RAFFI HOVHANNISIAN: IT IS NECESSARY THAT REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA INSIDE ITSELF ALSO PURSUE ITS NATIONAL INTEREST ON THE FAIR BASIS
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 25 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Though the Republic
of Armenia makes certain, separate efforts for involving as many states
as possible in the issue of recognition of the Armenian Genocide,
this is not at the proper height. Raffi Hovhannisian, Chairman of
the Zharangutiun (Heritage) party, expressed such an opinion in his
interview to Noyan Tapan correspondent on April 24, at the memorial
complex to the victims of the Armenian Genocide. According to him,
this is not only a day of the memory of the past, but also a day when
we should assume commitments towards the future. And these commitments,
according to him, belong to the whole Armenian people, be it in the
Republic of Armenia, in Artsakh, in Spyurk and everywhere. “This
day is not only a day of estimating our losses, learning lessons
from the past but also a day when we should look in the direction
of the future,” R.Hovhannisian said. According to R.Hovhannisian,
we should build the modern Armenian history so that henceforth no
one, neither our enemy nor our neighbor, can “play on” the security,
sovereignty of Armenia and on the lives of its citizens. “This is
the problem of our generation, the problem of the whole Armenian
people. If our generation is able to fulfil this commitment, Armenia
and the Armenian people will be together, will be strong and legal,”
he mentioned. Meanwhile, according to R.Hovhannisian, it is necessary
that the Republic of Armenia inside itself also pursue its national
interest and commitment towards the future on the fair basis. “Thus,
the political, scientific and legal ways should be perfected, we
should unite our efforts and be higher than dissociation, we should
build our country proceeding from the national interest, sovereignty
of the state and the rights of the citizens,” the Chairman of the
Zharangutiun party added.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ON APRIL 24, ARMAVIR RESIDENTS ORGANIZE PROCESSION TO MEMORIAL TO GENOCIDE VICTIMS
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 25 2006
ARMAVIR, APRIL 25, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. On April 24,
the population of Armavir, regional and municipal authorities,
representatives of organizations organized a procession to the town
park and laid wreaths to the memorial to the victims of the Armenian
Genocide. The same day divine services took place in all the churches
of the region.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

POLITICAL SCIENTIST DOES NOT EXCLUDE THAT DAYTON VARIANT CAN BE USED IN KARABAKH SETTLEMENT
Noyan Tapan
Apr 25 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, NOYAN TAPAN. The considerable activity observed in
the process of Nagorno Karabakh settlement in the recent 4-5 months is
connected not only purely with the Nagorno Karabakh problem but also
with processes taking place in the world. Stepan Grigorian, Chairman
of the Board of the Analytical Center for Globalization and Regional
Cooperation, expressed such an opinion in his interview to Noyan Tapan
correspondent. According to him, even the failure in Rambouillet
“did not sober the most active participants, U.S. and a number of
European countries”, which, by the way, are interested in the quick
settlement of the problem. Such a position has its reasons. Thus,
the role of the South Caucasus increases day by day: a number of
gas and oil pipelines pass through the South Caucasus, in addition,
problems connected with the neighboring Iran and Iraq are set very
sharply, even serious actions against Iran are not excluded. On the
other hand, Armenia’s and Azerbaijan’s positions lack common verges,
the authorities of the two countries do not show a political will
of making concessions, the societies of the conflict parties are
not ready for a reconciliation and do not perceive the fact that
the concessions should be made by both of the countries. And the
most important circumstance showing that the problem will not be
solved soon, according to S.Grigorian, is that Karabakh is not a
part of the negotiations process up to this day, whereas in cases
of Abkhazia, Transdniestria and Southern Cyprus the non-recognized
parties took part in the negotiations. Stepan Grigorian said that
all these arguments show that indeed the parties of the conflict
are not ready for the settlement of the Karabakh problem. He gave
assurance that neither Aliyev nor Kocharian will sign any agreement
at the coming meeting. Thus, according to the political scientist,
the same old story will recur: a series of meetings that will not
yield any result, either. The political scientist expressed anxiety
that such processes can lead to a situation when the Dayton variant
will be applied towards the parties. The latter is known to be a
variant of forced peace, when the decisions are made by the powers
outside of the parties of the conflict. Stepan Grigorian does not
exclude that the pressure currently being exerted in the Nagorno
Karabakh process will lead to this variant.

