AGBU Europe
131, Rue Stassart,
1050 Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 27 62 67 97
Fax: +32 25 02 62 30
Contact: Anush Nazaryan
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +32 2 762 67 07
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EU News from AGBU Europe
Also in this newsletter:
1.’Security for All’: European Parliament to Vote on EU Policy for South
Caucasus
2.European Union Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Visits
Armenia
3.AGBU Summer 2010 Internship Programs in Moscow and Yerevan
4.AGBU Europe ‘Pro democratia’ Youth Seminar
[1]Is Turkey’s History European Too?
An article in the European Voice by AGBU Europe board member Nicolas Tavitian
On April 22, an article on EU policy towards the Armenian Genocide was printed
in the European Voice magazine. The article coincides with the 95th anniversary
of the Armenian Genocide and makes a case for a change in policy regarding the
EU’s treatment of the issue. To read the article please [2]click here.
EU’s Special Representative for South Caucasus to Speak in Paris at AGBU Europe
The European Union plays an increasing role in the Caucasus and in its
neighborhood. Is the EU able to contribute to the resolution of the Karabakh
conflict and security in the region?
AGBU Europe has invited Peter Semneby, the special representative of the EU
to the South Caucasus to the Alex Manoogian Cultural Center in Paris. The
conference, entitled `The European Union and the Resolution of Karabagh
Conflict’ will take place at 6pm, on 18 May, 2010.
Peter Semneby will answer questions from two journalists: Ara Toranian
(Nouvelles d’Arménie Magazine) and Gaidz Minassian (Le Monde) regarding the the
EU’s role and perspectives for the resolution of the Nagorno Karbagh conflict.
The new issue of `Revue Arménienne des Questions Contemporaines`, dedicated to
the Karabakh conflict will be launched at the conference.
Entrance to the conference is free but registration at the following address
is obligatory: [3][email protected].
Alex Manoogian Cultural Center of AGBU: 118, rue de Courcelles, 75017 Paris.
‘Security for all’ : European Parliament to Vote on EU Policy in South Caucasus
On April 7, 2010 the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs adopted
(with only one vote against and one abstention) a report on `an EU strategy for
the South Caucasus’. The report – proposed by rapporteur Yevgeni Kirilov, MEP,
a member of the Socialist Group in the European Parliament – was substantially
reworked by the committee, with amendments considered and adopted in respect of
most paragraphs, including those concerning the resolution of the Nagorno
Karabakh frozen conflict. The amended resolution will be put to the European
Parliament for a final vote on May 17.
Stepanakert, Nagorno Karabakh
The draft resolution had been criticised for not going far enough to promote
conflict resolution and cooperation in respect of the Karabakh conflict.
The resolution has in particular been amended by MEPs to acknowledge that
interim status for Karabakh could advance peaceful coexistence in the region
and to call on the European Council to explore an EU presence on the ground in
Karabakh, recognising the importance of adequate peace-keeping arrangements and
stressing that security for all is an indispensible element of any settlement.
The resolution also encourages the EU to begin providing aid and information to
Karabakh as in Abkhazia and Ossetia. It welcomes the Armenia-Turkey
rapprochement whilst stressing that the relations between those two
countries and the Karabakh settlement are two separate processes.
In reference to all conflicts in the region, the resolution recognises regional
cooperation as a necessary condition for confidence building and calls on all
parties to fully engage in the multilateral cooperation track of the Eastern
Partnership without linking it to the final solution of the conflicts.
AGBU Europe campaigned for MEPs to support confidence-building measures between
the societies involved, to establish a line of communication with the civil
society of Nagorno Karabakh and to initiate humanitarian assistance in Karabakh
in order to help alleviate poverty and social problems in that small territory.
For further information:
– [4]Draft Report ‘An EU Strategy for the South Caucasus’
[5]- AGBU Europe Campaign for Nagorno Karabakh Homepage
Support AGBU Europe’s campaign for Nagorno Karabakh
Children playing in Stepanakert square, Nagorno Karabakh
– Show your support for AGBU Europe’s campaign for EU aid to Karabakh: [6]join
us on facebook
– You can also contact your member of the European Parliament or support the
campaign financially. Please contact the[7] EU office for further information.
EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Visits
Armenia
In April, the EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy,
Mr Stefan Füle visited the three countries of the South Caucasus. Mr Füle is a
newly appointed Commissioner and this was his first visit to the South Caucasus
region.
On April 6, Mr Füle visited Armenia. The visit of the EU commissioner was a
good opportunity for Armenia to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation between
the two partners. As the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia stated in his
speech `cooperation with the European Union is one of the priorities of
Armenia’s foreign policy agenda’.
