Author: Chalian Meline

NA CHAIRMAN SAYS PROTOCOLS WITHDRAWN FROM FOUR-DAY SESSION NOT FROM AGENDA

Panorama.am
13:45 26/04/2010

Politics

National Assembly four-day session resumed. Before NA Chairman
Hovik Abrahamyan could read the drafts of law of the session, Armen
Martirosyan, member of "Heritage" faction asked Mr. Abrahamyan if
President Serzh Sargsyan’s address was to suspend the ratification
of Armenian-Turkish protocols from the NA agenda also.

Hovik Abrahamyan stated that the protocols are withdrawn from the
four-day session but are not suspended from the agenda.

ARMENIA: PRESIDENT SARGSYAN BLAMED FOR OBAMA AVOIDING THE G-WORD
Marianna Grigoryan

EurasiaNet
partments/insight/articles/eav042610.shtml
April 26 2010
NY

Many Armenians are blaming President Serzh Sargsyan’s decision to
freeze the reconciliation process with Turkey for US President Barack
Obama’s failure again this year to call Ottoman Turkey’s World War
I-era slaughter of ethnic Armenians an act of genocide.

Obama’s statement on April 24, the 95th anniversary of the 1915
slaughter of an estimated 1.5 million ethnic Armenians, differed little
from his comments in 2009. Treading gingerly, Obama declared that
"[t]he Meds Yeghern [Great Catastrophe] is a devastating chapter in
the history of the Armenian people, and we must keep its memory alive
in honor of those who were murdered and so that we do not repeat the
grave mistakes of the past."

For many Armenians, Obama’s comments fell short of expectations. An
Obama pledge to recognize the massacre as genocide, made back when he
was a presidential candidate, is still widely remembered by Armenians.

Ruben Safrastian, a prominent expert in Turkish studies and the
director of the Armenian National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of
Oriental Studies, was one of those who had hoped for much more from
Obama’s statement.

"Obama’s avoidance of the word ‘genocide’ is the result of bargaining
and an agreement with Turkey," Safrastian claimed.

Safrastian was unable to back his assertion with hard evidence. But
he and others base an assumption that Washington is leaning toward
Turkey on the fact that the White House did quietly urge a US House of
Representatives committee to drop a vote on a genocide-recognition
resolution, which was adopted in early March. US Secretary of
State Hillary Rodham Clinton termed the vote ill-suited for the
Armenian-Turkish rapprochement process – a comment often interpreted
in Yerevan as meaning that it was ill-suited for Turkey, a long-time
US military ally. [For background see EurasiaNet’s archive].

One prominent opposition politician contends that Obama’s omission
of the word "genocide" is the fault of President Serzh Sargsyan’s
government, which, on April 22, suspended parliamentary ratification
of the protocols on reconciliation with Turkey. [For background see
EurasiaNet’s archive].

"In fact, Yerevan caused this situation by its own moves,"
argued Stepan Safarian, leader of the opposition Heritage Party’s
parliamentary faction. "Serzh Sargsyan made a step that settled minor
problems, but damaged the process of international recognition of the
genocide." In response to the international community, the Armenian
government refrained from pressing Turkey on the genocide question
to give reconciliation a chance, Safarian said.

In a televised speech, Sargsyan stated that Armenia would move forward
with the normalization of relations "when we are convinced that there
is a proper environment in Turkey, and there is leadership in Ankara
ready to reengage in the normalization process."

Another Armenian analyst disputed the notion that Sargsyan’s
announcement significantly influenced Obama’s comments. The reality
of the Armenian-Turkish reconciliation process was that it had hit
an impasse at the outset of this year, and this snag had become
entangled with the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, involving Yerevan
and Turkey’s strategic ally, Azerbaijan, asserted Manvel Sargsian,
a senior analyst at the Armenian Center for National and International
Studies. [For background see EurasiaNet’s archive].

"Negotiations with Turkey had come to a pretty difficult situation, and
the decision [i.e. suspending the reconciliation process] would’ve been
both logical [to the international community], as well as unexpected
for Turkey and Azerbaijan," Sargsian said. Sargsian added that Turkey
and Azerbaijan seemed to believe that Armenia is more eager to see
the Armenian-Turkish border reopened than, in fact, it is.

Reactions to President Sargsyan’s announcement from the three countries
mediating the Karabakh talks – the United States, Russia and France –
were relatively measured.

US Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip
Gordon commented on April 23 that US diplomats "continue to urge both
sides to keep the door open to pursuing efforts at reconciliation
and normalization." French President Nicolas Sarkozy made a similarly
neutral statement; Russian President Dmitri Medvedev has not officially
commented on the decision, but met with Sargsyan two days before the
ratification freeze was declared.

