Author: Basmajian Ani

OSKANIAN ISSUES STATEMENT ON ARMENIA-TURKEY PROTOCOLS FREEZE

By Asbarez
Apr 26th, 2010
YEREVAN

Through his Civilitas Foundation, former Armenian Foreign Minister
Vartan Oskanian issued his perspective on the recent suspension of
the Armenia-Turkey protocols. We present his statement below:

It was clear from the beginning that a prolonged presentation of the
desirable as real is not sustainable, and that the government would
have to finally acknowledge reality.

I am astonished by two things, however. First, the government is
openly acknowledging that for one whole year they watched as Turkey
placed preconditions before them, Turkey exploited the process for
its own benefit, and they not only tolerated this, but continuously
insisted that this is not happening and that this whole process is
a big success and an unprecedented diplomatic victory.

Second, if there were half a dozen possible exit strategies from
this situation – from doing nothing to revoking Armenia’s signature –
the government has chosen the option least beneficial to us. Turkey
no longer has an obligation to open the border before the Karabakh
conflict is resolved which is what Turkey had wanted all along. The
Armenian side did that which is most desirable for Turkey: neither
ratified the protocols nor revoked them thus giving Turkey the
opportunity to continue to remain actively engaged in the Karabakh
process.

For a whole year, the authorities rejected the problems in the
Armenia-Turkey process and responded to all criticism by insisting
that all is well. Today, in fact, we see that they did understand
that things were not proceeding as desired, yet they prolonged the
process for more than a year, hoping that it would be possible to
avoid accepting the truthfulness of the criticism.

Today, I want to invite attention to the fact that the same problems
are inherent in the Karabakh process. In response to my criticism,
they continue to insist that all is well, and there are no dangerous
developments.

But this is no time to gloat. Nor is this about stubbornly insisting
on the absolute truthfulness of one’s own position. The facts cannot
be ignored. The negotiations are proceeding unfavorably. The situation
must be corrected, even if that requires making clear policy changes.

The government must boldly assess the situation, and acknowledge its
seriousness so that we will not find ourselves in the same situation
regarding Karabakh.

But for that, there first must be acknowledgment and acceptance that
there are in fact problems, there must be an attempt to identify their
root causes, and no longer resort to the tradition of negating reality.

I am also worried about another trend. For two years, various
government representatives applauded the Armenia-Turkey process and
ignored all the problems. They raised public expectations about a
speedy normalization of relations and opening of the border. And
when none of that happened for reasons that were obvious from the
beginning, there is an opposite and equally extreme reaction. The
same public relations machine is subsumed by anti-Turkish propaganda.

Various government representatives have adopted extremist stereotypical
positions. Incautious policies all-around have brought us to a
dead-end in Armenia-Turkey relations and this new tendency can further
deteriorate an already-delicate situation, and render impossible
necessary future positive developments.

Armenian President’s address on the occasion of the 95th anniversary
of the Armenian Genocide

2010-04-24 11:44:00

ArmInfo. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan has addressed his people
on the occasion of the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

"Dear compatriots!

Today is April 24. An unprecedented crime was committed on that day 95
years ago. It was a well-planned state program which has had horrible
consequences not only for the Armenian nation but for the whole human
history. This program was aimed at annihilating Armenians and was
perpetrated by the whole state machinery of the Ottoman Empire.

Apr 24 1915 is a landmark in the history of the Armenian nation. On
that day the Armenian history was split in two: before and after.

As many as 1,500,000 victims, a whole nation having lost its homeland,
elimination of an ancient culture – this is what happened when the
mania to annihilate Armenians had become a state policy and ideology.
The Ottoman regime hoped that the supviving debris of the Armenian
nation would not be able to revive, would get lost between the five
continents and would no longer have national identity or ability to be
a political factor. However, we have found strengths to come back onto
the international political scene, as a nation and a state. Today, we
continue our centuries-long way and are firmly resolved to prevent the
recurrence of such crimes in the future. We are grateful to all those
people worldwide – in Turkey as well – who realize the importance of
preventing such crimes against humanity and support us in our
struggle. This process has no alternative.

Dear compatriots!

Today, together with Armenians worldwide, I am bowing down before the
memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide. They have left a
message for us: to live and to act in the name of kindness and beauty,
for the sake of our Fatherland, our national goals and whole humankind
and we will not betray their memory and their behest.

Ruling Party of Turkey needed timeout in Armenian-Turkish process:
Armenian turkologist

2010-04-24 14:32:00

ArmInfo. Turkey needed a timeout in the current stage of normalization
of relations with Armenia, says Armenian turkologist Ruben Melkonyan
in an interview with ArmInfo.

He believes that Turkey will, undoubtedly, blame Armenia for freezing
the process and say that Turkey will remain committed to the bilateral
Protocols.

