TURKEY: COURT BANS CONFERENCE ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Istanbul, 23 Sept. (AKI) – An Istanbul court has dealt a blow to
freedom of expression in Turkey, banning an academic conference which
questions the official view that the 1915-21 mass killings of
Christian Armenians under Muslim Ottoman rule never took place. The
decision on Thursday came one day before the conference was due to
start. Turkey’s government slammed the court ruling, saying that “it
goes against democratic and civilised society.” Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul said he saw the decision as an attempt by some political
forces to sabotage Ankara’s integration with European Union.
The remarks from both men contrast with those uttered by the country’s
justice minister, Cemil Cicek, whose harsh criticism of conference
organisers prompted them to postpone the gathering’s original May
opening date. On that occasion Cicek said the conference was
tantamount to “a dagger in the back of the Turkish people.”
Following the decision by the Fourth Administrative Court the
organisers’ spokesman, Halil Berktay, said that they would seek a new
date for the conference, entitled “Ottoman Era Armenians During the
Collapes of the Empire: Intellectual Responsibility and Democratic
Problems.”
The court’s decision came after the Lawyers’ Union Foundation, a group
of nationalist lawyers, filed a complaint against the event.
Before the court’s ruling many nationalist groups announced that they
would stage protests against the conference. Some of these groups,
including the National Powers and Retired Military Officers
Associations, staged a demonstration at the entrance to Istanbul’s
Bogazici University, the conference venue.
The European Commission also said it was disappointed with the
decision and called Court’s decision “a provocation” less than two
weeks before Ankara is due to start entry talks with the EU. `The
absence of legal motivations and the timing of this decision a day
before the conference looks like yet another provocation,” said
Krisztina Nagy, the EU executive’s spokeswoman for enlargement.
Pro-EU newspapers in Turkey reacted negatively to the court’s
decision. Liberal daily Milliyet said that the decision spells trouble
for Turkey. `This decision is a black spot in Turkish justice
history. For democracy, for justice and for the academic freedoms this
conference had to be held,’ a well-knonw columnist, Hasan Cemal,
wrote.
`Court stopped science’ is the headline of another pro-EU paper,
Radikal. The editor-in chief, Ismet Berkan, argued that the ruling
represents the biggest attack by the country’s courts on academic
freedoms and the freedom of scientific research.
`After this decision it is pointless to get angry with Greek Cypriot
politicians who try to block Turkey’s membership of the EU since we
ourselves destroy the way towards the EU more than any others’, wrote
Abdulhamit Bilici, in the pro-Islamic Zaman.
Many historians say that some 1.5 million Armenians were
systematically murdered by the Turks during the 1915-21 period. Turkey
says a much lower number of Armenians died during mass deportations
which the Ottomans ordered after Armenian fighters and their Russian
allies killed Turkish and Kurdish civilans in fighting on Turkey’s
eastern fringes during World War I.
According to the official Turkish view the Armenian deaths were not
due to a policy of genocide, but were caused by epidemics and other
hadrships suffered during the long marches were part of the
deporatation process.
Last month, another Istanbul court opened a case against Orhan Pamuk
the internationally acclaimed Turkish author. He is due to appear in
court on 16 December on charges of insulting Turkey’s national dignity
by telling a Swiss newspaper that one million Armenians and 30,000
Kurds were killed in Turkey and that nobody dared to say so.
(Vah/Aki)
Sep-23-05 14:57
;loid=8.0.211558282&par=0

US funding upgrade of two radar installations in Azerbaijan: ambassador
By AIDA SULTANOVA
.c The Associated Press
BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) – The United States is funding the upgrade of
two Soviet-era radar installations in the Caspian Sea nation of
Azerbaijan, the U.S. ambassador said Friday.
Reno Harnish told reporters that the two-year upgrade of the sites
would help Azerbaijan fight contraband and other smuggling on the
Caspian Sea and help protect its territorial waters. He spoke to
reporters after meeting with Saudi Arabian diplomats in Baku.
Azerbaijani defense officials refused to comment on the installations,
one of which is located about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the
Russian border, while the other is some 20 kilometers (12 miles) from
the country’s border with Iran.
