Meeting between presidents needed to settle Karabakh – Azeri foreign minister

Azad Azarbaycan TV, Baku
23 Apr 05

[Presenter] There is a need for a meeting between the Azerbaijani and
Armenian presidents to settle the Nagornyy Karabakh problem. There are
also grounds for this, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov
has said. Mammadyarov added that after several meetings, the
settlement process can enter a new stage where the dialogue will be
held by experts.

[Correspondent] The format of the [London] meeting between the
Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers was changed at the request
by the OSCE co-chairs, Mammadyarov said. The co-chairs believe that
this format will help speed up the talks, he added.

[Mammadyarov speaking to reporters] I did not meet the Armenian
foreign minister at the request of the co-chairs. They think that the
talks could be stepped up and developed in this way. They met Vardan
Oskanyan on 14 April and me on 15 April. We are waiting to see what
results this will produce on 27 April. The co-chairs say that they
were inspired by the results of our talks in Prague. So they proposed
this format.

[Correspondent] The minister also said that the discussions are
expected to be continued by experts. However, the foreign ministers
have to meet several times before that and prepare the details that
will be discussed.

[Mammadyarov] In general, we discussed when we should hand over the
discussions to experts. But I think we need to hold several more
meetings, after which the experts will join in to discuss the
details. We also have to decide how we are going to do this and
where. We had good talks in London. We will continue the talks in
Frankfurt.

[Correspondent] Mr Mammadyarov says there are already grounds for a
meeting between the presidents. The heads of state last met in Astana
several months ago, he said, adding that if progress is made at the
meetings between the ministers, the issue will be discussed at a
higher level.

The minister said that the co-chairs did not come up with new
proposals, but put forward certain elements during the London
talks. It would not be right to say whose interests these elements
meet, he said, adding that Azerbaijan’s position remains unchanged.

[Mammadyarov] Every president and everybody agrees that one cannot
change the borders using a Kalashnikov assault rifle. No-one will
allow this to happen. Of course, they [Armenians] must withdraw from
the occupied territories and internally displaced persons should
return to their homes. If we speak about integration into Europe, the
three South Caucasus countries should work on this. In this regard,
it is impossible to pursue a policy of occupation.

[Correspondent] Mammadyarov said that the compromise official Baku can
make is granting a high degree of autonomy to Nagornyy Karabakh. We
accept the Karabakh Armenians as Azerbaijani citizens. So Nagornyy
Karabakh’s Azerbaijani community should also return to its land, end
quote.

Armenia marks 90th anniversary of mass killings

AP Worldstream
Apr 24, 2005

AVET DEMOURIAN

Armenia prepared to mark the 90th anniversary of the mass killings of
Armenians in the Ottoman Empire on Sunday, with tens of thousands
expected to visit the memorial to the dead.

Armenia accuses Turkey of genocide in the killings of up to 1.5
million Armenians, during World War I and the collapse of the Ottoman
Empire, as part of a campaign to force them out of eastern Turkey.

Turkey rejects the claim, saying the number of deaths is inflated and
that Armenians were killed or displaced in civil unrest during the
collapse of the empire.

On the eve of the commemoration marking the start of the killings,
people bringing flowers and wreaths visited the country’s monument to
the dead.

Several thousand students gathered in a square in central Yerevan
before marching late Saturday to the hilltop memorial.

Authorities said they expected 1.5 million Armenians _ almost half of
the landlocked ex-Soviet country’s population _ and thousands from the
Armenian diaspora to visit the site Sunday. Churches and monasteries
in the Orthodox Christian nation, and churches in more than 100 other
countries with Armenian communities, were holding special services.

At 7:00 p.m. (1400 GMT) a minute of silence would be observed across
Armenia, and inhabitants of Yerevan were asked to light a candle at
nightfall and place it on a window sill in memory of the victims.

Polish lawmakers recognized the mass killing as a genocide Tuesday _ a
decision condemned by Ankara the next day. France and Russia already
have declared the killings a genocide, and there is strong pressure
from Armenian diaspora groups on the U.S. Congress to do the same.

Turkey has no diplomatic ties with Armenia, but called earlier this
month for the two countries to jointly research the killings. However,
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan said in February that
Armenia had no intention of conducting additional research on an issue
it regarded as historical fact.

