PRESS RELEASE
from "Armenian Rights Council of Australia"

6 February 2009

PRESS RELEASE

The Armenian Rights Council of Australia, which is the human rights
advocate branch of the Armenian Democratic Liberal Organisation,
welcomes and is supportive of the Armenian government’s efforts,
at the highest levels, to normalise relations between Armenia and
Turkey. The Armenian Rights Council believes that nations who share
borders must resolve their differences in accordance with
international norms and protocols

The normalisation of relations between Turkey and Armenia should not
be conditional on other issues such as the resolving of the Karabagh
issue or demands by Turkey that the Armenian Government stop pursuing
the international recognition and acknowledgement of the Armenian
Genocide of 1915-1923. The issue of the Armenian Genocide needs to be
resolved through dialogue and negotiations between Turkey, the
Armenian Government in collaboration with representatives of the
Armenian Diaspora.

The Armenian Rights Council supports the acknowledgment of the
Armenian Genocide by the Republic of Turkey and the global
community. We also believe that for true justice to be achieved the
formal recognition by the Republic of Turkey must be accompanied by
non-symbolic measures and initiatives including but not limited to:
the return of the territories making up Western Armenia and granting
Armenia access to the Black sea; compensation for the loss of human
life and property during the period 1915-1923; setting up a joint
commission to restore and preserve Armenian cultural monuments
scattered throughout Turkey.

The Armenian Rights Council believes that reconciliation efforts
between Turkey and Armenia should be conducted at state level and also
between representatives of Diaspora based political parties and
Turkey. Any attempts based on individual initiatives for reconciliation
are naïve and can become counterproductive. While individuals
are free to express their opinions on any specific issue including the
reconciliation efforts between Turks and Armenians, such individuals
need to be mindful that by engaging in such activities, their opinions
could get distorted and used for political purposes to threaten and
compromise the national interests of the Armenian nation.

Armenian Rights Council
Sydney Australia
arcaustralia@hotmail.com