Author: Zargarian Hambik

Russia & Kazakhstan to Establish a Joint Investment Bank

ASTANA, Kazakhstan, June 24 /PRNewswire/ — According to the Russia’s
and Kazakhstan’s Presidents, both countries will establish a joint
investment bank with a chartered capital of US$ 1.5 billion. This
announcement was made yesterday, after the Eurasian Economic Community
(EurAsEC) summit. The bank, to be headquartered in Almaty (the former
capital of Kazakhstan) with an office in St. Petersburg, and will be
managed by a Russian representative.

“This issue had been discussed in details for many years,” stated
Russian President Vladimir Putin. “The point was to activate work of
EurAsEC’s financial structure. However, we had not proceeded much in
attending to this issue. That is why, on the initiative of
Kazakhstan’s President, Kazakhstan and Russia have agreed to establish
the joint investment bank.”

The EurAsEC summit was opened by Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan
Nazarbayev, who chairs the EurAsEC Interstate Council, who reminded
all present that the summit’s agenda included issues for pushing the
integration process. In effect, members (Belarus, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan with Armenia, Moldova and Ukraine
holding observer status) discussed the expansion of cooperation among
member states in the realms of trade, economy, as well as credit and
finance.

Participants recognized the economic growth of all EurAsEC member
states since EurAsEC’s creation: Belarus’ growth rate standing at
6.5%; that of Kazakhstan at 10.3%; Tajikistan, 9.7%; Russia, 6.2%; and
Kyrgyzstan at 4.8%.

The summit also resulted in the adoption of a concept of cooperation
which is intended to ensure a common currency policy for EurAsEC
countries to facilitate the implementation of long-term strategies of
trade and economic cooperation, the forming of a favorable investment
climate, and the maintenance of a general macroeconomic balance within
EurAsEC. Special emphasis was placed on accession of EurAsEC member
countries into the WTO.

BelarusPresident Alexander Lukashenko has been elected Chairman of the
EurAsEC interstate council. The next summit is to be held in Minsk in
2006. Contact: Ivan Pandev Consultant Marston-Nicholson 18 rue Duphot
75001 Paris France Tel : +33-(0)1-42-96-46-00 SOURCE Government of
Kazakhstan

06/24/2005 05:01 ET

A1plus

| 19:14:22 | 23-06-2005 | Politics | PACE SUMMER SESSION |

IT’S SENSELESS TO TRY TO AVOID PROPOSALS BY VENICE COMMISSION

The Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) is `deeply concerned’ by
the fact that the delay in the adoption of the constitutional amendments is
`holding back Armenia’s progress towards European democratic norms and
standards in key areas of political life’. According to the Assembly, the
revision of the Constitution is a pre-condition for the fulfillment of some
of the most important commitments that Armenia undertook upon its accession
to the Council of Europe. These include the separation and balance of
powers, the reform of the judicial system and local self-government reform.

At the end of an urgent debate, PACE followed the proposals by the
rapporteurs Georges Colombier (France, EPP/CD) and Jerzy Jaskiernia (Poland,
SOC) and called on the Armenian authorities and the parliamentary majority
to fully implement the recommendations of the Venice Commission, to
undertake clear and meaningful steps in order to resume an immediate
dialogue with the opposition and to adopt the text at second reading `no
later than August 2005′, in view of the referendum that should be held `no
later

The Assembly called on the opposition `to stop its parliamentary boycott and
do everything possible to promote the recommendations of the Council of
Europe with regard to the constitutional reform’. The parliamentarians
decided to observe the constitutional referendum and, in the meantime,
declared their readiness to provide any assistance that might be needed for
its preparation.

AZG Armenian Daily #116, 24/06/2005

Appointment

ALEXANDER BOZHKO AGAIN APPOINTED AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA

President of Ukraine Viktor Yushenko appointed Alexander Bozhko an
ambassador to Armenia. Mediamax reminds that 59-year-old Bozhko runs the
second term as ambassador. Bozhko, who has good command of Armenian,
represented Ukraine in 1996-2001; afterwards he worked at the Ukrainian
Foreign Ministry and was appointed ambassador to Kyrgyzstan in 2004.

