Pan Armenian News

EU CALLS TURKEY TO NORMALIZE RELATIONS WITH ARMENIA

20.06.2005 03:08

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ During the meeting with Mayor of Kars Naif Alibeyoghly
Co-Chair of the EU-Turkey joint interparliamentary commission Joost
Lagendijk stated that Turkey should normalize relations with Armenia. At the
same time he noted that the Armenian-Turkish and Armenian-Azeri relations
should be considered independently of each other. `Turkey should establish
relations with Armenia. It is impossible to achieve any positive result by
pursuing the isolation policy. I am convinced that Azerbaijan will manage to
return the territories via dialogue and the European Union should take an
active part in settling the dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan’, EU
representative said, Mediamax reports.

Armenian court sentences two former policemen for forcing false confession

.c The Associated Press

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) – An Armenian court on Monday sentenced two former
policemen to three years in prison for violently forcing a suspect to falsely
confess to raping and murdering an 11-year-old girl. But the two were freed
immediately under an amnesty.

Ruben Saakian and Gurgen Arushanian also were stripped of the right to work
as police officers for violently coercing suspect Armen Pogosian to confess
to the charges, which landed him 15 years in prison.

After five years, prosecutors established the crime had been committed by
another man, Pogosian was freed, and the two officers were fired.

They received amnesty because their 1998 crime fell under an amnesty
declared in 2001 to mark the 1,700th anniversary of Armenia’s adoption of
Christianity.

06/20/05 03:15 EDT

Pan Armenian News

ILHAM ALIEV DECIDED TO GET RID OF ARMENIANS WORKING FOR AZERBAIJAN SPECIAL
SERVICES

The political leadership of Azerbaijan ascribes the failures in the
activities of secret services of Azerbaijan to Armenians working for the
State Security Office.

By the order of the new minister of the State Security Office Eldar
Mahmudov, several employees were dismissed from their posts. Dismissals
touched upon only those who had the slightest traces of Armenian origin.
Among people dismissed there were also officers.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ According to Aliev’s propaganda only in Baku there are
currently 30 thousand Armenians who are “full citizens of international
Azerbaijan”. Actually, in Baku there are people of Armenian origin. They are
mainly children from mixed marriages. Those people have long ago forgotten
about their origin and have finally assimilated with the population of
Azerbaijan. But even this factor does not save them from discrimination. The
order of the minister of State Security is an open and gross violation of
human rights. It is hard to call healthy a society where it is quite normal
to dig in the family tree of a citizen and dismiss him or her because of
discovering some ancestor whose surname ends in “yan”. This phenomenon
should certainly attract the attention of European structures and
organizations since Azerbaijan has certain obligations towards them.

It is noteworthy that such things did not happen during Heidar Aliev. In one
of his interviews former minister of State Security Office Namik Abasov
admitted that in the staff of his ministry there were people with Armenian
origins. Abasov said that he had no intension to dismiss them because they
were conscientious and devoted workers. According to Abasov their dismissal
would mean discrimination towards people who were faithful to their
motherland. The new leaders of the State Security Office appointed not long
ago by Ilham Aliev, back their decision with a strange argument. “We live in
Azerbaijan and the presence of people with Armenian origin in the State
Security Office is impossible”, said the head of the public relations
department of the ministry Arif Babayev. This is the style of Adolf Hitler
who yet ten years before the opening of Osventsim started to dismiss Jewish
born people working in law-enforcement structures.

It is absolutely obvious that the decision to dismiss people having Armenian
origins is dictated not at all from considerations of national security, but
from cheap populism and striving to justify failures in work. Since the
appointment of Eldar Mahmudov nothing has changed for the better in special
services of Azerbaijan. The minister decided ascribe the problems in the
system of secret services to Armenians working there. Armenians are
remembered when there are objective difficulties. Things were like that also
two years ago during the riot of cadets in an elite military college. At
that time all the blame was put on one of the college’s directors who had an
Armenian born mother-in-law. When the construction works of
Baku-Tbilis-Jeyhan oil pipeline slowed down, the problem was ascribed to
some Armenian who worked in the Greek subcontract company. When PACE
criticized Azerbaijan for non-observance of democracy norms, Baku
propagandists asserted that it was the blame of reporter Andrea Gross who
was not objective for having worked as an assistant to a Swiss deputy who
was connected with Armenians. When Europe raised the question of Azeri
political prisoners the local press ascribed that to Leyla Yunus, saying
that she was interested in the discreditation of Azerbaijan because her
beloved mother-in-law was half Armenian. After all this, there will be to
surprise at if Azeris blame Armenians for the last year’s Tsunami in
Indonesia or the earthquake in Turkey…

