COMMEMORATION EVENTS DEDICATED TO 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE TO BE HELD IN THE NETHERLANDS

THE HAGUE, APRIL 6, NOYAN TAPAN. The 24 April Committee of the
Federation of Armenian Organizations in the Netherlands organizes a
range of activities on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire, among which a commemoration
concert on 17 April in the Pieterskerk in Leiden. Armenian classical
music will be played by Armenian and Dutch musicians. Also there is
an exhibition on the Armenian Genocide in the Pieterskerk in Leiden
from 17 to 21 April. On 24 April the annual laying of wreaths and
ceremony for the commemoration of 1.5 the million victims of the
Armenian Genocide will take place at the Armenian monument in Assen
and commemoration in the auditorium with speakers and Armenian music.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ROSS VARTIAN: “TURKEY SHOULD FACE FACTS OF HISTORY”

WASHINGTON, APRIL 6, NOYAN TAPAN. On March 22, Ross Vartian, Executive
Director of the Armenian Assembly of America, was interviewed by
Al Hurra TV network, an U.S. State Department sponsored TV network
broadcast to the Arabic speaking world. Mr. Vartian was given 90
seconds to answer the question: “Armenians claim that the Turks
committed genocide – what proof is there?” If his response was longer
than 90 seconds, it would have been edited. Mr. Vartian used the
full 90 seconds without going over that time limit. Below is Ross
Vartian’s response: “The U.S. National Archives contain thousands
of pages documenting the premeditated extermination of the Armenian
people. The official records of many other countries corroborate the
evidence gathered by U.S. diplomats, including Ottoman Turkey’s WW I
friends and foes. At the end of WW I, a Turkish Military Tribunal was
convened. The Prime Minister, the Minister of War, the Minister of the
Navy and the Minister of Education were declared guilty by unanimous
vote of the Tribunal. Adolph Hitler understood the world’s tendency
to not act on its moral outrage and to move on when he said on the
eve of his invasion of Poland, “Who, after all, speaks nowadays of
the annihilation of the Armenians.” Today a growing list of nations
and intergovernmental bodies has affirmed the facts of the Armenian
Genocide. Additionally, 126 Holocaust and Genocide scholars declared
the Armenian Genocide an incontestable fact, urged all democracies
to recognize this crime and called upon Turkey to do the same. The
International Center for Transitional Justice was asked to study the
applicability of the UN Genocide Convention to this crime against
humanity. It found that “the events, viewed collectively, can thus
be said to include all of the elements of the crime of genocide as
defined in the Convention.” Pope John Paul, Nobel Laureates Bishop
Desmond Tutu and Elie Weisel, and most recently renowned Turkish
novelist Orhan Pamuk, all have affirmed the truth. To enhance its
standing in the international community, to come to terms with its
genocidal legacy, and for the sake of its evolving democracy, Turkey
should face the facts of history”.

CALIFORNIA SENATE COMMITTEE RATIFIES CHUCK POOCHIGIAN’S PROPOSAL TO
DECLARE APRIL 24 PERMANENTLY AS MEMORIAL DAY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

SACRAMENTO, APRIL 6, NOYAN TAPAN. Resolution No424, by which April 24
was proposed to be announced as the Armenian Genocide Memorial Day
on a permanent basis, was ratified by the Legislative Committee of
the Senat of California. Istambul “Marmara” daily, referring to Los
Angeles “Asbarez” daily, informed that the decision was certified
on March 30 wih 5 “for” votes, nobody voted “against”. The proposal
was presented by Chuck Poochigian, the State Senator of California
(Rep., Fresno district), on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide.

ALEXANDER MANASIAN: “LEGAL FACTS BENEFICIAL FOR US FORCED OUT OF POLITICAL PROCESS IN KARABAKH ISSUE”

