Author: Chakrian Hovsep

LA RECONNAISSANCE DU GENOCIDE ARMENIEN N’EST PAS UNE CONDITION DE L’UE (REHN)

Agence France Presse
3 octobre 2006 mardi

La reconnaissance du "genocide" armenien n’est pas une condition a
l’entree de la Turquie dans l’UE, a affirme mardi le commissaire
europeen a l’Elargissement Olli Rehn, prenant a contre-pied le
president francais Jacques Chirac qui avait exprime un avis inverse.

"Le point de vue de l’Union europeenne sur la question est que la
reconnaissance du genocide armenien n’est pas une condition d’adhesion
a l’Union", a dit M. Rehn aux journalistes au premier jour d’une
visite en Turquie.

Interroge samedi lors d’une visite a Erevan sur le fait savoir si
la Turquie devait, pour entrer dans l’UE, reconnaître un caractère
de genocide aux massacres d’Armeniens perpetres entre 1915 et 1917
dans l’Empire ottoman, Jacques Chirac avait repondu : "honnetement,
je le crois".

Ses propos ont ete denonces mardi par le ministère turc des Affaires
etrangères qui s’est dit "profondement consterne" par le fait que
le chef de l’Etat francais ait reconnu le caractère genocidaire des
evenements controverses du debut du XXe siècle dans des declarations
"denuees de fondement historique".

"Cette qualification de genocide est inacceptable", souligne un
communique.

Les propos de M. Chirac ont ete critiques par le president de
l’Assemblee parlementaire du Conseil de l’Europe (APCE), Rene van der
Linden, qui a estime que l’"on ne peut changer les règles du jeu au
milieu du jeu".

M. Rehn a indique que le club europeen encourageait un "debat
rationnel et ouvert" sur les massacres d’Armeniens, autrefois sujet
tabou en Turquie.

Il a aussi appuye la proposition turque de creer un comite mixte
d’historiens turcs et armeniens pour etudier les massacres survenus
dans les dernières annees de l’empire ottoman auquel succeda en 1923
la Republique de Turquie.

"C’est une bien meilleure facon de traiter de cette question
historique sensible que de lancer des ultimatums", a estime le
responsable europeen.

La Turquie a entame le 3 octobre 2005, il y a un an jour pour jour,
des negociations en vue d’une entree dans l’UE dans dix ou quinze ans.

Les Armeniens estiment que jusqu’a un million et demi des leurs ont
peri dans un genocide orchestre par l’Empire ottoman.

Ankara soutient que 300.000 Armeniens et au moins autant de Turcs ont
ete tues au cours de troubles suscites par des soulèvements d’Armeniens
et leur ralliement aux armees russes en guerre contre l’empire ottoman,
et lors des deportations qui ont suivi.

–Boundary_(ID_ipUyz1AF1bmBld7dBgcRLQ)–

AN AZERI AIRPLANE IN "ZVARTNOTS"

A1+
[05:37 pm] 03 October, 2006

Today at about 11:30 a.m. airplane TU – 134 belonging to the Azeri
aviation "Azal" landed in "Zvartnots".

This information is located on the airport’s website and it has
aroused a great interest.

Gevorg Abrahamyan, head of the press service of "Zvartonots", told
A1+ that the OSCE Minsk group Co-Chairs arrived in Armenia on that
very plane.

By the way, today we got other information as well. If anyone dared to
come to Armenia from Moscow today he would counter a great difficulty
as all the tickets were sold out in advance. This can be explained
by that fact that Georgians try to get to their country via Armenia
taking into account the Russian-Georgian conflict.

The airport representatives informed A1+ that they continue their
routine by usual schedule and they haven’t fixed a rush of Georgians
to Armenia by planes. They haven’t countered cases when the Georgian
residents try to use Armenia as a transit zone to get to Georgia.

CONSOLIDATION OF MILITARY POTENTIAL DOES NOT MEAN RESOLVING THE ARMENIAN-AZERI CONFLICT IN COMBAT – AZERI PRESIDENT
Author: S.Aliyev

TREND, Azerbaijan
Oct 2 2006

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated to the opening of the autumn
session of the Azerbaijani Parliament on 2 October 2006 that some
Forces ask why the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh
has not been resolved yet. "I want to state that we will never approve
any agreement not suited to us. Despite pressures, as the President,
I will never sign an agreement contradicting the Nation’s interests,"
he stressed.

