Author: Vanyan Gary

WHAT’S ON ARMENIAN FRONT?

Hurriyet
April 7 2010
Turkey

Turkish politics and the society is predominantly occupied with the
constitutional amendment drive of the ruling Justice and Development
Party, or AKP, and the latest appeal to the president of the main
opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, to declare from now
on he would favor referring to referendum three articles in the
AKP’s proposal – those regarding the high courts and the closure of
political parties – separate from the remaining 24 "sugar coating"
articles and the provisional articles. Yet, something is happening
silently in Turkish-Armenian relations – in particular regarding the
contentious protocols for improved relations between the two countries.

A report from Yerevan early in the morning came as a complete surprise
for many newsmen in Ankara. As important as it is, the report from
Yerevan that the Armenian parliament would complete before the end
of this week the approval process of the Turkish-Armenian protocols
became a secondary development as the day progressed. It became clear
that, not only a senior Turkish diplomat was in the Armenian capital
with a special letter from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to
Armenian President Serge Sarkisian, but the two leaders would indeed
be meeting in Washington on the sidelines of a nuclear security summit.

Developments are indeed so striking that one cannot stop but ask
what else might be in the pipeline? Perhaps also on the agenda is a
meeting between the Turkish prime minister and the Armenian president
with American President Barrack Obama playing the host. Anyhow, both
the Turkish prime minister and the Armenian president are already
scheduled to have separate meetings with the American president. Why
not have a trilateral meeting since the Obama administration has been
the main backstage catalyst of the Turkish-Armenian rapprochement
for a long time?

Such a trilateral meeting was not yet confirmed by any of the three
countries. Probably, either such a meeting was not yet firmly arranged,
or the three countries wanted to keep such an encounter secret for
now. Because of the delay in Erdogan’s making a decision to attend
the nuclear security summit due to the government’s protest of the
House Armenian resolution, even the expected Erdogan-Obama meeting is
not on the official agenda of the U.S. president. Yet, both Turkish
and American officials appear confident that somehow the president
and the prime minister will create an opportunity for get together
during the summit.

As for now, it is not yet public what tools U.S. diplomacy used
in prodding either Armenia or Turkey. The Armenian administration
decided to complete the parliamentary approval process of the
protocols "without making any change in them" and drop its earlier
demand that the protocols should first be approved by the Turkish
Parliament. The Turkish administration all of a sudden sent Foreign
Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu to Yerevan as a special
emissary of Erdogan to deliver a letter to Sarkisian. Yet, it
was known for some time that the Obama administration wanted the
two governments to stop dragging their feet, act on the protocols
and take some concrete steps towards improving relations between
themselves. At one point, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton even
created uproar in the Armenian diaspora with a "slip of the tongue"
that the history commission to be established within the framework
of the protocols would soon be established.

Normalization

With Turkish Ambassador Namık Tan – withdrawn to protest the House
of Representatives Foreign Relations Committee’s approval of the
"G" resolution – back in Washington and Erdogan making a U-turn from
his earlier decision not to attend the April 12-13 nuclear security
summit in the U.S. capital, it is clear Turkey has received "credible
assurances" from the Obama administration of a more active resolution
of the possible "G" resolution in Congress.

Yet, obviously, with the April 24 anniversary of the so-called
Armenian "genocide" approaching and pressure building on Obama from
the Armenians to use the "G" word and Turkey warning of the serious
consequences such a development might create in Turkish-American
relations, the U.S. administration wants to achieve some progress on
the protocols. Perhaps, the U.S. is after a move from Ankara regarding
making a pledge to open the border with Armenia in the foreseeable
future and a signal from Yerevan of its intention to withdraw from
the occupied Azerbaijani territory – the reason of the border closure
by Turkey – helping Turkey to act on the border issue.

SARKOZY ATTACHES SIGNIFICANCE TO PROTOCOLS’ RATIFICATION

news.am
April 8 2010
Armenia

Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his French counterpart
Nicolas Sarkozy discussed Armenian-Turkish relations in the course
of April 7 meeting.