RESIDENTS OF VANADZOR PAY TRIBUTE OF THEIR RESPECT TO MEMORY OF VICTIMS OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 25 2006
VANADZOR, APRIL 25, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Early in the morning
of April 24, a liturgy was served in the Vanadzor Surb Astvatsatsin
Church in commemoration of the victims of the Armenian Genocide. A
divine service took place before the khachkar (cross-stone) in front
of the church. The ruling officials of the region, many collectives,
student and working groups laid flowers and wreaths to the khachkar.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN AND LITHUANIAN PRESIDENTS DISCUSS ISSUES REGARDING RELATIONS BETWEEN TWO COUNTRIES AND REGIONAL PROBLEMS
Noyan Tapan
Apr 25 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, NOYAN TAPAN. At RA President Robert Kocharian’s
invitation, President of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus and his spouse Mrs
Alma Adamkie arrived in Armenia on April 25 on a two-day official
visit. The official meeting ceremony of the Lithuanian President
took place at the Armenian President’s residence. The ceremony was
followed by the tete-a-tete conversation between Presidents Robert
Kocharian and Valdas Adamkus. The leaders of the two countries
discussed issues regarding Armenian-Lithuanian bilateral relations,
European Union-Armenia cooperation, regional problems, as well
as exchanged opinions about urgent international issues. Then,
as Noyan Tapan was informed from RA President’s Press Service, the
Armenian-Lithuanian negotiations in an extended staff took place with
Robert Kocharian’s and Valdas Adamkus’ participation. The priority
directions of economic cooperation and the possibilities of their
activization were discussed. At the end of the meeting an agreement on
promotion of investments and on mutual protection was signed between
the governments of the two countries. The Armenian and Lithuanian
Presidents also had a joint press conference.

ALI ERTEM: ONE DAY TURKEY SHOULD RECONCILE ITSELF TO THE FACT AND RECOGNIZE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 25 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. It is already several
years that journalist Ali Ertem, a citizen of Turkey living in Germany,
Chairman of the “Union against Genocide” organization, comes to Armenia
on April 24 to pay the tribute of his respect to the memory of 1.5
mln victims of the Armenian Genocide of 1915. Only some years ago the
Turkish intellectual collected 11 thousand signatures from Turks of
Germany and submitted them both to the German parliament and to the
parliaments of different European countries, and doing so, rendered
assistance to the recognition of the Armenian Genocide on his and his
co-thinkers’ part. According to Ali Ertem, the top priority task of
the organization headed by him is the recognition and condemnation
of the Armenian Genocide by Turkey and Turkish society. According to
him, first they submitted these signatures to the Turkish parliament,
but the leaders of his country checked and returned them giving no
answer up to this day.
“Hostility cannot last forever. One day Turkey should reconcile itself
to the fact and should recognize the Armenian Genocide. I am convinced
that the peoples living in Turkey will also condemn and admit this
fact,” the Turkish journalist emphasized. In Ali Ertem’s opinion,
in this respect the international organizations have much to do:
they should be mediators in the dialogue between the Turkish and
Armenian peoples in the issue of liquidation of the consequences of
the Genocide.

