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| 15:57:24 | 24-04-2005 | Politics |

MOURNING PROCESSION WITH TORCHES

During 7 years already the ARFD Students’ Union after Nikola Agbalyan
organizes a procession with torches towards Tsitsernakaberd on April 23
evening. This year students from Armenia and from many other countries took
part in the procession. Moreover, the action was for the first time held on
the state level.

The procession started from the Republic Square, where a white armored car
brought the first torch to light the other 1500.

The representatives of the Armenian Apostolic Church headed the procession
with a big cross in their hands while procession participants were carrying
a 30-meter flag of Armenia.

This year for the first time American singer Daniel Decker, Kei Auagen form
Germany, Bulgarian opera singer Tsvetak Tsvetkov, Finn singer Inka and
Vitaly Dani from Moldova performed the song of Adana in 8 languages in
Tsitsernakaberd.

Armenian massacre anniversary marked in Moscow

Ekho Moskvy radio, Moscow
24 Apr 05

A commemoration of the victims of the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman
Empire [in 1915] is taking place in Moscow right now. As Interfax
reports, around 1,000 people gathered next to the Armenian church that
is under construction in Moscow for the start of the ceremony of
mourning. People are continuing to arrive despite the cold
weather. Many are carrying flowers and wreaths to lay at a
commemorative cross erected nearby. All who arrive light
candles. According to the organizers of the commemoration, 1.5m
candles will be lit here during the day – the number of Armenian
victims of the tragedy.

Pan Armenian News

TURKS DISSEMINATE LEAFLETS CENSURING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN YEREVAN

24.04.2005 04:02

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Representatives of a range of Turkish non-governmental
organizations disseminate leaflets demanding that Turkey acknowledge the
Armenian Genocide next to the Memorial to Victims of the Armenian Genocide
in Yerevan. As reported by leader of the Confederation of Workers from
Turkey in Europe Osgul Cem, a range of other Turkish organizations
participate in the action besides the one headed by him. The leaflets being
handed to Armenian citizens and foreign guests, who visit Tsitsernakaberd
today, contain censure of the Genocide and they demand that Turkey
unconditionally acknowledge and denounce the Genocide. `We consider Turkey a
fascist state, as it conceals historical facts. We promote acknowledgement
and censure of the Armenian Genocide,’ Osgul Cem stated, reported that
members of the organizations taking part in today’s action are announced
persona non grata in Turkey for numerous statements demanding to recognize
the Armenian Genocide. `The Turkish people attitude to the issue of
acknowledgement of the Genocide is normal,’ he stated. It should be noted
that Ezids also take part in today’s action.

Pan Armenian News

SERGE SARGSIAN: TURKEY WILL NOT BE ADMITTED TO EU WITHOUT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF
ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

24.04.2005 03:47

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ 18 countries recognizing the Armenian Genocide is an
achievement of Armenian diplomacy, Secretary of the Security Council at the
Armenian President Serge Sargsian told journalists today. In his opinion,
Turkey will not be admitted to the European Union without acknowledgement of
the Armenian Genocide, as a range of European countries have recognized and
censured the Armenian Genocide. `Finally, Turkey should itself ponder over
it.’ S. Sargsian stated. It should be reminded that the Parliament of 15
countries have acknowledged the Armenian Genocide. The Genocide is
considered a fact and is censured by a number of UN and PACE commissions, as
well as 32 out of the 50 US states. 19 April 2005 the Polish Sejm
acknowledged the fact of the commitment of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman
Turkey. At present a similar document is under consideration by the German
Bundestag.

Pan Armenian News

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT CALLED TURKISH PREMIER’S LETTER `NOT ENCOURAGING’

24.04.2005 03:41

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian President Robert Kocharian called the letter
received from Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan from the point of
view of solution of the Armenian-Turkish relations. Yesterday in the air of
the Russian TV Company, specifically, in Zerkalo program, he noted that he
would like not to speak of the content of the letter in detail, however he
will answer the letter soon. Touching upon the question what the
acknowledgement of the Genocide means to Armenia Robert Kocharian
underscored Armenians do not have hatred, rather – bitterness. A person can
feel something like that when has lost a friend or a relative and the
culprit who did it is not punished. `The sensation takes the shape of an
all-national one and the vector is rather clearly specified. It is enough to
visit the Memorial Complex of Tsitsernakaberd to understand what Armenians
feel concerning that day,’ Robert Kocharian accentuated.

Pan Armenian News

US WILL NOT ACKNOWLEDGE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE THIS YEAR EITHER, US CONGRESSMEN
SUPPOSES

24.04.2005 05:30

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ `Today Turkey is a strategic partner of the U.S., however,
when official Washington establishes relations with other Muslim countries,
such as Iraq and Afghanistan, the relations with Turkey will become
unimportant,’ stated US Congressman George Radanovich. In his words, just at
that time the US will acknowledge the Armenian Genocide. `I see that
prospect. Not this year, however sooner or later that prospect will become
real,’ he noted.

