Pan Armenian News
ROBERT KOCHARIAN TO DEPART FOR FRANCE ON WORKING VISIT APRIL 20
15.04.2005 05:15
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ April 20 Armenian President Robert Kocharian is departing
for France on a working visit, the President’s press service reported.
During the visit he is scheduled to meet with French President Jacques
Chirac, the Senate President and the Parliament Speaker. The Armenian leader
is expected back to Yerevan on April 23.
Pan Armenian News
ARTUR BAGHDASARIAN: TURKEY SHOULD RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE AND IT SHOULD
NOT IMPEDE DEVELOPMENT OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS
15.04.2005 03:29
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian authorities have many times spoken out for
normalization of relations with Turkey and other neighbors, Armenian
National Assembly Speaker Artur Baghdasarian stated during a press
conference in Saint Petersburg, RA NA press service reported. `We are for
normal partner relationships. As for the Armenian Genocide of 1915, all the
discussions are completed and in my opinion there is no need for additional
consideration’, he noted. According to Artur Baghdasarian all should condemn
this crime against humanity. Parliaments of many states have already
condemned the Genocide and `we consider that Turkey must acknowledge the
fact of Genocide what should not impede the development of the
Armenian-Turkish relations.’ Artur Baghdasarian reminded that to date
Armenia experiences the blockade imposed by Turkey and added that a country
aspired for Eurointegration should not apply double standards. `We should
gradually achieve normal partner relations. I have already had a
conversation with the Turkish parliament Speaker. We speak out for joint
discussion of the issues of our concern for arriving at mutually admissible
decisions’, the RA NA Speaker said. To remind, Artur Baghdasarian is in
Saint Petersburg to take part in the sitting of the Council of the CIS
Interparliamentary Assembly.
NRC HANDELSBLAD
14 April 2005
Turkey: research together with Armenia
By our correspondent
NICOSIA, 14 APRIL. Turkey wants an official Turkish Armenian commission to
tackle the massacres of Armenians at the end of the Ottoman Empire,
according to Turkish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Abdullah Gül, yesterday
in the parliament in Ankara. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sent a
letter on this matter to the Armenian president Robert Kocharian.
With this letter Turkey undertakes another attempt to remove the Armenian
file from the agenda. During the massacres, which started in full violence
in 1915, according to historians possibly more than one million Armenians
were killed. Turkey does not deny that a large number of Armenians died, but
objects that it is out of the question that there was a planned genocide.
³Turkey has peace with her history and is proud of it”, minister Gül said
yesterday.
It is still unclear if Armenia will comply with the request. Some time ago
Yerevan disregarded a call by prime minister Erdogan to leave the question
to a history research. According to the Armenian government such a research
has already been done a long time ago and it is indisputably certain that
there was a genocide.
The Turkish proposal comes some weeks for the commemoration of the genocide,
on April 24. Ankara is more and more worried that the American Congress will
adopt a resolution on the genocide. Moreover a large number of European
politicians puts pressure on Ankara to straighten out the Ottoman past. In
October the process of negotiations between Ankara and Brussels will start
on the Turkish membership of the European Union. Gül explained yesterday in
the parliament that Turkey had never adequately reacted to the Armenian
accusations. ³And this has leaded to the false picture that Turkey is hiding
something.¹¹
Pan Armenian News
ARMENIAN PILOTS STARVE IN GUINEAN PRISON
15.04.2005 03:11
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The prisoners of the Black Beach jail, including the
Armenian pilots may die from starvation as the jail administration decided
to cut the daily ration of the prisoners, RFE/RF reported. Tortures and
chronic diseases have exhausted the prisoners. `If immediate measures are
not taken many of them will die’, Kolawole Olaniyan, Director of Amnesty
International’s Africa Program said. 7 prisoners, 6 of who are the Armenian
pilots are in a grave condition now. According to the chairman of the World
Congress of Armenians Ara Abrahamian, he succeeding in conveying $500 to the
Armenian pilots and they received medical aid. `Presently the state of
health of the Armenian pilots is satisfactory and they hope to return home
till June 12′, A. Abrahamian noted adding that the negotiations are
proceeding very hard. To remind, the Armenian pilots are accused of an
attempt of coup d’etat in Equatorial Guinea and were sentenced to long-term
imprisonment last November.
FEDERATION OF ARMENIAN ORGANISATIONS IN THE NETHERLANDS (FAON)
24 April Committee
Weesperstraat 91
NL – 2574 VS The Hague
Contact: M. Hakhverdian
Tel. 070 4490209
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
Press release of the Federation of Armenian Organisations in the Netherlands
concerning the call by the Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan for an “open
debate” on the Genocide of Armenians. A press release of Dutch News Agency
ANP on this subject is attached to this document.