"We are keen to continue talks under the format of the OSCE Minsk
Group. However, the participation of other international organization
could promote the resolution of the problem. Our position remains
unchanged. The territorial integrity of the Country must be restored.

I do not see an agreement further than this. The occupied territory
of Azerbaijan must be liberated and the refugees must be repatriated.

The Armenian population of Karabakh can be issued with a high status
of autonomy. The political situation is in our favor," he said.

Azerbaijan should further pursue an active policy. This has been done
by informing the Western world of our situation and its economy. The
military’s potential is strengthening continually. "The military budget
of Azerbaijan should be equal to Armenia’s entire public budget. We
will achieve it next year," Aliyev emphasized. He noted that the
consolidation of the military potential does not mean the automatic
resolution of the conflict in combat. This is a last resort. "Our
policy should be aggressive. We should attack," he stressed. As
Azerbaijan grows much stronger than Armenia, then there may not be
a necessity for the resolution of the conflict in battle.

FBI WORRIES ABOUT AL-QAIDA TIES TO MOB
By Pat Milton, Associated Press Writer

Los Angeles Times
Oct 1 2006

WASHINGTON — The FBI’s top counterterrorism official harbors lots of
concerns: weapons of mass destruction, undetected homegrown terrorists
and the possibility that old-fashioned mobsters will team up with
al-Qaida for the right price.

Though there is no direct evidence yet of organized crime collaborating
with terrorists, the first hints of a connection surfaced in a recent
undercover FBI operation. Agents stopped a man with alleged mob ties
from selling missiles to an informant posing as a terrorist middleman.

That case and other factors are heightening concerns about a real-life
episode of the Sopranos teaming with Osama bin Laden’s followers.

"We are continuing to look for a nexus," said Joseph Billy Jr.,
the FBI’s top counterterrorism official. "We are looking at this
very aggressively."

The new strategy involves an analysis of nationwide criminal
investigations, particularly white collar crime, side by side with
intelligence and terrorist activity.

"We have developed an ability to look harder and broader in a greatly
enhanced way to see if there is any crossover," Billy said in an
interview with The Associated Press.

Organized crime syndicates could facilitate money transfers or
laundering, human smuggling, identification fraud or explosives and
weapons acquisitions, officials said.

The options are many for terrorists groups.

There are the five reputed La Cosa Nostra families in New York,
Russian criminal enterprises from Brighton Beach in the New York
borough of Brooklyn to Moscow, and the emerging Asian crime syndicates
that operate in many Islamic countries with al-Qaida offshoots.

A contract study produced recently for the Pentagon and obtained
by the AP warned that the potential for organized crime assisting
terrorists is growing.

"Although terrorism and organized crime are different phenomena, the
important fact is that terrorist and criminal networks overlap and
cooperate in some enterprises," the study said. "The phenomenon of the
synergy of terrorism and organized crime is growing because similar
conditions give rise to both and because terrorists and organized
criminals use similar approaches to promote their operations."

The traditional mafia has highly developed networks for acquiring
goods and services and money, all for a price.

The mob’s potential interest in helping a terrorist has nothing to
do with ideology or sympathy but with greed, said Matt Heron, head
of New York FBI’s organized crime unit.

"They will deal with anybody, if they can make a buck," Heron said.

"They will sell to a terrorist just as easily as they would sell to
an order of Franciscan monks. It’s a business relationship to them."

"If the mob has explosives and a terrorist wants them and they have
the money, they could become instant friends," he said.

Pat D’Amuro, a retired senior FBI official and now chief executive
of Giuliani Security, said a Mafia boss once acknowledged that the
mob would help terrorists.

"I am aware of a high-level Mafia figure, who was cooperating with
authorities, being asked if the Mafia would assist terrorists in
smuggling people into Europe through Italy," D’Amuro said. "He said,
‘The Mafia will help who ever can pay.’"

Officials said they have no specific evidence that such a relationship
has been cemented. But concerns were heightened last year after an
Armenian immigrant was arrested in New York for allegedly leading
a plot to sell military weapons to an FBI informant posing as a
middleman for terrorists.