“The main purpose of this project is so that Azerbaijan can quickly
reveal attempts to bring contraband across the maritime borders,”
Harnish said. “These stations serve as objects of assistance for
Azerbaijan in preventing the smuggling of contraband, including
cigarettes and illegal drugs, and will serve to protect its
territorial waters.”
Harnish did not indicate how much the upgrade was costing.
Azerbaijani defense analyst Uzeyir Jafarov said U.S. intelligence and
military authorities could definitely use the stations to monitor
Iranian military communications.
“Without a doubt, the radars that are constructed will be used by
America for its military purposes if it is necessary,” Jafarov
said. “The technical possibilities of the stations will allow the
identification of cargo movements over a wide area, not only on the
Caspian Sea and on land, but also in the air, such as rockets and
their technical characteristics.”
Azerbaijan has stepped up its military cooperation with the United
States in recent years. It is the only predominantly Muslim country
that has contributed troops to the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq, where
about 150 Azerbaijani soldiers are serving.
The former Soviet republic, which also has contributed troops in
Afghanistan, is seeking U.S. support in modernizing its military and
resolving a territorial dispute with neighboring Armenia.
09/23/05 14:31 EDT

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian National Committee of America
888 17th Street, NW, Suite 904
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
Email: [email protected]
Web:
MULTI-PLATIMUM ROCK BAND SYSTEM OF A DOWN ASK HOUSE SPEAKER DENNIS
HASTERT TO ‘DO THE RIGHT THING’ IN SUPPORT OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
LEGISLATION
BAND RALLIES THEIR FANS WITH ARMENIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF AMERICA
(ANCA) IN FRONT OF HASTERT’S BATAVIA, IL OFFICE TUESDAY, SEPT 27 AT
NOON
Band Are In Chicago in Advance Of Their Friday
Evening Concert at Chicago’s Allstate Arena
Los Angeles, CA – September 23, 2005 – System of a Down, one of rock’s
most daring and innovative bands, have just announced that they –
along with their fans, the Armenian National Committee of America
(ANCA; ), Axis of Justice () and the
Armenian Youth Federation – will visit the Batavia office of
Rep. Dennis Hastert on Tuesday, September 27 (Noon) to ask Speaker
Hastert to ‘do the right thing’ and keep his commitment to hold a vote
on the pending Armenian Genocide legislation. If passed, the
legislation will officially recognize Turkey’s destruction of 1.5
million Armenians between 1915 and 1923. The band have invited their
fans to join with them in this effort by attending the rally and have
set up a system by which fans can directly email Speaker Hastert on
the issue.*
System of a Down’s four band members – Serj Tankian, Daron Malakian,
Shavo Odadjian and John Dolmayan – are of Armenian descent and have
made awareness of the genocide, and genocide around the world, a
central message of the band. All have lost family members to the
Armenian Genocide.
On September 15, the House International Relations Committee
overwhelmingly approved legislation recognizing the Armenian Genocide,
despite objections from both Turkey and the Bush Administration.
Despite his previous public support for the measure in 2000, Speaker
Hastert has twice prevented the Armenian Genocide legislation from
coming to a full vote in the House. Today the fate of this human
rights issue rests in the Speaker’s hands. He has two choices: either
allow a vote on the Armenian Genocide Resolution, giving the 435
Members of the U.S. House a chance to cast their ballots on this human
rights measure or, delay, defer, and ultimately defeat the Armenian
Genocide Resolution by refusing to bring the measure to a vote of the
full U.S. House. The rally is in support of a fair and full vote in
the House of Representatives, ending U.S. denial of this crime and
opening the doors to justice – to the restoration, reparation, and
restitution owed to the victims of genocide.
“Dennis do the right thing” stated Serj Tankian, “I just visited my
97 year old grandfather, my only link to the far past, and promised
him that I would go and try to talk to Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the
House, and make sure that he takes this opportunity to bring up the
Armenian Genocide Resolution to the floor of the House of
Representatives. This is a personal issue to me and System.”
The System of a Down/ANCA rally will take place at the offices of
Rep. Dennis Hastert – 27 North River Street, Batavia, Illinois (about
an hour from downtown Chicago). The rally is scheduled for
12Noon-2:00 PM on Tuesday, September 27. The Armenian community,
activists, and the band’s fans from across the greater Chicago area
are expected to attend the rally.