PRESS RELEASE
Many question marks for “open debate” of Erdogan on Armenian Genocide
The Hague, 13 April 2005 – The announcement of Erdogan that an “open debate”
must take place on the Genocide of Armenians in 1915, calls many question
marks for the Federation of Armenian Organisations in Netherlands. There is
lacking lots of information to be able to assess how this announcement, on
the eve of the world wide commemoration of 90th anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide, must be seen. So it is completely unclear how and with who the
debate must takes place and if the starting point would be the fact that the
Genocide is committed, which is as such internationally accepted by the
scientists of good name.
Probably this pronouncement must be considered as an attempt to divert the
attention from the commemoration of the 90th anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide and from the accusing finger which is stuck out internationally to
Turkey, because of systematic denial of this black period of Turkey’s
history. Within the framework of the negotiations on possible accession to
the EU the denial of the past is also an unacceptable point for many EU
countries, such as France and also the Netherlands. Minister Bot has once
more insured recently the Dutch Parliament that the resolution on Armenia
(by which he means the motion of Mr Rouvoet, wherein the Dutch parliament
recognises the Armenian Genocide) continues to keep the full attention of
the government and that this point is regularly brought forward to the
Turkish authorities. Apart from the fact that neither by the Turks, nor by a
number of Member States is spoken in this respect about the Genocide,
Minister Bot has, however, brought this matter with emphasis under the
attention. “We keep track of the developments in Turkey”, the Minister said.
Provisional “no” against Croatia has been a good sign for Turkey, that it is
not possible to play with the conditions. “The negotiations will not start
if all conditions are not met with”, according to Bot.
By announcing an “open debate” or a “history research”, the impression is
awoken that the Genocide is no longer denied, thereby bushing up
international criticism. From the wording of such announcement one cannot
however make up that there is any real progress, like in this notice, in
which Erdogan says that he is not worried about the outcome of the debate.
Although the latter is obvious towards the Turkish population, who never has
got information about the real history, one should be sceptical about the
intentions of the discussion and the research.
The Federation notes finally, that if Erdogan really would want to do a
gesture towards the Armenians (and to the EU), he could have simply, on the
eve of the commemoration, recognised the Genocide. This is however not the
case. The Federation, that welcomes each step forward in this sensitive
matter, hopes that Erdogan will come shortly, however, with such a brake
through. Then it will be possible to normalise the relations with the
neighbouring country Armenia, with whom Turkey keeps it borders closed and
does not wish to establish diplomatic relations and thereby gradually will
start the reconciliation process between the two nations.
Also in the Netherlands, where the parliament has recognised the Armenian
genocide on 21 December 2004, the commemoration of 90th anniversary of the
Genocide will take place. Among others there will be a commemoration concert
coming Sunday afternoon (April 17) in the Pieterskerk cathedral in Leiden as
well as an exhibition on the Armenian Genocide from April 17 till April 21
in the same place.
On April 24, after a church service in the Armenian church in Amsterdam, a
commemoration meeting will take place at 3 p.m. at the Armenian Genocide
monument in Assen.
Contributors to the commemoration are. Prof. Dr. J. Th. M. Houwink ten Cate
– holocaust and genocide institute Amsterdam, Seth Gaaikema – comedian and
text writer, Farah Karimi – Dutch MP, René Diekstra – psychology professor
and others.
The Armenian classical music will be played by Vahé Hovhannesian – duduk;
Vazgen Pirdjanian – Komitas string Quartet; Ruzanna Nahapetjan – soprano;
Ruzanna Hakopian – canon; Hambardzum Sahakian – declamation and Nicolai
Romashuk jr. – duduk.
Federation of Armenian Organisations in the Netherlands (FAON)
24 April committee
——————————————————
Turkish premier wants debate on Genocide of Armenians
ANKARA (DUTCH PRESS AGENCY/DPA) – The Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan has called up Wednesday to an “open debate” on the Genocide of
Armenians at the beginning of the 20th century. Erdogan said against members
of its party for justice and development that Turkey is not afraid of its
history.
The call comes short before Armenians in the whole world commemorate that
the extremely cruel attempt of carrying out the Genocide in the Ottoman
Empire started on 24 April 1915 with the assassination of prominent
Armenians in Istanbul, then the capital of the Ottoman Empire. Most of the
Armenians in the Empire did not survive the ethnic purification which was
committed against them.
After the collapse of the Empire Turkish republic took later nearly as a
dogma that no Genocide of Armenians was committed. It was considered
unpatriotic and as treason even a suggestion of that subject.
From: Baghdasarian
Armenian Youth Federation of Australia
PO Box 238, Willoughby, NSW Australia 2068
[email protected]
PRESS RELEASE
12 April 2005
Armenian Genocide 90th Anniversary Candlelight – Recognition Walk
SYDNEY – The Armenian Youth Federation of Australia (AYF) has
organised a candlelight recognition walk and memorial ceremony in
Sydney’s CBD for Thursday, the 28th of April 2005.
