Author: Vorskanian Yeghisabet

HOVIK ABRAHAMIAN: ARMENIA WILL USE ALL POSSIBILITIES GIVEN BY EU EASTERN PARTNERSHIP

NOYAN TAPAN
APRIL 8, 2009
YEREVAN

Marie Anne Isler Beguin, a Member of European Parliament, the
Co-chairwoman of the Armenia-European Union Parliamentary Cooperation
Commission, at the April 8 meeting with RA NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamian
presented the results of Commission’s 10th meeting held on April 7-8
in Yerevan.

H. Abrahamian said that Armenia will use all possibilities given by
EU Eastern Partnership in the processes of political and economic
modernization.

According to the RA NA Public Relations Department, Avet Adonts,
the Armenian Co-chair of the Armenia-EU Parliamentary Cooperation
Commission, Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on European
Integration, also took part in the conversation.

THE APOLOGY TOUR: WILL IT EVER END?

Power Line
262.php
April 6 2009

Earlier today, President Obama addressed the Parliament of Turkey. What
made news were his positive references to Islam:

"Let me say this as clearly as I can," Obama said. "The United States
is not at war with Islam. In fact, our partnership with the Muslim
world is critical in rolling back a fringe ideology that people of
all faiths reject."

This is, of course, indistinguishable from many similar pronouncements
that were made by President Bush.

What I want to focus on is Obama’s continuing attack on his own
country, unprecedented, to my knowledge, for a President on an overseas
tour. Here are Obama’s comments on his own country’s history:

An enduring commitment to the rule of law is the only way to achieve
the security that comes from justice for all people. Robust minority
rights let societies benefit from the full measure of contributions
from all citizens.

I say this as the President of a country that not too long ago made
it hard for someone who looks like me to vote.

This is untrue. A minority of states did "make it hard" for someone who
"looks like Obama" to vote until "not long ago," but most did not,
and the federal government certainly did not. There has never been
a time when it was hard for people who look like Obama to vote here
in Minnesota, for example.

As we’ve seen before, Obama appears to betray a surprising lack of
knowledge of American history. It seems that instead of actually
having studied his own country’s history, Obama has merely absorbed
the ignorant, left-wing narrative that is peddled by Jeremiah Wright
and others of his ilk. As a result, Obama not only confesses his
country’s sins overseas, he confesses wrongly.

But it is precisely that capacity to change that enriches our
countries. Every challenge that we face is more easily met if we tend
to our own democratic foundation. This work is never over. That is why,
in the United States, we recently ordered the prison at Guantanamo
Bay closed, and prohibited — without exception or equivocation —
any use of torture.

Torture has been illegal for a number of years, and President
Bush insisted just as strongly as Obama that the U.S. does not
torture. There was a legitimate debate about waterboarding, which does
no physical injury, and which I do not believe constitutes torture. But
according to press reports, only two or three top-ranking terrorists
were waterboarded, none after 2003. And waterboarding has been
banned by the U.S. military since 2006. So what was Obama’s purpose
in implying that until he came along, his own government was engaged
in torturing prisoners? His speech was carried live by Al Jazeera
and Al Arabiya, broadcast into countries where "torture" doesn’t
mean getting your face wet. Obama at least impliedly exaggerated the
supposed sins of his predecessors and the "change" brought about by
himself. Why? For what purpose? Isn’t the campaign over?

Another issue that confronts all democracies as they move to the
future is how we deal with the past. The United States is still working
through some of our own darker periods. Facing the Washington monument
that I spoke of is a memorial to Abraham Lincoln, the man who freed
those who were enslaved even after Washington led our Revolution. And
our country still struggles with the legacy of our past treatment of
Native Americans.

Human endeavor is by its nature imperfect. History, unresolved,
can be a heavy weight. Each country must work through its past.