Arthur Solomonyan had claimed to be able to deliver shoulder-fired
missiles from his connection in Russian organized crime to the
informant, who claimed to have ties to al-Qaida, federal prosecutors
said. Solomonyan and 17 others in New York, Florida and California
were charged in the case.

Solomonyan is scheduled for trial this month. His lawyer, Seth
Ginsberg, said he plans to "vigorously contest" the charges and call
the government’s confidential informant to the stand to challenge
his motives. The Italian, Russian, and Asian mafia remain active,
particularly in New York, even though the government has successfully
prosecuted numerous figures in recent years.

In the past three years, well over 100 associates from all five La
Cosa Nostra families have been arrested in New York, Heron noted.

While the potential of a gangster-terrorist marriage is on the FBI’s
radar, homegrown terror cells and weapons of mass destruction are
also big concerns for those in the FBI given the job of stopping the
next terrorist attack.

"We are not only aware that they want to come across the ocean to
attack us but they may be physically here developing in our own
homeland," Billy said.

The Internet has become the new Afghanistan, allowing terrorist
sympathizers to promote their radical ideas and to recruit and train
followers right their home computers. That makes it far more difficult
for investigators to identify them.

Billy said his biggest concern remains weapons of mass destruction.

While Hezbollah and Hamas are more defined terrorist groups, with
a territorial focus and a political platform, al-Qaida is more
unpredictable.

"We know they were trying to acquire it prior to 9/11, bin Laden’s
own words said that," said Billy. "What makes us think they are still
not trying?"

AZERBAIJANI GRAVEYARD RESORTED IN ARMENIA

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Sept 29 2006

Azerbaijani graveyard in Saral village of Gugark (Kirovakan) region
of Armenia was restored in the framework of "Trust-building" project
implemented by Vanadzor office of the Helsinki Citizen’s Assembly
Armenia Committee.

Helsinki Citizen’s Assembly Azerbaijan National Committee told the
APA a ceremony on restoration of the graveyard was held though this
committee with participation of Azerbaijanis on 25-30 August. The
ceremony on 29 August brought together representatives of Armenian
media, region executive power as well as Armenians, who moved from
Azerbaijan and settled in the village in 1998-90s.

The graveyard attacked by Armenians in 1988-90s has been restored,
and a memorial board was placed in the entry of the graveyard.

The board writes the graveyard was restored by the Helsinki Citizen’s
Assembly office in Vanadzor in 2006. Headstones have been restored.

Azerbaijani participant of the ceremony prayed for the dead in the
graveyard.

AZERI POLITICIANS CONSIDER NECESSARY TO CERATE NEW ORG. IN UNO FOR REGULATION OF CONFLICTS IN S CAUCASUS
Author: S.Agayeva

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Sept 30 2006

It is impossible to achieve any progresses in the settlement of
Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the framework
of format of OSCE Minsk Group, the Director of Human Rights Institute
of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, politician Rovshan
Mustafayev briefed journalists on September 30, Trend reports.

The co-chairs of OSCE Minsk Group themselves confirmed it with their
recent statement recognizing that the fancies have exhausted.

According to Mustafayev, a deadlock situation emerged in result,
but it needs to seek and find a way out with the international
organizations created under concrete goals.

The politician considers necessary to create a new organization that
should be a part of UNO. According to Mustfayev, the format of this
organization should cover not only Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, but
also all conflicts caused by Armenian separatism in South Caucasus.

WHY AHMADINEJAD AND CHAVEZ ARE RIGHT
By Vincent A. Cowherd

Tehran Times, Iran
Sept 30 2006

It is amazing how the United States deals with its history by either
hiding its head in the sand or attempting to rewrite the accounts of
its shameful behavior. What is even more disturbing is that the much
vaunted "free press" in the U.S. is complicit in this intellectual
rape of the general populace. The collaboration between the delusional
political prostitutes that act as the government and the intellectual
eunuchs who make up the communications media has left the American
public deaf, dumb and blind to the truth.

