Category: News

PRESS RELEASE
Office of Sarkis Assadourian M.P.
120 Confederation
House of Commons, Ottawa, Canada
Contact: Daniel Kennedy
Tel: 613 995 4843
Ottawa April 22, 2004
Historic Day on Parliament Hill
M.P. Sarkis Assadourian, Hosts Reception Honouring Sara Corning
M-380 Sees Recognition of the Armenian Genocide by Parliament
April 21, 2004 will go done in history as a remarkable day for the
Canadian Armenian Community. Following a memorable reception held in
honour of the late Sara Corning a native of Nova Scotia responsible
for the rescue of thousands of, Armenian children, from the port of
Smyrna in the summer of 1922 hosted by Sarkis Assadourian (Brampton
Centre, Lib.): Chairman of the Canada-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship
Group members of the Canadian Armenian Community were thrilled to be
present in the galleries of the House of Commons as M-380 received the
resounding approval of the Members of Parliament.
Motion-380 seconded by Assadourian called on the House of Commons to
acknowledge the Armenian Genocide of 1915 and condemn this act as a
crime against humanity. Assadourian has introduced similar motions and
Private Members Bills over his 10 years as M.P. and was overjoyed to
finally see the House of Commons grant recognition of the
Genocide. Assadourian hosted a victory reception in his Parliament
Hill office following the historic vote attended by supporters
including His Excellency Ara Papian Armenian Ambassador to Canada.
Assadourian thanks the supporters of the Canada Armenia Parliamentary
Friendship Group notably AGBU, Armenian Democratic Liberal Party,
Armenian Social Democratic Party, CABC Ontario Armenian Apostolic
Church Diocese, Armenian World Alliance as well as the support and
co-operation of the Armenian Assembly of America and documentation
provided by the Zorian Institute in the pursuit of this historic
milestone.
“Armenians everywhere will celebrate this great day that saw the
relatives of Sarah Corning receive an enunciate from His Holiness
Karikian ll, Catholocos of All Armenia, honouring the efforts of their
ancestor on behalf of the Armenian orphans and later that same day the
historic recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the House of
Commons. I dedicate this victory to the late Kirk Margarian (George
Town Boy) and through him all victims and survivors of genocide.
-30-
For further information contact: Daniel Kennedy 613-995-4843

Turkey summons Canadian ambassador over Armenian ‘genocide’ bill
22.04.2004
ANKARA (AFP) – Turkey summoned Canada’s ambassador to express its
disappointment over the Canadian parliament’s recognition as genocide
the killings of Armenians under Ottoman rule during World War I, a
Turkish diplomatic source said.
Ambassador Michael Leir was called in to the foreign ministry for a
meeting with deputy undersecretary Nabi Sensoy “to discuss the
developments in the Canadian parliament,” the diplomat told AFP on
condition of anonymity.
An angry Ankara protested strongly after the Canadian parliament on
Wednesday adopted a resolution recognizing that Turkey committed
genocide against Armenians in 1915, in a move which went against the
wishes of Canadian Foreign Minister Bill Graham.
“We strongly condemn the fact that the federal Canadian parliament, in
spite of all our approaches, has served only the interests of marginal
groups,” read a statement from the foreign ministry earlier Thursday.
“Canadian politicians will bear the responsibility of all the negative
consequences that this resolution will bring,” it added.
The Canadian resolution was said to have mainly symbolic value, with no
effect on the country’s policy towards Turkey.
The massacres of Armenians during World War I is one of the most
controversial episodes in Turkish history.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kinsmen were massacred in
orchestrated killings nine decades ago.
Turkey categorically rejects claims of genocide and says that 300,000
Armenians and thousands of Turks were killed in what was civil strife
during World War I when the Armenians raised up against their Ottoman
rulers.

Turkey Chides Canada Over Armenia Genocide Vote
22.04.2004
By Gareth Jones
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey on Thursday condemned the Canadian
parliament’s decision to recognize the 1915 killing of Armenians by
Ottoman forces as genocide and warned of damage to bilateral ties.