These words were a lead-in to Obama’s comments on "the terrible events
of 1915," i.e., what Obama himself has referred to as the "Armenian
genocide." So what was the point of Obama’s gratuitous reference to
"our past treatment of Native Americans"? Did he mean to suggest that
it was somehow equivalent to the Armenian genocide? If so, once again,
he needs to be better educated about history. If not, why on earth
is he throwing it into this part of his speech as a mea culpa?

Obama’s seemingly compulsive need to apologize to foreign audiences
on behalf of the United States cannot be explained as a rational
approach to diplomacy. As Paul suggested here, the roots of
Obama’s America-bashing seem to lie in a combination of ideology
and psychology.

Thank goodness he’s coming home soon.

OBAMA: WE ARE COMMITTED TO ANNAPOLIS
By Elie Leshem

2926818&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Apr 7, 2009 1:07

US President Barack Obama on Monday reiterated his country’s
commitment to previous understandings, including the process launched
at Annapolis in 2007, in promoting a peace agreement between Israel
and its neighbors.

Obama, who was addressing the Turkish parliament, also voiced
unequivocal support for a two-state solution, days after Foreign
Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Israel was not bound by the Annapolis
talks.

Let me be clear," Obama said, "the United States strongly supports
the goal of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in
peace and security. That is a goal shared by Palestinians, Israelis,
and people of good will around the world. That is a goal that the
parties agreed to in the road map and at Annapolis. And that is a
goal that I will actively pursue as president."

He emphasized the need for the two sides to take confidence-building
measures while living up to "the commitments they have made."

Both Israel and the Palestinians, he said "must overcome longstanding
passions and the politics of the moment to make progress toward a
secure and lasting peace."

Turkey, "like the United States, could help Israel and the
Palestinians," the US president said.

Ankara, he added, "has been a friend and partner in Israel’s quest for
security. And like the United States, you seek a future of opportunity
and statehood for the Palestinians.

"Now," Obama continued, "we must not give into pessimism and mistrust.

"We must pursue every opportunity for progress, as you have done by
supporting negotiations between Syria and Israel. We must extend
a hand to those Palestinians who are in need, while helping them
strengthen institutions.

And we must reject the use of terror, and recognize that Israel’s
security concerns are legitimate."

Obama claimed that regional peace would also be advanced by Iran
cooperating with the international community and forgoing "any nuclear
weapons ambitions."

"I have made it clear to the people and leaders of the Islamic republic
that the United States seeks engagement based upon mutual interests
and mutual respect," he said. "We want Iran to play its rightful
role in the community of nations, with the economic and political
integration that brings prosperity and security.

Now, Iran’s leaders must choose whether they will try to build a
weapon or build a better future for their people."

Earlier, the US president said that he stood by his 2008 assertion
that Ottoman Turks carried out widespread killings of Armenians early
in the 20th century, finessing the sensitive issue by stopping short
of repeating the word "genocide."

"Well, my views are on the record and I have not changed views,"
he said, standing alongside Turkish President Abdullah Gul.

Obama went on to say that he was looking toward ally Turkey to help
bridge the divide between Muslim nations and the West, and that he
wanted to build on "what is already a strong foundation" with Anakara.

He said relations between the two countries had for too long been
defined on mostly military and national security terms, but that they
must also work together on the global economic crisis.

Obama said he and Gul had been "very clear that terrorism is not
acceptable under any circumstances." He also said Turkey and the
United States could build a "model partnership" between a predominantly
Christian nation and a predominantly Muslim one.

2009-2011 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS OF ARMENIA-EU ACTIONS PLAN APPROVED

Noyan Tapan
Apr 6, 2009

YEREVAN, APRIL 6, NOYAN TAPAN. The 2009-2011 schedule of events
ensuring the implementation of the Armenia-European Union Actions
Plan was approved at the April 6 meeting of the Interdepartmental
Commission on Coordination of Cooperation of Armenian State Bodies
with European Structures.

Five working groups were established to carry out a number of events
of 2009-2011 ensuring the implementation of the European Neighborhood
Policy’s RA-EU Actions Plan.