Americans need to know that both President Mahmud Ahmadinejad of
Iran and President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela spoke the truth in their
respective presentations to the United Nations General Assembly
recently. By knowing the truth we will be able to see through the
politics of fear and the mountains of illusions and outright lies
that the Bush administration has used to drive the country into the
grip of the neo-fascists who hold the reigns of government.

Anyone who doubts President Ahmadinejad’s veracity needs to familiarize
him/herself with the 20th century history of the nation of Iran. It
was indeed the United States and Great Britain that in 1953 overthrew
the legitimate government of Iran, ousted Dr. Mohammed Mossadeq —
the legitimate prime minister — and installed their puppet, the
murderer and international gangster Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi,
to do their bidding. And, since 1979, when the Iranian people threw
that criminal out and took their country back, the U. S.

and Britain have been engaged in plot after plot to destabilize and
topple the democratically elected government of Iran. This cannot be
denied, and when President Ahmadinejad pointed this out, he spoke
the truth and exposed the lie that is the foundation of the Bush
administration’s foreign policy.

Additionally, there is no doubt whatsoever that the United States
government not only gave Saddam Hussein military intelligence but also
provided him the means to produce the arms he used in his eight-year
war against Iran, which caused the death of over one million people. It
is an indisputable fact that these arms included the poison gases
that were used against the Iranians, the Kurds and the Shia Muslims
who lived in the marshlands of southern Iraq.

The pictures of Donald Rumsfeld shaking hands and grinning in the
madman’s face are a matter of public record. This cannot be denied
by the world any more than the Ottoman slaughter of the Armenians
and the German slaughter of the Gypsies, Poles and Russians can be
denied. The truth is that, by way of their puppet Saddam, the blood
of the dead in Iran’s war with Iraq, the blood of the Kurds, the
blood of the Marsh Shias and all of those others who were tortured
and killed by Saddam is on the hands of the U.S. government.

In the recent history of the relationship between the United States
and Venezuela, it is abundantly clear that the Bush administration was
complicit in the short-lived April 2002 military coup that temporarily
ousted the democratically elected president, Hugo Chavez.

The United States Navy — under orders from Commander-in-Chief George
Bush — jammed the Venezuelan government’s communications and supplied
the usurpers with intelligence and logistical support before, during
and after the feeble, ill-fated coup. After the coup was rebuffed,
United States government operatives — again under Bush’s orders —
spirited the coup leaders and their would-be assassins out of the
country and into the United States, where they are living today.

This was not the only time that the U.S. has been implicated in plots
to maim or murder President Chavez. In September of 2003, President
Chavez had to cancel a flight to the U.S. to speak before the United
Nations because his security people uncovered another CIA plot;
this one designed to bring down his airplane en route to the United
States. That same month, after an intense gun battle, Directorate of
Intelligence and Prevention Services (DISIP) agents arrested a man
who, in yet another CIA-backed plot, tried to kill President Chavez
with a hand grenade. Neither of these incidents was ever reported in
the U.S. press.

Political prostitutes and media eunuchs are as old, real and American
as apple pie. The combination of the two has been misleading the
American people for centuries, and all the current hoopla about the
comments of presidents Ahmadinejad and Chavez is the continuation of
a behavior that has led the U.S. into war and mayhem time and time
again under administration after administration.

Whether the administration is Republican or Democrat does not matter —
Teddy Roosevelt and the press had the battleship Maine lie, Wilson
and the press had the sinking of the Lusitania lie (the history of
the plot between Winston Churchill, Woodrow Wilson and the Rothschild
and J.P. Morgan "money-men" to sink the Lusitania in order to get the
U. S. into WWI is too exhaustive to explore here), Franklin Roosevelt
and the press may have lied about Pearl Harbor just to get into WWII,
Eisenhower took over in Vietnam after the French were run out of
the country and the press lied about it, Johnson and the press lied
about events in the Gulf of Tonkin in order to keep up the Vietnam
fiasco, Reagan lied about "the threat" posed by Grenada and the press
willingly collaborated.