Canada’s parliament voted 153-68 on Wednesday in support of a motion
classifying the events of 90 years ago as genocide, disregarding an
appeal from the Canadian government.
Armenians say some 1.5 million of their people were deliberately
slaughtered by Ottoman Turks between 1915 and 1923.
Turkey denies charges of genocide, saying Armenians were among victims
of a partisan war during World War One as the Ottoman Empire collapsed.
Ankara accuses Armenians of carrying out massacres while siding with
invading Russian troops.
“We strongly condemn the approval by Canada’s Federal Parliament of this
decision which follows (the pressure of) marginal groups despite our
objections,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“This decision will benefit neither Canadian Armenians nor Armenia.
Responsibility for all the negative consequences of this decision
belongs to the Canadian politicians,” it added.
The ministry did not say what these consequences might be, but Fazli
Corman, the Turkish embassy councillor in Ottawa, earlier cited the
example of Canadian companies seeking to sign contracts in Turkey.
Canadian Foreign Minister Bill Graham said the motion would not alter
Ottawa’s official policy, that while the events of 1915 were a tragedy,
they did not constitute genocide.
“VOLATILE REGION”
Canada’s embassy in Ankara issued a statement calling for reconciliation
between Turks and Armenians. It also urged their governments to deal
with the issue of the alleged genocide and to work for greater stability
in their “volatile region.”
Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic relations and their border is
closed because of the Armenian occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh, a
territory populated by Christian Armenians but assigned to Muslim
Azerbaijan in Soviet times. Turkey has close linguistic and cultural
ties with oil-rich Azerbaijan.
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry accused “narrow-minded Canadian politicians”
of fomenting ethnic and religious hatred between “people of different
ethnic backgrounds who live in peace.”
Earlier this week, Turkey also criticized a reference to the alleged
genocide on an Armenian monument unveiled in Poland. The word
“slandered” the Turkish nation, the Foreign Ministry said, and hurt
Turkey’s historically warm ties with Poland.
Parliaments in Russia, France and Switzerland, have also adopted motions
describing the events of 1915 as genocide.
Turkey froze official visits to France and temporarily blocked French
firms from entering lucrative defense contracts in 2001 after the French
parliament backed the Armenian case. France is home to Europe’s biggest
Armenian diaspora.
The U.S. Congress dropped a similar resolution in 2000 after the White
House warned it would harm U.S. security interests in the Middle East.
Turkey is a key NATO (news – web sites) ally guarding Europe’s
southeastern flank and its secular democracy is often held up by
Washington as an example to be emulated by the rest of the Muslim world.

A1 Plus | 20:47:28 | 22-04-2004 | Social |
INTELLECTUALS DON’T BELIEVE LAW MACHINERY
Intelligentsia has today referred to violence committed to Ashot Manucharyan
and disclosure of it. They announce they distrust the Armenian Police and
will launch their own investigation.
“It’s the consequence of the atmosphere Authorities have created and they
are responsible for that”, intellectuals announce. They say to fear for the
future of Armenia.

Azat Artsakh – Republic of Nagorno Karabakh (NKR)
April 16 2004
LAW ON GOVERNMENT ADOPTED
At the April 14 meeting the National Assembly adopted the law `On
government’ according to which the institution of the vice prime
minister was preserved. The number of the vice prime ministers is not
maintained, the authority for deciding it is granted to the president
of the republic. During the meeting it was mentioned that if there is
only one prime minister in Russia, in Armenia there is none, then
keeping several vice prime ministers in Karabakh is lavishness.
