AZG Armenian Daily #076, 28/04/2005

Neighbors

‘IT IS THE NEXT DISINFORMATION BY THE AZERIS’

The trial over Azerbaijani officer Jamil Safarov who had heinously murdered
his Armenian counterpart in Budapest will resume May 10. On this occasion
the Azeri authorities declared that they are intent to transfer the trial to
Baku, claiming that international laws allow to do that.

We asked Nazeli Vardanian, lawyer of Gurgen Margarian, what the consequences
of Azerbaijan’s new trick will be. “The process started in Budapest and it
will end there. There was such a decision to transfer the trial to Baku last
year but then it changed. The matter has nothing to do with international
laws, it will be settled in accordance with Hungarian legislation. This is
the next provocation, next misinformation by the Azeris that should not be
responded to neither by media nor anyhow”.

Hungarian laws do not stipulate that the trial may be transferred to
Azerbaijan. There is no bilateral agreement between Azerbaijan and Hungary
on this, regardless what international conventions and laws dictate.

By Karine Danielian

AZG Armenian Daily #076, 28/04/2005

Culture

ARMENIAN COMPOSER COMPLETES ‘THE BRAVE HEARTS FROM SIPAN’ CONCERTO

Nubar Aslanian, Armenian composer, living in the Israeli city of Haifa,
completed his “The Brave Hearts from Sipan” concerto on April 24. The piece
is dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, to the memory
of Franz Werfel, author of “The Forty Days of Musa Dagh” and to the memory
of the composer’s parents.

The concerto consists of three parts and is written for symphonic orchestra.

“I have lit my candle,” Nubar Aslanian wrote in the letter addressed to Azg.

By Ruzan Poghosian

AZG Armenian Daily #076, 28/04/2005

Neighbors

PACE ‘DEEPLY CONCERNED’ ABOUT POLITICAL SITUATION IN AZERBAIJAN

The Monitoring Committee at PACE expressed “deep concern” about “the current
political situation in Azerbaijan on the eve of the parliamentary elections
in Azerbaijan.”

According to Mediamax, the statement of the PACE Monitoring Committee said
that “there are not some basic preconditions in Azerbaijan, in particular,
the freedom of the speech and the right to hold peaceful rallies, that are
required for holding free and just elections, six months before the
parliamentary elections in that country.”

The PACE Monitoring Committee stated that “in fact, the Azeri opposition has
no opportunity to unfold propaganda of its ideas among the electors.” The
statement emphasized that “in Azerbaijan the independent journalists are
still being prosecuted, while after the murder of Elmar Huseynov, a
well-known journalist, they also fear for their lives.”

“The prospects of huge incomes that will flow into the country after the
construction of Baku-Tbilisi-Jehyan oil pipeline, as well as the atmosphere
of the large-scale corruption increase the risk of defending the power and
the money, sparing no efforts. On this background that can hardly be
compared with the situation in Georgia and Ukraine, the insinuation of the
term “revolution” can cause unprecedented consequences from both sides,” the
statement said.

The PACE Monitoring Committee emphasized that the coming elections in
Azerbaijan “will be a decisive test for democracy, especially on the
background of the violations fixed in the course of the presidential
elections in the October of 2003.”

AZG Armenian Daily #076, 28/04/2005

Ecology

90 THOUSAND TREES ON OCCASION OF 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Faithful to the tradition, this year “Armenia. Tree-Planting” program
celebrates the Day of the Earth by organizing a public tree planting.

Last year, in Dzoravanq, one of the remote villages of Gegharqunik, a park
of 0,8 hectares was established. This year, on the Day of the Earth’s
Protection, John Evans, US ambassador to Armenia, RA ministers, USAID and
the Peace Corps officials participated in the tree-planting activities in
Karin village, Aragatsotn marz.

“Armenia. Tree-Planting” program was initiated by the donations of the
Diaspora Armenians. 600 thousand trees were restored in 500 dwelling places
of Armenia, including the territory stretching from Gyumri to Goris. The
office of the program decided to plant 90 thousand trees in commemoration of
90th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

By Karine Danielian

AZG Armenian Daily #076, 28/04/2005

Home

PRESIDENTIAL AWARD FOR YOUNG SPECIALIST OF INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES

This year, in September an annual award will be established for the best
students and the specialists of the international technologies. Hovik
Mousaelian, executive director of Synopsis Armenia CJSC, informed Azg daily
about that yesterday. Synopsis Armenia and “Hayastan” All Armenian
Foundation will sign an arrangement on awarding the prizes.

The students of the relevant faculties of RA State Polytechnic University
and RA State University participate in the annual awards. The best students
of the special school at YSU and “Kvant” Collage will be awarded special
prizes.