PlayBill
June 22 2005

Producer Will Assume Leading Role in Off-Broadway’s ‘Beast on the
Moon’

Kenneth Jones Playbill On-Line
41 minutes ago

While Omar Metwally takes time off from Beast on the Moon to shoot a
movie in July, the producers of the Off-Broadway drama have found the
perfect replacement – one of the producers.

For the month of July, starting June 30, producer David Grillo will
play Aram Tomasian, the Armenian immigrant who settles in Milwaukee
and carves out a new life with his haunted bride, played by Lena
Georgas, a refugee from the early-century Armenian genocide.

Tony Award nominee Omar Metwally’s temporary leave of absence is to
accommodate his work in a new Steven Spielberg film.

Grillo, who earned an MFA in acting from Yale School of Drama, played
the role of Aram in Boston in 1999, and acquired the New York
production rights two years ago.

Beast on the Moon is his first venture as commercial producer. His
producing partner for the project is Matt Salinger.

“I first fell in love with Beast on the Moon when I played Aram in
the Boston production,” Grillo said in a statement. “I knew then that
this was a play that had to reach New York audiences. I have been
standing-by for Omar since we began previews this spring. While Omar
is off filming, I am looking forward switching hats and revisiting
Richard Kalinoski’s beautiful play from an actor’s perspective.”

Omar Metwally is expected to return to Beast on the Moon in late
July, as the show heads into its 16th week of performances.
Understudy auditions for Grillo’s Aram are ongoing.

The cast also include Louis Zorich and Matt Borish. Larry Moss (The
Syringa Tree) directs.

Performances play Century Center for the Performing Arts (111 East
15th Street) Tuesday at 7 PM, Wednesday-Saturday at 8 PM with
matinees Wednesday at 2 PM, and Saturday and Sunday at 3 PM. Tickets
are $65 for all performances. Tickets and information are available
at Telecharge.com, (212) 239-6200.

Visit

‘Walk Two Moons’ a Family Friendly Play

By MICHAEL KUCHWARA
.c The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) – Theatreworks/NYC has a new off-Broadway home, the
Lucille Lortel Theatre, and to inaugurate its space, this
family-friendly company will present the world premiere of “Walk Two
Moons” by Julia Jordan.

Based on the Newbery Medal-winning book by Sharon Creech, the play
opens July 13. Preview performances begin July 7. The story follows
the adventures of a girl who travels across America with her eccentric
grandparents.

Theatreworks/NYC will present four shows at the Lortel during the
2005-2006 theater season. For ticket information, call 212-627-7373.

Off-Broadway ticket availability and capsule reviews of selected shows
as of June 20. Unless otherwise noted, tickets are available at the
theaters’ box offices for the shows listed. Details about how to
obtain tickets – including by calling the box office, Telecharge or
Ticketmaster – appear at the end.

“Altar Boyz.” An exuberant, good-natured musical spoof about a
Christian boy band. Dodger Stages. Telecharge.

“Beast on the Moon.” A tale of Armenian immigrants in America after
World War I. A play by Richard Kalinoski. Century Center. Telecharge.

“Birdie Blue.” S. Epatha Merkerson stars in Cheryl L. West’s
portrait of a sassy woman looking back on her life. Second Stage.
212-246-4422.

“Blue Man Group.” They paint each other. They paint the
audience. They unroll toilet paper. Foreign tourists love this
long-running new vaudeville show. Astor Place. Ticketmaster.

“Cookin’.” Four Korean chefs prepare a banquet under deadline
pressure. A lot of slicing and dicing. Minetta Lane. Ticketmaster.

“Drumstruck.” An evening of drumming from South Africa. And the
audience gets to participate. Dodger Stages. Telecharge.

“Hurlyburly.” The New Group’s masterful production of David Rabe’s
look at LA show biz types. The cast includes Ethan Hawke, Wallace
Shawn and Josh Hamilton. 37 Arts. Ticketmaster. Closes July 2.