According to Turkish Sabah, Sarkozy accepted Erdogan’s invitation to
visit Turkey. Premier noted that Turkey’s only aim is full membership
to EU. French President also touched upon sanctions imposed against
Iran, however Erdogan expressed confidence that the issue should be
settled through negotiations. Sarkozy assured Turkish Premier that
France will support Turkey in its fight against terrorism, and PKK
in particular.

Armenia-Turkey relations were also in focus of the talks. French
President offered his assistance to reconciliation with Armenia,
noting that he is ready to make efforts to ease the process,
emphasizing the ratification of Armenia-Turkey Protocols.

TURKISH ENVOY SEEKS TO REVIVE PEACE EFFORTS IN ARMENIA

Agence France Presse
April 7, 2010 Wednesday 3:47 PM GMT
YEREVAN

A senior Turkish diplomat met with top officials in Armenia Wednesday
to discuss stalled reconciliation efforts between the two estranged
neighbours, Armenian and Turkish officials said.

Feridun Sinirlioglu, undersecretary of the Turkish foreign ministry,
asked Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian to meet with Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of a nuclear security
summit in Washington next week, the Armenian presidency said.

An Armenian official who requested anonymity told AFP that Yerevan
was considering the request.

"The Turkish prime minister has asked through his envoy for a bilateral
meeting with president Sarkisian during the visit to Washington,"
Sarkisian’s office said in a statement.

"Sarkisian said (during the meeting) that Armenia expects Turkey to
take practical steps to guarantee decisive progress in the process
of normalising relations, without preconditions," the statement said.

Disagreements between the two nations have been holding up a historic
deal signed in October to establish diplomatic ties and open their
border after decades of hostility.

Speaking to reporters in Paris where he is on a one-day visit, Erdogan
said he had sent a letter to Sarkisian through his envoy underlining
his government’s commitment to see the deal to fruition.

"We will always show our loyalty to the signatures that we put down
(under the deal). It is out of the question for us to take a step
back unless there is an extraordinary situation," he said in remarks
broadcast on Turkish television.

"I hope (the reconciliation process) will end positively."

The Turkish leader also said that he would make a decision on whether
to meet Sarkisian in Washington once his envoy came back with a
response to his letter.

Earlier a Turkish foreign ministry official who requested anonymity
told AFP that Sinirlioglu, who also met with Armenian Foreign
Minister Eduard Nalbandian, would "reassert Turkey’s commitment to the
(reconciliation) process, but will also convey our concerns."

Erdogan’s letter "reaffirms (Ankara’s) commitment to the accord and
stresses that it has a political will for progress so that the accord
achieves its objectives," said the diplomat, who also declined to
be named.

The Turkish-Armenian deal — comprised of two protocols — needs
parliamentary ratification in both countries to take effect, but the
process has been held up by mutual accusations that the other side
is not truly committed to the terms of the agreement.

Ankara is irked by a January ruling of Armenia’s constitutional
court which upheld the legality of the protocols but said they could
not contradict Yerevan’s official position that mass killings of
Armenians under the Ottoman Empire constituted genocide — a label
Turkey fiercely rejects.

Yerevan, for its part, has protested Ankara’s position that the Turkish
parliament is unlikely to ratify the accord without progress in the
Nagorny Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, a close
Turkish ally.

The peace process has been marred also by resolutions adopted last
month by a US House of Representatives committee and the Swedish
parliament that both branded the World War I massacres of Armenians
as genocide, infuriating Ankara.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kin perished in deportations
and orchestrated killings.

Turkey counters that 300,000 to 500,000 Armenians and at least as
many Turks perished in civil strife when Armenians rose up against
their Ottoman rulers and sided with Russian forces invading the
crumbling empire.

TURKEY’S RELIGIOUS HEAD BARDAKOGLU ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOMS OF MINORITIES

Anadolu Agency (AA)
April 6, 2010 Tuesday
Turkey

ANKARA – Ali Bardakoglu, head of the Directorate of Religious Affairs,
said on Tuesday that members of different religions could worship
according to the requirements of their beliefs.

"The churches should be open for worship and religious ceremonies. It
is their natural right," Bardakoglu said in an exclusive interview
with the A.A correspondent.

Bardakoglu said religious minorities in Turkey should not feel
themselves as second class citizens and underlined importance of
worship and religious education according to their religious rules
and principles.