In the opinion of one of Armenia’s largest opposition blocs, Sargsyan’s
expression of willingness to continue with reconciliation only
underlines that the peacemaking with Turkey is over. "By suspending
the ratification process, on the one hand, and voicing readiness to
continue it, on the other hand, the regime, in fact, confesses it
has come to a dead-end," declared ex-President Levon Ter-Petrosian’s
Armenian National Congress.

By contrast, the nationalist Armenian Revolutionary
Federation-Dashnaktsutiun, which left Sargsyan’s governing coalition in
2009 in protest at the Turkish reconciliation policy, believes Sargsyan
should have gone a step further and removed Armenia’s signature from
the protocols. A law enacted earlier in 2010 enables the Armenian
government to revoke previously signed international treaties. [For
background see EurasiaNet’s archive].

Many Armenians interviewed during April 24 commemoration in Yerevan
expressed pessimism about the chances for reconciliation with Turkey.

Thirty-five-year-old programmer Hambarzum Mkrtchian offered one
of the few voices of dissent. Sargsyan’s speech about halting
ratification of the protocols was "quite difficult" to make in the
face of international and domestic reactions, said Mkrtchian. "I am
sure the process will go in the right direction. I trust him."

Some older Armenians expressed respect for Sargsyan’s attempt to
reconcile with Turkey, but showed little surprise that the process
had stalled over what they perceived as Ankara’s demand that Armenia
make concessions in the Karabakh peace process. "What could we expect
from Turkey other than preconditions?" asked retired 70-year-old
schoolteacher Angela Khalafian, whose parents left Turkey amidst the
Ottoman Turkish government’s crackdown on ethnic Armenians. "Doesn’t
our past teach us that we can’t walk in tandem with Turkey’s policies?

How could the Armenian authorities be so naive?"

Editor’s Note: Marianna Grigoryan is a freelance reporter based
in Yerevan.

SERZH SARGSYAN’S STATEMENT JUST AFFIRMED THE LEVEL OF RELATIONS THAT ARMENIA AND TURKEY ACHIEVED AFTER SIGNING PROTOCOLS IN OCTOBER

ArmInfo
2010-04-26 13:09:00

ArmInfo. The statement by President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan on
suspension of the procedure of ratification of the Armenian-Turkish
Protocols became just affirmation of the level of the relations the
two countries had after signing the bilateral protocols in October,
Yevgenia Voyko, lead expert of the Center for Political Conjuncture
of Russia, told ArmInfo.

She believes that Ankara’s preconditions to Armenia on territorial
concessions in favor of Azerbaijan had automatically postponed
normalization of relations without date. Therefore, the statement
by the Armenian president will not have serious impact on the
normalization process, she said. The expert thinks that it is still
a question if Turkey was ready for rapprochement with Armenia from
the very beginning. "Genocide of Armenians is a serious obstacle to
Turkey’s integration into the EU. However, considering the intransigent
attitude of a number of countries (including the locomotives of
European integration – Germany and France)," that are against Turkey’s
membership, Ankara may pause on the issue of European integration for
a time," Voyko says. She adds that the stake was placed mostly on such
"defeatist" sentiments in the Turkish elite.

"April 24 is a tragic date for Armenia, and Serge Sargsyan’s statement
"freezing" the procedure of normalizing relations with Turkey is a
response to the criticism by the opponents of this process, who make
up majority both in Armenia and outside it. The given statement can
be considered also in the context of domestic political situation in
Armenia from the viewpoint of possible strengthening of the president’s
positions," Yevgenia Voyko says.

news.am, Armenia
April 24 2010

Genocide victims commemorated near `Agos’ office

16:30 / 04/24/2010Today commemoration of Armenian Genocide victims was
organized near editorial office of the Armenian Agos daily in
Istanbul.

The event was initiated by Turkish Socialist Platform of the Oppressed
(ESP). ESP member Ersin Sedefoglu addressed the attendees: `April 24,
1915 is a day of great tragedy for Armenian nation. Although, it
occurred 95 years ago, it is not forgotten. As a result of forcible
displacement organized on state level, 1 million people were exiled,
and 800 000 died.’

Afterwards, the participants laid a wreath to the entrance of `Agos’
daily editorial office.

A.G.

APA, Azerbaijan
April 22 2010

Iranian MP accuses USA of supporting Armenia in conflict with Azerbaijan

A member of Iranian parliament has accused the USA of supporting
Armenia in the conflict with Azerbaijan over the breakaway Nagornyy
Karabakh territory.