“I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change.” The mildest of musical
revues about relationships between men and women. Westside Theatre
Upstairs. Telecharge.

“Jewtopia.” A gentile wants to marry a nice Jewish girl. A comedy
written by and starring Bryan Fogel and Sam Wolfson. Westside
Downstairs. Telecharge.

“Lazer Vaudeville.” Vaudeville isn’t dead. Its juggling, acrobatics
and comedy have just gone high-tech. Lamb’s. Telecharge.

“Manuscript.” Three young people’s devious search for fame. A play
by Paul Grellong. The cast includes Jeffrey Carlson, Pablo Schreiber
and Marin Ireland. Daryl Roth. Telecharge.

“Menopause. The Musical.” Women and their change of life – in song.
Playhouse 91. Ticketmaster.

“Naked Boys Singing.” A musical revue. The title says it all. Plays
Fridays and Saturday. Julia Miles. Telecharge.

“Orson’s Shadow.” Laurence Olivier meets Orson Welles in this
intriguing fictional re-creation by Austin Pendleton. Barrow
Street. Telecharge.

“Slava’s Snowshow.” The Russian clown from Cirque du Soleil brings
his latest entertainment to New York. Union Square. Ticketmaster.

“Stomp.” A noisy yet effective celebration of percussion in this
long-running new vaudeville revue. Orpheum. Ticketmaster.

“The Awesome ’80s Prom.” An interactive high school prom musical set
in the 1980s. Friday and Saturday evenings. Webster
Hall. 212-352-3101.

“The Cherry Orchard.” A revival of the Chekhov classic in a new
adaptation by Tom Donaghy. Atlantic Theater Company. Telecharge.

“The Musical of Musicals.” A delightful spoof of musical-theater
songwriting styles. Among the authors tweaked are Andrew Lloyd Webber,
Rodgers and Hammerstein and, of course, Stephen Sondheim. Dodger
Stages. Telecharge.

“The Paris Letter.” Ron Rifkin stars in Jon Robin Baitz’s play about
a powerful investment counselor confronted by secrets from his past. A
Roundabout Theatre Company production. Laura Pels. 212-719-1300.

“Thom Pain (based on nothing).” James Urbaniak stars in a monologue
by Will Eno about an ordinary man and his existentialist anxieties.
DR2 Theatre. Telecharge. Engagement extended through Sept. 4.
Difficult.

The Telecharge number is 212-239-6200 unless otherwise
indicated. There is a $6 service charge per ticket, plus a $2.50
handling fee per order.

Ticketmaster is 212-307-4100. There is a $6 service charge per ticket,
plus a $3 handling fee per order.

Both Telecharge and Ticketmaster will provide information on specific
seat locations. They also have toll-free numbers for theater ticket
calls outside New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. For Telecharge
call 800-432-7250; for Ticketmaster call 800-755-4000.

The TKTS booth in Times Square at Broadway and 47th Street sells
same-day discount tickets to Broadway, off-Broadway, music and dance
productions. There is a $3 service charge per ticket. Cash or
travelers checks only. Hours of operation are Monday through Saturday
evening performances, 3 p.m.-8 p.m.; matinees Wednesday and Saturday,
10 a.m.-2 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

The downtown TKTS booth is in the South Street Seaport at the corner
of Front and John Streets. Hours of operation are Monday through
Friday 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-4
p.m. Matinee tickets must be purchased at South Street Seaport the day
before, meaning Wednesday matinee tickets are available Tuesday,
Saturday matinee tickets are available Friday and Sunday matinee
tickets are available Saturday.

Full-price tickets and information on Broadway and off-Broadway shows
are available at the Broadway Ticket Center, located on the east side
of Broadway between 46th Street and 47th Street. There is a $4.50
service charge per ticket.

For 24-hour information on theater, dance and music performances in
New York’s five boroughs, call the Theater Development Fund’s New York
City-On Stage, 212-768-1818.