However, he says that in wider context, Turkey needs time because of
the upcoming elections and constitutional reform that implies serious
system changes in Turkey. "Therefore, the ruling part in Turkey needs
time to recover its falling rating. If it continues the process with
Armenia, the Turkish public where anti-Armenian sentiments are strong
and acute will display relevant response during the elections. The
ruling party Justice and Development felt an acute need for a
timeout," Ruben Melkonyan says.

Mevlut Cavusoglu à la tête du sous-comité de l’APCE sur le Nagorno Karabakh

TURQUIE

dimanche25 avril 2010, par Stéphane/armenews

Étant le Président de l’Assemblée Parlementaire du Conseil de
l’Europe, Mevlut Cavusoglu sera le nouveau président du sous-comité de
l’Assemblée sur le conflit du Nagorno-Karabakh.

"Le sous-comité n’a pas encore été établi, mais on s’attend à ce que
j’en sois son président" a dit Cavusoglu aux journalistes à Bakou.
C’est une pratique tout à fait normale qu’un sous-comité soit dirigé
par le président de l’APCE. L’ancien président du sous-comité était
aussi le président de l’APCE."

"Nous voulons que le sous-comité soit suivi par les délégations azérie
et arménienne et espèrons que son travail contribuera au règlement du
conflit du Karabakh" a dit Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Le Président a ajouté qu’il a l’intention de faire de son mieux pour
éviter ` les doubles standards ‘ dans la voie dont les Etats membres
sont traités : ` nous avons des standards communs qui s’appliquent
également à chacun : nous sommes en faveur de la démocratie et des
droits de l’homme. ‘

TODAYonline
April 25 2010

Hundreds of thousands of Armenians mourn victims of mass killings by
Ottoman Turks
04:05 AM Apr 25, 2010

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) – Hundreds of thousands of Armenians have laid
flowers at a monument to the victims of mass killings by Ottoman
Turks, marking the 95th anniversary of the start of the slaughter.

Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by
Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I. Turkey denies that the
deaths constituted genocide.

Residents of Yerevan and other regions, and representatives of the
Armenian diaspora, marched to a monument on a hill overlooking the
capital. Armenian President Serge Sarkisian described the slaughter as
"unprecedented in its scope" in an address to the nation.

In Paris, about 1,000 people – led by famous French crooner Charles
Aznavour, who is Armenia’s permanent delegate to UNESCO – took part in
a commemoration which climaxed at the Arc de Triomph.

/EDC100425-0000021/Hundreds-of-thousands-of-Armeni ans-mourn-victims-of-mass-killings-by-Ottoman-Turk s

GENOCIDE MEETING TO BE HELD IN MOSCOW

news.am
April 23 2010
Armenia

April 24, "Armenian Genocide – crime against humanity" will be held
near the Monument to 1905-1907 Revolution Heroes at 2:00 p.m. The
event is initiated by Russian-Armenian Commonwealth and Union of
Armenians in Russia.

President of the Russian-Armenian Commonwealth Yuri Navoyan told
NEWS.am that Vice-Chairman of State Duma and LDPR party leader
Vladimir Zhirinovsky, MPs Maxim Mischenko (United Russia party) and
Kira Lukyanova (Just Russia faction), as well as heads of the national
communities, youth movements and NGOs will address the meeting.

According to the organizer, the rally aims at demanding Turkey’s
official recognition of the Armenian Genocide of 1915.

HEAD OF THE KURDISH COMMUNITY: TURKEY SHOULD APOLOGIZE FROM THE ARMENIANS

Panorama.am
24/04/2010

95 years ago Ottoman Turkey committed an intended offence, annihilating
1,5 mln. Armenians, Knyaz Aslanov, the head of the Kurdish community
in Armenia, told reporters at Tsitsernakaberd Memorial today. He
expressed concern over the Republic of Turkey’s, the legal successor
of the Ottoman Turkey, continual rejection of the Armenian genocide
on state level.

"Today, on behalf of the Kurdish people, we bow our heads to the memory
of innocent victims of the Genocide and condemn the offense carried out
by Turkish powers, urging Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide,
apologize from the Armenians and stop the Genocide of Kurdish people,"
Knyaz Aslanov said.

Kurdish community representatives came to Tsitsernakaberd with posters,
condemng the Armenian Genocide.

ANI LIBRARY OPENED IN ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MUSEUM OF AMERICA

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 23, 2010 – 20:55 AMT 15:55 GMT

"The ANI Library is the first component of the museum project to
be open, initially for scholarly use," announced Van Z. Krikorian,
museum trustee and chairman of the museum’s building and operations
committee. Krikorian went on to explain: "Creating the library
constitutes part of our overall development plan. Next steps include
opening the museum in the historic bank building, converting the
adjacent lots into a memorial garden and renovating the end piece
office building of the museum properties at 1334 G Street which will
be available for future expansion."