NAIRA HAYRUMIAN

Azat Artsakh – Republic of Nagorno Karabakh (NKR)
April 16 2004
TEN YEARS OF CEASE-FIRE
_Would you recall the details of the events that took place ten years
ago, which ended in the maintenance of cease-fire in the area of the
Karabakh conflict. _ In my opinion, May 1994 and the meeting in
Bishkek was a significant stage in the history of settlement of the
Karabakh conflict. It should be mentioned that certain agreements had
been signed before that on stopping the military actions at the
Azerbaijani _ Karabakh front but as a rule these worked for several
days, a week at best. For the sake of justice we should state that the
cease-fire was violated mainly by the Azerbaijani party; today the
mediators remind about this. In those years the peacemaking process
was carried out by Russia and the CSCE (today the OSCE). The CIS
interparliamentarian summit, the delegates of which regularly visited
Nagorni Karabakh, tried to carry out a rather active mission at the
beginning of the 1990’s. At the beginning of May 1994 the NKR Defence
Army had mainly fulfilled its military and political role; the
military actions were shifted to the territory of the enemy and a
security zone was created around Nagorni Karabakh, which allowed
starting the regulation of the peaceful life in Karabakh. I think, the
suggestion of signing the cease-fire was necessary for Azerbaijan as
well; the Azerbaijani army then had a problem of time and needed `a
rest’. It should also be recalled that an attempt of signing a
cease-fire was made in February 1994 during the meeting of the heads
of the defence ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan and the
representative of the NKR Defence Army in Moscow, which however was
not a success; the cease-fire was again broken by the Azerbaijanis. _
Would you also give detailed information on the Bishkek meeting? _ At
the end of March and the beginning of April the representatives of the
CIS interparliamentarian summit visited the area of the Karabakh
conflict, headed by one of the most active participants of the
process, the speaker of the parliament of Kirgizia Medetkan
Shirinkulov. On April 15 the meeting of the heads of the CIS
member-countries took place. The meeting passed a resolution calling
the parties of the Karabakh conflict to stop the military actions in a
short period of time and maintain a cease-fire. Later the
interparliamentarian committee undertook more definite actions and at
the beginning of May the delegations of the direct participants of the
conflict Armenia, Azerbaijan and Karabakh were invited to Bishkek. On
May 2 the NKR delegation left Stepanakert. It was headed by the
speaker of the parliament Karen Baburian. The delegation included the
foreign minister then Arkady Ghukassian, the chairman of the
parliamentary committee Valery Balayan, adviser of the head of the
parliament Vassily Atajanian and in the role of assistants Levon
Mayilian and me. For me it was the first meeting in the sense of
participation in this type of meetings and it was a successfully
fulfilled experience. The delegation of Armenia was also constituted
of the members of the government and parliament: the delegation
included the speaker of the parliament then Babken Ararkcian, Seyran
Baghdassarian, Khachik Bezirchian, Petros Katsakhian and others. The
Azerbaijani delegation included the vice speaker of the parliament A.
Jalilov (not alive any more), several members of parliament and
experts. On May 2 all the three delegations arrived in Bishkek. I
should mention with gratitude the hospitality of the Kirgizian party.
On the next day the delegations started their work. There was certain
unease on the first day. In the beginning the president of Kirgizia
Askar Akaev and the head of the CIS interparliamentarian committee
Vladimir Shoumeiko addressed the meeting. A working group was made up
for working out a united document and presenting it to the delegations
to sign. The work of the group was not in vain because the Azerbaijani
party tried in any way to hinder the participation of the Karabakh
delegation in the talks as a separate party. Then long-lasting talks
followed between the heads of the delegations after which the final
text was worked out and presented for signing on May 5. At the last
moment the head of the Azerbaijani delegation refused to sign the
Bishkek protocol (in several days from the Azerbaijani party it was
signed by the speaker of the parliament Rasul Guliev). The Bishkek
agreement signed by all the conflict parties served as basis for the
Russian mediator to achieve the arrangement of the cease-fire which
was brought in effect on May 12 at the Azerbaijani-Karabakh front. _
Recently there has been some anxiety in our society concerning the
expiry of the term of the cease-fire agreement. Do you confirm or you
do not share this anxiety? – The anxiety of our citizens is because
our society is not well-informed on the agreement of cease-fire. The
rumours that the cease-fire agreement signed in the area of the
Karabakh-Azerbaijani conflict will expire in May are merely rumours
and only create additional tension. The cease-fire was maintained ten
years ago and was the result of the agreement reached between Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Karabakh in Bishkek. According to this agreement the
cease-fire came in effect on May 12, 1994, and on May 16 in Moscow the
defence ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nagorni Karabakh
confirmed the willingness of their countries to maintain the
cease-fire, which works up today. The agreement has no time
limit. Moreover, their devotion to the maintenance of peace was
confirmed in July 1994 when the conflict parties assumed
responsibility before the mediators to maintain the cease-fire up to
signing of a final political agreement by which the military actions
will be finally stopped. In other words an arrangement was made
according to which in case of achieving final peace in the region the
cease-fire agreement is changed to a peace agreement. Again I want to
stress that there is no reason for worry. There are no objective
causes for resuming the military actions. In these ten years the
cease-fire is maintained without international peace-keeping forces
due to the balance maintained between the forces of the conflict
parties. And the efficiency of the Karabakh army allows hoping that
this balance will be maintained henceforth.