Members of System of a Down and Aram Suren Hamparian, Executive
Director of ANCA, are available to discuss the rally and pending
legislation on Tuesday, 9/27 and Friday, 9/30, the day of their
concert at Chicago’s Allstate Arena.
* System Of A Down have asked their fans to take action and send a
free WebFax urging Hastert to hold a vote on the Armenian Genocide
Resolution:
;amp;u=c9oct
About System Of A Down: Six months after their album Mesmerize debuted
at number one on Billboard’s Top 200 album charts, the quartet returns
with Hypnotize on November 22, part two of a promised two-album set.
The American/Columbia recording artists are nominated for an American
Music Award in the “Favorite Artist” in Alternative category and are
currently on a North American headlining tour through October 12. For
more information, visit the band’s website:
Background on the issue:
On September 15th of this year, the International Relations Committee
overwhelmingly approved legislation properly recognizing this crime
against humanity. During the course of a three-hour meeting, 21
Representatives on this 50-member panel spoke in favor of H.Res.316
and H.Con.Res195, which were adopted by bipartisan majorities of 40 to
7 and 35 to 11, respectively. Clearly, just as in 2000, legislation
recognizing the Armenian Genocide enjoys the support of a large
Congressional majority.
The full video of the 9/15/05 webcast can be viewed at:
In October of 2000, Speaker Hastert withdrew the Armenian Genocide
Resolution from consideration only moments before it was to reach to
House floor.
Following his withdrawal of this measure, he issued a statement
affirming his personal support for the Armenian Genocide Resolution,
stressing that the Resolution enjoyed the support of a bi-partisan
Congressional majority, and pledging to bring this legislation back to
the House floor.
The Speaker has, in the past, taken positive actions on the Armenian
Genocide issue:
1) Remarks on the House floor, on April 19, 1994, marking the 79th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide: “Over a million Armenians were
exiled and eventually murdered by the Ottoman Turks beginning on April
24, 1915. As a result of this genocide, the Armenian population of the
Ottoman Empire was effectively eliminated through a carefully executed
government plan.”
2) He voted, on June 5th of 1996, for the Radanovich Amendment, to cut
U.S. aid to Turkey until it ceases denying the Armenian Genocide.
This measure was adopted on the House floor by a bipartisan majority
of 268 to 153.
#####
For more information, please contact:
Angelica Cob-Baehler, Vice President, Columbia Records, Media,
Santa Monica, 310-449-2508; email: [email protected]

International Herald Tribune
Turkish court’s ban of Armenian conference is circumvented
The Associated Press, Reuters
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2005
ISTANBUL An Istanbul court’s decision to block a conference on the World
War I massacre of Armenians has embarrassed Turkey at a sensitive moment
and angered EU states just 10 days before the planned start of EU entry
talks.
But conference organizers moved on Friday to circumvent the ruling,
which banned it from two universities. A spokeswoman for a third
Istanbul university said it would act as the host for the conference.
Turkey has always denied claims that Ottoman Turkish forces committed
genocide against Armenians during the war, but under pressure from the
European Union it has called for historians to debate the issue, not
politicians.
The Istanbul university conference aimed to give historians that chance,
but on Friday, when the conference was due to open, the debate was
political rather than academic.
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said the court verdict had “nothing to do
with democracy.” Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said Turkey had only
itself to blame. “There is no one better than us when it comes to
harming ourselves,” he said.
Late on Thursday, an Istanbul court barred two universities from playing
host to the conference pending information on the qualifications of the
speakers. The court also wanted to know who was participating and who
was paying for it.
But Justice Minister Cemil Cicek later said there was nothing to stop
the conference from moving to another location.
Aydin Ugur, president of Istanbul Bilgi University, said the conference
would be held Saturday morning at Bilgi. He said the court’s order had
been directed at two other universities, and had “nothing to do with Bilgi.”
The European Commission condemned the court’s verdict.
Krisztina Nagy, the EU executive’s spokeswoman for enlargement said that
the timing of the ruling, coming a day before the conference, and the
apparent lack of legal motivation behind it “looks like yet another
provocation.”
Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn previously called a Turkish court’s
plans to prosecute a best-selling novelist, Orhan Pamuk, a provocation.
