"ARMENIA IS RUSHING BETWEEN ‘OPEN ARMS’ OF RUSSIA AND THE US": ARMENIAN PRESS DIGEST
Regnum, Russia
Sept 26 2006
Yerkir daily reports Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II to
take part in the 2nd Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional
Religions in Astana, Kazakhstan. On the last day, Karekin II
addressed the Congress on "The Importance of Faith." He said that
"despite the Genocide of 1915, repressions and persecutions, the
Armenians have stayed loyal to their faith." On September 14 the
Congress adopted a statement stressing the need "to fight prejudice
and ignorance." "Almost 150 journalists covered the congress. In
conclusion, Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II appeared with
propaganda of the Armenian Genocide and got applause for his words,"
says Hurriyet daily (Turkey) and reminds that, when visiting Istanbul,
"on behalf of the Armenian Diaspora, Karekin II urged Turkey to
recognize the Armenian Genocide of 1915."
Azg daily reports that not only Orthodox leaders but also Ashkenazi
Chief Rabbi of Israel Yona Metzger supported Karekin II. "As
a mouthpiece of the Armenian Diaspora, His Holiness Karekin II
misses no single opportunity to speak in public about the Armenian
Genocide." In Istanbul they have even brought a lawsuit against him:
they charge him with hurting the national pride of the Turks. One more
topic for heated debate was the meeting of Karekin II with Ecumenical
Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew.
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan has been informed of the
intention of the expert commission of the World Armenian Congress to
urge the Hague Tribunal to recognize the Armenian Genocide. During
a press-conference in Yerevan, President of WAC and the Union of
Armenians of Russia Ara Abrahamyan said that in early May 2005 they
submitted to the Armenian Foreign Ministry a resolution on the Armenian
Genocide by 15 international lawyers. "We informed the FM that we were
going to use it as a basis for an appeal to the international court,"
Abrahamyan said. "For the first time in the history of the Armenian
Genocide studies, we have prepared three legal codes. 25 experts from
20 countries, 15 lawyers have been working on them for 2.5 years. They
used archives from various countries, including Russia," Abrahamyan
said (REGNUM).
French President Jacques Chirac is going to visit the Armenian Genocide
Memorial in Yerevan. This may complicate relations between Turkey
and France, reports The New Anatolian news agency. During his visit
to Yerevan, Chirac will officially inaugurate the Year of Armenia in
France and will meet with Armenian President Robert Kocharyan. The
presidents are supposed to discuss the problem of international
recognition of the Armenian Genocide, the future status of Nagorno
Karabakh and French-Armenian relations (PanARMENIAN.Net).
While in Paris for attending the French FM conference "The Dialogue
of Cultures," Turkish FM Abdullah Gul met with Turkish journalists.
Azg daily notes that Gul’s visit coincided with the "Armenia is My
Friend" events in France. Asked by the journalists to comment on
the events, Gul said that Turkey does not seek to prevent France’s
relations with third countries. However, Armenian problems should
not damage Turkish-French relations. Zaman daily (Turkey) reports
Gul to note that there are over 400,000 Turks in France and to say:
"Any contradictions can be discussed. One can also express his opinion.
However, they should not cause any troubles or conflicts. We would
not like to see these problems cause any troubles. Hence, everybody –
Turks, Armenians and French – should be careful."
Turkish Economy Minister and Special Representative at the talks with
the EU Ali Babacan says that the Armenian Genocide may be recognized
if the joint Armenian-Turkish historical commission comes to such a
conclusion. Mediamax news agency reports Babacan to say this in the
interview to Dutch NRC Nadelsblad, published on September 9 under
the title "Turkey May Recognize the Armenian Genocide." Asked if the
Turkish Government will accept the decision of the commission if
it concludes that it was actually a genocide, Babacan says: "Yes,
we will agree with any decision." At the same time, he slates the
European Parliament’s position on the Armenian Genocide. He says:
"Parliamentarians are not historians, and the European Parliament is
not an institution that can decide what has actually happened and
what has not." Babacan says that all Turkish archives are open for
scientists, and Turkey’s proposal for setting up an Armenian-Turkish
historical commission is in force.
After receiving the report of the European Parliament’s Committee on
Foreign Affairs stipulating the Armenian Genocide as a pre-condition
for Turkey’s EU membership, the Turkish Foreign Minister sent a letter
to the European Parliament. Zaman daily (Turkey) reports that in its
22-page letter the FM answers each point of the report prepared by the
representative of the Christian-Democratic Party of the Netherlands
to the European Parliament Camiel Eurlings.