Bardakoglu said restriction of religious freedoms would lead to
uneasiness, indicating that freedoms were the main elements of
social peace.

Bardakoglu said religious minorities living on this territory had never
faced second class treatment throughout the history. "Turkey should not
be a country where members of different religions experience problems
with religious freedoms. Actually, Turkey is not such a country."

Bardakoglu said worship freedom should also be ensured for Muslims
in Europe and in the Balkans. "Mosques of Muslims in Europe and in
the Balkans should be protected and respected equally. They should
be repaired if they were destroyed," he said.

Munir Karaloglu, the governor of the eastern province of Van, earlier
said they would open the Akdamar Church to worship in September 2010.

The Akdamar Church on Akdamar Island on Lake Van was opened in 2007
as a museum after it was restored by the Turkish government between
May 2005 and October 2006. The restoration costed 1.7 million USD
(2.6 million Turkish liras).

The Akdamar Church was constructed by architect bishop Manuel between
915 and 921 A.D. under the supervision of King Gagik I.

Among the important pieces of Armenian architecture, the church draws
attraction with its stone workmanship and the relieves on its walls.

PEACE THROUGH PENANCE

Indiana Daily Student
74997
April 7 2010

Ari Terjanian is a sophomore majoring in business and a member of
the Armenian Diaspora.

Countless times through our adolescence, as we sat through another
boring world civilizations lecture, we questioned the purpose of
learning about history at all.

What’s the point of learning about the past when it is only the future
that matters?

Adolf Hitler knew his history. In a speech he gave to his commanders,
a week before the German invasion of Poland, to convince them of his
purpose, he said "Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation
of the Armenians?"

Already, by 1939, the genocide of the Armenians, swept under the rug
by the Turks under the guise of military conflict, had been forgotten,
and Hitler saw no reason why the genocide he intended to commit would
not be forgotten as well.

Turkish recognition of the Armenian Genocide will dissuade future
attempts at genocide, as well as cleanse a nation of its guilt,
which will ultimately benefit it.

At first glance, Turkey stands to lose a lot by recognizing the
genocide — they’d be put on the same level historically as Germany
and would face giving up territory to Armenia, as well as paying
compensation to families that were affected.

For this reason, they deny all accusations and try to muddy the
history. In addition, they do not want the United States to recognize
it, given that it is the most influential nation in the world.

For this reason, they leverage their strategic position in the Middle
East to prevent American recognition.

Letting this go unchallenged shows great cowardice on America’s
part, and in my opinion, is comparable to Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad’s claims that the Holocaust never happened.

Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Greece, Lithuania,
Lebanon, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland,
Uruguay, Vatican City and Venezuela.

What do these countries have in common?

They all recognize that from 1915-1923, the Ottoman Empire, which
encompassed present-day Turkey, murdered 1.5 million Armenians.

These countries’ recognitions, as well as an overwhelming consensus
by today’s historians, including some Turkish historians, such as
Taner Akcam, should put to rest any questions of the validity of the
occurrence of the massacres.

It is insulting to even debate whether it happened or not. At this
point, it’s not a question of determining history; instead, it’s just
pure politics.

Turkey is a country which is seen as a model Muslim country.

However, its modern day practices of ultra-conservatism, as well as
the lack of safety for Armenians in Turkey, prevent it from reaching
its ideal status on a global scale.

When Turkey tried to join the European Union, one of the reasons it
was not admitted was because of its policy of denial.

It has been said that the last chapter of genocide is its denial.

In other words, by denying it happened, Turkey is carrying out the
genocide to this day.

If there is to be peace between Armenia and Turkey, Turkey must admit
its wrongdoings.

Admission of genocide may cause bad short-term ramifications, but in
the long run, Turkey will emerge with a clear conscience and much more
respect in the world, and millions of innocent souls will finally be
able to rest in peace.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT CONGRATULATES WOMEN ON APRIL 7

Tert.am
18:08 ~U 07.04.10

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has conveyed a congratulatory
message on April 7, the Day of Motherhood and Beauty.

The message reads:

"Dear women, I congratulate you on the occasion of the Day of
Motherhood and Beauty. I wish your families love and warmth, deserving
children: besides being the keepers and mistresses of your homes,
let you be more involved in the state, public and political life of
our country, let your caretaking and careful view focus also on such
issues that have traditionally been considered men’s monopoly.