IN OPINION OF VAHAGN HOVNANIAN, FUTURE GENERATION WILL BE ABLE TO GET BACK ARMENIAN HISTORICAL LANDS
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 25 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Every Armenian
should keep the memory of innocent martyrs and the longing for the
lost Homeland in the heart, and not only on April 24. The well-known
Diasporan Armenian businessman and philanthropist Vahagn Hovnanian
said this during a talk with NT correspondent. Every year on April
24, Vahagn Hovnanian visits Homeland to pay a tribute of respect to
the memory of his ancestors – victims of the Armenian Genocide in
1915. According to him, the recognition of the Armenian Genocide has
become a necessity for Turkey today, since by conducting a policy of
intolerance and denial, Turkey will reach a deadlock. In his opinion,
Turkey’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide will bring a moral
satisfaction to the Armenian people, while the future generation
will be able to get back the historical Armenian lands. It will be
followed by the restoration of Armenian churches, which “were turned
into stables”. V. Hovnanian said that each year, in April the Armenian
community of New Jersey organizes events in memory of the Armenian
Genocide victims, various commemoration ceremonies, whose aim is
“to remind the whole world that one of the most terrible crimes in
human history still remains unpunished.” The famous Diasporan Armenian
philanthropist noted that today the role of the Diasporan Armenians
consists in assisting, including providing financial assistance, to
the process of recognition of the Armenian Genocide, which will be a
necessary precondition in order to show to the world once again that
“the Armenian people is not a dead nation, that the Armenians are a
struggling and creative nation.”

VALDAS ADAMKUS: THE TIME HAS COME TO SPEAK ABOUT ONE COMMON FUTURE OF SOUTH CAUCASIAN AND BALTIC STATES
Noyan Tapan
Apr 25 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, NOYAN TAPAN. The time has come to speak about one
common future of the South Caucasian and Baltic states. The Lithuanian
President Valdas Adamkus stated this at a press conference following a
meeting with the Armenian President and the negotiations between the
two countries’ delegations on April 25. He expressed confidence that
the so-called “3+3” format will become a reality after this meeting. In
response to a Lithuanian reporter’s question about what Lithuania can
do regarding the Karabakh conflict settlement issue, the Armenian
President Robert Kocharian in his turn pointed out the importance
of promoting the regional cooperation. “We believe that it is much
easier to reach a settlement by means of cooperation, because regional
cooperation may help create an atmosphere of mutual trust, in which
the sides may easily find solutions. In this respect, Lithuania can
make its contribution,” the Armenian President noted. Robert Kocharian
denied the idea (expressed in a Lithuanian reporter’s quesion) of an
increased pressure on Armenia concerning the establishment of closer
relations between the US and Azerbaijan and the possible military
operations against Iran. He explained that “there is no additional
pressure in connection with the regulation of the issue”, there is
a negotiation process, and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs – the US,
France and Russia are working in a coordinated way. “The mandate
of the mediators presupposes not pressure in the settlement issue
but some steps aimed at facilitating the negotiation process,” the
Armenian President underlined. In his opinion, quaite active contacts
and process are underway, and he did not notice any connection between
the negotiation process and the problem of Iran. President Kocharian
does not take the view that an essential thing can be added to the
negotiation process, since each new initiative can in essence open
an extra way for the negotiation process and the sides to avoid many
possible solutions and not to find solutions.

LITHUANIA REASSERTS ITS INTENTION TO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO ARMENIA WITHIN FRAMEWORK OF EUROPEAN NEIGHBORHOOD POLICY
Noyan Tapan
Apr 25 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, NOYAN TAPAN. The Lithuanian President Valdas
Adamkus and the delegation headed by him reasserted Lithuania’s
intention to provide support to Armenia, particilarly with respect
to the reforms implemented within the framework of the EU European
Neighborhood Policy. The Armenian President Robert Kocharian announced
it on April 25 during a press conference following the meeting with
the Lithuanian President, who is on an official visit to Armenia, and
the negotiations between the two countries’ delegations. The Armenian
President said that the relations between Armenia and Lithuania have
become quite active in recent years, with the political contacts
having a coordinated character. In the words of R. Kocharian, during
this “quite meaningful and interesting meeting”, an agreement was
reached to organize business forums in Yerevan and Vilnius, which
will open the opportunity to establish more extensive links with
the business world, to exchange information and maybe improve the
current low indices in the economic sphere. “Over the last two years,
the contacts have been so active that it gives us a great hope that
this will help to enhance the quality of the economic sphere as well,”
he noted. Describing the relations of the two countries as excellent,
the Lithuanian President expressed an opinion that there is a lack
of information, so he attached importance to student exchanges and
individual meetings, which, as he put it, is the best diplomacy and
the best way to develop relations.