06/20/05 14:42 EDT

Azerbaijan’s oil fortunes equal separatist Karabakh’s woes
by Simon Ostrovsky

Agence France Presse — English
June 19, 2005 Sunday 1:29 AM GMT

MARTAKERT, Azerbaijan June 19 — Tens of miles of abandoned, bombed-out
buildings separate the hometown of Rafael Petrosian from the nearest
city within the rebel region of Nagorno Karabakh, which goes to the
polls Sunday to elect a new parliament.

Petrosian is a school principal in Martakert, a small town on the
outer fringes of unrecognized Nagorno Karabakh Republic, population
145,000, which former Soviet Azerbaijan claims.

The closest neighboring town Tartar is just seven kilometers (four
miles) away, but it is across a series of barbed wire fences, trenches
and minefields in enemy territory controlled by the central authorities
in Baku.

“It’s dangerous over there,” Petrosian said, gesturing in the direction
of the ceasefire line. “They’re not human on the other side,” he said
of the Azeris with whom Armenians fought a bloody war a decade ago.

An ethnic-Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh won its
de-facto independence from the country when Baku signed a cease-fire
to a six year long war in 1994 and emotions on either side of the
ceasefire line still run high.

Karabakh’s status remains unsettled, but surprisingly little has been
said about resolving the simmering conflict in the campaign leading
up to the elections.

Azerbaijan however has become increasingly assertive on the
international arena as it prepares to go online with a US-backed
multi-billion-dollar oil pipeline later this year.

The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, which will pump oil from the
Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean, was built with Washington’s backing
to help wean the West off of oil from the volatile Middle East.

Some Azeri officials have hinted that the money generated by the
pipeline, as much as 160 billion dollars over the next 30 years, could
finance a war machine geared at taking back the contested territories.

It is an emerging reality that has been glossed over during the
campaign leading up to voting in Karabakh.

Canvassing has instead focused on pleading with candidates to refrain
from mutual recriminations and mudslinging in an effort to make the
election look as democratic as possible.

The idea is that a smooth campaign will prove to the outside world
that Karabakh is capable of administering itself and international
recognition of its independence will follow.

“Our attitude to the elections must demonstrate to the world that
the democratic reforms in the country are irreversible to spur
international recognition of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic,” its
‘President’ Arakady Gukasian announced on Friday.

Some 25,000 people died and one million were displaced in the last
war which left the ethnic Armenian forces in control of Karabakh and
seven other regions internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.

But a Karabakh ‘foreign ministry’ official downplayed the risk of
Azerbaijan building up its armed forces for a new conflict saying a
Europe-wide arms control treaty, the CFE, would stop it beefing up
its military.

“Besides, the oil companies themselves are interested in stability,”
deputy foreign minister Masis Mailian told AFP.

But one of the leaders of a prominent opposition bloc, likely to
finish second after the ruling party in the parliamentary race,
said developments in Azerbaijan “concerned” him.

“We too must find alternative funds to maintain the balance,”
said Zhirar Shahijanian, a top leader in the nationalist-socialist
Dashnaktsutyun party and an Iranian-born ethnic Armenian.

He said it was in the West’s own interests to find a resolution to the
conflict because parts of the BTC pipeline lie a mere 25 kilometers (15
miles) away from territories controlled by the Karabakh authorities.

“We’re not saying we are going to blow it up, but if we are put
under extreme pressure this is one of the options open to us,”
Shahijanian said.

To Petrosian, the school director in Martakert, the reasons behind
why no country has recognized Karabakh’s independence comes down
to geopolitics.

“If our blood is cheaper than their oil, then let God be their judge,”
Petrosian said, addressing his thoughts to the international community.