"We trust and believe you, your gifts and abilities, and are taking
advantage of this beautiful spring day to once again confess to you
our love and admiration, towards your beauty and charm, your devotion
and the work you do.

"We will do our best for the sake of the happiness and well-being
you truly deserve."

AZERBAIJANI FOREIGN MINISTRY: AZERBAIJAN IS WAITING FOR ARMENIA’S REPONSE

Today
April 5 2010
Azerbaijan

"Azerbaijan expects Armenia to express its position on the updated
Madrid principles," Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Elkhan
Polukhov said.

"The negotiation process on the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict is going on," Polukhov added.

"Unfortunately, the Armenian leadership has not yet given a clear
answer to the document which co-chairs of OSCE Minsk Group presented
the two sides late last year. Following co-chairs’ visit to Yerevan,
we look forward to co-chairs’ next visit to Azerbaijan to inform us
of vision of the Armenian side," he said.

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EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER: FOMENTATION OF ENMITY IN AZERBAIJAN DOES NOT PROMOTE SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH CONFLICT

ArmInfo
2010-04-06 12:59:00

ArmInfo. Fomentation of enmity in Azerbaijan does not promote
settlement of Karabakh conflict, Commissioner for Enlargement and
European Neighbourhood Policy, Mr Stefan Fule, said at today’s joint
press-conference with Armenian Foreign Minister.

When commenting on the militaristic rhetoric of Baku, Fule said he
is not well aware of specific statements by the Azerbaijani party,
but he is sure that fomentation of enmity does not promote peaceful
settlement of the conflict. He also added that the principle of
non-application of force and refusal from the threat to apply force
should be complemented with all the rest international principles used
in the process of Karabakh conflict settlement. Mr.Fule also said
that the EU is fulfilling specific programmes on enhancing of trust
in South Caucasus region and in Nagornyy Karabakh. The EU supports
the intermediary efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group, he said and added
that actions of the EU will also promote peaceful settlement of the
Karabakh conflict.

RA NA OPENS EXTRAORDINARY DEBATE ON ARF PACKAGE OF BILLS

PanARMENIAN.Net –
April 6, 2010 – 15:29 AMT 10:29 GMT

On April 6, ARF Dashnaktsutyun parliamentary group submitted a
package of bills on introduction of amendments to the RA Law on
International Treaties and the Law on the Rules of Procedure of the
National Assembly.

As a PanARMENIAN.Net correspondent reported from the parliament,
the amendments imply the following: the parliament must possess the
right to insert reservations during the process of ratification of
international treaties, the right to withdraw from a treaty if it
contradicts to the interests of the country, the right to initiate
suspension or termination of an international treaty.

According to MP from ARF Dashnaktsutyun Artsvik Minasyan, the
government and the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations issued a
negative conclusion on the bill, asserting its non-conformity to the
RA Constitution.

"We believe that the proposed bills will make the Armenian foreign
policy more flexible. The position of country’s leadership is dictated
by short-term geopolitical interests, and we offer a clearer focus
to agreements fateful for the country," he told reporters.

STEFAN FULE: "THE RHETORIC OF WAR DOESN’T ASSIST IN SOLUTION TO NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT"

APA
April 6 2010
Azerbaijan

Baku – APA. "The rhetoric of war doesn’t assist in solution to Nagorno
Karabakh conflict", said EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European
neighborhood Policy Stefan Fule, APA reports quoting the Armenian
newspapers.

"I am not aware of Azerbaijan’s statements, but I can say that the
military rhetoric is not suitable for peaceful solution to Nagorno
Karabakh conflict". Fule held a joint press conference with the
Armenian foreign minister Edward Nalbandian. He said non-use of
force and avoiding the threats should be added to the international
principles guided the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict. "The
European Union doesn’t support only the OSCE Minsk Group’s efforts
for the conflict settlement, but it also carries out the concrete
trust-building programs". Today, EU Commissioner for Enlargement
and European Neighborhood Policy Stefan Fule arrived in Armenia. The
European delegation will visit Azerbaijan on April 9.