YEREVAN, APRIL 6, NOYAN TAPAN. The Republic of Nagorno Karabakh was
created in a territory that hadn’t belonged to Azerbaijan. Doctor,
Professor Alexander Manasian, the Chief of the YSU Theoretical
Philosophy Department stated about it at the April 5 meeting with
journalists, emphasizing that this fact, complete from the legal
side, must be observed as the basic one, making the international
norm of nations’ self-determination insignificant. “There is no
doubt that the Karabakh issue is internationally made political:
the problem is that our statesmen have thought since the 90ths that
using political tools means refusal of the legal facts. That’s why
all legal facts beneficial for the Armenian part were forced out of
the political process,” Professor Manasian mentioned. According to
him, both for political reasons and due the strength of the legal
factors, the argument of self-determination must be given less
importance than now. Besides, usage of the principle of nations’
self-determination is fraught with the danger that numerous countries
cannot definitely defend the position of the Armenian party, as they
have similar problems. Alexander Manasian invited one’s attention also
to the circumstance that Azerbaijan has lost moral right to pretend
on Karabakh. According to him, authorities of Baku have conducted
policy of genocide against Armenians of Azerbaijan, among them of
Artsakh during the Soviet years. This policy, obviously or disguised,
has been conducted in the way of economic and political persecutions,
finally being turned into blood-shed conducted in Sumgait. According
to the speaker, Azerbaijan continues the policy of Turkey in the issue
of Genocide: “We ourselves separated it into two issues, separating
the Armenians’ Genocide taken place in the Ottaman Empire from the one
taken place in Azerbaijan, whereas these are two stages of one and the
same Genocide, conducted by two Turkish states on the basis of the same
PanTurkish policy,” Manasian emphasized. According to him, even today,
when Armenians ar e going to mark the 90th anniversary of the Great
Genocide, this question is not raised and the Diaspora implements
lobbing only in the issue of recognition of the 1915 Genocide.

ROBERT KOCHARIAN AND GEDIMINAS KIRKILAS DISCUSS ARMENIAN-LITHUANIAN COOPERATION WITH RESPECT TO ARMED FORCES REFORMES

YEREVAN, APRIL 6, NOYAN TAPAN. The issue of the Armenian-Lithuanian
cooperation with respect to reforms in the armed forces was the key
subject of discussion at the April 6 meeting of RA President Robert
Kocharian with the Minister of National Defence of the Republic of
Lithuania Gediminas Kirkilas. The two sides appreciated the current
level of partnership formed between the defence ministries of the two
countries. According to the Presidential press service, the issue
of Armenia’s European integration was also touched upon. The sides
indicated that Lithuania’s experience of joining the European Union, as
well as its activities as EU member may prove quite useful for Armenia.

REGULAR SITTING OF EU-ARMENIA COOPERATION COUNCIL TO BE HELD IN AUTUMN

YEREVAN, APRIL 6, NOYAN TAPAN. At the April 5 sitting of the commission
on cooperation and partnership between the RA and European communities
and their memeber states, chaired by the commission chairman, RA Prime
Minister Andranik Margarian, the report on the work carried out by
the working groups with the aim of developing a National Program was
discussed. Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy David Avetisian
noted that the European Commission expressed satisfaction at the
progress made by Armenia with respect to developing the National
Program. This assessment was given in February at the Brussels
meeting of the RA government, the EU-funded Armenian-European Policy
and Legal Advice Center (AEPLAC) and high-ranking officials of the
European Commission. The European Commission pledged to provide
additional assistance for this work. According to the RA Government
Information and PR Department, a regular sitting of the EU-Armenia
cooperation council is scheduled in the autumn of 2005. The European
Commission intends to discuss at the session Armenia’s progress in
the development and implementation of the national program of the
Partnership and Cooperation Agreement and to develop its actvities
aimed at assisting the program implementation.

“IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO CHOOSE NEIGHBORS, ONE MUST BE ABLE TO LIVE ALONG WITH THEM:” HERMAN DE CROO

