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1) Armenian Victories Celebrated at Sardarabad
2) Ankara under Fire over Armenian Conference Cancellation
3) Karabagh FM Rules out Resolution to Conflict without Popular Consent
4) German Opposition Leader Wants Turkey to Improve Ties with Armenia

1) Armenian Victories Celebrated at Sardarabad

YEREVAN (Yerkir)–The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Supreme Body of
Armenia marked the 87th anniversary of the May 28, 1918 Armenian Independence
Day at the Sardarabad Museum and Memorial.
In his opening remarks, Supreme Body representative Armen Rustamian said,
`May
is our symbol of unity. The ARF is marking the victories this nation has
won in
the battles of Avarair, Sardarapat and Shushi, as well as the victory in the
Great Patriotic War in a unique way–in open-air celebrations… Another display
of such unity will take place on May 28 around Mount Aragats,” Rustamian
said.
Armavir governor Albert Heroyan, in turn, said, “About 3,500 Armenians have
shed their blood here to create an independent Armenia.”
“Sardarabad is an unforgettable page of our history, and every Armenian feels
stronger here,” Lavrenti Barseghian, director of the Genocide and Sardarabad
museums said, addressing the crowd.

2) Ankara under Fire over Armenian Conference Cancellation

(AFP/EUObserver)–Turkey came under fire Thursday for halting a landmark
conference questioning the official line on the mass killings of Armenians
under the Ottoman Empire, as European Union diplomats warned that Ankara’s
democratic credentials had taken a serious blow.
Istanbul’s prestigious Bogazici University, where the gathering was to open
Wednesday, put off the event after Justice Minister Cemil Cicek accused the
participants–Turkish academics and intellectuals who dispute Ankara’s version
of the 1915-1917 massacres–of “treason.” Cicek condemned the initiative as “a
stab in the back to the Turkish nation” and said the organizers deserved to be
prosecuted.
The Genocide, one of the most controversial episodes in Ottoman history, is
rarely discussed in schools and the aborted conference would have been the
first by Turkish personalities to question the official stand on the events.
Several countries have recognized the massacres as genocide–a theory Turkey
fiercely rejects–and Brussels has urged Ankara to face its past and expand
freedom of speech.
“The remarks of the justice minister are unacceptable. This is an
authoritarian approach raising questions over Turkey’s reform process,” a
diplomat from an EU country said on the condition of anonymity.
“Now it is a real watershed. We expect government action to correct Cicek’s
remarks,” he said. “It’s up to the government to decide what to do. Doing
nothing would be also a choice, but certainly not in favor of Turkey’s EU
membership prospects.”
`Since Çiçek delivered his remarks under his title of justice minister and
government spokesman at Parliament, the bloc would accept his remarks as the
Turkish government’s position towards freedom of expression,’ one EU diplomat
emphasized.
Another EU diplomat regretted the postponement of the conference because it
“would have reflected the evolution taking place in Turkish society.” The
EU is
looking forward for the conference to be rescheduled, he said, adding: “The
Europeans will keep on insisting that civil society has a great role to
play in
Turkey.”
The Turkish media too lashed out at the justice minister, saying his outburst
cast a pall on freedom of expression in the country and played into the hands
of a mounting Armenian campaign to have the massacres recognized
internationally as genocide.
“Zero tolerance to freedom,” the Radikal daily trumpeted on its front page,
while Milliyet’s headline declared: “Democracy takes a blow.”
“What, really, is treason? To hold a conference in order to start a debate in
Turkey on a Turkish problem debated almost everywhere in the world, or to
brand
as ‘traitors’ people who may think differently at a time when Turkey is waging
a battle for democracy in the face of many obstacles?” wrote columnist Murat
Celikkan in Radikal.
“Cemil Cicek should resign as justice minister and if does not, he should be
forced to do so,” he said.
The EU expressed regret concerning “the mixed messages” coming from Turkey.
“We are aware of the tragedy in 1915. We hope that now, thanks to the EU
prospect it will be possible to create a climate of confidence with the
Armenians,” a spokesperson for the European Commission said.
This is why “we expect that such a seminar will be held in the future, as the
academic point of view is highly valuable when discussing these historical
issues,” she added.
However, the spokesperson declined to speculate on possible consequences for
the launch of EU talks, due on October 3.
“A clear agreement on starting the talks was reached by the Council [member
states], the decision was taken at the highest political level,” she said.
“The European Commission continues to monitor the situation and will issue a
statement in its next [enlargement] report on Turkey,” the spokesperson
concluded.
Some countries, particularly France, which has a large Armenian population,
have pushed for a tough line on Turkey in regards to Armenia.
The EU has said it wants to see Turkey improve ties with neighboring Armenia
before it begins EU entry talks later this year. Some European officials have
gone further, saying Turkey must acknowledge wrongdoing before starting talks.
“This strengthens the hand of those outside Turkey who say, ‘Turkey has not
changed, it is not democratic enough to discuss the Armenian issue,'” said
Hrant Dink, editor of the Armenian weekly Agos and a conference participant.
“It also shows there is a difference between what the government says and its
intentions.”

3) Karabagh FM Rules out Resolution to Conflict without Popular Consent

STEPANAKERT (PanArmenian.Net)–Mountainous Karabagh Republic’s (MKR) foreign
minister Arman Melikian said it is premature to speculate about the outcome of
the meeting between Armenian and Azeri Presidents, held last week in Warsaw.
`The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs consider that there is progress; the foreign
ministers also speak of possible progress. But nothing is obvious yet,’
Melikian said during an interview aired on Karabagh public TV.
`It should be understood, however, that control over the territories is the
business of the MKR authorities, and any developments or any preliminary
agreement cannot be put into practice without the consent and participation of
the people of Karabagh,’ he stressed.
Melikian advised remaining calm concerning possible outcomes, and advised:
`There are merely mutually optimistic statements. If these are grounded, it is
not so bad.’

4) German Opposition Leader Wants Turkey to Improve Ties with Armenia

(RFE/RL)–Germany’s top opposition leader who is tipped to defeat Chancellor
Gerhard Schroeder in upcoming parliamentary elections urged Turkey on Thursday
to improve its strained relations with Armenia before starting accession talks
with the European Union.
Reuters news agency quoted Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leader Angela
Merkel as saying that “time is ripe” for Turkey to establish direct relations
with Armenia. She said the Turkish government should also clarify its
stance on
Cyprus before the start of the accession talks on October 3.
The CDU, which is strongly opposed to Turkish membership in the EU, is the
main sponsor of a draft resolution by the German parliament, the Bundestag,
that calls on Turkey to “take historic responsibility” for the Armenian
genocide.
Although the declaration, which is expected to be formally adopted by the
Bundestag next month, stops short of calling the mass killings genocide, it
has
been strongly condemned by Ankara. In a statement last February, Turkey’s
ambassador to Germany accused the CDU of acting as a “spokesman for fanatical
Armenian nationalism.”

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