Reports on EU Eastern Partnership initiative by Ambassador, European
Commission delegation head in Armenia Raul de Luzenberger and on the
process of implementation of the Armenia-NATO Individual Partnership
Actions Plan by Deputy Defence Minister Ara Nazarian were made at
the meeting.

According to the National Security Council Press Office, the Commission
made a decision to submit the 2009-2011 program and schedule of events
to the President to promulgate it in the established order.

ARMENIA TREE PROJECT
65 Main Street
Watertown, MA 02472 USA
Tel: (617) 926-TREE
Email: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE
April 6, 2009

ATP Works with Yale’s Global Institute of Sustainable Forestry on New
Training Manual for Armenia

YEREVAN–Armenia Tree Project (ATP) recently completed a two-year project to
develop sustainable forestry training models for Armenia. Through a
collaborative effort with Yale University’s Global Institute of Sustainable
Forestry, ATP worked with Chadwick Oliver and Zachary Parisa to conduct an
analysis of the forests around the village of Margahovit.

"The degradation of forested areas in Armenia necessitates a new and bold
approach to forestry practices," stated ATP Executive Director Jeff
Masarjian. "With Yale’s expertise, ATP has been able to collaborate with
forestry officials to bring cutting edge forestry training to Armenia. It is
our hope that the project will literally reshape the nation’s landscape and
ensure a sustainable future for its population."

Working with students from the Agricultural Academy of Armenia, local
residents of Margahovit, and World Wildlife Fund, ATP planted a 20 hectare
model forest using indigenous tree species to be used for future sustainable
forestry training.

ATP also presented a new Sustainable Forestry Manual to stakeholders in
Armenia and developed a seminar training model to use as a guide. The manual
is currently being published in Eastern Armenian, and an English-language
version is available at the following link:
es/sfa_manual_20090228.pdf

Finally, ATP assisted the local community of Margahovit in identifying
non-timber forest products, bringing environmental education into the local
schools, and through stakeholder meetings that outlined the benefits and
challenges of community forestry. ATP is currently developing a plan to
conduct sustainable forestry training seminars throughout Armenia.

"The project was designed to evaluate the condition of the forests in
Northern Armenia, paying particular attention to the factors that are
limiting the ability for regeneration," explained Masarjian. "An assessment
was made of plants, herbs, and other non-timber products that may be
harvested for generating alternative income for residents living in
proximity to the forests. Additional trainings on rotational grazing will
also be held with livestock owners to prevent soil erosion and further
degradation of forests."

"The collaboration between ATP and Yale has been a great success. We worked
together to create an instructional manual designed specifically for
conditions in Armenia that will be used to train local stakeholders in
global best practices of forest management. We’re grateful for the vision
and generosity of Sandra and Jim Leitner, who introduced us in the hope of
creating a sustainable future for Armenia," concluded Dr. Oliver, director
of the Yale Global Institute of Sustainable Forestry.

This project was funded by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, a joint
program of l’Agence Francaise de Developpement, Conservation International,
the Global Environment Facility, the Government of Japan, the MacArthur
Foundation, and the World Bank.

Since 1994, Armenia Tree Project has planted and restored more than
2,500,000 trees and created hundreds of jobs for impoverished Armenians in
tree-regeneration programs. The organization’s three tiered initiatives are
tree planting, community development to reduce poverty and promote
self-sufficiency, and environmental education to protect Armenia’s precious
natural resources. For additional information, visit the web site

PHOTO CAPTION: Zachary Parisa (right) from Yale University gathered data on
the forests in the Lori region of Armenia with students from Yerevan’s
Agricultural Academy

OBAMA, NALBANDIAN, BABACAN DISCUSS ARMENIAN-TURKISH RECONCILIATION

PanARMENIAN.Net
07.04.2009 11:33 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ U.S. President Barack Obama had a meeting with
foreign ministers of Turkey, Armenia and Switzerland in Istanbul
on Monday.

Obama met Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, Armenian Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandian and Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline
Calmy-Rey in Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul.