The walk, from Hyde Park’s water fountain to the NSW State Parliament
House, is aimed at gaining widespread recognition for the Armenian
Genocide in its 90th anniversary of commemoration.
The AYF requests the presence of the entire Australian-Armenian
community in order to achieve its ultimate goal of educating the
greater Australian public and media of the Armenian Cause.
The walk will also exhibit the community’s willingness to fight the
90-year-long battle for recognition for their lost ancestors and their
sacred land, until it delivers a just solution.
Buses are being organised by several community groups throughout
Sydney’s Armenian districts and to declare your interest in using this
facility, please refer to the contact below. An official NSW Police
escort has also been arranged.
Once the walk reaches its completion at the NSW State Parliament
House; there will be a memorial/wreath laying ceremony at the Armenian
Genocide Commemorative monument within the Parliament’s Macquarie
Street headquarters.
DETAILS:
Event: Armenian Genocide 90th Anniversary Candlelight Recognition Walk
Date: Thursday 28 April 2005
Meeting place: Hyde Park water fountain, Sydney CBD
Meeting time: 5:45pm for 6pm start
Expected finish time: 7:30pm
Contact: Kevork Tufenkjian * 0409-572-958
Analyst says USA plans to use Azerbaijan for launching strikes on Iran
Trend news agency
13 Apr 05
BAKU
The brief visit to Azerbaijan by US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
was not so much connected with the possible stationing of US troops in
Azerbaijan as it was with the possible use of Azerbaijan’s military
infrastructure, political analyst Rasim Musabayov has told Trend.
“But before this infrastructure can be used, it has to be modernized,
which will require certain expenditure. And that, in turn, requires a
guarantee from the country’s administration. This is what might have
been the subject of negotiations,” Musabayov said.
Another aspect of the negotiations, the analyst said, could be the
attractiveness of the Caspian energy resources and the geographic
location of the region for different countries. In this connection,
the expert added, “considering the fact that the direct involvement of
the USA is rather complicated, the sides could have discussed the
issue of ensuring the security in the Caspian using Azerbaijan’s own
resources with the help of American specialists”.
Another political analyst, Zardust Alizada, holds a slightly different
view on Rumsfeld’s visit to Azerbaijan.
“Politicians of Donald Rumsfeld’s calibre usually visit countries like
Azerbaijan only once. But apparently, the Pentagon chief failed to
come to an agreement with the Azerbaijani leadership during his
previous visits, which is why he has paid his third visit,” Alizada
said.
The political analyst believes that Rumsfeld’s visit is explained by
Washington’s desire to boost its military and political presence in
the region: both from the standpoint of the security of the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and from the standpoint of
preparations for strikes against Iran.
“Washington intends to use Azerbaijan as a foothold for dealing a blow
to Iran. The USA already has such footholds in three other countries
around Iran,” Alizada added.
A1p;us
17:45:59 | 14-04-2005 | Culture |
TOP CLERGYMEN IN HOLY ECHMIADZIN
In Holy Echmiadzin the executive body of the Committee on Orthodox
participation in the World Church Council started its work.
During the meeting the Committee comprising more than 16 top clergymen
discussed church, public and moral issues, matters related to the WCC
membership.
This was the last meeting of the ad hoc Committee in Echmiadzin which aimed
at summing up the results of the Committee’s work and specifying the last
recommendations of the ad hoc Committee to the 9th congress of the WCC.
A1plus
| 16:17:55 | 14-04-2005 | Official |
EXTRAORDINARY ELECTIONS IN AVAN
In accordance with the RA `Law on local self-government’ the government
decided to suspend authorities of Harutyun Margaryan, leader of Avan
community of Yerevan and to appoint and carry out extraordinary elections of
the community leader in the
Azeri leader, BP manager discuss progress on major oil pipeline
Azartac news agency, Baku
14 Apr 05
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev received the president of the
Azerbaijan International Operating Company (AIOC), David Woodward, at
the presidential office on 14 April.
Mr Woodward described as a significant event the extraction in
February of the first oil from the Central Azari platform operating on
the Azari-Ciraq-Gunasli oil fields in the Azerbaijani sector of the
Caspian Sea. The AIOC president added that work on this area has been
successfully progressing.
He expressed his confidence that the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan [oil
pipeline] project would be completed in the near future and oil would
be successfully transported through the pipeline.
The Azerbaijani president described the extraction of the first oil
from the Central Azari platform as the beginning of a great oil era in
Azerbaijan and pointed to the fact that work on this area was
progressing successfully.
President Aliyev expressed his confidence that this work would also
continue in the future and the commissioning of the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan global energy project would open up a new era in
cooperation with the AIOC.