YEREVAN, APRIL 6, NOYAN TAPAN. Armenia is a ship, that has had a
difficult and hard life on waves of history, Herman De Croo, the
Chairman of the Chamber of Representatives of the Kingdom of Belgium
stated at the end of his official visit, at the press-conference
held in Yerevan on April 5. According to the high rank guest,
during the two days of being in Yerevan, the delegation headed by
him came to the conclusion that Armenians realize the fact of their
being Armenian with great pride. “But no matter what kind of beliefs
we have, no matter what religion we have, no matter what kind of
religious beliefs and culture we have, no matter how much we are
proud of ourselves, we cannot live alone, we live in the society,” he
mentioned. Armenia must come to that to be able to become a flexible
and prospering country. Presence of high quality workforce, human
potential can greatly contribute to that. The delegation is in Armenia
with the goal to assist, to help, “sometimes even to give advice ,”
he emphasized. Attaching importance to the South Caucasian region,
the high rank guest mentioned that he was on a visit in Turkey three
months ago, and he will also visit Azerbaijan soon. He expressed a hope
that it will give an opportunity to understand what the situation on
the region is like and what kind of solutions may be reached. Touching
upon the hard relations present among Armenia and its two neighbouring
countries, Turkey and Azerbaijan, De Croo mentioned that, just as in
one’s life, it is impossible to choose neighbours, one must be able
to live along with them. According to him, one may figuratively say
that doors of three neighbouring houses must usually be opened to
a street, but the specifity of the Armenian house is that, during
different historical periods, the door of the last one has been
opened to a neighbour’s garden, and one must be able to come out
to a street through it. He is sure, on the example of his country,
that settlement of issues like this is possible. Belgium has twice
been conquered by Germany only in the 20th century. In 60 years
after the World War II, Belgium and Germany are EU members today,
the use a single currency, and Brussels is presented as the capital
of Europe. According to him, the meetings with authorities of Armenia
showed that they want to solve all issues present in the region by
means of dialogue. Summing up the results of the visit, Herman De
Croo and RA NA Chairman Artur Baghdasarian expressed confidence that
the visit will stimulate cooperation between the two countries both
in the sphere of parliamentary diplomacy and economy, health care,
cultural spheres.

CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS AND DEFENCE MINISTER OF LITHUANIA SPEAK ABOUT ARMENIAN-LITHUANIAN FRIENDLY RELATIONS

ETCHMIADZIN, APRIL 6, NOYAN TAPAN. On April 5 Karekin II, Catholicos
of All Armenians, accompanied by Lieutenant-General Artur Aghabekian,
the RA Deputy Defence Minister, and Monk Norair Simonian, the RA
Army Holy Primate, received in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin
Gediminas Kirkilas, the National Defence Minister of the Republic of
Lithuania, and the delegation headed by him, which was in Armenia on an
official visit. Friendly relations between the two countries, present
cooperation between the Defence Ministries and future programs were
spoken over at the meeting. Catholicos of All Armenians addressed his
condolence to Lithuania’s people, the majority of which are followers
of the Catholic Church, on the death of Pope John Paul II. As Noyan
Tapan was informed from the Mother See Information Centre, church-state
relations in the two countries, as well as spiritual service of the
Armenian Church servicemen in the RA Army were also touched upon at
the meeting.

RA PRIME MINISTER MENTIONS NOTICEABLE PROGRESS IN RESTORATION OF TRADITIONAL CONTACTS BETWEEN LITHUANIA AND ARMENIA

YEREVAN, APRIL 6, NOYAN TAPAN. RA Prime Minister Andranik Margarian
mentioned the noticeable progress in restoration of the traditional
contacts, political and economic relations between Armenia and
Lithuania during the recent years while receiving Gediminas Kirkilas,
Lithuanian National Defence Minister, and delegation headed by him
on April 6. The Prime Minister mentioned that mutual visits at the
highest level also contribute to this. He emphasized the activization
of cooperation especially in the military sphere. According to him,
the current visit of the Lithuanian Minister will also contribute
to activization of the cooperation. Gediminas Kirkilas expressed
his country’s readiness to cooperate with Armenia, especially as,
according to him, Armenia’s progress in development of economy and
integration to the system of European values is noticeable in the
previous years. According to the Press Service of RA government,
the sides emphasized the necessity of activization of the processes
aimed at cooperation in the South Caucasus, establishment of peace
and stability in the region. A.Margarian attached importance to the
balanced policy of Lithuania and other Baltic countries towards South
Caucasian countries in development of cooperation and establishment of
peace and stability in the South Caucasus. In the context of Turkey’s
membership to EU the sides also touched upon the Armenian-Turkish
relations.

DELEGATION HEADED BY RA PRIME MINISTER AND CATHOLICOS OF All ARMENIANS TO ATTEND FUNERAL OF POPE JOHN PAUL II

YEREVAN, APRIL 6, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian governmental
delegation headed by the RA Prime Minister Andranik Margarian
will be in Italy on April 7-9 in order to attend the funeral of
Pope John Paul II. According to the Government Information and
PR Department, the delegation is composed of the RA Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Italy Ruben Shugarian, the
RA Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to France and
Vatican Eduard Nalbandian and the RA Deputy Foreign Minister Armen
Baiburdian. Catholocos of All Armenians Karekin II will also depart
for Rome with the governmental delegation.