EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION WELCOMES SIGNING EU-ARMENIA ACTION PLAN
PanARMENIAN.Net
18.11.2006 14:56 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The European Armenian Federation (EAFJD) has welcomed
the adoption of the EU Neighborhood Policy’s Armenia action plan,
which was signed on November 14th, 2006 by the Armenian Minister of
Foreign Affairs, Vartan Oskanian, in the presence of the Commission
and the Council’s senior leaders. As the EAFJD told PanARMENIAN.Net,
“the EU takes note of the European aspirations expressed by Armenia
and will support the Armenian government as its continues to inform
the Armenian public concerning the Union, in particular through the
creation of a European information center in Yerevan.” “We welcome this
action plan to stimulate the integration movement between the European
Union and Armenia,” declared Hilda Tchoboian, the Chairperson of the
European Armenian Federation. “Building on a powerful convergence of
views and a strong sense of community, the Federation looks forward
to contributing to the future growth of Armenian-European relations,”
added Tchoboian.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

DIRECT TALKS WITH NKR INADMISSIBLE TO AZERBAIJAN
PanARMENIAN.Net
18.11.2006 15:06 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The most important in the EU-Armenia Action Plan
is developments in the region, specifically the conflict settlement
processes, Caucasus Center expert Manvel Sargsyan stated in Yerevan. In
his words, the EU displays rather high activity in Nagorno Karabakh
settlement lately. “As you remember, already in 2004 the current CE
Sec. Gen.
Terry Davis said that Europe is interested in people, not
territories. This was followed by the Atkinson resolution, which was
adopted and forgotten. The absence of direct contacts between the
NKR and Azerbaijan is the major problem. However, I do not think
a situation when NKR and Azeri delegations sit at the same table
is possible now. It is initially inadmissible to Azerbaijan and
it means deviation from the previous policy,” Sargsyan noted. “As
for the OSCE MG, it has done everything necessary. It attained a
cease-fire. At present continuation of the talks is urgent to it,”
the expert underscored.

EUROPEAN INTEGRATION NECESSITY ON THE WAY OF ARMENIA BUILDING LEGITIMATE STATE
PanARMENIAN.Net
18.11.2006 15:11 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The signing of the EU-Armenia Action Plan within
the European Neighborhood Policy is a very important step, Armenian
MP Shavarsh Kocharyan stated in Yerevan. In his words, the Armenian
people more than others in the region are ready to adopt European
values. “European integration is a necessity on the way of Armenia
building a legitimate state,” Kocharyan said. He also noted that three
South Caucasian countries have different ways and different programs.
“Georgia aspires to Europe via the NATO, Azerbaijan – via energy
resources and only Armenia acts within the Action Plan aimed at
economic and political stability in the country,” the MP said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKEY SHOULD NOT HAMPER EU, IT CAN BE BYPASSED EVENTUALLY
PanARMENIAN.Net
18.11.2006 15:23 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The signing of the EU-Armenia Action Plan is a road
in two directions: from Europe to the Caucasus and from Caucasus to
Europe, analyst from US Richard Giragosian stated in Yerevan. In his
words, the Plan provides for economic reforms, as well as military
security. “The region should become a zone of military and energy
stability. In the future the Action Plan will spread on Morocco,
Jordan, Israel and Ukraine. From the geopolitical point of view, EU
involvement in South Caucasian countries is also a step from Turkey
towards Iran, as Turkey should not hamper EU enlargement. It can be
bypassed eventually,” he noted. The EU is a competitor to the US,
but at the same time a counterbalance to Russia, he underscored.
As for the Action Plan itself, in the opinion of the American analyst,
Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia differ much. “Georgia aspires to
Europe more actively, using the NATO to that end, Azerbaijan leans
towards Central Asia not only in energy, but also in the military
field. And only Armenia implements the Plan all alone, proceeding
from the barest necessity. The loneliness, along with too close
relations with Russia, is dangerous to Armenia. However, Yerevan,
not Brussels decides how the events will develop,” Giragosian said.

SCANDAL BETWEEN FRANCE AND TURKEY EXPANDS
PanARMENIAN.Net
18.11.2006 16:36 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul announced on late
Thursday that France hasn’t been officially invited to a defense
industry fair over the French Parliament’s passage of an Armenian bill
last month, introducing punishments to those who question genocide
claims. Gonul stated that Ankara gave a notice to French companies,
instead of invitations, and added, “The French defense minister is
a valuable government member. But he has not been formally invited
here. We sent invitations to other countries.”
In related news, the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry canceled
the invitation of the a French music company to perform a remembrance
ceremony for Turkish poet and Sufi mystic Mevlana Rumi, reports The
New Anatolian.