SEYRAN KARAPETIAN

Azat Artsakh – Republic of Nagorno Karabakh (NKR)
April 16 2004
NEW CULTURAL AND SPORT PROGRAMS
The previous visit of the NKR minister of education, culture and sport
Armen Sarghissian to Marseiile was two years ago. At that time the
invitation was from the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, which
besides party problems involved also cultural and sport events. In
particular it should be mentioned about the meetings with the mayor of
Marseille and the local parliament. In the framework of these meetings
the idea of building a new stadium in Stepanakert was born. Last year
on May 9 the representatives of the organization `Provence Armenie’
visited Karabakh. It should be mentioned that this organizations also
includes people widely known in the world in the sphere of culture and
sport, such as famous singer Patrick Fiore, world champions in
football Youri Jorkaeff and Alen Poghossian. Part of the members of
the organization are not Armenians. Patrick Fiore visited Karabakh
with the chairman of the organization Hakobik Khachatrian. They became
interested in the problem of building a new stadium in
Stepanakert. The recent visit of the NKR minister of education,
culture and sport to Marseille was in this relation. The minister was
accompanied by singer Nuneh Yessayan. More than 800 people took part
in the soiree organized in the framework of the program of
construction of the stadium N 2 in Stepanakert. The participants were
acquainted to the points of the program. There was a concert during
the soiree with the participation of Patrick Fiore and other French
artists. Besides the local Armenians, among the participants were
representatives of the local authorities, French people. As a result
an agreement was signed on the construction of the new stadium. A
meeting between the leading players of the football club `Olympique’
and the coaches took place. It was decided to organize a match between
the club and the national team of Armenia the profit of which will be
provided for the construction of the stadium in Stepanakert. A part of
this sum will be provided to the Football Federation of Armenia for
the sake of development of this sport. According to the arrangement
the match will be held on September 4. Four days later Nuneh Yessayan
and Patrick Fiore will have a concert in Yerevan, the profit from
which will be completely provided for the construction of the
stadium. It is not excluded that they will sing also in Karabakh. The
hindering fact is that the seats in the stadium are in a bad
condition. If the problem of seats is solved, the concert will take
place, said the NKR minister of culture. According to minister Armen
Sarghissian, the cost of the program totals 350 thousand US
dollars. According to his forecast, if this sum is raised this autumn,
building will start in spring of the next year. The stadium will be
designed for different sports. Besides the sports traditional in
Karabakh it is also planned to develop field hockey. It is planned to
build the stadium beside the Stepanakert spa and physical training
complex where in all the seasons of the year the games will be
organized on a high level. At the same time the Stepanakert stadium N
1 after Shahoumian will be repaired. The works were assumed by the
organization `Franc Muller’. During his visit to France Armen
Sarghissian made arrangements for cultural programs. Thus, at the
upcoming celebration of the 80th anniversary of Homenetmen the state
dance ensemble of Artsakh and `Karabakh’ pop ensemble. On the occasion
of the 10th anniversary of the cease-fire these ensembles will have 6
concerts in six French cities with the assistance of the NKR
representative in France Hovhannes Gevorgian. Photographer Hrair Bazen
will exhibit his works picturing the historical and cultural monuments
of Artsakh. At the folklore festival In France in October actors from
Karabakh will also participate. This once again testifies that culture
has a significant contribution to the political rating of a
country. During the visit the minister visited a Marseille school. An
arrangement was made to organize mutual visits between this school and
any educational instiution in Karabakh. He also had meetings at the
Armenian Relief Society. It was decided to provide assistance of 10
thousand dollars to the Artsakh churches during 2 years. It was
planned to rebuild the church Targmanchats. The members of the youth
organization `New Generation’ asked to present a social economic and
cultural program within 8-10 thousand US dollars for any Karabakh
village.Â
SVETLANA KHACHATURIAN.