Mr Füle welcomed the protocols signed between Armenia and Turkey, encouraging
the two countries to progress with the normalisation process efforts without
any preconditions. In reference to Turkey’s proposed accession to the EU, Mr
Füle said that ‘Good relations with neighbours are very important in the
framework of any country’s entry to the European Union’.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia stated that the European Union is a
reliable political and economic partner for Armenia and that the country
attached special importance to the signing of a free trade agreement,
relaxation of visa requirements and the launch of negotiations on association
agreements. Negotiations on these questions are expected to begin this year.
For his part, Mr Fule, during the human rights forum in Yerevan, mentioned that
respect for human rights, democratic values and the rule of law is and will
remain the crucial element for stability within the European Union and its
neighbourhood. ‘Respect for these principles is an increasingly decisive factor
for determining the level of interaction between the EU and its partner
countries’, said the comissioner.
For further information:
[8]- Commissioner ?tefan Füle on official visit to South Caucasus
[9]An Interview with the president of AGBU Europe
On April 16, 2010, CRIF, France’s foremost Jewish organisation, interviewed
AGBU Europe president Alexis Govciyan. In the interview Mr Govciyan provides an
overview of the AGBU’s work and philosophy and evokes a ‘community of Destiny’
between Armenians and Jews. To read the interview please [10]click here.
AGBU Summer 2010 Internship Programs in Moscow and Yerevan
AGBU is still accepting applications for its 2010 Summer Intern Programs in
Moscow (MSIP) and Yerevan (YSIP). Each program couples professional internship
positions with a variety of educational and cultural activities to provide
students of Armenian descent from around the world with invaluable work
experience and a memorable summer creating life-long bonds with fellow
students.
Moscow
June 26 – July 31
– Largest Armenian diaspora community in the world
– Global hub of trade, commerce, diplomacy and innovation
– Placements in English-language work environments
– Local cultural excursions
– Weekend trip to St. Petersburg exploring Russia´s second city
Yerevan
June 25 – August 6
– Connect with cultural heritage and interact with local peers
– Placements at leading institutions and organisations
– NGO, banking, legal, medical and governmental opportunities
– Educational and cultural events
– Visits to historical monuments throughout Armenia
– Weekend trip to Karabakh
For applications and more information on the Moscow program, please visit,
agbu.org/msip, or email, [11][email protected].
For applications and more information on the Yerevan program, please visit,
agbu.org/ysip, or email, [12][email protected].
AGBU Europe "Pro Democratia" Youth Seminar
AGBU Europe "Pro Democratia – Youth Seminar for Democracy and Civil Society
Reinforcement" will take place in Yerevan from 20-24 May 2010. The 4 day
seminar is funded with the support of the European Commission and will tackle
the themes of Democracy and Civil Society.
Participants will meet Armenian decision makers as well as EU representatives
(EU Delegation in Armenia, Council of Europe in Armenia), work on European
projects encouraging young people’s active participation in society and visit
Yerevan’s main cultural sites.
This event is part of the Goriz programme, an ongoing AGBU Europe initiative to
promote leadership among young Armenians throughout Europe and to help young
leaders develop successful initiatives of community interest.
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the
Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the
information contained therein.
For more information please visit: Goriz
webpage: [13]
AGBU Europe is the European branch of the Armenian General Benevolent Union
(AGBU). Established in 1906, AGBU () is the world’s largest
non-profit Armenian organizatioand serves some 400 000 Armenians worldwide.
You can visit AGBU Europe’s website at:
[14]
As an independent, non governmental organization AGBU Europe is dependent on
the involvement of all those who share its purpose and objectives. Help,
donations and feedback are always welcome. Please contact :
Anush Nazaryan
131, rue de Stassart,
Brussels, Belgium
[15][email protected]
Tel: :+32 27 62 67 97
131, rue Stassart, 1050, Brussels, Belgium. T: + 32 27 62 67 97, F: + 32 25 02
62 30, E: [email protected], W: agbueurope.org
References
1. nians/is-turkish-history-european-too/view
2. nians/is-turkish-history-european-too/view
3. mailto:[email protected]
4. ef=-//EP//NONSGML+COMPARL+PE-430.955+01+DOC+PDF+V0 //EN&language=EN
5.
6.
7. mailto:[email protected]
8. lines/news/2010/04/2010406_2_en.htm
9. y/detail&aid=19803&artyd=11
10. y/detail&aid=19803&artyd=11
11. mailto:[email protected]
12. mailto:[email protected]
13.
14.
15. mailto:[email protected]
This message was sent by: Anush Nazaryan, 131, Stassart street, Brussels, Brussels 1050, Belgium
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