Mr. Mousaelian stated that the competition fund will amount to $10 thousand.

By Tamar Minasian

AZG Armenian Daily #076, 28/04/2005

Armenian Genocide

‘TURKISH SOCIETY HAS LOST ITS MEMORY’

“If I had not come to Germany, I would not probably have become a writer and
would not have written a book with an ending featuring Yerevan, the Memorial
of Armenian Genocide of 1915. And I could not find courage and strength to
stand today before the Ararat and speak”.

“When I came to Germany in 1991, I left behind a country that had more human
rights violations than it has today. There was a civil war between the
Turkish state and Kurds. And there was not even a single book that would not
falsify the Armenian Genocide. I knew that the Turkish society, to whom I
belonged, has lost its memory”.

These are the words of Turkish writer Dogan Aqhanlə who attempts
through his activities and literature to evoke the historic memory of his
nation.

Dogan Aqhanlə is now resident of Cologne and works at Cologne’s Appeal
Against Racial Discrimination organization. After the military coup in
Turkey in 1980, Aqhanlə was thrown to Istanbul jail as a political
prisoner and underwent torture and humiliation. He was expatriate to Germany
in 1991 for his political views. Istanbul’s Belge publishing house put out
his “The Disappeared Seas” trilogy in 1998-99. The first two books are
delineation of the last 3 decades of Turkey’s history and the lost
generation; the third one entitled “The Judges of Doomsday” deals with
Christian minorities of the Ottoman Empire during the reign of sultan Abdul
Hamid II and the Armenian Genocide of 1915. Sevnem Hatun, protagonist of the
book, is a pregnant woman clad in man’s clothes who is a Christian survivor
of Turkish massacres who brings her son up in the spirit of Islam to secure
his future. The latter meets another genocide survivor — Anahit.
Developments of the novel bring them to Yerevan, to the Memorial of Genocide
Victims.

During the meeting at the Writers’ Union on April 25 Dogan Aqhanlə
presented his political views, mainly concerning the Armenian Genocide.
Grigor Janikian told the writer that his ancestors were from Western Armenia
and he is homesick for the forefathers’ land and asked whether the Turkish
writer did not want to return to his birthplace. Dogan Aqhanlə said
that there can be no comparison between Armenians who were extirpated from
their motherland and him who was forced out for his political views. Kurdish
writer Karlen Chachan appreciated that the guest recognizes the fact of the
Armenian Genocide, emphasized that no other nation treated Kurds as
Armenians did and said that today’s Turkey implements anti-Kurdish policy.
Turkish writer accepted that he is a protector of human rights first of all
and finds that the Turkish intelligentsia is in shame cap-a-pie. He
considers important that young Turks that live today in Germany, which has
committed genocide, acknowledge the Armenian Genocide.

As a German citizen, Dogan Aqhanlə feels shame that this country has
not so far recognized the Genocide. He says that German archives are open
before every researcher. As regards Turkish archives, they are in chaotic
condition and there is no document containing mitigating circumstances.

“My deeds are not those of a hero, I merely establish the truth. We should
do this earlier and on a wide-scale level. It’s not my business whether the
Turks will recognize or not. I am concerned with working among the younger
generation. Younger classes of Turkish society have something to do for the
Armenians”.

By Melania Badalian

AZG Armenian Daily #076, 28/04/2005

Armenia-Turkey

PRES. KOCHARIAN’S REPLY RECEIVES DEEP RESONANCE IN TURKEY

On April 13, Turkish press informed that Turkey’s prime minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan sent a letter to RA President Robert Kocharian suggesting “to
establish a joint group consisting of historians and other experts from our
two countries to study the developments and events of 1915”. The same they
Turkish Huriyet newspaper hurried to noise abroad that the Armenian side
turned the offer down, despite the fact that the letter reached Yerevan only
on April 17.

This disinformation aimed apparently at several targets: to picture Armenia
as irreconcilable before the world community, to force Armenia reply the
letter, to oppose the letter to activities directed to Genocide recognition
and to signal the US President to be careful not to say pro-Armenian things
in his traditional speech on occasion of Armenia Genocide on April 24.

On April 26, President Kocharian replied to Erdogan’s letter emphasizing
that “governments are responsible for bilateral relations and we have no
right to authorize historians. Thus we suggest as we did before to establish
normal relations between the two states without preconditions. In this
context there may be set an intergovernmental commission to discuss all
bilateral issues with the aim to solve them and reach mutual understanding”.