ARMENIAN DOCUMENTS ALSO DENY GENOCIDE CLAIMS
By Fatih Atik
Zaman, Turkey
Nov 19 2006
Armenians themselves have disagreed with genocide claims currently
made by the international Armenian Diaspora.
Grateful letters written to Ottoman sultans by Armenians living
in Anatolia in those times will be important trump cards in favor
of Turkey.
A letter of thanks sent to the Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamit II by
Armenians has drawn attraction. This letter refutes genocide claims
and has been displayed in an exhibition since Nov. 14 in the Turkish
Parliament.
The works in the exhibition drew attention to the freedoms Ottoman
sultans provided for different religious groups.
The letter, written on behalf of the Armenian community sent to
Abdulhamit II, stated that Ottoman sultans respected Armenians as
well as other groups, adding they would never stop working for the
Ottoman Empire despite some insurgents and their lies.
Speaker of the Turkish Parliament Bulent Arinc felt that the exhibition
proved Ottoman tolerance with concrete examples and was crucial
material for the Alliance of Civilizations project.
Dossiers to be Forwarded Abroad
The Turkish parliament commission in charge of European Union
adaptation is determined to forward the dossiers in the exhibition
to EU politicians.
Meanwhile, at the request of the EU Adaptation Commission, the
Turkish State Archives head office has gathered a collection of
peace agreements that the Ottoman Empire made with Western countries,
as well as edicts announced for non-Muslims.

ARMENIAN SPIRIT LIVES ON
By Snejana Farberov
New York Daily News, NY
Nov 19 2006
Nabe toasts independence
Red, blue and orange – the colors of the Armenian flag – were waved
proudly in Brooklyn last Sunday as the 15,000-strong local Armenian
community celebrated 15 years of national independence.
The main event of the day was organized by St. Gregory Mission Parish
and held at St. Edmund’s Church on Ocean Ave. More than 150 guests,
some from as far away as Germany, convened there for an evening of
poetry readings, traditional dance performances by the Sevan ensemble,
and a mixed bag of musical treats.
The evening began with a performance of the American and Armenian
national anthems by lead soloist Jenny Bagdasarian and passionate
community activist Elen Ohanyan, both of whom grew up in the U.S.
That set the tone for the event: Move forward, but remember where
you came from.
“I consider myself both an Armenian and an American,” said Bagdasarian,
15. “I want everyone to know that I’m not only an American who came
to live here, but also that I have Armenian roots.
“It’s important to me, because my family is from Armenia,” she
continued, “and when all those people died during the genocide,
we’re very proud they sacrificed everything so that we could have a
better life.”
The Sunday festivities were just a commemoration of the secession of
Armenia from the crumbling Soviet Union, which had controlled the
proud little nation since 1920. Perhaps more importantly, it was a
celebration of 3,000 years of rich culture and history marked by a
tragedy that galvanized the Armenian national character.
“We survived, and now – thank God – we have our homeland, even
a small one, and we try to protect it,” said Marina Bagdasarova,
principal of the Armenian School of Brooklyn, which is affiliated
with the St. Gregory parish.
The Rev. Mardiros Chevian, dean of St. Vartan Cathedral, Eastern
Armenian Diocese, who officiated the formal part of the event, said
that the Armenian Church has always been the true backbone of the
Armenian nation. Chevian noted that it has provided a safe harbor
for the worshipers to come together in fellowship and prayer, and it
remains at the heart of the Armenian diaspora in New York.
“During the Soviet period, when Armenia was not able to reach out as
much as it can now, [it was] the church that maintained the Armenian
identity outside of Armenia,” added Chevian.
Bagdasarova said that for the past several years, civic leaders
have been striving to build an Armenian community center that would
provide an additional venue to pass on the language and traditions
of the old country to the next generation before it is too late.
However, as it turns out, in such endeavors, size does matter.
“Considering the fact that we are a relatively small community here,
much smaller than others, we clearly receive far less attention from
the city and county governments,” lamented Bagdasarova.
In the meantime, students of the Armenian School perform in local
Jewish centers and nursing homes, and at fund-raisers and festivals,
introducing people to their heritage through music and dance. Some
of their regular gigs include the annual Russian Heritage Week and
charity concerts in Brooklyn’s Millennium Theater, and the Shorefront
YM-YWHA on Brighton Beach.
Bagdasarova explained that it is no coincidence that Armenians and
Jews are so close: In the past century, the two nations were united
by the horrors of genocide and repeated pogroms that confined them
but failed to break their spirit.
Armenia was the first nation in the world to officially adopt
Christianity as its religion in A.D. 301. Its people were repeatedly
persecuted by their Muslim neighbors, and dispersed throughout the
world. Not until 1991 did Armenia regain its long-lost independence.
“Armenians take great pride in their millennia of history,” said
Bagdasarova. “We are fortunate to be living in a country where you can
take independence, its inevitability, and the rights that it promises,
for granted.”

