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02/10/2005
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1) Armenian Businessman Denies Turkish Newspaper Report
2) Famous Turkish Author Urges Recognition of Turkish Atrocities
3) Turkey Ignores Armenian Calls for Joint Renovation of Historical Monuments
4) Absenteeism in Armenian Parliament

1) Armenian Businessman Denies Turkish Newspaper Report

YEREVAN (Armenpress)–Arsen Ghazarian, the chairman of the Union of
Manufacturers and Businessmen, denied reports by the Turkish newspaper Zaman
that he, along with the head of the Youth Party of Armenia Sarkis Asatrian,
met
on Wednesday with Ankara Trade Chamber president Sinan Aygun in Ankara.
According to Zaman, Aygun told the two Armenians that turning incidents of
the
past into a blood feud brings no benefit. “Now, Turkey is a democratic country
and we have forgotten these incidents,” he was quoted as saying.
But Ghazarian, on Thursday, adamantly denied that a delegation visited
Turkey,
much less met with Aygun. “The report in Zaman is another concoction of the
Turkish press and it is not the first instance when I have to deny its
reports.
This proves, once again, that one should not take seriously what Turkish
newspapers write,” he said.
Zaman, meanwhile, quoted Asatryan as saying that Armenians do not want
anybody
to intervene in Turkey-Armenia relations: “Third countries like the United
States, France, Azerbaijan, Uruguay, and China should not intervene in
relations between Turkey and Armenia.”

2) Famous Turkish Author Urges Recognition of Turkish Atrocities

ISTANBUL (Combined Sources)–In Turkey’s Hurriyet newspaper, renowned Turkish
author Orhan Pamuk discussed the necessity to speak truthfully of the massacre
of one million Armenians and 30,000 Kurds.
“This topic should stop being taboo,” Pamuk stressed. He said that though
many
avoid discussion of the topic, he is ready to speak.
“State leaders consider that there is no need to address it, as there is a
problem in relations with Armenia… I am not interested in the issue of state
relations with Armenia. Many people were annihilated here,” he said.
In his latest book, Snow, Pamuk deals with the theme of clashes between
civilizations and the role of Islam. A young Turk named Kerim Alakusoglu
returns to Istanbul for his mother’s funeral. In a dangerous political
atmosphere, the truth concerning Kerim and the snow-covered old world city of
Kars is revealed.
Pamuk, one of Turkey’s leading novelists, began to write regularly in 1974.
Five of his books have been published in English: Beyaz Kale (The White
Castle,
1991), Kara Kitap (The Black Book, 1995), Yeni Hayat (New Life, 1997), My Name
Is Red (2001), and Snow (2004). His work has been translated into more than
twenty languages.
Though Pamuk’s views have been condemned by various circles in Turkey,
Turkish
historian Hilal Berktay, praised Pamuk as an honest and decent intellectual
for
having the courage to address an issue many avoid.
Berktay recalls similar criticism when he expressed his views on the Armenian
genocide, in 2001.
“I think that we must get rid of the taboos that surround the events of
1915,”
Berktay had written in the French weekly L’Express, adding, “For decades
Turkish public opinion has been lulled to sleep by the same lullaby. And yet
there are tons of documents proving the sad reality.”
“As more and more honest and sincere historians and public intellectuals of
integrity keep speaking up, this dam will be breached, this dam of silence
will
be breached…this will be a fundamental dimension of internal democratization
of Turkish society,” Berktay said.

3) Turkey Ignores Armenian Calls for Joint Renovation of Historical Monuments

YEREVAN (Armenpress)–Armenia’s Culture Ministry revealed on Wednesday that
Turkey has not responded to Armenian initiatives to create a cultural corridor
between the medieval Armenian city of Ani (now in Eastern Turkey, close to the
Armenian border) and Armenia.
Although the idea was put forth in 2001 by various international
organizations, including UNESCO, only a verbal agreement has been reached so
far.
Ani, the ancient, walled capital of the kings from the Bagradit dynasty who
ruled Armenia from the 9-11 centuries AD, was in its heyday a millennium ago
and a rival to Constantinople, Baghdad, and Cairo. Despite earthquakes and
Mongol raids, much of Ani’s immense, fortified walls, as well as the city’s
citadel, caravansary, cathedral, and six churches still stand well preserved,
their stone facades a testament to a well-developed level of craftsmanship.
Today, Ani is a ghost town, deserted except for the presence of Turkish border
guards and the occasional tourists.
“Making Ani a cultural center remains a focus of Armenia’s foreign policy, as
Armenia is firmly committed to improved relations with Turkey; cultural
dialogue is one of ways to do this,” deputy minister of culture Gagik Gurjian
said.
The ministry has forwarded to Turkey’s cultural ministry, proposals on joint
Armenian-American excavations in Akhtamar and Van, and a draft for continuing
research; however, both proposals have remained unanswered.
According to Gurjian, Turkey has appealed to the European Parliament to
provide funding for the restoration of several monuments in Eastern Anatolia,
including the ancient Armenian cities of Van and Igdir. If funding is
approved,
the Armenian ministry would attempt to include Armenian monuments in these
regions involved in the project.

4) Absenteeism in Armenian Parliament

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–Widespread absenteeism among fellow lawmakers nearly
disrupted the start of the National Assembly’s spring session on Wednesday.
The 131-member assembly was forced to delay a planned debate by two hours
after failing to make a quorum in the morning. It was also largely deserted on
Tuesday, even though its electronic voting system indicated the presence of
more than 66 deputies.
Deputy parliament speaker Vahan Hovhannisian said, “Many deputies have had
their sense of responsibility weakened or simply lack it. They just don’t come
to work.”
The spring session began on Monday in the absence of parliament speaker Artur
Baghdasarian and several other deputies of the Orinats Yerkir Party, who are
currently accompanying Baghdasarian on an official visit to several Gulf Arab
states and will not be back until Friday.
Also contributing to poor attendance is the continuing boycott of parliament
sessions by 23 deputies representing the National Assembly’s two opposition
factions. The Artarutyun bloc and the National Unity Party (AMK) had earlier
indicated that they will end the year-long boycott if President Robert
Kocharian and his loyal parliament majority accept their proposals on
constitutional reform. The presidential camp effectively rejected those
conditions last week.
“The Artarutyun alliance, therefore, finds its participation in parliament
sessions pointless,” a spokeswoman for the bloc said.
Hovannisian, meanwhile, called for tougher sanctions against absenteeism. The
parliament’s existing regulations already stipulate that a deputy who fails to
take part in most parliament votes during a semi-annual session can be
stripped
of their mandate.
The provision could have been applied to the boycotting parliamentarians;
however, the majority has so far avoided enforcing it.

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