Now the press is helping the Bush regime foist the worst lie of them
all upon the American people. It has been proven over and over again
by commission after commission and inquiry after inquiry that since
September 11, 2001 the American people have been consistently lied to
regarding all aspects of the illegal invasion of Iraq and the so-called
"war on terror". President Bush and the members and representatives
of his cabinet have perpetrated this lie, and it has already cost over
2000 American lives, additional thousands of young American women and
men have been maimed and wounded, and it is estimated by some that
over 200,000 Iraqis have died. Day by day the number of casualties
keeps growing and the lie keeps going. There is no denying this fact
for anyone who is not deaf, dumb and blind.

President Bush calls himself a born-again Christian — he claims he
talked directly to God before invading Iraq — and President Chavez is
a devout Catholic. As such, both are familiar with the foundational
tenet of the Christian faith that says, "The Devil is a liar." While
some may say that the words of presidents Ahmadinejad and Chavez are
coarse and abrasive, they cannot say that they are untrue. However,
when measuring the words of President Bush against historical truth,
no similarity between his words and the truth is to be found. To
paraphrase that old saying, "If it looks like a devil, walks like a
devil and talks like a devil, it must be a devil."

DARBINYAN: TENSION BETWEEN AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA HAS BEEN ESCALATED RECENTLY

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Sept 30 2006

YEREVAN, September 29. /ARKA/. Tension between Azerbaijan and Armenia
has been escalated recently, Armen Darbinyan, Russian-Armenian
(Slavonic) Institute rector and former Armenian PM, said Thursday
answering ARKA News Agency’s question.

In his opinion, mutually acceptable solution should be found and
willingness for mutual concessions should be displayed by the sides.

"Our communities should be ready for that to continue dialogue and
find compromises", he said.

Darbinyan said "each side should make a step back from existing
status-quo".

He is convinced that there will be no prospects for Karabakh conflict
settlement "unless we understand that".

CHIRAC VOWS TO PROMOTE DEMOCRATIC CHANGE IN ARMENIA
By Emil Danielyan

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Sept 28 2006

French President Jacques Chirac has indicated that he will urge
Armenia’s leaders to implement democratic reforms and respect human
rights during his upcoming landmark visit to Yerevan. He also warned
that Armenia and Azerbaijan risk missing a rare opportunity to resolve
their conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.

"Since France is a friend of Armenia, she wants to assist in the
process of its political modernization, she wants to help it build a
rule-of-law state that guarantees public liberties," Chirac told the
French-Armenian magazine "Nouvelles d’Armenie" in an interview. "It is
a message of confidence in Armenia’s ability to complete the process
of ongoing political, economic and social reforms that I want to
carry on the occasion of my trip to Yerevan."

Chirac is scheduled to arrive in the Armenian capital Friday on
a three-day state visit that will highlight a long-standing warm
rapport between the governments of the two nations. He will become
the first leader of a major Western power to set foot in the South
Caucasus nation since the Soviet collapse.

Chirac and other French officials have until now refrained from
publicly faulting the administration of President Robert Kocharian
for its controversial conduct of elections and poor human rights
record. The 73-year-old French leader was again careful not do that
in the interview.

Chirac also stressed the importance of a resolution of the Karabakh
conflict, endorsing the most recent peace proposals of the OSCE Minsk
Group, which France heads jointly with the United States and Russia.

"Today the G8 states, the international community are ready to
guarantee a peace accord. What will happen tomorrow? Let us not lose
this chance," he warned.

Chirac argued that Karabakh peace would pave the way for the
normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia. "I have
repeatedly pleaded with the Turkish authorities to open the border
[with Armenia,]" he said. "It is clear, however, that there is a strong
link between this issue and the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict and that progress towards its settlement would have a decisive
impact on this issue … I believe that it is possible today."

Azad-Hye, Dubai, 26 September 2006:

On 17th September 2006, Qatari based `Al Jazeera’ channel broadcasted an
interview with President Robert Kocharian, conducted by Zawer Shoj.

Below are translated excerpts from the interview which covered several
domestic and foreign topics.

Shoj: Armenia is an independent country for the last 15 years. What are the
most significant achievements and failures during the same period?

Kocharian: One of our first tasks was to form a State of Law and Authority.
The most important issue in front of us was to undergo effective and active
changes and establish free market mechanism … The collapse of Soviet Union
had brought Armenia into a difficult situation … We needed to create the
basic components of an independent state such as governmental authority,
Army, economy, etc. … Armenia had to face the new reality and circumstances
… Statistical figures confirm that we have coped the transitional period
with success… Nagorno Karabagh remains as the most difficult task so far.

Shoj: What are the measures you are undertaking in order to step out of the
energy crisis facing your country, knowing that Armenia does not have
natural petrol and gas resources?

Kocharian: I would not say we have energy crisis … We do not have energy
resources, nevertheless, we are exporting electrical energy to neighboring
countries… Today we do not have any foreign debts related to natural gas or
electricity … We are building some 50 hydroelectric stations and we had
restored the nuclear power station closed during the Soviet era… We are
thinking seriously about our energy security, this is why a second gas
pipeline from Iran to Armenia is being constructed now…

Shoj: The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the background of the
Nagorno Karabagh problem was the first bloody ethnic conflict that erupted
in the ex-Soviet Union. After 12 years of truce what are the prospects of
the peaceful solution in Karabagh?

Kocharian: I would like to clarify a point. The conflict is actually between
Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabagh … After the collapse of the Soviet Empire
two independent states emerged: The Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic
of Nagorno Karabagh. We believe that the legitimacy of Nagorno Karabagh as
an independent state is beyond any doubt. There was an attempt to subdue
Karabagh to Azerbaijan, as a result the war exploded …

Shoj: Today some 20% of the Azerbaijani territory is under the control of
Nagorno Karabagh forces… Is there any progress in the negotiations with
Azerbaijan regarding Nagorno Karabagh?

Kocharian: The main problem is that Azerbaijan insists on the integrity of
its territory and in doing so it believes that Nagorno Karabagh should be
included in Azerbaijan. The Soviet Union was the last Empire… Dramatic
changes took place, all the map of Europe changed, have a look at what
happened in the Balkans… We are not against the territorial integrity of any
country… but we say that both Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabagh have the right
for territorial integrity, because they both have equal rights… Nagorno
Karabagh was never part of the independent Republic of Azerbaijan. I myself
was born in Nagorno Karabagh and I commanded the independent movement there
in the past … Today a whole new generation exists, who don’t know the Azeri
territories and would not imagine living in a foreign country.

Shoj: Will Armenia, or for that sake, Nagorno Karabagh raise claim to only
the administrative borders of Nagorno Karabagh or to the 20% of the Azeri
territory under the control of the Armenian forces?

Kocharian: There are two false claims, the first is the occupation of 20% of
the Azerbaijan and the second is the one million Azeri refugees. The real
figures are entirely different … In fact the number of Armenian and
Azerbaijani refugees are the same (if we exclude Nagorno Karabagh). During
the Soviet era there were about half a million Armenians in Azerbaijan.
Where are they now? Some of them live in Armenia, others in Russia and a
third group is scattered all around the world. As far as the territories are
concerned they do not represent 20%, they are significantly less than that …
We have always maintained and repeated that, except the corridor between
Karabagh and Armenia, we are willing to discuss the return of these
territories, something which is in fact a subject of negotiations these days
… If Azerbaijan had cared for its refugees it would have regained these
territories long time back by signing appropriate agreements …

Shoj: What are the political ambitions of Nagorno Karabagh? Is Karabagh
aiming to be an independent state or wants to be part of the Republic of
Armenia?

Kocharian: The legal situation of Karabagh indicates that Karabagh is an
independent republic. The authorities there are strengthening the State
institutions. As far as Armenia is concerned, both possibilities are
suitable and I believe that in the future the relations between the two
countries will develop towards confederation … Future generations will
define the nature of this relationship.

Shoj: The Armenian people suffered massacres in the beginning of the 20th
century by the Ottoman Empire. Today there is extensive discussion about
this topic. What are your main demands from the Turkish Government: Is it
the recognition of the Genocide and the consequent apology or you would like
to ask for compensation for the relatives of the victims?