ARMENIAN ORCHESTRA’S BENEFIT CONCERTS IN TEHRAN
IranMania, Iran
Nov 19 2006
LONDON, November 19 (IranMania) – Prominent Iranian musician Loris
Tjeknavorian is to conduct an Armenian orchestra in benefit concerts
at the Mahak Charity Society in Tehran from November 29 to December 5,
MNA reported.
Austrian pianist Gudwig Walsh and violinist Tomas Theodoroff will also
accompany the orchestra in the program, which has been organized by
the Mahak Charity Society, an institute supporting Iranian children
suffering from cancer.
The orchestra is scheduled to perform several pieces by Johann
Sebastian Bach and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as well as Kurdish and
Iranian suites and pieces composed by Tjeknavorain during the program.

BOYCOTT AGAINST THE FRENCH PRODUCTS HITS FRANCE BUSINESS IN TURKEY
Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
Nov 19 2006
The Armenian proposal sparked the anti-French campaigns in Turkey.
Many people in Turkey boycott French products.
The consumer unions and societies have listed the French good not
to buy till France changes its ‘anti-Turkish’ attitude. The latest
French mark on the list is Citroen.
The consumer unions call all Turkish people not to buy Elf (Total),
Loreal, Citroen, Renault and other French companies’ products.
France recognised the Armenian claims in 2001 and the French
Parliament accepted a proposal which makes illegal to reject the
Armenian claims. Turkey says “the Armenian claims are just claims,
not verdict of a court”.

KOCHARIAN URGES ESTABLISHMENT OF DIPLOMATIC TIES WITH TURKEY
source: The New Anatolian.
ABHaber, Belgium
EU-Turkey news network
Nov 19 2006
Armenian President Robert Kocharian stated late Thursday that Turkey,
as a candidate for for European Union membership, should follow a
“different approach” on the issue of establishing diplomatic relations
with Yerevan.
Stressing that diplomatic relations should be established without
preconditions and prejudices, Kocharian claimed that although his
country had suggested to Turkey the establishment of diplomatic
relations, Ankara refused. “Our suggestion is still valid,” he said
in a speech at a meeting organized by the Bertelsmann Association
in Berlin, where he also met on Thursday with German Chancellor
Angela Merkel.
Touching on Armenian’s relations with its neighbors, Kocharian also
said, “Turkey, which is an important state in its region, closed its
borders to Armenia. An important country like Turkey should follow
a different approach.”
‘Proposal for historians’ commission is a ploy’
The Armenian president dismissed the Turkish proposal to establish a
joint commission of historians to study the Armenian genocide claims
as a “Turkish ploy” by which he claimed Ankara will try to distance
itself from the core of the alleged issue.
Kocharian made the remarks in response to former German Ambassador
Dietrich Kyaw, who asked him why he had rejected Turkish Premier Recep
Tayyip Erdogan’s proposal of a historians’ commission to examine the
genocide allegations.
Kocharian also stated that Yerevan wants the establishment of a
commission of politicians instead of a commission of historians
and said, “Politicians, not historians, have responsibility for the
‘genocide’.”
‘Nagorno-Karabakh is independent’
Kocharian also claimed that the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh
declared its independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union
and the enclave has never been a part of Azerbaijan.
Stating that Nagorno-Karabakh young people have grown up with the
will to live in an independent state and won’t retreat from the ways
things are, Kocharian underlined the need for the concerned sides in
the region to be ready for a solution in Nagorno-Karabakh before the
EU makes new initiatives.
Kocharian stressed that no country that had gained its independence
will give up this right and added, “The people of Nagorno-Karabakh
also fought for for their independence and won it. Therefore they
don’t want to lose it.”
Nagorno-Karabakh is a mountainous region in Azerbaijan that has been
under the control of Armenian and ethnic-Armenian Karabakh forces
since a 1994 cease-fire ended a six-year separatist war that killed
about 30,000 people and drove about 1 million from their homes. The
region’s final status remains unresolved, and years of talks under the
auspices of international mediators have brought few visible results.
Ankara: Armenia distorts the facts
Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Namik Tan on Friday lambasted
the claim of the Armenian Foreign Ministry, saying, “The claim that
Kocharian’s letter to Erdogan in 2005 did not get a response is
another example of the Armenian aim to distort the facts.”
Bringing up Erdogan’s proposal to setup a commission composed
of Armenian and Turkish historians to study the genocide claims,
Tan said, “While the situation is like that, the Armenian Foreign
Ministry claimed on Nov. 4 that Kocharian’s letter to Erdogan did not
get a response. However, the concerned Turkish and Armenian officials
have gathered three times since April 2005, and our latest proposal
was conveyed to Yerevan this September. Therefore, the latest claim
of the Armenian Foreign Ministry is another example of the Armenian
aim to distort the facts.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress