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10/19/2004
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1) Christofias Emphasizes Turkey’s Pre EU Need to Recognize Genocide
2) ARF Europe Decides to Step up Lobbying Prior to EC Meeting
3) Cyprus Lists Conditions for Turkey’s EU Bid
4) First European Armenian Convention Attracts Hundreds, Features Leading
European Union Experts
5) The Christian Presence in Jerusalem in Jeopardy Declared His Holiness
Aram I
6) Putin, Aliyev Discuss Karabagh
1) Christofias Emphasizes Turkey’s Pre EU Need to Recognize Genocide
YEREVAN (Armenpress/CNA)–The president of the House of Representatives of
Cyprus, Demetris Christofias, announced during a press conference in Armenia
that Turkey should fulfill specific criteria set forth by the European Union
before negotiations begin on its entry into the European body. Examples of
such
criteria, stressed Christofias, are Turkey’s recognition of the Armenian
genocide, as well as its recognition of all EU member states, including
Cyprus,
and its extension of EU customs union to Cyprus.
At a joint press conference, Armenia’s National Assembly President Arthur
Baghdasarian and his Cypriot counterpart Christofias reinforced their similar
views on issues of common concern, along with a full understanding of the
other’s positions.
Baghdasaryan said relations between Cyprus and Armenia must intensify, and
iterated Armenia’s support to Cyprus in its effort to settle its political
problem with Turkey.
Noting the similarity in the history of the two peoples, Christofias said,
“We
are victimized peoples who, through their struggle to survive, have
developed a
high sense of solidarity and love for the individual and of justice.”
The Cypriot parliamentary delegation, which began its a three-day visit to
Armenia on Tuesday, also met with President Robert Kocharian.
Among the issues discussed were their willingness to boost relations, and
concerns about Turkey’s drive to become an EU member before honoring its
assumed obligations.
2) ARF Europe Decides to Step up Lobbying Prior to EC Meeting
YEREVAN (Yerkir)–Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) representatives from
throughout Europe gathered in Brussels on October 17 for their regional
convention, which focused on critical political developments in the region.
Convention representatives from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, France,
Greece, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, and the United Kingdom primarily
addressed the role of Europe’s Armenian community in influencing regional
politics with Turkey aspiring to join the European Union.
The ARF has been actively working to ensure that Turkey accession into the EU
be contingent on its fulfillment of a number of conditions.
The convention decided to step up lobbying efforts before the December 17
meeting of the European Council, which will finalize the date for Turkey’s EU
accession talks.
The delegates also pointed to the need for collaboration throughout Europe on
October 17 to oppose Turkey EU bid.
3) Cyprus Lists Conditions for Turkey’s EU Bid
ANKARA (AFP)–Cyprus will back the opening of European Union accession talks
with Turkey if Ankara makes several gestures to the Greek Cypriot government
which it does not recognize, Cypriot Foreign Minister George Iacovou said in a
newspaper interview on Sunday.
Iacovou said his government would not block Turkey’s bid when EU leaders take
up the issue in December if Ankara agrees to allow Greek Cypriot ships and
planes to use Turkish sea ports and air corridors and acknowledges Cyprus
as an
equal EU member.
“The Cyprus republic does not wish to use its veto right,” the minister told
the popular Turkish daily Sabah.
“But in order to escape such an unpleasant situation, Turkey should fulfill
the responsibilities I mentioned or at least make a binding statement that it
will do so by the time accession talks start, if it fails to fulfill them by
December,” he said.
The leaders of the 25 EU nations will decide on December 17 whether to start
membership talks with Turkey, an official candidate since 1999.
The European Commission, the EU executive arm, said earlier this month that
the Muslim nation had fulfilled the required democracy norms and recommended
the inauguration of talks.
The hostilities between Ankara and Nicosia stem from the three-decade
division
of Cyprus between its Turkish and Greek communities.
Turkey has maintained thousands of troops in the breakaway Turkish Cypriot
north of the island since 1974 when it invaded the enclave with the stated aim
of protecting its kinsmen against a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at uniting the
island with Greece.
An international initiative to end the conflict failed in April when the
Greek
Cypriots voted down a UN reunification plan, while the Turkish Cypriots, long
seen as an obstacle to any settlement, overwhelmingly endorsed it.
The outcome ensured that the internationally-recognized Greek Cypriot south
joined the EU on May 1, leaving the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north out in the
cold.
Ankara has rebuffed calls to recognize the Greek Cypriot government, arguing
that it bears the responsibility for the failure of the UN peace plan.
4) First European Armenian Convention Attracts Hundreds, Features Leading
European Union Experts
BRUSSELS–In a landmark event that brought over two hundred and fifty Armenian
advocacy leaders from more than fifteen European nations, the European
Armenian
Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD) held the opening day of the first
ever Convention of European Armenians in the European Parliament building in
Brussels, Belgium on October 18.
The Convention, which takes place at a critical time for the more than two
million Armenians living in the European Union, provided a forum for scholarly
discussion, rigorous debate, and consensus-building on the role of Armenian
culture and identity within Europe, the implications of Turkey’s candidacy for
the European Union, and the expansion of the EU’s “neighborhood” to include
the
countries of the Caucasus. The opening day program, which included the first
two of the Convention’s sessions, featured presentations by senior European
policy-makers, intellectuals, and community leaders. Each presentation, which
was simultaneously translated in French, English, and Armenian, was
followed by
a question and answer session. The day’s events ended with a reception in the
European Parliament building.
Welcoming Remarks
The Convention opened with remarks from Francis Wurtz, (Member of European
Parliament–European United Left), the Chairman of the European Parliament
host
committee for this program. His remarks were followed by Ruben Shugarian, the
Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Armenia, whose responsibilities
include Armenian diplomacy toward Europe and the Western Hemisphere. A welcome
speech was made by EAFJD Chairperson Hilda Tchoboian, who followed her remarks
by inviting Toros Sagherian, the Chairman of the Forum of Armenian
Associations
of Europe, to offer his thoughts to those in attendance. Messages of support
were read from the His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of all Armenians, His
Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House Cilicia, and His Beatitude
Nerses Bedros, XIX Patriach of Armenians Catholics.
Armenian Culture And Identity in Europe
The first session covered the issue of “Armenian Culture and Identity in
Europe,” a topic of pressing concern to community leaders committed to seeing
the Armenian contribution to Europe fully recognized and appreciated. The four
member panel was chaired by Alexis Govciyan, the Chairman of “Europe de la
Memoire.” The discussion started with a presentation, titled “The European
Linguistic Policy: Commission’s Planning 2004-2006,” by Jacques Delmoly, the
Head of the Language Policy Unit in the European Commission’s Directorate
General. He stressed the importance the Commission places on promoting a
favorable climate for the learning of languages based on a policy of
linguistic
diversity in an environment of integration. He spent considerable time
explaining the role of the Armenian language–which he cited as an official
European minority language–within this system of language education.
Delmoly’s official perspective on Armenian language education was followed by
Haroutioun Kurkjian, an Athens-based author of Armenian language text books.
After reviewing the context in which the Armenian community has evolved within
Europe, Kurkjian, in his presentation on “The Armenian Culture and the
European
Union,” stressed the need for the European Union to create a favorable
environment for multiculturalism, one that is conducive for the development of
Armenian language and culture. He noted his dissatisfaction with the
failure of
schools and the media to sufficiently propagate the Armenian language, and
called for the European Armenian community to undertake the gradual “cultural
rearming” of the Armenian diaspora.
The third speaker on the first panel was Prof. Mihran Dabag, the Director of
the Institute of Diasporas and Genocide at Bochum University in Germany. His
comments, titled “The Armenian Experience in the Context of European Policies
of Remembrance,” examined European attitudes and policies dealing with the
Armenian genocide and other aspects of Armenian history within the context of
traditional and modern European models of remembrance. He noted that Europe’s
remembrance has not normally been understood as including the Armenian
genocide, despite the fact that this crime falls well within the European
experience on a number of fronts. The Armenian genocide should be
recognized as
part of European history, he argued, not simply as an element of the
Turkish-Armenian relationship. Prof. Dabag cited the new Turkish Penal Code,
which criminalizes discussion of the Armenian genocide, as a prime example of
Turkey’s refusal to come to terms with this matter. Europe, he said, needs to
provide a political answer to the political issue of Turkey’s genocide of the
Armenian nation. Moving beyond the genocide issue, he stressed that the
Armenian community must make concerted efforts to create a framework that will
ensure that Armenian literature is accepted by Europeans as part of their own
tradition.
The final speaker in the first panel was Jules Mardirossian, Chairman of the
Armenian Studies, Information, and Documentation Center in France. The
comments
by this long-time intellectual and community leader were on the theme of “New
Identities, Political Challenges, and the Issue of Transfer of Culture.” In
his
presentation, Mardirossian explored the transformation of individual and
collective identity and values of Armenians in Europe. Starting with a
theoretical discussion of the nature of identity, he then described the
reality
of the post-modern, traditional, and transitional models of Armenian community
identity today. Mardirossian ended his sweeping review of the identity
challenges and opportunities facing the Armenians of Europe with the insight
that culture without politics cannot survive, while politics without
culture is
sterile.
Questions for the first panel included requests for additional insights into
how to secure EU funding for Armenian language education, the potential
loss of
the Melkonian School as a center of diasporan education, and the broader
neglect of identity building outside of Armenia. A spirited exchange on these
issues lasted an hour, and was only adjourned to make time for the group to
break for lunch.
EU-Armenia Relations
The second session, chaired by EAFJD Executive Director Laurent Leylekian,
moved the focus of discussion from Armenian identity within the Europe to the
EU’s relations with Armenia. This topic began with insights from Marie-Anne
Isler-Beguin, the Chairwoman of the EU-South Caucasus delegation. As the point
person in the European Parliament on engagement with Armenia and its Caucasus
neighbors, Isler-Beguin began by noting the EU’s concern about the Armenian
Cause, and stressing her appreciation of the fact that the concerns raised by
Armenians about Turkey’s candidacy are founded in fact. While noting that the
EU should use its leverage over Turkey’s entry to bring an end to the blockade
of Armenia, she added that she believed that, in time, Turkey would accept its
past and mutual interests would prevail over mutual hostility. On the topic of
EU-Armenia relations, Isler-Begiun stated that European institutions would
welcome progress by the Caucasus countries toward the EU family. She
specifically expressed encouragement about Armenia’s acceptance into the EU’s
new neighborhood program, the values that the EU and Armenia share, and the
prospect for continued cooperation between Europe and Armenia on specific
projects.
The second speaker, Vicken Tchitetchian, who serves as Armenia’s
Ambassador to
the European Union, provided an in-depth review of the current status and
future prospects for expanded EU-Armenia relations. He pointed out that
European integration was not being imposed from the outside, but rather sought
by the Armenian government, which is moving this process forward in a
realistic
and practical manner. Amb. Tchitetchian stressed that Armenia has made
progress
in its key areas of reform, despite the fact that its neighbor to the West has
sought, using the last closed border in Europe, to hinder its progress at
every
turn.
Also presenting as part of the second panel was Vahan Zanoyan, the CEO of the
Petroleum Finance Corporation and a world-renowned expert on international
energy issues. Zanoyan reviewed the history and current status of the
Baku-Tiblisi-Ceyhan pipeline and its implications for Armenia. He focused on
two pressing challenges for backers of the pipeline, namely financing, which
has largely been resolved via multilateral agencies, and the sufficiency of
oil
throughput for the line’s viability, which remains an open question. He then
spent considerable time offering his insights on the geopolitics of the
pipeline and its impact on Armenia and the region.
Richard Tibbels, the Armenian Desk Officer of the European Commission’s
Directorate General, offered a presentation on “EU-Armenia relations:
Challenges and Opportunities.” Tibbels, who works on a daily basis with the
Armenian government, stressed that Armenia has made considerable progress
across a number of reform areas–including alignment with European legal
standards, membership in the World Trade Organization, and in its poverty
reduction efforts. He also pointed out areas for improvement including the
conduct of the 2003 presidential elections, respect for human rights, and the
need to address income disparity and corruption as the economy grows stronger.
The neighborhood program is not a gateway to prospective EU membership, but
nor
does it, he explained, in any way close the door to future participation in
the
European Union. Tibbels closed by noting the critical role that Europe’s
Armenian community plays in bringing the EU and Armenia closer together.
The next presentation began with an announcement by Amb. Tchitetchian that
the
speaker–Demetrio Volcic–had been awarded the “Mkhitar Gosh” award in
recognition of his support for the rule of law and the virtue of justice.