Pan Armenian News

ARA ABRAHAMIAN: WE HOPE FOR TURKISH PEOPLE TO CONFESS AND CENSURE ARMENIAN
GENOCIDE

24.04.2005 04:44

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Turkish propaganda aimed against international
recognition of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey has not brought any
desirable results, says the address of the Chairman of the World Armenia
Congress, Russian entrepreneur Ara Abrahamian on the occasion of the 90-th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. At present more and more countries
tend to address the issue and this resulted in the inclusion of the question
in the agenda of the negotiations for Turkey’s accession to the EU, the
messages says. The omissions of the Turkish propagandist machinery are more
and more spoken of in Ankara, Abrahamian writes. `By confessing the
commitment of a crime a person mitigates his guilt. We hope for the Turkish
people to display will, confess and censure the Armenian Genocide. We
suppose that the Turkish people will ever frankly reach out its hand to the
Armenian people and that hand will hang in the air. New relations cannot be
built on justification of violence, pillage and Genocide. In the name of
that goal the World Armenian Congress calls all those, who appreciate
friendship and neighborly relations between states and peoples, to
cooperate,’ Abrahamian writes.

Armenpress

PRESIDENT KOCHARIAN’S MESSAGE TO THE NATION ON THE OCCASION OF THE 90-TH
ANNIVERSARY OF THE GENOCIDE

YEREVAN, APRIL 24, ARMENPRESS: On the occasion of the 90-th anniversary
of the Armenian Genocide President Robert Kocharian addressed today a
message to the nation, which reads as follows:
“Dear country fellows, today we pay respect to the memory of the victims
of the Armenian Genocide. Ninety years ago on this day the government of the
Ottoman Turkey ordered the start of the planned extermination of Armenians.
It was an unprecedented crime, neither in the history of our people nor
in the humanity’s history, committed at a time when even no word was coined
to define it. Millions of people were killed and millennia-long spiritual
and cultural legacy of Armenians was destroyed.
The year of 1915 became a dividing line in the fate of all parts of our
nation. It changed their lives drastically and disrupted the path of its
normal development. Its heavy consequences are felt today in the lives of
Armenians living both in the Republic of Armenia and Diaspora.
The international recognition and condemnation of the Armenian genocide
is not Armenia’s case only. It must be reviewed today in the context of
regional and international politics.
We have made our position heard many a time. We are not motivated by the
feelings of revenge and once again repeat today our willingness to build
normal relations with Turkey, but its continued denial of that crime, causes
the perplexity of not only Armenians, but also of the international
community.
The Armenian genocide was possible due to a combination of numerous
conditions and factors. None of them can be cited to justify the
perpetrators. The absence of Armenian state at that time was the key reason
of why such unspeakable events could take place.
Today we bow to the memory of our martyrs, we are filled with pain, but
also with belief that the Armenian state is the best guarantor of security
and immortality of all Armenians.”

Armenpress

FOREIGN DIPLOMATS REMEMBER ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VICTIMS

YEREVAN, APRIL 24, ARMENPRESS: “France was one of the first nations to
give shelter to thousands of Armenians who escaped massacres in Turkey.
France has also officially recognized the Armenian genocide and I am happy
that the Armenian community in my country is flourishing and prospering.
France was and is Armenia’s friend,” French ambassador to Armenia Henry Cuny
told journalists today after he and other embassy officials laid a wreath at
the Genocide Memorial.
“We have come here to remember the Armenian victims of the first genocide
of the 20-th century. Armenians sustained the greatest damages during the
World War I. At this hour of sad remembrance Georgians are with their
Armenian brothers and sisters,” Georgian ambassador to Armenia Revaz
Gachechiladze said.
“It is a sad today, but it is also a happy day, because the Armenian
nation has proved its viability, contrary to the desire of the Ottoman
Empire. No one can destroy a nation, Armenians live, grow and are on the
path of registering new achievements,” an Armenia-American benefactor Vahakn
Hovnanian told reporters.

Pan Armenian News

KOCHARIAN TO REPLY TO TURKISH PREMIER LETTER NEXT WEEK

23.04.2005 06:11

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian President Robert Kocharian will officially
respond to the letter of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan next
week, said Armenian leader’s Press Secretary Victor Soghomonian, RFE/RL
reported. It should be noted that April 13 Erdogan sent a letter to the
Armenian President proposing «to form a joint commission for study of events
of 1915 using not only the archives of Armenia and Turkey, but also other
countries, to present the results of the research to the international
community». In the Turkish Prime Minister’s opinion, such an initiative
«will shed light to the disputable historical period, as well as will become
a move toward the normalization of the relations between the two countries.»
It should also be noted that Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margarian
rejected the similar proposal of Turkish FM Abdullah Gul.