Though meant for informative purpose mostly, the letter is, in fact,
a political statement. The Turkish FM points out that it will not
agree to any status other than EU full member and advises the EP
not to make contradictory political requirements now that Turkey
is negotiating for its admission into the EU. The FM notes that,
if the talks are stopped, the EU will also suffer from it. "The
unfavorable situation that may be caused by unreasonable demands will
not contribute to the fulfillment of the global EU goals," says the
Turkish Foreign Ministry. Special attention is given to the problems
of Cyprus and Kurds and also to the Armenian problem. Particularly,
the Turkish FM says that Turkey was the second country after Latvia
to recognize Armenia’s independence, and that Turkey’s commodity
turnover with Armenia totals $120mln. Some 40,000 Armenian citizens
are living and working in Turkey. "We regret at Armenia’s position.
Armenia has not yet responded to our proposal to set up a joint
historical commission. We think that the European Parliament may
influence Armenia in the matter. As regards the closure of the
Turkish-Armenian border, this is Turkey’s response to Armenia’s
occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and refusal to recognize the existing
border with Turkey," the Turkish Foreign Ministry says in its letter
to the European Parliament (ArmInfo).
Noyan Tapan news agency reports that during the conference on the
15th anniversary of the Institute of History of Turkey Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Erdogan said that one simply can’t find a nation that
would be "as innocent as the Turkish nation is." He said that some
forces "are trying to blacken the glorious history of our nation.
They are doing it for political purposes and the statements about the
Armenian Genocide are typical example of it." Hurriyet daily (Turkey)
reports Erdogan to say that he has personally suggested setting up
a joint historical commission "for studying the events" of the last
years of the Ottoman Empire. "However, I have not, to date, received
any positive response from Yerevan," Erdogan said. In his address
to the conference and President of the institute Yusuf Alacogli,
Turkish President Ahmed Sezer said that "those alleging the Armenian
Genocide will fail to conceal the truth."
15th anniversary of independence
On September 21 Armenia celebrated the 15th anniversary of its
independence. During its first session on Aug 23, 1990, the Supreme
Council of Armenia abolished the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic
and proclaimed the independent Republic of Armenia. On Sept 21, 1991,
the Supreme Council decreed to hold a referendum on secession from
the USSR and proclamation of independent republic. 94.99% of Armenians
voted for independence. Two days later the Supreme Council proclaimed
Armenia as an independent state (REGNUM).
"To be independent for 15 years in the last 600-year history is already
a big achievement. If today we have many problems, this is not because
of independence – as some people say – but because of inaction,"
says one of the leaders of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
Dashnaktsoutiun (ARFD) Kiro Manoyan. Looking back at the past 15 years
Manoyan says: "We have not only managed to stay independent for 15
years but we have also liberated Nagorno Karabakh and have formed the
most efficient army in the region. Until today unity has been the only
pledge of all our victories. I would like to use the occasion and to
say that Armenia’s independence and the struggle for Nagorno-Karabakh’s
liberation are one and the same thing." Irrespective of existing
inter-party contradictions, Manoyan believes that political forces
in Armenia are beginning to show right attitude towards state building.
"After all, each Armenia must feel that only strong Armenia can
guarantee his future," says Manoyan. "We can correct our mistakes if
we stop concealing them. For example, it is wrong to say that the
Republic of Armenia is not a home for all Armenians but only for
those who live there or that the Republic of Armenia can feed only
limited quantity of people. Today, we are reaping the fruits of such
approaches. We cannot get rid of corruption, people continue emigrating
and injustice is still ubiquitous. All this is a big threat to our
national security." "I am sure that people are emigrating because
they are forced to. The majority has nothing, while the minority has
everything at the expense of the majority.
People can no longer stand such injustice. Nothing will change in
the country until we realize that we are the masters of this country,
and everything depends on us," says Manoyan. (A1+).
In its article "Holiday Which is Not With You" 168 Zham daily says:
"Even though we are pleased that we are independent, we, the Armenians,
still deny independence. Just look how readily we are getting rid
of our strategic facilities." "We don’t like bearing responsibility
for something, making decisions. We let other countries think in our
stead." "We need petty, provincial pleasures that have nothing to do
with independence and human values."
In its article about the 15th anniversary of Armenia’s independence,
Haykakan Zhamanak daily compares the systems of values of present-day
Armenia and the French Counter-Revolution of Thermidor: "The key
basis of our Armenian ‘Thermidor’ is electoral fraud of all levels –
a process that sprang up in 1995 and evolved from relatively ‘modest’
and improvised violations in the 90s to an absolutely infallible
fraud machine during the constitutional referendum of 2005."
"Oppressing people and distancing itself from them, the state has lost
the effective levers and capacities it could use in case of threat
or necessity of mobilization… As a result, almost all the past 15
years were an epoch of losses for the Armenian people," says the daily.