An official from the White House said that U.S. President Obama
discussed normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations with ministers
and called on the parties to reach an agreement in the meeting.

esctoday.com
April 5 2009

Amenian Music Awards in Diaspora

[UPD] Armenia: Eurovision stars join Inga & Anush

The 4th annual Armenian Music Awards in diaspora finished moments
ago. Many Eurovision stars have been invited, including some
participants from this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

The 4th annual Armenian Music Awards in diaspora finished moments
ago.The concert was held in Moscow at the Kremlin concert hall. Many
famous Armenian and Russian stars were invited. The show also saw many
present and former Eurovision Song Contest participants: Greek Sakis
Rouvas, Anastasia Prihodko who represents Russia this year and Petr
Elfimov from Belarus joined Inga and Anush, the Armenian 2009
hopefuls. All Eurovision Song Contest 2009 stars were given special
"Award of hope" prizes.

Sirusho,the Armenian participant of Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was
awarded as the most popular Armenian singer abroad. She performed Qele
Qele and her new song in Greek Erotas Ksafnikos. Later Boaz Mauda and
Jelena Tomasevic joined her to perform Time to pray.

Inga and Anush performing Nor par:

NowLebanon, Lebanon
April 5 2009

Sarkissian to NOW Lebanon : I will announce my candidacy on Monday
April 5, 2009

Future bloc member Serge Tor Sarkissian told NOW Lebanon on Sunday
that he would continue with his candidacy for the Armenian Catholic
seat in the Beirut I electoral district.

He said that he would announce his candidacy on Monday, affirming his
decision did not mean that he would leave March 14 or the Future
Movement.

-NOW Staff

TURKEY NEEDS TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
by Paul Kujawsky

Examiner.com
814-LA-Middle-Eastern-Policy-Examiner~y2009m4d1-Tu rkey-needs-to-accept-responsibility-for-the-Armeni an-Genocide
April 1 2009

Turkey is a not a simple country. As the Ottoman Turkish Empire,
it was the seat of the Islamic Caliphate until World War I, but has
been a secular republic since the Ataturk revolution; a member of
NATO that seeks to join the European Union while also wanting closer
ties with the Turkic and Muslim nations to its east; and a democracy
whose prime minister can fairly be described as "Islamist."

One of the issues Turkey finds most troublesome is the death of
some million and a half Armenians beginning in 1915 in eastern
Anatolia. This is known almost universally as the "Armenian
Genocide." However, Turkey has always, angrily, rejected the charge
of genocide. The Turkish position is that there were many deaths,
on all sides, in the context of World War I.

Questioning this position in Turkey can be dangerous. The foremost
example is Hrant Dink, the Turkish-Armenian journalist. Because of his
writings about the Armenian Genocide, he was tried and convicted of
violating Turkish Penal Code section 301, which forbids "insulting
Turkishness." He was murdered in 2007 by Turkish nationalist Ogun
Samast.

The U.S. Congress is considering weighing in on the subject. Southern
California Congressmember Adam Schiff (whose district includes a
substantial Armenian-American population) and over eighty co-sponsors
have introduced House Resolution 252, the "Affirmation of the United
States Record on the Armenian Genocide Resolution." The resolution
includes the following findings:

(1) The Armenian Genocide was conceived and carried out by the Ottoman
Empire from 1915 to 1923, resulting in the deportation of nearly
2,000,000 Armenians, of whom 1,500,000 men, women, and children
were killed, 500,000 survivors were expelled from their homes, and
which succeeded in the elimination of the over 2,500-year presence
of Armenians in their historic homeland.

(2) On May 24, 1915, the Allied Powers, England, France, and Russia,
jointly issued a statement explicitly charging for the first time
ever another government of committing "a crime against humanity."

(3) This joint statement stated "the Allied Governments announce
publicly to the Sublime Porte that they will hold personally
responsible for these crimes all members of the Ottoman Government,
as well as those of their agents who are implicated in such massacres."