HRANT MARGARIAN: GOAL OF ARFD IS TO MAKE COALITION’S ACTIVITY AND EXISTENCE REAL

YEREVAN, JUNE 16, NOYAN TAPAN. “If we speak about a revolution for
the sake of improval of our life, I am for this revolution but if
a revolution means power shift by force, I don’t understand this,”
Hrant Margarian, representative of the ARF Dashnaktsutiun Bureau,
declared during the June 16 meeting with journalists. He expressed
bewilderment in connection with conversations about a revolution that
have become frequent lately. “Is revolution a theater, we came at 8
o’clock and will finish at 10 o’clock? Revolution is struggle and if
the matter concerns Armenia’s interests, we can become an opposition,
as well,” Hrant Margarian declared. According to him, one should rest
upon people’s will and support. “If they can’t find support among the
people they begin learning the English language.” Hrant Margarian
characterized the ruling coalition’s activity as artificial. At
the same time, he expressed hope for change of situation in this
issue. According to him, the goal of ARFD is to make the activity and
existence of this coalition real. And there is already progress in this
issue: soon coalition council will start really working. As for the
issue, what candidate will be supported by ARFD in the presidential
elections, Hrant Margarian answered: “We are an independent party
and will participate in elections with our own candidate.”

General-Anzeiger (Bonn)
17. Juni 2005

Neuer Krach mit Ankara: TUERKEI: Kritik an der Entschliessung des
Bundestages zur Armenierfrage. Die Debatte ueber den Voelkermord
kommt allmaehlich in Gang

Von unserer Korrespondentin Susanne Guesten

Neuer Krach mit Ankara TUERKEI Kritik an der Entschliessung des
Bundestages zur Armenierfrage. Die Debatte ueber den Voelkermord
kommt allmaehlich in Gang Von unserer Korrespondentin Susanne Guesten
ISTANBUL. Die tuerkische Regierung wartete gestern den Beschl…

Die tuerkische Regierung wartete gestern den Beschluss des
Bundestages zur Armenierfrage gar nicht erst ab. Der Gesandte der
deutschen Botschaft in Ankara musste schon am Tag vor der
Verabschiedung des Antrags im tuerkischen Aussenamt antreten, um sich
die Kritik der tuerkischen Regierung anzuhoeren. “Verletzend” sei
das, was da im deutschen Parlament zur Vertreibung der anatolischen
Armenier im Ersten Weltkrieg behauptet werde, sagte Aussenminister
Abullah Guel.

Zwar gibt es in der tuerkischen OEffentlichkeit inzwischen Ansaetze
fuer eine Diskussion ueber das Schicksal der Armenier. Doch die
Regierungspolitik in Ankara wird weiter von nationalistischen
Reflexen bestimmt. Offiziell vertritt die Tuerkei die Auffassung,
dass bei Massakern und Zwangsumsiedlungen zwischen 1915 und 1917 zwar
viele Armenier im damaligen Osmanischen Reich zu Tode kamen, dass von
einem Voelkermord aber keine Rede sein kann.

Viele internationale Historiker und die Armenier selbst sprechen
dagegen von einem eiskalt geplanten Voelkermord, mit dem die Armenier
nicht umgesiedelt, sondern vernichtet werden sollten. Dass im
Bundestagsbeschluss der Begriff des Voelkermordes nicht im Antrag
selbst, sondern nur in der Begruendung auftauchte, macht aus
tuerkischer Sicht keinen Unterschied. In den tuerkischen Beziehungen
zu Frankreich und der Schweiz hatte es in den letzten Jahren
erhebliche Spannungen gegeben, weil deren Parlamente den Voelkermord
anerkannt hatten. Mit Sorge beobachtet Ankara derzeit auch eine neue
Initiative zur Anerkennung des Voelkermordes im US-Kongress. Die
Tuerkei befuerchtet, dass Armenien von dem Voelkermordsvorwurf
kuenftig Gebiets- und Reparationsansprueche ableiten koennte.