Pamuk faces as much as three years in jail on charges of “denigrating
the Turkish identity” on accusations he backed claims that Armenians
suffered genocide 90 years ago. Turkey accepts many Armenians were
killed during World War I, but says they were victims of a partisan
conflict that also claimed thousands of Turkish lives. Turkey denies any
systematic genocide.
The Armenian conference had already been postponed in May after the
justice minister accused its organizers of treason.
Turkey closed its border and cut diplomatic ties with Armenia in 1993 to
protest against Armenian occupation of the territory of Azerbaijan, a
regional Turkic-speaking ally of Ankara.
Turkish academics and European Union observers have insisted that the
conference was not only a chance for Turkey to face one of the most
sensitive issues in its history, but also a test of Turkey’s willingness
to permit open discourse.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The Guardian (UK)
Saturday September 24, 2005
Books Review – Commentary
The cloak of love
Sylvia Paskin on the all-encompassing passions of the Turkish Chekhov
“Each day thousands of trains are bringing in thousands of stories and
carrying away thousands of stories”
A20-minute ride from the maelstrom of Istanbul is the Adalar, the
archipelago of nine islands which lie off the Asian coast of the Sea of
Marmara. The principal islands have long been an enchanting maritime
alternative to the city and have taken on the distinctive cultural
lustre of various communities; Buyukada, the largest island, has a
strong Jewish contingent and Kinaliada is predominately Armenian.
Burguzada is known as the Greek island, but in Turkey it is more famous
for being the home of Sait Faik, Turkey’s greatest short-story writer,
whose work is compared to Chekhov and whose family home where he lived,
worked and died is now a museum.
Sait Faik’s life was brief, intense and alcoholic. He was born in 1906
into a well-off mercantile family who dealt in lumber. Restless,
bisexual and unfocused, he studied in Turkey, Switzerland and France,
where he travelled widely. He never finished any course of studies and
rarely stayed in a job longer than he could help. He returned to
Istanbul in 1935 where he taught Armenian orphans before becoming a
court reporter for the Istanbul daily Haber. The job lasted only a
month, but this was long enough for him to gather material for his short
stories.
As a writer he was prolific, in contrast to his sporadic employment
record. By the time he died in 1956, of cirrhosis, Faik had established
a formidable literary reputation based on more than 190 short stories,
two novellas, numerous essays and 40 poems.
A passionate, maverick humanist, Faik’s writing took time to be accepted
in Turkey. First, in an era of rampant nationalism, his work was not
considered sufficiently nationalist in tone. His first story was
rejected by a magazine as being too kozmopolit because it featured Greek
“nationals” as principal characters. Second, Sait Faik’s stories
embraced “ordinary” people’s lives – “our forlorn, beautiful, everyday
faces”. His fiction deals with the lives of Armenian fishermen, Greek
Orthodox priests, the workers, waiters, clerks, children, the whores and
criminals of Istanbul, the bored, the disillusioned and disenfranchised.
This too was heavily criticised at the time.
Under his piercing, democratic gaze these characters took on immense
stature and resonance. “I love people more than flags,” he wrote. And he
illustrated this love in his choice of a name. After the Turkish
Republic passed its Surname Law in 1934 – which enforced the mandatory
registration and use of fixed surnames – he became Sait Faik Abasiyanik.
The name derives from his family name of Abasiyoglu. Aba means a heavy
felt-like material, which is worn as an outer garment, and is associated
with poverty. Sait Faik’s subtle modification to Abasiyanik means
someone whose aba is scorched, itself a figurative expression for “a
person desperately in love”.
His was a boundless love; for nature and the natural world. He writes
lyrically and pantheistically of island life. “Getting out of the city
is like escaping from yourself. Our memories, our passions, our
friendships, our infidelities, the good and bad things in us, our
wretchedness and our shame are all left behind in the city. Here we are
surrounded by trees, fruit, vegetables and animals” (“Life Outside the
City Walls”). It was a love which extended to unloved everyday objects
as in the story of “The Gramophone and the Typewriter”, in which he uses
the two everyday machines as the basis for a meditation on the use and
function of writing. And it was a love for his characters and their
marginalised lives. In the poem “Sunday” he writes:
On Sundays
I drink beer
With radishes and pistachios.