17.06.2005, “PanARMENIAN Network” analytical department

Pan Armenian News

NATO-ARMENIA COOPERATION DEVELOPMENT HARDLY TO PROMOTE GENOCIDE RECOGNITION
BY ANKARA

18.06.2005 07:23

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ `I do not agree about categorizing Armenian-Russian
relations being in a state of “divorce”. Armenia’s strategic partnership
with Russia and cooperation with NATO are aimed at securing Armenia’s
national security’, Kiro Manoyan, Director of Armenian Revolutionary
Federation (ARF) Bureau’s Hay Dat and Political Affairs Office stated during
online interview initiated by OpenArmenia.com and PanARMENIAN.Net. `Although
Genocide recognition by Turkey is a national security issue for Armenia, I
don’t think getting closer with NATO will necessarily help gain recognition
of the genocide by Turkey’, he added.

Pan Armenian News

GENOCIDE RECOGNITION BY GERMANY MORE VALUABLE THAN BY OTHER COUNTRIES

18.06.2005 06:50

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The adoption of the Armenian genocide resolution by the
Bundestag has significant political value, Kiro Manoyan, Director of
Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Bureau’s Hay Dat and Political
Affairs Office stated during online interview initiated by OpenArmenia.com
and PanARMENIAN.Net. When responding to the question whether the fact that
the resolution fails to use term `genocide’ can cause partial recognition of
the Genocide by other parliaments Kiro Manoyan noted he would not define it
as partial recognition, as the term `genocide’ is mentioned in the foreword
of the resolution. `The resolution records of `planned extermination’ what
can be defined as `genocide’. With this Germans tried to be more gentle
towards Turkey’, he said. `The recognition of the Armenian Genocide by
Germany, ally to the Ottoman Empire in the World War I, is the evidence of
an indisputable fact. It would be good if other states followed Germany’s
example and called upon Turkey to acknowledge its history, Kiro Manoyan
stressed.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Pan Armenian News

KIRO MANOYAN: TURKEY UNLIKELY TO RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE TILL 2015

18.06.2005 06:32

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ `Taking into account the current developments in Turkey I
do not think it will recognize the Armenian Genocide till 2015′, Kiro
Manoyan, Director of Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Bureau’s Hay
Dat and Political Affairs Office stated during online interview initiated by
OpenArmenia.com and PanARMENIAN.Net. In his words, national mentality
revolution is essential for Turkey to acknowledge the Genocide. However the
authorities suppress any attempt of the kind at present. `I do not know
whether Armenia has worked out a package of demands, however it possesses
the juridical ground for announcing of the rights based upon international
agreements and jus gentum’, he said.

Pan ARmenian News

BAKU DOES NOT TAKE KARABAKH CONFLICT SERIOUS

20.06.2005 03:19

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Nagorno Karabakh President Arkady Ghukasian has doubts
that the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs will propose a finite program of the
Karabakh conflict settlement during the upcoming visit to the region,
Mediamax reported. When commenting of the necessity of establishing dialogue
between the Armenian and Azeri communities of Nagorno Karabakh A. Ghukasian
noted, `Azeri community can first establish dialogue with the Russia, Greek,
Ukrainian and other communities of Karabakh.’ In his words, Baku’s attempt
to create an impression that Nagorno Karabakh is not a conflict zone but a
community is the evidence of Azerbaijan’s not serious approach towards the
conflict settlement. `Unwillingness to open negotiations with Stepanakert
protracts the resolution of problems the Azeri people are concerned at’,
Arkady Ghukasian stressed.