Anlaesslich des 90. Jahrestages der Massaker in diesem Fruehjahr
entwickelte sich in der Tuerkei erstmals eine Diskussion darueber, ob
die Tuerken 1915 wirklich so schuldlos waren, wie es die offizielle
Linie darstellt. Einige Intellektuelle und Historiker sprachen offen
von Voelkermord und ethnischen Saeuberungen und brachen damit ein
Tabu. Der Istanbuler Politologe Ahmet Insel meint, das Land befinde
sich derzeit noch in einer “Phase der Fassungslosigkeit”: Viele
Tuerken koennen einfach nicht glauben, dass ihre Vorfahren schlimme
Verbrechen begangen haben.

Doch waehrend zumindest in Teilen der tuerkischen Gesellschaft eine
neue Nachdenklichkeit erkennbar wird, kann bei den Behoerden davon
keine Rede sein. Als die Kritiker der offiziellen tuerkischen Haltung
ihre Ansichten kuerzlich bei einer Konferenz in Istanbul kundtun
wollten, sprach Justizminister Cemil Cicek von einem “Dolchstoss”
gegen die tuerkische Nation und forderte die Staatsanwaltschaft mehr
oder weniger offen auf, gegen die Konferenzteilnehmer aktiv zu
werden. Die Konferenz wurde abgesagt. In der Tuerkei ist es
strafrechtlich verboten, von einem Voelkermord zu sprechen.

Auch in den Aussenbeziehungen bleibt die Tuerkei trotz aller Reformen
in den letzten Jahren bei ihrer starren Haltung. Aussenminister Guel
bezeichnete den Widerstand gegen die internationale Anerkennung des
Voelkermordes als eine der wichtigsten Aufgaben der tuerkischen
Politik. Alle Laender, deren Parlamente den Voelkermordsvorwurf gegen
die Tuerkei erhoben haetten, wuerden “in scharfer Form gewarnt”,
erklaerte Guel.

«Lycos ne délocalise pas sauvagement»

Libération, France
lundi 13 juin 2005

Matthieu Guinard, directeur général de Lycos France, s’explique sur
la révélation du comité d’entreprise de suppressions de postes et de
propositions de reclassement en Arménie.

Par Frédérique ROUSSEL

On a appris le 23 mai que Lycos France préparait un plan de 75
suppressions d’emploi… (lire article)
Depuis 2004, nous avons amorcé une politique d’optimisation des
coûts. Nous avons réussi à réduire nos pertes de 56 à 35 millions
d’euros en 2004. Aujourd’hui notre entité Europe n’est pas rentable.

Nous avons vécu une période de croissance externe en 2000-01 en
rachetant Spray, Multimania, Caramail, qui a diversifié nos revenus.

Ces acquisitions nous ont permis de nous positionner en tant que
leader sur le mail, le chat et l’hébergement: nous sommes premier
dans l’hébergement et le chat en France, cinquième en Europe… Mais
la situation économique et financière de l’entreprise demande
aujourd’hui des restructurations. Notre objectif est d’être rentable
au premier trimestre 2006 et profitable ~V d’arriver au point mort~V au
dernier trimestre de la même année.

En quoi consiste le volet humain des restructurations?

Deux cent suppressions de postes sont prévues au total en Europe. Le
plan de sauvegarde pour l’emploi en France a été annoncé début 2005.

Dans le cadre de ce plan, nous sommes obligés d’offrir des mesures de
reclassement. Elles sont essentiellement situées en Arménie, à
Erevan, dans une filiale acquise en 2002, et en Allemagne, au siège,
à Guterslow.

Vous projetez donc de délocaliser.

On a plus ou moins été associé aux entreprises alsacienne et bretonne
qui délocalisent en Roumanie et à l’Ile Maurice. On fait des
transferts, mais ce n’est pas une délocalisation sauvage et du
dumping social. Il est faux que nous offrons des salaires entre 300
et 500 euros. Si les employés acceptent nos propositions de
reclassement, leur salaire en Arménie ou en Allemagne sera calqué sur
le salaire français. Il sera accompagné d’aides financières
complémentaires, pour le logement et la scolarisation des enfants.

Notre volonté est de reclasser un maximum de personnel. Si le salarié
ne le souhaite pas, il sera procédé à un licenciement avec des
mesures de formation, d’aide à la création d’entreprise et
d’outplacing.