Volcic, a former member of the European Parliament, noted that the EU has
adopted a new pattern of thinking about areas on its borders. The EU, he said,
can no longer afford to ignore the Caucasus region, and should devote
increasing attention to Turkey’s policies toward Armenia.
Volcic was followed by Armand Sarian, a noted economist from France, who
spoke
on the topic of “Economic Relations between Armenia and the EU.” Sarian began
by noting the economic importance of this relationship, on issues ranging from
investment to foreign aid. He stressed the progress Armenia has made on
economic issues, despite its lack of resources, the near total orientation of
its economy to Soviet markets, the 1988 earthquake, and the ongoing Turkish
and
Azerbaijani blockades. He underscored the need to continue Armenia’s
growth, to
foster the conditions for peace, and to make Armenia increasingly
attractive to
outside investors.
The final speaker of the day was Prof. Otto Luchterhandt, who teaches
International Law at the University of Hamburg. In his remarks, he outlined a
compelling historical and legal case for Karabagh’s right to
self-determination. In addition, he sharply criticized the EU’s inconsistency
in identifying serious shortcoming in Turkey’s willingness to meet clear
European standards, while still recommending that Turkey begin talks toward
eventual membership. He stated his strong opposition to any actions by the EU
that position it as a neutral party in the matter of the Armenian genocide.
The
proper role for the EU, he argued, is in the morally correct position of
pressing Turkey to come to terms with this crime.
During the discussion period, Deputy Foreign Minister Shugarian repeated a
point he had made several weeks earlier that Turkey’s recognition of the
Armenian genocide represents a security issue for the Republic of Armenia.
Other topics raised in questions included whether the EU was fully using its
leverage to press Turkey to meet international norms domestically and in its
conduct with neighboring states. Other issues for discussion included
Armenia’s
economic integration with Europe and the need for a differentiated EU approach
to the Caucasus countries based on the merits of their respective progress in
economic and political reforms.
Additional news about the second day of the Convention will be forthcoming.
The EAFJD represents more than 300 Armenian organizations in Europe.
5) The Christian Presence in Jerusalem in Jeopardy Declared His Holiness
Aram I
ANTELIAS–Referring to the recent attack of a Yeshiva student on Armenian
Archbishop in Jerusalem Nourhan Manougian, His Holiness Aram I stated, “The
news coming from the Christian quarter of Jerusalem is worrying and
disturbing.
The Churches and Christians in Jerusalem are increasingly witnessing the kind
of incidents and situations which clearly indicate the existence of a well
planned Israeli policy of Judiazation of Jerusalem. In fact, different
manifestations of this policy are forcing the Christians to migration. It is a
fact that the numerical size of Christian communities is very much reduced and
the activities of the churches are becoming limited.”
Expressing his deep concern about this situation, His Holiness Aram I
declared, “We cannot remain silent and indifferent in view of these attempts
aimed at de-Christianization of Jerusalem. Jerusalem has been the
birthplace of
Christianity. Its Christian identity must be preserved. The right and
privileges of all religious communities must be protected. Jerusalem must
become a city of dialogue, tolerance, and peace. The Judiazation of Jerusalem
will greatly harm the peace process in the region. Therefore, we urgently
appeal to the international community to take this matter very seriously. More
than at any time, at this critical point of the history of humanity, mutual
respect, and tolerance between religions, nations, and communities must
constitute the firm bases of all societies.”
6) Putin, Aliyev Discuss Karabagh
MOSCOW (AzerTag)–Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his Azeri
counterpart Ilham Aliyev in Moscow on Tuesday, to discuss bilateral trade and
political issues, including the Mountainous Karabagh conflict.
Aliyev expressed hoped that Russia, as a co-chair of the OSCE [Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe] Minsk Group [on Mountainous Karabagh]
would make serious efforts to settle the Karabagh conflict.
Putin welcomed the continuation of presidential meetings between Armenia and
Azerbaijan related to Karabagh, and said that Russia stands ready to render
active assistance in finding an acceptable settlement to the conflict.
“Russia welcomes continuation of Azeri-Armenian dialogue at various levels,
primarily at the top level, and is prepared to render active assistance to the
sides involved in the conflict–both bilaterally and as a co-chairman of the
OSCE Minsk Group, in the search for a mutually acceptable solution and to act
as guarantor of the prospective accord,” a Russian presidential administration
official pointed out.
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