Der Tagesspiegel: Armenien: Bundesregierung weist Kritik aus Ankara zurück
Union will Genozid zum Thema im Schulunterricht machen

17.06.2005 – 14:32 Uhr, Der Tagesspiegel [Pressemappe]

Berlin (ots) – Die Bundesregierung hat die Kritik des türkischen
Ministerpräsidenten Recep Tayyip Erdogan am Bundestagsbeschluss zu
Armenien zurückgewiesen. Die Behauptung Erdogans, der Beschluss sei
“falsch und hässlich”, sei “unzutreffend”, sagte der stellvertretende
Regierungssprecher Thomas Steg dem “Tagesspiegel” (Samstag-Ausgabe):
“Es ist eine ausgewogene Resolution.” Steg wies auch die Behauptung
Erdogans zurück, Bundeskanzler Gerhard Schröder habe sich der
türkischen Haltung in der Armenienfrage angeschlossen. “Der
Bundeskanzler hat immer seine eigene Position deutlich gemacht”,
sagte er: “Insofern ist die Enttäuschung über diese Resolution
unverständlich.” Gerade die Deutschen wüssten, dass die Aufarbeitung
historischer Schuld und die Bereitschaft zur Versöhnung und zum
Verzeihen unverzichtbar seien, “um eine gute und friedliche Zukunft
der Völker zu gestalten”.

Der CDU-Bundestagsabgeordnete Christoph Bergner, der den
interfraktionellen Bundestagsantrag initiiert hatte, will sich
gemeinsam mit der CDU-Bildungspolitikerin Katherina Reiche an die
Kultusministerien der unionsgeführten Länder wenden, damit der
Völkermord an den Armeniern möglichst bald dort im Schulunterricht
behandelt wird, berichtet der “Tagesspiegel” (Samstag-Ausgabe)
weiter. Bisher steht das Thema nur in Brandenburg auf dem Lehrplan.
Im Text des am Donnerstag vom Bundestag beschlossenen Antrag hieß es:
“Einen wichtigen Beitrag zur Erinnerung können die Bundesländern
leisten. Aufgabe der Bildungspolitik ist es, dazu beizutragen, dass
die Aufarbeitung und Vernichtung der Armenier als Teil der
Aufarbeitung der Geschichte ethnischer Konflikte im 20. Jahrhundert
auch in Deutschland erfolgt.”

Rückfragen: Politikredaktion, Matthias Meisner, Telefon 030/26009-219

ots-Originaltext: Der Tagesspiegel

Pan Armenian News

EU-ARMENIA COOPERATION COMMITTEE SITS IN YEREVAN

20.06.2005 03:52

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The 6-th sitting of the EU-Armenia Cooperation Committee
started in Yerevan today. The agenda contains economic issues for most part.
The sitting is co-chaired by RA Minister of Trade and Economic Development
Karen Chshmaritian and Hugues Mingarelli, European Commission Director for
Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. Deputy Minister of Trade and
Economic Development Tigran Davtyan stated that discussions will focus on
Armenia’s participation in Wider Europe: New Neighbors EU program. `Armenia
was included in the program two months ago. Presently we should hold
negotiations in bilateral format, work out a political line till end of the
year and start its implementation next year’, he noted. Besides the
neighborhood policy the agenda contains issues referring to the
trade-economic cooperation, creation of business atmosphere, energy
problems, investment cooperation as well as political situation in Armenia,
struggle against corruption and cooperation with international
organizations, FRE/RL reported.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Pan Armenian News

ISRAEL DOES NOT RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE TO PRESERVE UNIQUENESS OF
HOLOCAUST

18.06.2005 07:35

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ `There are two main factors that have made the state of
Israel not to recognize the Armenian Genocide so far, and a large part of
the Jewish lobby in the USA to take the same position’, Kiro Manoyan,
Director of Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Bureau’s Hay Dat and
Political Affairs Office stated during online interview initiated by
OpenArmenia.com and PanARMENIAN.Net. `One factor is the approach that some
segments of Jewish society have regarding the uniqueness of the Holocaust. I
would say this is a traumatized victim’s approach, that its suffering is
unique. In essence, every genocide is unique. The second factor is that
Israel and Turkey are strategic partners, so the State of Israel and a large
part of the Jewish lobby in the USA have taken upon themselves to
shamelessly serve the denialist cause of Turkey. Having said that, we should
not accuse the whole Jewish people of this position. Because, a great number
of Jews, and recently Jewish organizations, including political parties, do
not agree with this denialist policy of Israel. A great number of Jews were
not only witnesses (Ambassador Morgenthau), propagators (Werfel, Lemkin) of
the Armenian genocide, but are also active supporters of the efforts today
to have it internationally recognized. For example, recently in Belgium,
almost the whole Jewish community, including the Bnai Brith, organized a
demonstration supporting the inclusion of the Armenian Genocide in the law
that makes denying such crimes a criminal offence’, he said.