The issue is extremely sensitive in Turkey, and Turks in the past
could face prosecution for saying the killings were genocide. But
recently, facing EU pressure, Turkey has been opening up on the
subject.

Last year, French President Jacques Chirac told Turkey it would have
to recognize the mass killings as genocide if it wanted to become a
member of the European Union, insisting the French would otherwise
vote Turkey out in a referendum.

1,500 torches lit in Yerevan

24.04.2005 14:45

YEREVAN (YERKIR) – 1,500 torches were lit late on April 23 on the
Republican Square in central Yerevan in commemoration of the 90th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

The fire for the first torch was brought on a white armored personnel
carrier, and the torchlight procession, organized by the Armenian
Youth Federation and the ARF’s Nikol Aghbalian Student Union, began
its annual march to the Armenian Genocide Memorial.

Armenian clerics, with a huge cross above their heads, were in the
front of the procession that was accompanied by drums beating. Tens of
thousands of young people carried hundreds of national flags alongside
a 30-meter long Armenian tricolor, sang patriotic songs and chanted
“recognition.”

After their arrival at the Memorial, a group of singers, including
American Daniel Decker, German Kye Augaten, Bulgarian Tsvetan
Tsvetkov, Finnish Inkaand Moldavian Vitali Dani, sang the song
“Adana,” written by Decker, in 8 languages.

Pan Armenian News

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE: FAIR PEACE SHOULD BE BORN FROM SACRIFICED BLOOD

24.04.2005 05:57

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ `It is one of the most horrible tragedies the humanity ha
sever experienced. Today marks such events should never repeat. Fair peace
should be born from the sacrificed blood,’ Vatican Ambassador to Armenia,
Georgia and Azerbaijan archbishop Claudio Gugerotti stated in a conversation
with journalists in the Memorial to Victims of the Armenian Genocide in
1915. In his words, Vatican’s posture over the issue of the Armenian
Genocide `remains the same as declared by Pope John Paul II during his visit
to Armenia and the meeting with Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II.’ `It
is a statement of two churches, where the Catholic Church expresses attitude
to people who have experienced much sorrow.’ It should be reminded that in
2001 John Paul II officially acknowledged and censured the Armenian
Genocide. Answering the question whether new Pope Benedict XVI acknowledges
the Genocide, the archbishop said, `Give him some time.’

Turkish organizations condemn 1915 massacre – Armenian agency

Arminfo
24 Apr 05

YEREVAN

Representatives of a number of Turkish public organizations are
handing out leaflets outside the Tsitsernakaberd memorial to the
victims of the Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey, demanding that
Turkey recognize the Armenian genocide.

The leader of the confederation of Turkish workers of Europe (FOIKA),
Ozgul Cem, told journalists that apart from his organization, the
action has also been joined by a number of other Turkish
organizations.

The leaflets handed out to Armenian citizens and foreign guests
visiting Tsitsernakaberd today condemn the genocide and demand that
Turkey unconditionally recognize and condemn it. “We regard Turkey as
a fascist state because it conceals historical facts. We are in favour
of recognizing and condemning the Armenian genocide,” Ozgul Cem said,
adding that the members of the organizations participating in today’s
action have been declared persona non grata in Turkey for their
repeated demands to recognize the Armenian genocide.

“The Turkish people has a normal attitude to the issue of recognizing
the genocide,” he said.

We should point out that Yezids are also participating in today’s
action.

Armenian minister hails diplomatic achievements in genocide recognition

Arminfo
24 Apr 05

YEREVAN

The fact that 18 countries have recognized the Armenian genocide in
Ottoman Turkey is an achievement of Armenian diplomacy, the Armenian
defence minister and secretary of the Security Council under the
Armenian president, Serzh Sarkisyan, has told journalists.

In his view, Turkey will not be let into the European Union without
recognizing the Armenian genocide because a number of European
countries have recognized and condemned it. “After all, Turkey itself
should think about it,” Sarkisyan said.

[Passage omitted: A list of countries which have recognized the
genocide]

Armenian leader, officials commemorate 1915 massacre victims

Arminfo
24 Apr 05

YEREVAN

The Armenian president has visited the Tsitsernakaberd memorial to the
victims of the 1915 Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey.