Henry Morgenthau III did the honor of formally opening the ANI
Library. "My grandfather, our entire family, has always emphasized the
importance of public service," Morgenthau said in his remarks. "I am
so very pleased that Ambassador Morgenthau’s legacy will continue to be
preserved and appreciated in your institute and your museum located in
Washington. President Woodrow Wilson asked my grandfather to serve at
an important diplomatic post. I remain proud of his decision to speak
forcefully about the cruel fate of the Armenian people in the Ottoman
Empire as they suffered the first genocide of the 20th century. He
set out for Constantinople to be an envoy and returned a champion of
human dignity and governmental responsibility. I hope he will continue
to serve as a model for future generations in government service."

ANI Director Dr. Rouben Adalian noted: "With its multiple collections,
the ANI Library was especially enriched by the generous gift of
Ambassador Morgenthau’s personal collection of books by his grandson.

We are particularly honored by Mr. Morgenthau’s support and his
commitment to sharing the humanitarian legacy of his grandfather.

Ambassador Morgenthau rendered his country exceptional diplomatic
service, and personally advocated for the respect of human rights
and the rule of law. That made all the difference in mobilizing U.S.
relief efforts and in saving Armenian lives."

"We take this occasion to thank Hirair Hovnanian for founding the
Armenian National Institute and Aram Kaloosdian for guiding it as
we proceed with the plans toward Anoush Mathevosian’s vision of
a museum in Washington to honor the memory of the victims and the
survivors of the Armenian Genocide," added Adalian. "Ms. Mathevosian
was recently honored for her outstanding philanthropic activities by
the Mid-Atlantic Knights and Daughters of Vartan with their "Lifetime
Humanitarian Benefactor Award," by the Republic of Armenia’s Ministry
of Science and Education "Golden Medal" presented to her in person
by Armenia’s ambassador to the United Nations Mr. Garen Nazarian, and
bestowed "St Gregory the Illuminator" award, the highest honor awarded
by the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin presented to her by Archbishop
Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church
of America. Without Hirair and Anoush we would not be here today."

Armenia’s ambassador to the United States, His Excellency Tatoul
Markarian, accompanied Morgenthau at the ribbon cutting ceremony. He
was joined by Srbuhi Poghosian of the Armenian Embassy, Robert
Avetisyan, Permanent Representative of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic,
his deputy Aram Avetisyan, as well as Bryan Ardouny, Executive Director
of the Armenian Assembly of America, and other guests.

Joining the library dedication was also Mr. Marc Mamigonian, Director
of Academic Affairs of the National Association for Armenian Studies
and Research (NAASR). Located in Belmont, Massachusetts, NAASR is
the oldest U.S.-based organization supporting academic research on
Armenian subjects. NAASR recently co-sponsored, along with the Clark
University Kaloosdian-Mugar Chair in Armenian Genocide Studies and the
University of Minnesota Ohanessian Chair, the April 9-10 workshop on
"The State of the Art of Armenian Genocide Research: Historiography,
Sources, and Future Directions," convened at Clark University by Dr.

Taner Akcam and Dr. Stephen Weitz. NAASR also supported the March
13 conference convened at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT) by Dr. Bedross Der Matossian and Dr. Christopher Capozzola. ANI
Director Rouben Adalian was invited to address both conferences.

"The ANI Research Library is continuously expanding with special
and general purpose collections on the Armenian Genocide and the
broader problem of genocide. We expect to rapidly grow the scope
of its holdings from our initial collection of 8,000 volumes and
soon expand across the three floors of the AGMA office building
dedicated to housing our museum planning facilities." continued
Krikorian. Besides relevant items donated from private collections,
the Library includes publications received from a number of centers
from around the world specializing in the study of genocide, including
the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute in Yerevan. Krikorian went on
to say: "We understand that the Armenian community wants the museum
to open as soon as possible and we expect to overcome the challenges
facing the project, but we are happy that the development of the
project continues to be implemented a step at a time."

The Armenian Genocide Museum of America is an outgrowth of the
Armenian Assembly of America and the Armenian National Institute
(ANI), catalyzed by the initial pledge of Anoush Mathevosian toward
building such a museum in Washington, DC.

PRESS OFFICE
Armenian Church Canadian Diocese
Contact: Dn. Hagop Arslanian, Assistant to the Primate
615 Stuart Ave., Outremont-Montreal, H2V 3H2
Email: [email protected]
—————-
April 22, 2010

Canada Reaffirms Its Strong Position on the Armenian Genocide of 1915

OTTAWA -April 21, 2010: On the occasion of the 95th. Anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide, the Parliament of Canada once again expressed
its resolute support for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Six
years to the day of the April 21, 2004, adoption of Motion 380
recognizing the Armenian Genocide as a Crime against Humanity, members
of the House of Commons received the statements of affirmation
presented by the four major political parties of Canada with a
standing ovation.

