated
with the enemy in order to secure an independent homeland.

Armenians, in other words, were not innocent civilians but nationalist
rebels.

Fine. But this doesn’t change the fact that they were a minority and
that the Ottoman state was in charge of their protection. The Ottoman
state decided to deport them. What happened during the deportations?

Hundreds of thousands were massacred. Wasn’t the government and
military in charge of protecting the deported? How can you have
hundreds of thousands of men, women, children massacred without
a sustained campaign? The legalistic answer is that there was no
"intent" to exterminate the Armenian race. OK, so what happened is
not comparable to the Holocaust. But isn’t it still "genocide" when
close to a million people are killed while the state is unable and
unwilling to protect them?

Today what Turkey needs to do is to engage Armenia and start a
reconciliation process. This is no longer a historical issue. It is
a political and psychological predicament. Turkey should also issue
an official apology, but also indicate that territorial or financial
compensations are out of question. A monument that would commemorate
the death of Armenians would go a long way in creating goodwill from
the international community. But most importantly it would start
a process of self-healing at home. Opening the border with Armenia
would also secure the moral high ground as it did on the question of
Cyprus three years ago.

Two years ago, when I visited Yerevan, former Armenian President Levon
Ter Petrossian asked me if Prime Minister Erdoðan is politically strong
enough to engage the Armenian question without succumbing to populist
nationalism. I told him we will have to wait for better days. Now
that the Justice and Development Party (AKP) won the elections in
a landslide, it has an opening to do the right thing. Let’s hope
it will…

–Boundary_(ID_trvCQcMW2HUWr73T+pY3ZQ)–

WHERE FATHERLAND STARTS AND IS EMPTIED
Hakob Badalyan

Lragir
Sept 3 2007
Armenia

It was certainly touching and pleasant to see how the representatives
of the legislature and the executive of our country visited different
schools on September 1 and congratulated children on the day of
knowledge and education and the start of the new academic year. One
of them, Hranush Hakobyan, even stated that in very few countries of
the world the day of science and education is a national holiday.

Armenia is one of these few countries indeed. In fact, Armenia is
one of the few countries where science and education is a national
holidays. In the other countries science and education is daily work,
the course of life. Therefore, in those countries the officials
do not rush into schools on September 1 to show how the country
takes care of schools. Especially, the schools of the capital. When
Mayor Yervand Zakharyan visits the schools of Yerevan, it is somehow
explicable. Although it is not clear why he visits. Does Zakharyan
think the first form children understand the lengthy speeches he
makes in front of the school? The parents can understand who hear
about the care of the government. But they can see this care from
the state the schools are in, can’t they? Do the officials need to
state see that we take care of the education system.

Or does care for the education system involve only repair of school
buildings? Who is supposed to repair the climate at schools, the
teacher-student or teacher-parent relations which have now become
informally commercial. Why does the government fail to tackle this
problem? Or does the municipality think it can make use of these
relations as long as they exist? Our teachers and directors of schools
do not fear raising money from students because they are confident of
the loyalty of the municipality, which is in charge of the schools,
to this phenomenon. And this loyalty is the reason why the government
which is responsible for the same system benefits from those commercial
relations at schools.

These are issues which are usually discussed less because their
solution requires hard work, harder than the redecoration of schools.

It is better to celebrate the day of education and science, give
out some gifts to students. It is also necessary. But why only this
celebration? Why only on September 1? Why don’t the officials hold
less solemn and more practical meetings with students and their
parents to listen to them and solve the problems that they raise?

Or why do these officials celebrate the day of education and science
at the schools of Yerevan? I repeat it is O.K. that Yervand Zakharyan
remains in Yerevan, although he should also go to Shushi because
he is the head of Shushi Rebirth Foundation. Why do the members of
parliament and other officials never visit remote villages on September
1? There are still a few students who go to the local schools because
their parents have not found yet the way of leaving the village or
maybe they are reluctant to leave. Why are our officials reluctant to
celebrate September 1 at the schools of those remote villages? Maybe
they are not used that there is no luxury at the schools of the
border villages on September 1 and generally everyday, unlike the
schools of the capital where children carry larger bouquets than
their bags or children themselves and arrive at school in cars which
cost more than the school’s furniture. The officials like to see all
these things because it allows them making bombastic speeches and
uttering touching words about progress in the country. But the border
is also the country. Moreover, the country starts from the border and
is emptied from the border. Does it take much science and education
to understand this?

WILL THE NEW POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGY HAVE THE SAME DRAWBACKS?
By Sevak Hakobian

Yerkir.am
September 01, 2007

Member of the ARF’s parliamentary faction Artsvi Minassian and member
of the Heritage Party’s parliamentary faction Larissa Alaverdian
commented on the implementation of the Poverty Reduction Strategy
Paper during a debate held in Hayatsq Club on August 28.