(4) The post-World War I Turkish Government indicted the top leaders
involved in the "organization and execution" of the Armenian Genocide
and in the "massacre and destruction of the Armenians."

(5) In a series of courts-martial, officials of the Young Turk Regime
were tried and convicted, as charged, for organizing and executing
massacres against the Armenian people.

(6) The chief organizers of the Armenian Genocide, Minister of War
Enver, Minister of the Interior Talaat, and Minister of the Navy Jemal
were all condemned to death for their crimes, however, the verdicts
of the courts were not enforced.

(7) The Armenian Genocide and these domestic judicial failures are
documented with overwhelming evidence in the national archives of
Austria, France, Germany, Great Britain, Russia, the United States,
the Vatican and many other countries, and this vast body of evidence
attests to the same facts, the same events, and the same consequences.

(8) The United States National Archives and Record Administration
holds extensive and thorough documentation on the Armenian Genocide,
especially in its holdings under Record Group 59 of the United States
Department of State, files 867.00 and 867.40, which are open and
widely available to the public and interested institutions.

(9) The Honorable Henry Morgenthau, United States Ambassador to
the Ottoman Empire from 1913 to 1916, organized and led protests by
officials of many countries, among them the allies of the Ottoman
Empire, against the Armenian Genocide.

(10) Ambassador Morgenthau explicitly described to the United States
Department of State the policy of the Government of the Ottoman
Empire as "a campaign of race extermination"’ and was instructed on
July 16, 1915, by United States Secretary of State Robert Lansing
that the "Department approves your procedure . . . to stop Armenian
persecution."

(The statements from period don’t use the word "genocide" simply
because that word wouldn’t be coined until the 1940s.) The resolution
calls on the president to ensure that American foreign policy reflects
the view that the Armenians were the victims of genocide.

This puts President Barack Obama in a delicate position. He will
visit Turkey April 5-7. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton noted that
the visit is "a reflection of the value we place on our friendship
with Turkey." U.S. relations with Turkey have been strained by the
American liberation of Iraq. The visit is part of Obama’s design to
repair relations with the Muslim world.

The problem is, during the presidential campaign Obama promised
American recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Foreign policy
"realists" are urging Obama to betray that promise:

"If President Obama takes no action to prevent congressional enactment
of the resolution, endorses the measure, or uses the word genocide
himself, the Turkish response will be harsh and trigger a bitter
breach in relations."

They’re probably right about the official Turkish reaction. But
they’re still wrong.

Joe Ribakoff, the former executive director of the Southern California
Council on Soviet Jewry, writes an illuminating piece explaining
why. The essential point is that Turkey’s rigid denial only harms
itself, while making the recurrence of genocide more likely:

Genocide is not a trait peculiar to a handful of outlaw nations. It
is human failing. It is something that can occur in any nation and to
any people. Only when nations admit to it can when we begin to combat
against this human failing. The moral leaders in the modern world are
the nations that can admit to this. Turkey is no different. Turkey,
a great nation, will elevate itself to a world leader by acknowledging
the Armenian Genocide.

A pertinent comparison is the post-war history of the World War II Axis
powers. No crime is more universally abhorred than the Shoa–the murder
of millions of Jews by Nazi Germany and its collaborators. West Germany
(and later, reunified Germany) won respect for facing its history
without flinching or evasion. By contrast, Japanese society’s failure
to reach a consensus on guilt and shame regarding its war crimes leads
to periodic eruptions of outrage in China, South Korea and elsewhere.

Ribakoff also sees a strategic reason for Turkey to accept
responsibility, relating to Russian-Caucasian politics:

As the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s, war broke between
Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno Karabagh, a region that is
historically and demographically Armenian, but which was transferred
to Azerbaijan by Josef Stalin. Armenia prevailed over Azerbaijan over
Nagorno Karabagh, then expanded the war to a grab for territory that
is historically and demographically Azeri. In the course of the war,
Armenia ethnically cleansed the Azeris.