Canadian Parliament recognizes Armenian genocide
ANP (Dutch news agency)
April 22, 2004
OTTOWA (ANP/RTR) – The Canadian parliament has formally recognized that in
1915 the Turks in the former Ottoman Empire are guilty of a genocide on
ethnic Armenians. With that it distanced itself from the long-running
official standpoint of the government.
On April 24 the Ottomans began with an unheard of series of cruelties with
the aim to eradicate the Armenians from their empire. The exact death toll
has not been established, but it is estimated that two-thirds to
three-quarters of the 2 million Armenians perished. Turkey, that rose from
the ashes of the Ottoman Empire, has always denied the genocide.
The Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Bill Graham is not pleased with the
decision of the parliament, that it will not benefit the relations with
Turkey. He had called on the parliament to refrain from offending Ankara
with an eye on the importance of good relations with NATO-ally Turkey.
For that same reason the American Congress decided in 2000 not to adopt a
similar resolution. The White House warned that such a position could harm
American interests in the Middle-East.
Earlier the parliaments of among others France, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium,
Russia and the European Union decided to recognize the Armenian genocide
despite strong protests from Ankara.

Armenian National Committee of America
888 17th Street, NW, Suite 904
Washington, DC 20006
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
[email protected]
PRESS RELEASE
April 22, 2004
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
SEN. KERRY CALLS FOR INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
— Democratic Presidential Hopeful Outlines Strong History of
Support for Armenian American Concerns in April 24th statement
— Senator’s Record on Armenian Issues Detailed on
WASHINGTON, DC Democratic Presidential hopeful, Sen. John Kerry,
called for international recognition of the Armenian Genocide
today, in a statement issued to Armenian Americans marking the 89th
anniversary of that crime against humanity, reported the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA).
An outspoken advocate of U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide,
Senator Kerry stated “I join Armenian Americans and Armenians
worldwide in mourning the victims of the Armenian Genocide and I
call on governments and people everywhere to formally recognize
this tragedy. Only by learning from this dark period of history
and working to prevent future genocides can we truly honor the
memories of those Armenians who suffered so unjustly.” Earlier
this week, Senator Kerry joined 22 of his Senate colleagues calling
on President Bush to “refer to the mass slaughter of Armenians as
genocide in your commemorative statement.” He was amongst the
earliest cosponsors of the Genocide resolution (S.Res.164), which
marks the 15th anniversary of the U.S. implementation of the
Genocide Convention.
“With this most recent statement honoring the victims of the
Armenian Genocide, Sen. Kerry builds on his two decade long record
of support for proper U.S. recognition of this crime against
humanity,” stated Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the
Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA.) “This election
season, we look forward to ensuring that our community is fully
aware of the Senator’s record on the Armenian Genocide and all
issues of concern to Armenian American voters.”
In the statement, Sen. Kerry outlined his longstanding support for
a broad range of Armenian American concerns. “In 1992, I authored
an amendment to the Freedom Support Act making U.S. aid to
Azerbaijan conditional on it taking steps to end its blockades
against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. I supported the Humanitarian
Aid Corridor Act in 1996, which prohibits U.S. assistance to any
country that restricts the delivery of U.S. humanitarian aid to
another country. In 2003, I cosponsored legislation to extend
“permanent normal trade relations” (PNTR) to Armenia. This
January, I joined Senators Barbara Boxer, George Allen, Paul
Sarbanes, Russ Feingold, and Jon Corzine in asking the President to
urge Turkey to lift its embargo of Armenia.”