The president was accompanied by Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan,
members of government, Catholicos of all Armenians Garegin II, the
speaker of parliament, Artur Bagdasaryan, and prominent
representatives of the diaspora. They laid wreaths at the eternal
fire. The catholicos held a commemorative mass at the eternal fire.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Pan Armenian News

BELGIUM: CRIMINAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DENIAL

24.04.2005 04:31

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ By a majority vote the Belgian Parliament adopted a bill,
according to which those who deny the Armenian Genocide can be imprisoned or
made to pay a heavy administrative fine. As reported by Turkish media, when
the law comes into effect, Turkish politicians will experience many problems
regarding expressing their position in Belgium. The bill has already been
viewed by the Commission for Legal Issues, is approved by the Parliament and
is submitted to the Senate. Upon being approved by the Senate, the document
will be submitted to the Belgian King for ratification. At that there is a
certain trend available – as a rule the Senate confirms the documents
approved by the Parliament. The document provides for imprisonment from 8
days to a year or a money fine from 26 to 5000 euros. All those, who
diminishes the Genocide, defends or supports people, who have perpetrated it
or any other crime against humanity, will undergo punishment. Besides, the
justice mechanisms allow Belgium brining a charge against any of the EU
countries denying the Armenian Genocide.

Armenians remember Turkish killings 90 years ago

24 Apr 2005 11:06:58 GMT
Reuters

By Hasmik Lazarian

YEREVAN, April 24 (Reuters) – Hundreds of thousands of people
clutching tulips, carnations and daffodils climbed a hill in Armenia’s
capital on Sunday to lay wreaths and remember the 1.5 million they say
were killed 90 years ago in Ottoman Turkey.

>From the top the crowds could see the heights of Mount Ararat now in
eastern Turkey, the region where Armenia says its people were
slaughtered in a deliberate genocide during the chaos surrounding the
disintegration of the Ottoman Empire.

The mountain is a potent symbol for the Christian nation but it lies
out of reach across a fortified frontier.

Local families mixed with members of Armenia’s diaspora, who had flown
from Europe and the United States to remember friends and relatives
who had died between 1915 and 1923.

“I am happy that I, my husband and my two sons are here in Yerevan
today. A large part of my husband’s family died in the genocide,” said
Rubina Peroomian, a 66-year-old teacher from Los Angeles.

Armenia wants the world — and Turkey — to admit that what happened
was genocide. Turkey denies this, saying Armenians were among many
victims of a partisan war that also claimed many Muslim Turkish lives.

Turkey’s Oct. 3 start date for European Union entry talks has
ratcheted the argument up the political agenda. France in particular,
home to an influential, 400,000-strong Armenian community, has
promised to seek a Turkish admission of genocide.

TORCHES

In Istanbul, a 30-year-old Turkish engineer Bulent Aktug said: “I
think it is wrong to describe what happened in 1915 as a
genocide. There was a lot of killing by both sides at that time.”

The commemorations in Yerevan began on Saturday night when thousands
of people held a torchlight vigil at the hill-top memorial, a granite
obelisk where a flame has burned since 1965.

The organisers have said they expect 1.5 million people, equivalent to
half the ex-Soviet republic’s population, to join Sunday’s
demonstrations.

“Today we bow our heads in remembrance of those who died, filled with
grief, but also in the certainty that the government of Armenia is a
guarantee of the safety and eternal nature of Armenians,” said a
statement from Armenian President Robert Kocharyan, who laid a wreath
on Sunday morning.

Armenia believes a Turkish admission of genocide is important not only
from a moral point of view but also to guarantee regional security.

The two states have no diplomatic relations. Turkey shut the border in
1993 out of solidarity with Turkic-speaking Azerbaijan during its war
with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

(Additional reporting by Daren Butler in Istanbul)

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Pan Armenian News

TRANSBAIKALIA PRIESTS REFUSED TO PRAY FOR ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VICTIMS

24.04.2005 03:50

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenians of Chita region of Russia commemorated the
victims of the Armenian Genocide today, reported the Yerkramas newspaper of
Armenians of Russia. Some 150 representatives of the Armenian Diaspora of
Transbaikalia lit candles in the memory of the victims in the Cathedral of
Kazan icon of the Blessed Virgin. In the words of the Diaspora leader
Vladimir Markosian, Transbaikalia priests of the Russian Orthodox Church
have refused to chant a liturgy in the memory of the victims referring to
discord between the Armenian and Russian Churches. The mourning procession
of Transbaikalia Armenians finished with a funeral repast in Ani café.