A young boy
Serves me for a pittance
But all I want
Is to be his father.
One criticism of his work has been a perceived lack of unity and
dramatic intensity. But as the distinguished editor Talat S Halman
wrote, “Sait Faik wrote the way he lived – spontaneously, sensually,
impressionistically, experientially, always stressing the authentic
touch and the ring of truth. He probably felt that a story is a
microcosm or slice of life and cannot be, should not be, any more
perfect than life itself … In exploring human situations, his stories
reflected, not only in substance but in form as well, the flaws of life.”
In “The Story that Dropped in My Lap”, a hapless waiter is delivering
lunch to an office and drops the plate with “A brain, green salads and
three stuffed peppers” on it. He picks up half of the broken plate but
leaves the food, abandoned and dust-covered on the floor. A porter comes
along, picks up the other half of the plate and daintily arranges the
food on it, saying to the nearest old lady “it’s a sin, Auntie, a shame.
At least it ought to go into somebody’s gut.”
“One could not resist the sweet smile that this beautiful heaven-sent
coincidence had brought to the unshaven face of a lowly porter,” Sait
Faik continues before concluding the story: “And at the cost of a brain
salad and three stuffed peppers it has fallen to his servant Sait to sit
down and write it up.”
· Sait Faik – books in English: A Dot on the Map: Selected Stories and
Poems (Indiana University 1983). Sleeping in the Forest: Stories and
Poems edited by Talat S Halman, associate editor Jayne L Warner
(Syracuse University Press 2004).

Dear Friend,
Please note, that the initially announced room B-369 Rayburn has
been changed to 1539 Longworth House Office Building. The updated
invitation is below.
We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday,
NKR Office
——————————————-
Embassy of the Republic of Armenia
Armenian Assembly of America
Armenian National Committee of America
Office of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic in the United States
In cooperation with Co-Chairs of the Congressional Armenian Caucus
Representatives Frank Pallone and Joe Knollenberg
Cordially invite You to a Capitol Hill Event
14 years of Nagorno Karabakh Independence:
Progress Toward Freedom, Democracy and Economic Development
With Keynote Speaker
Baroness Caroline Cox
September 28, 2005
1539 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC
5:30PM – 7:30PM
For additional information, please contact us at
Tel: (202) 223-4330, Fax: (202) 315-3339
Email: [email protected]
Office of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic in the United States
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Web:
* * *
This material is distributed by the Office of the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic in the USA on behalf of the Government of the Nagorno
Karabakh Republic. The NKR Office is registered with the U.S.
Government under the Foreign Agent Registration Act. Additional
information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.
The Office of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic in the United States is
based in Washington, DC and works with the U.S. government, academia
and the public representing the official policies and interests of
the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.

A CAMPAIGN TO TERRORIZE FOREIGNERS LINKED WITH ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
AZG – 09/24/05: Turkey has launched a campaign to terrorize all foreigners
who are somehow connected with the issue of the Armenian Genocide, a press
release by Turkish Press Review says. According to September 19 reports of
Ankara Anatolia news agency, the Republican Prosecutor of Skyutar brought an
indictment against a number of Armenian scientists who demonstrated
Ataturk’s picture with puppets in front of him at the conference on Armenian
Genocide at UCLA (it was a hint at a poster depicting Ataturk with 2 dead
children at his feet that was once well-known in a number of Armenian
communities in Diaspora).
Among the participants of the conference there were Vahram Shemmasian,
Artashes Kasakhian and Levon Marashlian. The indictment came from Dr.
Ibrahim Oztek, Dr. Zihni Papakci and Metin Hajimustafaogli, owner of Iqtidar
weekly. “We sue them for insulting the Turks and the founder of Turkey
Ataturk “, Oztek said.
The same day Ankara Anatolia agency informed that the leader of Turkish
Labor Party, Mehmed, Bedri Gyultekin, announced about it’s Party’s campaign
under the banner of “Do Not Buy Swiss Products” that will last until the
Swiss Parliament reconsiders its decision on Armenian Genocide. The Party
members gathered at one of the main squares of Ankara, Kizika, call for
their fellow citizens not to buy Swiss goods.