Senator Kerry’s complete record on Armenian American concerns is
posted on the Armenians For Kerry website:
The website includes previous statements by the Senator and provides
ways for Armenian American supporters to become active in the Kerry
campaign through donations or other volunteer efforts.
The complete text of Sen. Kerry’s statement follows.
#####
Statement by Democratic Presidential Candidate John Kerry
In Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide
“April 24th marks the 89th anniversary of the beginning of the
Armenian Genocide. Between 1915 and 1923 the rulers of the old
Ottoman Empire killed or deported over 1.5 million Armenian men,
women and children in a systematic policy of ethnic determination.”
“I thank Armenian Americans for their persistence in the struggle
to gain international recognition of this atrocity. By keeping the
memory of this tragedy alive, Armenian Americans remind us all of
our collective responsibility to insure that such horrors are not
repeated. I am proud of my work with the Armenian American
community to gain broader recognition of the Armenian Genocide,
including fighting alongside Senator Robert Dole in 1990 for
designation of April 24 as a national day of remembrance for this
tragedy.”
“I have been an unwavering supporter of many other important
Armenian issues. In 1992, I authored an amendment to the Freedom
Support Act making U.S. aid to Azerbaijan conditional on it taking
steps to end its blockades against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. I
supported the Humanitarian Aid Corridor Act in 1996 which prohibits
U.S. assistance to any country that restricts the delivery of U.S.
humanitarian aid to another country. In 2003, I cosponsored
legislation to extend “permanent normal trade relations” (PNTR) to
Armenia. This January, I joined Senators Barbara Boxer, George
Allen, Paul Sarbanes, Russ Feingold, and Jon Corzine in asking the
President to urge Turkey to lift its embargo of Armenia.”
“I join Armenian Americans and Armenians worldwide in mourning the
victims of the Armenian Genocide and I call on governments and
people everywhere to formally recognize this tragedy. Only by
learning from this dark period of history and working to prevent
future genocides can we truly honor the memories of those Armenians
who suffered so unjustly.”
#####

RIA Novosti, Russia
April 22 2004
GEORGIA HOPES FOR “CIVILIZED WITHDRAWAL” OF RUSSIAN MILITARY BASES
MOSCOW, April 22 (RIA Novosti) – The Georgian government hopes that a
compromise will eventually be reached in its negotiations with Russia
on the withdrawal of military bases, Ambassador of Georgia Konstantin
Kemularia told a Moscow press conference Thursday.
There are two Russian military bases in Georgia now: in Akhalkalaki
(near the border with Turkey and Armenia) and outside Batumi, the
capital of the Adzharian autonomy. Moscow argues that pulling these
two bases out in a “civilized manner” will take at least ten years.
According to Kemularia, the Georgian government is now considering
ways to create normal living and service conditions for the outgoing
Russian troops.
Officials of Russia, Georgia, and Abkhazia (a breakaway region in
Georgia) will hold three-party consultations on the prospective
withdrawal of the military bases as they gather in Moscow on April
26, the Ambassador announced. Deputy Foreign Minister Mirab Antadze
will be attending for Georgia; and Foreign Minister Sergei Shamba,
for Abkhazia.
“The revival of the relations between our countries will lead to a
higher degree of trust,” emphasized Kemularia.
Speaking of Adzharia, the ambassador said that Tbilisi could see no
legal or political grounds for applying the Treaty of Kars vis-a-vis
the autonomy. “The Russian Foreign Ministry has stated that the
problem of Adzharia is a domestic affair of Georgia’s and that Russia
is not a guarantor of Adzharia’s security,” Kemularia said. In his
words, it would be absurd to implement the Kars Treaty’s articles
that envisage the possibility of Turkey carrying out duty-free trade
operations in the Adzharian capital of Batumi.
“Likewise, Article 7 of the Treaty stipulates that if Adzharia’s
autonomy is abolished, Turkey may send in troops. This does not seem
realistic today, either,” the ambassador said.
It will be remembered that under the Kars Treaty, signed in 1921,
Russia and Turkey shall act as guarantors of Adzharia’s sovereignty
within Georgia.