Larissa Alaverdian was the Ombudsperson during the process of
organization of the Poverty Reduction Strategy and was involved in
the preparation works.

Alaverdian believes the Armenian strategy was more realistic than the
strategies of other countries because all layers of the civil society
were involved in the drafting process. Most importantly, the strategy
was drafted without any external support and consultancy. Nevertheless,
Alaverdian voted against adoption of the strategy since the main
problems facing the society were ignored.

Alaverdian believes the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper is a document
of not only the government but also of the opposition since all forces
had an opportunity to participate in its creation. It was only the
legislature that did not have the desired role and influence in the
process of drafting and implementation of the strategy. Meanwhile,
the National Assembly should have participated in the discussions
and made its proposals regarding the strategy.

Artsvi Minassian stated the ARF believes that the PRSP had several
drawbacks – a number of sectors were left out of the initial draft. The
Strategy has failed to become a document supporting the economic
development as opposed to similar documents in the neighboring
states that set the goal of economic development and not merely
poverty reduction.

"This document aims at addressing this comprehensive problem without
presenting ways of future development," Minassian said adding that
now when the possibility of extending the strategy till 2021 is under
discussion significant amendments should be made stating what economic,
political and social model Armenia will have by that time.

Demographic policy is one of the outstanding issues left after the
initial drafting of the PRSP. The ARF has addressed this issue in
its electoral program and believes that the country’s economy and
its future cannot be built further unless we find solutions to the
existing situation. It is necessary to implement specific measures
rather than merely presenting the situation.

Even the World Bank has commented on the poor demographic situation
in Armenia in one of its reports. Minassian believes that the minimum
consumption budget and composition should be at the foundation of
any development program.

Equal regional development should be one of the issues discussed in the
PRSP context. "One of the negative factors is that we have the society
and the economic resources concentrated in Yerevan and we do nothing
to achieve equal development in the regions," Minassian said. This
direction is one of the important ones in the ARF’s electoral program.

Minassian believes such development should be based on the special
advantages of the regions. Each region with its resources should be
a more productive unit and each member of the society should have
income generation opportunities. Without these conditions we cannot
speak about equal regional development.

The debaters expressed their hope that the new PRSP will be widely
discussed and the above-mentioned drawbacks will be eliminated because
it is obvious that the existing strategy is doomed to failure.

US Ethnic Groups Band Together to Send Emergency Aid to Greek Fire
Victims
PR Newswire (US)
Published: Aug 31, 2007

WASHINGTON, Aug. 31 /PRNewswire/ — The American Hellenic Educational
Progressive Association (AHEPA), the leading association for the
nation’s 1.3 million American citizens of Greek ancestry, and
Philhellenes, announced the creation of a coalition effort to raise
emergency relief funding for those affected by the recent rash of
wildfires throughout Greece. The coalition currently consists of the
following national ethic organizations: Armenian Americans – The
Armenian National Committee of America Italian Americans – The National
Italian American Foundation Jewish Americans – B’nai B’rith
International Serbian Americans – Serbian Unity Congress

These organizations are asking their members to make tax deductible
donations through the AHEPA website () into a special
"Emergency Greek Fire Relief Fund." 100% of the proceeds will go
directly to the people of Greece.

AHEPA calls on all Americans to join this effort and join the coalition
today. For additional information about AHEPA, how to join the
coalition or to speak to AHEPA’s International President, please call
AHEPA Headquarters at 1-202-232-6300.

AHEPA is the largest Greek-American association in the world with
chapters in the United States, Canada, Greece, Cyprus, and sister
chapters in Australia and New Zealand. It was established in 1922 by
visionary Greek Americans to protect Hellenes from prejudice
originating from the KKK, and in its history, AHEPA joined with the
NAACP and B’nai B’rith International to fight discrimination.

The mission of the AHEPA family is to promote the ideals of Hellenism,
education, philanthropy, civic responsibility and family and individual
excellence. Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed
expert(s), click appropriate link. Ike Gulas – AHEPA
ofile.aspx?ei=65277
The American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association

CONTACT: Michael A. Zachariades of The American Hellenic Educational
Progressive Association, +1-202-232-6300, Ext. 204,
[email protected], or Weekend – after hours Robin Oliver,
+1-205-612-0551, [email protected]

Web site:

HEIRS OF THE CLIENTS OF SEVERAL INSURANCE COMPANIES FUNCTIONING AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PASSED CENTURY AT THE TERRITORY OF OTTOMAN EMPIRE WILL BE ABLE TO GET MONEY COMPENSATION

arminfo
2007-08-31 16:22:00

ArmInfo.Ninety years later heirs of the clients of several insurance
companies functioning at the beginning of the passed century at the
territory of Ottoman empire will be able to get money compensation by
the deposits of their forefathers, director of the juridical company
"Vardges Egiyan", Arman Bagdoyan, said at the press-conference, Friday.