Kocharian: Whoever has been harmed by these massacres can ask for
compensation. Many Diasporan Armenians have the legal right to demand
compensation. Armenia has its own demands, mainly due to the absence of
diplomatic relations and the natural neighborhood relations with Turkey and
the attempts of Turkey to hamper Armenia by blockading communication means,
in addition to the policy adopted by in relation to the Karabagh problem …
We have inherited a big burden of Armenian – Turkish relations … The past
cannot be forgotten, but there should exist a natural process of
reconciliation between the two peoples, something which requires the
acknowledgment and repentance from the side that perpetuated the mistakes
and crimes – call it the way you want -, but today there is no desire [from
Turkey] to recognize its guilt.

Shoj: According to a certain viewpoint, the issue of the Armenian Genocide
recognition has been brought up only recently, coinciding with the
negotiation of Turkish membership to the European Union.

Kocharian: The issue of the Genocide recognition has been there for a long
time. Maybe lately it was discussed in a wider context. Armenia as an
independent state has expressed its position in 1998 in the United Nations …
This was long time before Turkey’s negotiation with the European Union.
Therefore I do not want to directly connect the two issue, but during the
period of Turkey’s negotiations to join the European Union the subject of
Turkey evaluating its own history is brought forward. This is why we are
awaiting the expression of repentance on what happened. There should be a
conscious and rightful evaluation of the past, in order to avoid repetition
of these mistakes in the future.

Shoj: In your opinion is that enough to start normal relations with Turkey
and how would you evaluate the nature of these relations today with Ankara?

Kocharian: Today there are no relations. Our position is very clear. We are
ready to build up diplomatic relations with Turkey today and without any
preconditions … But the Turkish side insists on preconditions such as:
agreement with Azerbaijan, withdrawal from Karabagh … These are unacceptable
conditions … The Greeks could do the same by refusing trade with Turkey if
no serious steps were taken in the resolution of the Cypriot Problem, but
international experience has showed that common trade and cooperation always
help in surpassing the difficulties. For example, there is the Coral Islands
problem between Russia and Japan but no side regards this as a condition to
establish commercial relations.

Shoj: There is a neighbor with whom you have good relations: Iran. What is
your country’s position on Iran’s nuclear program and the pressures exerted
on Iran.

Kocharian: The relations with Iran are developed in a dynamic way. There are
no disagreements between the two countries. We have large scale trade
exchange with Iran. With the Iranians we are carrying out huge energy
projects compared to the capacity of Armenia … We consider Iran as a major
country in the region and we have historical relations with Iran. We
consider the Iranian people as the heir of an old civilization and we
respect this civilization. The Iranian nuclear program is a very sensitive
problem between Iran and the West, especially the USA. We believe that the
diplomatic solution of this crisis is the safest way out. We believe that
sanctions against Teheran will not be effective neither will any military
action, which could have catastrophic results in the whole region.

Shoj: Armenia is the main ally of Russia in the Southern Caucasus region.
What is the secret of the good relations between Armenia and Russia?

Kocharian: We have inherited a rich load of historical relations and
cultural exchanges throughout many generations, besides the existence of
common interests for centuries. We are keeping this heritage and trying to
activate it in our common interests. Up to this point we have succeeded in
doing so … We work according to a policy of synthesis of the interests of
the major powers in Armenia and not confrontation. We try to avoid what our
partners perceive as dangerous to their security.

Shoj: There is a large Armenian community in the Middle East. What is the
nature of the relations between your country and the Arab World. Where do
the Arab countries stand in the foreign policy of Armenia?

Kocharian: We have very good relations with the Arabs. These relations began
as a result of the bloody events that happened against the Armenians in
1915, when the Arabs embraced the Armenians in their countries and assisted
them to stay alive and sustain themselves in small Armenian societies within
the bigger Arab population. We nurture respect towards the Arabs for this
stance. For a long time the Armenians and the Arabs lived under the yoke of
the Ottoman Empire and that historical period was reflected in the
literature and the culture of the Arabs and the Armenians, relaying warmth
to the relations between the two nations. This provides a suitable
background to build relations on the official level … Through the life of
many generations the Armenians proved that they are hard-working, loyal
citizens and real partners. Through them these positive values are conveyed
to our relations with the Arab countries. We highly value this capital, this
is why we are friends with the Arab World and we will stay so. I believe
this friendship is not built on mere calculations of interests but it is
validated through the experience of generations of our two nations.

Complete text in Arabic language at Al Jazeera website:
4861-A656-57088C49C978.htm