Quels sont les postes concernés?

On est en pleine négociation avec le comité d’entreprise. Ce sont les
fonctions d’hébergement et de mail qui sont principalement
concernées. La plate-forme contenu et services (régie commerciale,
marketing, design, éditorial et webdéveloppement) n’est quasiment pas
touchée. Sur les 109 postes que compte la France, 62 postes qui
étaient pourvus sont supprimés, le reste concerne la suppression de
postes vacants ou gelés. La situation devrait être clarifiée d’ici la
fin juillet.

Quel sont les projets d’avenir?

Nous avons des acteurs autour de nous qui se positionnent de façon
très agressive. Le moteur de recherche Google par exemple va de plus
en plus vers du contenu. On souhaite mettre les moyens pour garder
notre cinquième place sur le marché européen. Nous préparons pour
septembre un produit de blog révolutionnaire par rapport à ce qui
existe sur le marché. C’est une application en plein dans l’esprit
Lycos. Nous avons toujours montré une capacité d’innovation sur
l’Internet, peut-être un peu moindre ces deux dernières années.

–Boundary_(ID_oD/MzPED/q5xKkA/Z+u6bA)–

Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
June 12 2005

Turkish MP in Armenia
Turkish MP: ‘I will Defend the Opening of the Border and You will Say
There is No So-Called Genocide’

By Jan Soykok (JTW) with Fatih Ugur, Tuncay Kayaoglu (Cihan)

* The meeting in Armenian between Justice and Development Party (AKP)
deputy Turhan Comez and his Armenian collegue Khachatur Sukiasyan has
produced an interesting dialogue.

* Comez proposed to Sukiasyan, one of the most important businessmen
of the country, ‘Let us go to our parliaments and make a statement
about the opening of the borders and leaving the Armenian genocide
claims aside’. However, the Armenian deputy did not welcome the idea.
While both of the deputies agreed that the problems should be left
aside and theyshould think about the future, Sukiasyan said that the
Turkish-Armenian border remaining closed was something
incomprehensible.

* Upon Comez’s suggestion to prepare a list of the existing problems
and work on them, the Armenian deputy said he did not want to talk
about the problems and repeated that all the problems should be put
aside. Upon this, Comez said, ‘Let’s work together. When I make a
speech about the opening of Armenian border gate in the Turkish
Parliament, you, in your parliament, explain that the events taking
place in 1915 were not a genocide, that this issue should be examined
by the historians and explain your respect for Turkey’s territorial
integrity. This will be a small step but it will be an important
start.”

* Saying that they should not trivialize these kinds of problems,
Sukiasyan said the relations should start without any pre-conditions.
Indicating that the events taking place in 1915 were very painful,
Sukiasyan said: “Even if you step on somebody’s foot, you apologize.’
Upon this, the AKP Deputy reminded of what the Armenian gangs did in
1915 and the diplomats assassinated by the Armenian organization
ASALA.

* Upon these remarks, the Armenian deputy told:

“These things are in the past now. We should not give damage to each
other.” Comez replied, “By establishing civil bridges, we can cope
with many problems. It is very important even to talk about these
problems.”

Saying that the closing of border gates is meaningless, Sukiasyan
emphasized that the public should be taken into consideration and
added: ” The events of 1915 made us hostile to each other. After the
opening of the border gates, we may have an opportunity for joint
growth and development. Armenia has a great and bright future. Let us
act together to make this region grow. There are problems even
between the brothers. The most important problem between us is the
opening of borders. We are neighbors, let us act as neighbors.”

Turkey has recently aimed to restore its relations with Armenia.
However the Armenian occupation in Azerbaijan territories and
Armenia’s ‘irredentist’ official documents prevent any improvement.
Armenian forces occupy 20 percent of Azerbaijani territories. The
Armenian Constitution calls Turkey’s Eastern provinces ‘Western
Armenia’: The Armenian diaspora in particular is against any close
relationship between Turkey and Armenia.