He also added that the total sum of compensation, that should be
repaid by New York Life insurance company amounts to $11.5 mln,
about $8 mln out of which has been already repaid. Bagdoyan said
that compensation for the non-cash deposits will be transmitted to
the accounts of the Armenian charitable organizations. A total of
1254 people from Armenia applied to get compensation and at present
more than $3,5 mln were repaid to them. Then comes the USA – 896
applications and $2.6 mln repaid; France – 141 applications and $656
thsd repaid, etc. He also said that money compensation will be also
repaid to the heirs of the deposits insured by L’union Vie, Caisse
Paternelle and La Confiance companies,legal successor of which
is AXA. One can have the detailed information from the web site
Bagdoyan said that Armenian
Justice Ministry is ready to assist the heirs of the deposits.

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE?
By Monk Koryun Baghdasarian, Member of the Jerusalem Srbots Hakobeants Congregation

AZG Armenian Daily #158
01/09/2007

Armenian Genocide

People often come across with the words "the Youth Turks", "the
Ottoman Turks" in the press, mass media reports, in the announcements
of Armenian and foreign state officials, who condemn the perpetrators
of the Armenian Genocide. Moreover, the country that is responsible
for the Armenian Genocide often is mentioned "the Ottoman Turkey" or
"the Ottoman Empire", but not Turkey.

Here we can raise an important question: can we separate the Young
Turks from the Turkish nation and the Ottoman Turkey from the present
Republic of Turkey.

The Jewish people separate Nazis from the whole nation of Germans,
and think that Nazis are responsible for the Holocaust, but not the
whole German nation. The basis of that thinking is that most of the
Germans were not even aware of the genocide happening by their side.

However, what is the reason that does not let us the Young Turks
regard as the only responsible for the Armenian Genocide.

Of course, there are similarities between the Armenian Genocide and the
Holocaust, but each of them has its own peculiarities. The following
peculiarities prohibit Armenians to recognize the Youth Turks as the
only responsible for the Armenian Genocide:

As compared with the Armenian Genocide, one of the reasons of the
Holocaust was the fact of being non-Aryan nation. Moreover, the Germans
always regarded Jews as threats in their financial and economical
spheres. The Jewish Holocaust did not happen in their motherland,
while the Armenian Genocide has been committed in the historical
land of the Armenian people: in their motherland, where the Armenian
nation was formed and developed, where the Armenian people created
a civilization and a culture of a universal value.

The Armenian Genocide was not a result of an ideology.

The Turks killed the right of an ancient nation to live safe in its
own motherland.

Most of the Turks in cooperation with the Kurds, who believed in the
promises of the Turks, committed the Armenian Genocide. The little
percentage of the Turks, who didn’t participate in it, later seized
and captured all the property and belongings of the Armenian people.

It’s worth to mention that as compared with the Holocaust the Armenian
Genocide is not recognized and condemned yet. Moreover, the Turks not
only deny the Armenian Genocide, but also try to distort the historical
events and present themselves as the victims of a so-called genocide
by Armenians.

In the period of the 92 years’ denial Turks destroy the Armenian
historical, cultural and religious tracks, the Armenian churches
and monasteries.

Today’s Turks do not differ from the Ottoman Turks, and the
Kemalist-Republican Turkey from the Ottoman Empire. Even today,
Turkey is ready to attack and tear to pieces its victim and finish
its unfinished work.

The following facts can prove the above-mentioned: Turkish invasions
of the I Republic of Armenia from 1918-1920, the 13 Turkish divisions’
allocation in the entire length of the border of the Soviet Armenia
during the World War II, ready to attack Armenia, death of 37.000
Armenians from Istanbul in the so-called construction of the roads in
Erzerum, the accumulation of the Turkish armed forces in the length
of the border of the Republic of Armenia in 1992, the murder of the
Chief editor of "Agos" Hrant Dink, etc.

Taking into consideration the above-mentioned, we have no right to
separate the Youth Turks from the whole Turkish nation until they
deny the Armenian Genocide

TURKEY: ISRAEL COULD SUFFER FROM ARMENIAN DEBATE
By Ben Harris, Jewish Telegraphic Agency

The Jewish Journal of greater L.A, CA
Aug 30 2007

The Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) reversal last week of its position
on the Armenian genocide has set off a flurry of diplomatic activity
in Turkey and Israel.