Turkey responded to plight of its Azeri cousins and deployed its
armed forces along the Armenian border. At Armenia’s invitation,
the Russian army was deployed in Armenia to square off against Turkey.

The war between Armenia and Azerbaijan is now more than 15 years
old. Yet, there is still no peace agreement. It is a frozen war, with
no permanent resolution. There still are border skirmishes between the
two countries. And Russian soldiers are still garrisoned in Armenia.

Russian forces in Armenia are estimated to be around 4,000 – 5,000 in
men. It is believed that the units in Armenia when fully staffed can
swell to 20,000. This is a sizable presence strategically located on
Turkey’s eastern flank, adjacent the Caspian Sea and Central Asian oil
and gas routes, and giving Russia overland access to neighboring Iran.

As Ribakoff sees it, Turkish recognition of the Armenian Genocide
would be a significant confidence-buildng gesture. It could reduce
tensions in a volatile region, eventually leading to the withdrawal of
the Russian troops from Armenia and protecting important oil and gas
deposits and pipelines from an increasingly aggressive Russia. (The
first step toward diplomatic recognition has already been taken:
Turkey won its wish to postpone the reckoning by having the genocide
issue investigated by a joint Turkish-Armenian committee.)

Turkey will react badly to being pressed on the Armenian Genocide. It
will threaten relations with Israel, with the U.S., it will threaten
cooperation on the war against Islamism, and who knows what else. We
have to understand that this is its key strategy for not dealing with
the issue. Like a child having a tantrum, Turkey raises the cost of
insisting on correct behavior. And as with a child, we need to endure
the short-term pain for the long-term benefit.

EU STARTS TO CURE ITSELF OF SUMMIT FEVER

FT
April 2, 2009 2:53pm

Just as sunny weather has come to Brussels for the first time this
year, so have the first signs that the European Union is weaning itself
off its addiction to ever more frequent summits. True, today’s G20
event in London is the mother of all summits, and there are plenty
of Europeans at it (too many, some non-Europeans might say).

But other planned summits are being downgraded or won’t be particularly
grand occasions. Back in February Mirek Topolanek, the recently
deposed Czech premier, announced he intended to hold two emergency
anti-recession summits – one to uphold the EU’s free trade and single
market principles against the threats of protectionism and economic
nationalism, and the other on employment. The first meeting took
place in Brussels on March 1 and didn’t get good reviews from summit
critics in the European media.

Perhaps that’s why the employment summit, which is due to be held in
Prague next month, will be a much scaled-down event – heads of state
and government won’t attend. Topolanek’s status as a lame-duck leader
who lashes out undiplomatically at US economic policies doesn’t help,
either.

Meanwhile, there are doubts about another summit pencilled in for
Prague on May 7 to launch the Eastern Partnership, an EU project
to build closer ties with Armenia, Azerbaijan,=2 0Belarus, Georgia,
Moldova and Ukraine. Senior Czech officials have told their EU partners
that the event may be held in Brussels rather than Prague.

Why? No clear explanation has emerged, but again it’s probably
connected to the brittle political situation in the Czech Republic
since the eurosceptic President Vaclav Klaus engineered the collapse
of Topolanek’s government.

Summit fever seized the EU during France’s six-month presidency from
July to December last year. More summits were held in those six months
than in any equivalent period of the EU’s history. Arguably, French
President Nicolas Sarkozy was right to convene these summits, because
the matters at issue – the Russia-Georgia war, the global financial
crisis – were momentous indeed. But with the Czech EU presidency,
one gets the impression that they felt a need to emulate Sarkozy’s
hyperactivity rather than appraise the need for extra summits with
a cool head.

In any event, Sweden, which will take over the EU presidency on July 1,
has already made its intentions clear: there’ll be no emergency summits
while Stockholm is in charge unless there is a truly compelling need.

April 2, 2009 2:53pm in Czech Republic, Financial crisis, Foreign
policy, Sarkozy, Sweden | Comment