GEORGE BUSH AGAIN FAILS TO HONOR PLEDGE TO RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 25 2006
WASHINGTON, APRIL 25, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Despite the call
for moral clarity from over two hundred U.S. legislators, President
Bush failed, once again, to honor his pledge to properly characterize
the Armenian Genocide as a “genocide” in his annual April 24th remarks,
reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). In a
statement issued on April 24th, the annual day of remembrance for the
Armenian Genocide, the President again resorted to the use of evasive
and euphemistic terminology to obscure the full moral, historical,
and contemporary legal implications of Turkey’s genocide against the
Armenian people between 1915-1923. In retreating from his promise,
the President ignored the counsel of the one hundred and seventy-eight
Representatives and thirty Senators who had written letters urging him
to properly characterize the Armenian Genocide. “Armenian Americans
appreciate President Bush’s willingness to join with Armenians around
the world by speaking out on this solemn occasion, but – sadly,
remain deeply troubled by his failure to honor his campaign pledge –
and his own promise of moral clarity – by properly recognizing the
Armenian Genocide, ” said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the
ANCA. “It is truly a sad day when it is left to a lone diplomat, our
Ambassador to Armenia, John Evans, to honor the forsaken pledge of
his President – to speak as the moral conscience of our nation in the
face of official White House complicity in the denial of this crime
against all humanity.” As in the past, the ANCA has also expressed
concern that the Administration’s refusal to recognize the Armenian
Genocide reflects a broader unwillingness to confront genocide –
as evidenced by the White House’s failure to take decisive steps
to bring an end to the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan. The
ANCA is working with a broad coalition of organizations to pressure
the Administration to respond in a timely and meaningful way to the
worsening crisis in Darfur. “If we are to end the cycle of genocide, we
must, as a nation, generate the resolve to forcefully intervene to stop
genocide when it takes place, to unequivocally reject its denial, to
hold the guilty accountable, and to secure for the victims the justice
they deserve,” added Hamparian. In February of 2000, then presidential
candidate George W. Bush, campaigning for votes among Armenian voters
in the Michigan Republican primary, pledged to properly characterize
the genocidal campaign against the Armenian people. In his statements
as President, he has consistently avoided any clear reference to the
Armenian Genocide, and his Administration has consistently opposed
legislation marking this crime against humanity. The text of the
President’s remarks is provided below: “Today, we remember one of
the horrible tragedies of the 20th century — the mass killings and
forced exile of as many as 1.5 million Armenians in the final days of
the Ottoman Empire in 1915. This was a tragedy for all humanity and
one that we and the world must never forget. We mourn this terrible
chapter of history and recognize that it remains a source of pain
for people in Armenia and for all those who believe in freedom,
tolerance, and the dignity and value of every human life. It is a
credit to the human spirit and generations of Armenians who live
in Armenia, America, and around the globe that they have overcome
this suffering and proudly preserved their centuries-old culture,
traditions, and religion. We praise the individuals in Armenia and
Turkey who have sought to examine the historical events of this
time with honesty and sensitivity. The analysis by the International
Center for Transitional Justice, while not the final word, has made a
significant contribution toward deepening our understanding of these
events. We encourage dialogues, including through joint commissions,
that strive for a shared understanding of these tragic events and
move Armenia and Turkey towards normalized relations. Today, we
look with hope to a bright future for Armenia. Armenia’s Millennium
Challenge Comp act reflects our confidence and the importance we place
in Armenia making progress on democratic reform and advancement of free
markets. We seek to help Armenia bolster its security and deepen its
inclusion in the Euro-Atlantic family. We remain committed to securing
a peaceful and lasting settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
and hope the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan will take bold steps
to achieve this goal. On this solemn day of remembrance, Laura and I
express our deepest condolences to the Armenian people. Our nations
stand together, determined to create a future of peace, prosperity,
and freedom for the citizens of our countries and the world.”