Turkish foreign minister, Abdullah Gul, said in his televised appearance
that he is just back from Luxemburg and has not yet received a copy of
Kocharian’s letter but the Foreign Ministry will carefully study it and will
make assessments after which it will be presented to the prime minister and
official announcement will follow. Contrary to Gul, CNN-Turk quoted Foreign
Ministry employees as saying that the text of RA President’s letter was
predictable, by underlining inadmissibility of preconditions the Armenians
want to start a dialogue with us without withdrawing from the Azeri
territories and disowning genocide assertions and territorial claims.

Those statements are possibly non-official statements of official circles
aiming perhaps at checking out Armenian side’s opposition. A non-official
response came from Zaman daily’s Turkish Armenian correspondent Etienne
Mahcupyan who wrote, “Atmosphere in Turkish-Armenian relations has changed
to positive. I think the US has its input in it. Armenia and Turkey are
looking for ways to come closer. This is the period of reconciliation. From
this respect, Armenia’s step is very important. Turkey needs to avoid
unnecessary sensitivity which will turn into an obstacle for it”.

Prof. Mensur Aqgyuz added to Mahcupyan’s words, “This a sign of U-turn in
Turkey-Armenia relations. Henceforth the relations between the two countries
will take the course of improvement. Of course there is the Azeri factor.
Nationalistic circles of Turkey may well show resistance. The government
needs to be cautious and make careful steps. Improvement of Turkish-Armenian
relations will contribute to improvement of our relations with the whole
world. In this case it will be easier for Turkey to explain to the world
that it recognizes the events of 1915 as ‘tragedy’ and not as ‘genocide’. It
will help us to put up with our history”.

Taha Aqyol from Yeni Safaq noted that “Kocharian is using a positive
language not to leave impression of an irreconcilable. It’s not honest.
Honesty supposes that the sides will come closer slinging away worrying
claims and provocations”.

By Hakob Chakrian

AZG Armenian Daily #076, 28/04/2005

Karabakh issue

MINSK GROUP TO INTERROGATE MAMEDIAROV IN FRANKFURT

The OSCE Minsk group co-chairs were to meet the Azerbaijani foreign minister
within the framework of Prague Process in Frankfurt, April 27.

The Minsk group stated in London on April 15 that the next meeting of
Armenian and Azeri foreign ministers will take place on April 27. Russian
co-chair Yuri Merzlyakov told Azeri ANS TV on April 26 that “the co-chairs
will meet Armenia’s foreign minister somewhere in Europe after the Frankfurt
meeting”.

Hamlet Gasparian, Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, told daily Azg
that there was no agreement of a meeting between Oskanian and the Minsk
group. Gasparian said that no place and date for that meeting was specified.

Deputy foreign minister of Azerbaijan, Araz Azimov, stated the day after
tomorrow that “recently Oskanian avoids meetings” and explained that
“official Yerevan is unable to find counterarguments to Azerbaijan’s
logical, objective and practical suggestions”.

By Tatoul Hakobian

Armenpress

REPORT ON NATIONAL SECURITY PRINCIPLES READY

YEREVAN, APRIL 27, ARMENPRESS: Armenian defense minister Serzh Sarkisian
said today that the report on the basic principles of Armenia’s national
security was prepared and will be first of all submitted to defense
ministry’s leadership.
He said the report will be posted on the ministry’s web site for mass
media and the public at large to be able to get acquainted with it.
Sarkisian also said the deadline for submitting Armenia’s priorities to
NATO headquarters in Brussels for developing Individual Partnership Plan of
Actions between Armenia and NATO was not defined yet.
Sarkisian was talking to reporters after the Constitutional Court found
that provisions of a June 18, 2004 agreement on joint use of military
facilities and operative equipment on the territory of member countries of
the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) were in conformity with
Armenia’s Constitution.
Presenting the agreement Sarkisian said its ratification stems from
Armenia’s national interests and will serve development of practical
interaction of CSTO member countries, including Russia, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Armenia. Sarkisian said the agreement was not yet
ratified by any of CSTO member countries.

Armenpress

JOURNALISTS AND PUBLIC SERVANTS UNAWARE OF LAW ON FREEDOM OF INFORMATION

YEREVAN, APRIL 27, ARMENPRESS: A non-governmental organization, called
Team and Armenia’s Public Service Council have organized a seminar for press
secretaries of government agencies to raise their knowledge of the Law on
Freedom of Information.
According to Ashot Melikian, the head of Committee for Protection of
Freedom of Speech, provisions of this law are not fully applied in Armenia
and neither journalists nor public servants are aware of them.
Avet Demurian, the chairman of Team, said similar seminars will be
conducted also for public servants in regions.
Ashot Melikian said officials who are supposed to disseminate information
about government agencies’ activities very often appear to be the main
obstacle, avoiding provision of information that may harm their agencies’
reputation.
Melikian went on to argue that public servants have to realize that
journalists fulfill their official duties, which is to provide diverse
information to public, but not advertise this or that agency.