By Hakob Tsulikian

Investment Opportunities in Armenia & Georgia
BISNIS Trades & Tenders
09/07/05 – 09/21/05
BISNIS Trades & Tenders program designed to help U.S. companies secure
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region. Trades & Tenders summary reports are distributed via email. To
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EBRD – Georgia – Public Administration – Consultancy Services –
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For more information on the Consulting Sector in the NIS, please contact
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Note: These opportunities are provided solely as an informational
service and do not represent an endoresment by the U.S. Department of
Commerce. Verification of these leads is the responsibility of the reader.
This report is provided courtesy of the Business Information Service for
the Newly Independent States (BISNIS). BISNIS is the
U.S. Government’s primary resource center for U.S. companies exploring
business opportunities in Russia and other Newly
Independent States of the former Soviet Union. BISNIS website:
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Academics in Turkey to avoid ban on Armenian massacre conference by
changing venue
.c The Associated Press
ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) – A group of academics planning to hold a
conference on the massacre of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire has
decided to skirt a court order banning the conference by changing the
venue to another university, an academic official said Friday.
The conference deals with one of the most sensitive issues of Turkey’s
history, the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks at around the
time of World War I. An Istanbul court on Thursday ruled the meeting,
which was originally scheduled for Friday at Bogazici University, had
to be canceled. The court demanded details on how the scholars were
chosen and asked for the credentials of all those intending to
participate.
But Aydin Ugur, president of Istanbul Bilgi University, said the
conference would be held Saturday morning at Bilgi. He said the
court’s order was directed at two other universities, and had
“nothing to do with Bilgi.”
Turkish academics and European Union observers have insisted that the
Armenian conference is not only a chance for Turkey to face one of the
most sensitive issues in its history, but also a test of Turkey’s
willingness to permit free speech and open academic discourse.
The European Commission on Friday condemned the Turkish court ruling,
saying it deplored “this new attempt to prevent Turkish society from
freely discussing its history” and that it would make note of it in a
Nov. 9 progress report on Turkey’s efforts to join the European Union.
Ugur said at a news conference Friday that the Turkish court’s demand
to review academic credentials of conference participants “threatens
every serious academic institution.”
Turkey has been trying to rapidly implement reforms in the run-up to
opening EU membership talks on Oct. 3.
09/23/05 11:14 EDT

ARMEN RUSTAMYAN: “THERE MAY BE NO TALKS WITHOUT NAGORNO KARABAKH’S
DIRECT PARTICIPATION”

DEFACTO NEWS SERVICE – 09/23/05: “The talks are not conducted at
present, as there may be no talks without an immediate participant of
the conflict – Nagorno Karabakh”, stated Chairman of the Parliamentary
Commission for Foreign Issues Armen Rustamyan in the course of the
press conference on September 22.
According to Armen Rustamyan, if Azerbaijan broaches the Karabakh
issue at the UN without participation of the NK representatives
Armenia will not participate in the discussions. He stressed Armenia
was the guarantor of Nagorno Karabakh independence and security. In
his opinion, the talks should be conducted on the settlement of
Nagorno Karabakh, and not “Armenian – Azeri” conflict with
participation of the three conflict sides.
A member of ARFD faction touched upon the issue referring to adoption
of the two resolutions on the Armenian Genocide by the US Congress
House of Representatives Committee on International Relations. In the
parliamentarian’s opinion it will play an important role in the
international recognition of the Genocide.
Armen Rustamyan noted the Turkish society was not ready to recognize
the Genocide. The reason is the Turkish authorities’ inactivity. In
his words, the agreement with Turkey on recognition of the Genocide
should be package, while the realization phased. A member of ARFD
faction thinks there are two options of the problem solution:
recognition of the Armenian Genocide by Turkey and opening of the
border; establishment of relations with Armenia and international
recognition of the Genocide.
In Armen Rustamyan’s words, the issue referring to recognition of the
Armenian Genocide has not only moral and historic, but also the
political aspect. “Recognition of the Armenian Genocide should become
the matter of all the countries, and the issue is not subject to
bargaining”, emphasized he. Armenian parliamentarian added there
should be no closed borders between Armenia and Turkey. “Unless Turkey
recognizes the fact of the Genocide there are no guarantees that the
history will not be repeated”, said Armen Rustamyan.