SARGSYAN TALKS KARABAKH, TURKEY AT LONDON THINK TANK
by Emil Sanamyan

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Friday February 12, 2010

President in UK for Armenian fundraiser hosted by British Royals

Washington – Armenia’s President Serge Sargsyan and Catholicos of All
Armenians Karekin II attended an unprecedented Armenian fundraising
event hosted by Prince Charles at the Windsor Castle on February 10.

Earlier the same day, President Sargsyan was received by Queen
Elizabeth II at the Buckingham Palace.

During his London trip, Pres. Sargsyan also attended the opening of
Arshile Gorky exhibit at Tate Modern museum, met with British Foreign
Minister David Miliband and spoke at Chatham House, a think tank.

West shares responsibility for Caucasus security Speaking at the
Chatham House, formerly known as the Royal Institute of International
Affairs, President Sargsyan recalled the predicament Karabakh Armenians
faced in the early 1990s.

"Over 20 years ago in Karabakh, a whole people found themselves
facing the threat of extermination only because of being Armenian
and wanting to live free," the president stressed as he discussed
the conflict that is "a vital cause for the Armenian people [and]
a problem that has inflicted unspeakable pain and losses to my people."

He noted the importance of finding solutions to the conflict "the
implementation of which will not lead to further displacement and
ethnic cleansing" and the impossibility of Karabakh’s "colonization"
by Azerbaijan.

Mr. Sargsyan also pointed to the dangerous military build-up by
Azerbaijan and the Western states’ share of responsibility for making
it happen.

"While spending large sums on purchases of oil, the advanced states,
in my opinion, cannot remain indifferent to how their moneys are
being spent," the president warned. "Even if not used in a war
against Karabakh, the weapons Azerbaijan is stockpiling today will
shoot somewhere."

Aliyev invited to would-be Armenia-Turkey border opening In his
Chatham House speech, Pres. Sargsyan noted that he would be formally
transmitting the protocols on normalization of relations with Turkey
to parliament for ratification. But he also reiterated the position
that Armenia would wait for the Turkish parliament to ratify first.

While flying over Turkish territory on his way to the United Kingdom
Pres. Sargsyan sent a message to Turkish president Abdullah Gul calling
on him to take a "decisive step forward" to normalize relations.

In his response, the Turkish president reiterated his commitment to
normalization, but made no specific commitments regarding ratification
of the protocols. Turkish leaders have ruled out ratification without
what they would judge to be progress over Karabakh.

In London, Pres. Sargsyan said that a successful completion of
Armenia-Turkey normalization process would positively contribute to
the Karabakh peace process and that he would invite Azerbaijan’s
President Ilham Aliyev "to a potential opening ceremony of the
Armenian-Turkish border."

But "if, as many suspect, it is proven that Turkey’s goal is to
protract [the process], rather than to normalize relations, we will
have to discontinue the process," Pres. Sargsyan concluded.

(See page 17 of the Armenian Reporter’s pdf edition for the full text
of the remarks.)

Royal family embraces Yerevan preservation According to the
London-based Eurasia House, a think tank led by former Armenian Prime
Minister Armen Sarkissian, the Windsor Castle fundraising event was
dedicated to preservation and renovation of four historic buildings
in Yerevan, a project dubbed "Yerevan my love," as well as an 18th
century Dumphries House in Scotland.

"Our goal is to preserve historically significant architectural and
cultural heritage and to engender urban development that focuses on
community building," Mr. Sarkissian explained in a press release.

Mr. Sarkissian, who has been working closely with Prince Charles and
his charities, was the event’s initiator.

While there have been no reports about funds pledges at press time,
the evening was due to begin with a classical concert featuring
Valery Gergiev, general director of Russia’s Mariinsky Theatre
and principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, Dariga
Nazarbayeva, mezzo-soprano and influential political figure in
Kazakhstan, Mikhail Simonyan, a New York-based violinist, and the
London Philharmonia conducted by Sergey Smbatyan of the National
Youth Orchestra of Armenia.

According to the Eurasia House, the "Yerevan My Love" project
involves the reconstruction and restoration of four historically and
architecturally significant buildings: two of them in Yerevan’s Kond
district and two in the city center.

Once completed and fully furnished, one of the Kond buildings will
be used to house a kindergarten for deaf and mute children and youth
from socially deprived families and the other will serve as a center
for single mothers with children.

The other two buildings in Yerevan city center will become a school for
the study of ethnographic instruments for socially and economically
deprived children and youth. The school will be run by master duduk
player Jivan Gasparyan.

The reconstructed buildings and the programs housed in them will be
put under administration and management of the Armenian Church.