Mr. Thomas Mulcair MP for Outremont and deputy leader of the New
Democratic Party, representing the NDP, declared `…95 years ago, the
world remained silent as over 1.5 million Armenian men, women and
children were murdered. Just a few years ago, the House passed a
motion clearly stating the TRUTH and condemning this act as a crime
against humanity. Les nouveaux-démocrates sont solidaires de la
communauté arménienne dans sa volonté de souligner et de
commémorer un des chapitres les plus horribles de l’histoire de
l’humanité…’

Ms. Nicole Demers, MP for Laval spoke on behalf of the Bloc Québecois
and said `…Il y a 95 ans, le peuple arménien subissait le premier
génocide du XXe siècle, lequel a fait plus d’un million de victimes
dans la population arménienne…De plus, comme nous l’avons vu Ã
plusieurs reprises au cours des dernières années, les Arméniens
doivent continuer à se battre et à se défendre contre de fausses
allégations, entretenues pour éviter d’avoir à accepter la vérité
du génocide.’

The Honourable Irwin Cotler, former Minister of Justice and renowned
professor of law and director of McGill University’s Human Rights
Program from 1973 to 1999, and Member of Parliament for Mount Royal,
spoke on behalf of the Liberal Party. He stated that `…On the 95th
anniversary of the Armenian genocide, which the House has recognized,
scholars have documented and the anguished testimony of survivors has
affirmed, the whole reminds us of the dangers of indifference and
inaction in the face of incitement and mass atrocity, of the dangers
of a culture of impunity and of the dangers of revisionism and denial
that led Hitler to remark, as he embarked on the Nazi genocide, `Who
today remembers the Armenians?’ We remember. We bear witness. As we
say on occasions such as these: Jamais plus, never again. Jamais plus
pour les Arméniens, jamais plus pour qui que ce soit!”

Mr. Harold Albrecht, President of the Canada-Armenia Parliamentary
Friendship Group and Member of Parliament for Kitchener-Conestoga,
spoke on behalf of he Conservative Party. He stated that `Mr. Speaker,
I rise today as Chair of the Canada-Armenia Friendship Group to
remember the Armenian Genocide of 1915. It is important not only to
honour the memory of those who died nor to simply acknowledge what has
passed, but also to understand that the recognition of these tragic
events can be a starting point to move forward in improved
relationships and understanding between present day Turkey and
Armenia. The Armenian Genocide was recognized by the Senate in 2002,
by this House in 2004, and first commemorated by the Government of
Canada in 2006. The Armenian Canadian community has contributed
greatly to Canada’s culture and economy. I applaud their efforts to
acknowledge their past while looking forward to the future to build
bridges based on mutual respect. Mr. Speaker, by recognizing and
remembering the Armenian Genocide, we should all be motivated to do
everything in our power to ensure that such a terrible tragedy never
happens again.’

The Joint Committee for the Commemoration of the 95th Anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide, expresses its heartfelt gratitude to the
spokespersons representing the New Democratic, Bloc Québecois,
Liberal, and Conservative parties. On behalf of the Canadian-Armenian
community, our highest respects and esteem are extended to Mr. Harold
Albrecht, the Honourable Irwin Cotler, Ms. Nicole Demers and
Mr. Thomas Mulcair for their integrity and their commitment to the
cause of human rights and genocide recognition. Their sincere and
direct statements on the occasion of the 95th Anniversary are a
reconfirmation of the truth and the historic vote of the Parliament of
Canada.

Most importantly, we commend the steadfast acknowledgements of today’s
speakers for their statements declaring the historical facts to be
true and their condemnation of the deniers of the Armenian
Genocide. Regrettably, at the behest of Turkey, the deniers still
command a voice on the international stage, which threatens the voice
of justice. With increasing awareness of the indisputable specifics of
the history of the Armenian Genocide, the pursuit of the practice of
denial will ultimately be challenged and the historical truths will be
acknowledged.

PRESIDENT SERZH SARGSYAN CONVENED A MEETING OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL

president.am
April 22 2010
Armenia

The President of the Republic of Armenia, Chairman of the National
Security Council Serzh Sargsyan convened today a meeting of the
National Security Council.

The President of Armenia informed the members of the Council on his
visits to Washington and Moscow.

Later, the participants of the meeting discussed the latest
developments in the Armenia-Turkey process of normalization. President
Sargsyan said that on this issue he had conducted discussions with
the leaders of the political coalition member parties.

In his April 22 address, the President of Armenia will inform the
nation on the decision reached in the course of discussions.