Officials in Ankara and Jerusalem, in coordination with American
Jewish leaders, were working this week to contain the fallout from
the ADL’s statement, which recognized the World War I massacres of
Armenians by Ottoman Turks as "tantamount to genocide."

The ADL was forced to reverse its longstanding position – shared
by other major American Jewish organizations – of neutrality on the
genocide question amid growing dissension within its own ranks.

Jewish leaders warned that recognizing the genocide, as Congress is
now considering, could undermine American strategic interests in the
Middle East and Turkey’s robust military and economic partnership with
Israel. Also deemed at risk was the security of Turkish Jewry, which
sent a letter earlier this year opposing a congressional resolution
on the matter.

Nabi Sensoy, Turkey’s ambassador in Washington, told JTA that his
government was strongly opposed to any congressional action, but that
the Turkish Jewish community had nothing to fear in any case. Sensoy
was less sure that Turkey’s relations with Israel and the United
States would survive a resolution unscathed.

"I cannot really dismiss that if this resolution does pass that there
will be certain impacts on certain relationships," Sensoy said.

"There is no doubt about it."

Of those raising the specter of reprisals against Turkish Jewry,
Sensoy said, "I’m very disturbed to hear this kind of remark coming
from anywhere. They seem to be forgetting the history of Turks and
Jews, which goes back at least 500 years. We’ve always had the best
of relations between Turks and Jews, and the Turkish Jewish community
is part and parcel, and an integral part, of the Turkish community."

What began more than a month ago as a small local protest against
an ADL-sponsored program in the Boston suburbs has escalated into
an international crisis with a nation deemed central to American
interests and Israeli security.

Turkey is Israel’s closest – and arguably its only – regional ally
and is central to American policy in the Middle East. Mindful of
Turkey’s importance, the Conference of Presidents of Major American
Jewish Organizations began a series of discussions on the matter last
week. Malcolm Hoenlein, the group’s executive vice chairman, told
JTA that the conference had not yet decided how or whether to respond.

"As wiser heads have prevailed, people are looking for us to play a
role in trying to control and calm down the situation so there are
no ramifications and repercussions that have nothing to do with the
substance" of the issue, Hoenlein said.

Though Jewish groups have toed a careful line on the genocide question
for years, the issue exploded last month after the town council
of Watertown, Mass., home to one of the country’s largest Armenian
communities, voted to sever ties with an ADL anti-bigotry program in
protest of the organization’s refusal to acknowledge the genocide.

After the vote, the ADL’s regional director in Boston, Andrew Tarsy,
switched gears and condemned his organization’s position. Tarsy was
promptly fired by ADL national director Abraham Foxman.

The Boston ADL leadership rebelled and with pressure mounting, Foxman
reversed himself last week, acknowledging that the "consequences" of
Ottoman massacres of Armenians were "tantamount to genocide." Tarsy
was reinstated Monday as Boston director.

An outraged Turkey communicated its dismay to Israeli and Jewish
leaders, with some Turkish officials suggesting that Israel had to
"deliver" American Jewish groups on this issue.

Namik Tan, Turkey’s ambassador, reportedly said that his country
believed its strategic relationship with Israel also involved the
whole Jewish world.

The Turkish people "cannot make that differentiation" between Israel
and American Jewish organizations, Nan told The Jerusalem Post.

"On some issues there is no such thing as ‘Israel cannot deliver~B’"
he continued, adding that this was one of those issues.

According to an unofficial translation, the Turkish Foreign Ministry
issued a statement saying use of the genocide label is "historically
and legally baseless" and accusing the ADL of trying to "rewrite the
history" of the period.

"We consider the statement of the ADL as an injustice to the unique
character of the Holocaust, as well as to the memories of its victims,"
the statement said. "We expect it to be rectified."

On Sunday, the ADL released a second statement reiterating its support
for a joint Turkish-Armenian commission to investigate the matter
– a move Turkey supports – and its opposition to a resolution in
Congress. Foxman also wrote to Turkey’s prime minister, Recep Tayyip
Erdogan, "to express regret for any pain we have caused to you and
the Turkish people in these past few days."

In Turkey, those steps were seen as backtracking. Erdogan said the
ADL had rectified its "mistake," according to the Turkish Daily News.

Sensoy said he felt the ADL had reversed itself again and that its
current position reflected a more "balanced situation."

"We are expecting the American Jewish organizations to be neutral about
this," Sensoy said. "Although we’re aware of the fact that this is a
very sensitive issue for the Israeli people and the Jewish community,
what we have to seek is the truth."

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