168 Zham daily reflects what Armenia has gained and what it has lost in
the past 15 years: "What we really have is just one instance of free
choice throughout all those years – choice we made through national
awakening." "Now everything is happening through ‘approvals,’ ‘hints,’
‘messages’ and sometimes even direct instructions, but never through
our own free will. Perhaps, that’s exactly what we call independence –
that’s it, independently from the people?" The daily says that today
independent Armenia is rushing between the "open arms" of Russia and
the US – as we realize that expecting good from the Russians or the
Americans is like getting blood from a stone.
"Is there anybody who will dare to say that today we are not dependent
on the Russians? It’s enough to say that 80% of our energy sector is
in their hands. And in order to justify this, our authorities have
invented a high-flown term: ‘strategic partnership.’ If we, the
Armenians, understand ‘partnership’ as ‘friendship’ or ‘fraternity,’
for the Russians we are not even junior brothers but junior partners:
friendship is good but never mix it with business…
And so, they are appropriating our factories, power plants and many
other strategic facilities – aren’t we partners?! On Nagorno-Karabakh
too, we haven’t heard anything comforting from the Russians." As
regards the Americans, they are generally known for their strong
passion even for those living thousands of kilometers away from them –
Iraqis, Afghanis, Serbs…
The daily also says that, according to the report made for the US
congressmen, the US is the biggest donor of Armenia and Georgia. In
1992-2005 Armenia got over $1.5bln. "Georgia has got a bit more $1.6bln
but has paid off in full by becoming one of the most pro-American
countries in the world. Now, it’s our turn." "So, are we independent
or not?" wonders the daily. "On paper, we are, but, in reality, today,
the situation is even worse than before… If formerly we knew that we
were dependent, today, we don’t know whose open arms to throw ourselves
to – Russia or the US? And people are pushed aside just to watch what
our political forces will decide before the elections… That’s what
independence we have created for ourselves during those 15 years –
and are now going to celebrate it with pomp…"
Waiting for elections
Hayastani Hanrapetoutyun daily publishes an interview of US Ambassador
to Armenia John Evans to Mediamax. Evans says that Armenia will
certainly become a strong state if it holds democratic elections. "A
year ago experts advised us to spend no more money on the work with
Armenian parties, but we did not agree with them as we were not ready
to give up on Armenian democracy. Now too we are not ready to do it."
Armenia will hold parliamentary elections in 2007. Earlier this
year there were talks that the Millennium Challenge Compact might be
suspended if the elections fail to meet the international standards.
Does this mean that for this time the U.S. is not going to accept
the outcome of the elections if they are not free and fair?
Answering this question of Mediamax news agency, US OSCE MG co-chair
Matthew Bryza said: "Democratic reform is on the top of our agenda not
only with Armenia, but also with Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Russia
and Central Asia. I can’t predict what will happen in Armenia, but
we are working hard through our Embassy in Yerevan with the Armenian
government and the civil society to do whatever we can to ensure that
the upcoming elections will be as free and fair as possible.
I am not going to make any threats about the Millennium Challenge
Account, but the reality is that we don’t decide who is in and out
of the program. There are indicators provided by the World Bank and
by the Freedom House, and it is theoretically possible that if the
elections are deeply problematic, those indicators will change and
Armenia could no longer meet the criteria of Millennium Challenge
Account and in such a case we will be obligated to suspend the
program. But it’s not a threat on my part, I am just stating a fact.
Our goal is to do everything we can with Armenia to avoid any chance
of that happening."
"We must do our best to make it clear for all political forces,
including our partners, that free and fair elections are prerequisite
and the only way-out," the member of the ARF Dashnaktsoutyun Bureau,
the vice speaker of the Armenian parliament Vahan Hovhannissyan said
during a press-conference, when asked if one can be sure that ARFD’s
coalition partners actually want free and fair elections. (Aravot).
168 Zham daily reports that the US Government is going to provide
$6.5mln for ensuring legal parliamentary elections in Armenia in
2007 and notes that certain Armenian oppositionists are already
"racing" for this money. First, Chairman of the National-Democratic
Union (NDU), MP from the Justice group Arshak Sadoyan came out with
a novelty – e-voting – and said that he needs $2.5mln to carry out
this project. He was followed by Shavarsh Kocharyan, Chairman of the
National-Democratic Party (NDP), also from the Justice group, who
said that his party and the Democracy NGO had developed an e-program
of election control that costs no more than $4mln.
New Time daily reports ARFD to speak up about its plans on the
forthcoming elections. The ARFD member Armen Rustamyan said that his
party will not support Defense Minister Serzh Sargsyan and Foreign
Minister Vardan Oskanyan during the presidential election 2008. As
regards the parliamentary elections, Rustamyan said nothing new –
ARFD will run on its own.