Seyyed Kazem Musavi, who represents the northwestern province of
Ardabil, also expressed support for Azerbaijan in the conflict.

"Justice in on the side of Azerbaijan and we defend Azerbaijan,"
Musavi said in an interview with the Azerbaijani news agency APA.
"Nagornyy Karabakh is not a disputed territory. The real owner of this
territory is Azerbaijan," he said.

[translated from Azeri]

Seyran Ohanian « l’Armée arménienne fera mieux que se défendre » si
l’Arménie était attaquée par l’Azerbaïdjan

ARMENIE-AZERBAÏDJAN

dima nche25 avril 2010, par Krikor Amirzayan/armenews

« Nous tentons de rester à l’écart des déclarations guerrières, mais
cela ne signifie pas que nous ne sommes pas prêts à défendre notre
pays ». Déclaration effectuée le 24 avril au mémorial du génocide de
Dzidzernagapert par Seyran Ohanian, le ministre arménien de la
Défense. « Notre armée est très bien préparée et elle est prête à non
seulement défendre notre pays mais également de régler les problèmes.
Si l’Azerbaïdjan tente de parler par la force au peuple arménien,
alors en Azerbaïdjan se créera une situation encore plus grave et
catastrophique car nous avons une seconde supériorité : celle qui le
peuple arménien défend sa patrie historique » dit le ministre arménien
de la Défense.

Seyran Ohanyan: `We are trying to be free from military rhetoric but
it does not mean that we are not ready to defend our state’

YEREVAN, APRIL 24, ARMENPRESS: `We are trying to be free from military
rhetoric but it does not mean that we are not ready to defend our
state,’ Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan said today after
paying tribute to the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide,
commenting on the military statement voiced on the eve by the
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

`Our army is today more battle-worthy than ever and is ready to carry
out its issue not only in defense of the country but in the
implementation of preventive measures. If Azerbaijan tries again speak
with Armenia in a language of force worst and more disastrous
situation will be created in Azerbaijan as we have our second
privilege – Armenian people are defending their historic land,’ the
minister said.

According to him, the Armenian side differs from the Azerbaijani one
as it seeks peaceful settlement of the conflict and that country is
trying to exert pressure with such statements both on Armenia and on
the international community, but it is impossible.

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE NOT ON GEORGIAN PARLIAMENT’S AGENDA

news.am
April 23 2010
Armenia

Before being considered by the Georgian Parliament the issue of
the Armenian Genocide must be discussed by academic circles,
David Darchiashvili, Chairman of the Integration Committee,
Georgian Parliament, told reporters, commenting on an official
application the Armenian Assembly of Tbilisi submitted to Georgian
President Mikhail Saakashvili, Parliament Speaker David Bakradze,
Georgian parliamentarians and to the leaders of a number of political
parties. The Assembly gathered 1915 signatures to the application
demanding the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by Georgia.

According to him, no serious studies of the 1915 events have ever been
conducted in Georgia, and politicians need more information. Although,
besides the letter, the Assembly representatives provided special
booklets with the information on the Armenian Genocide kept in the
archives in the United States, France, Great Britain, as well as in
the universities of Cambridge and Yale.

NEWS.am asked Tina Hidasheli of the Republican Party of Georgia for
comments. She pointed out that the issue of the Armenian Genocide
is not on the agenda now. She does not rule out that Georgia may
recognize the Armenian Genocide later, but "the issue is not topical
in Georgia now."

VTB BANK (ARMENIA) REWARDS FAIR CLIENTS OF ARMENIAN WATER AND SEWERAGE COMPANY

/ARKA/
April 23, 2010
YEREVAN

VTB Bank (Armenia) rewarded fair clients of Armenian Water and
Sewerage Company under traditional joint campaign, the bank’s press
office reported on Friday.

The first campaign was launched in 2008.

VTB Bank (Armenia) is the general sponsor of the campaign and the key
partner to Armenian Water and Sewerage Company. The campaign is held
once in every four months.

Each of four winners selected among water consumers from Armenian
provinces receives AMD 300,000 and VISA plastic cards from VTB Bank
(Armenia) as well as certificates from the water company.

Kamo Aghababyan, acting CEO of Armenian Water and Sewerage Company,
and Valery Ovsyannnikov, chairman of directorial board of VTB Bank
(Armenia), were present at the award ceremony.

They congratulated the winners and said that timely payment of their
bills has considerably enlarged the amount of receipts in provinces.

"It is great honor for our bank to take part in such a campaign,
especially because the large network of VTB in Armenia contributes a
great deal to improvement of quality and spur the process of colleting
utility pays, including water pays.

I sincerely thank Armenian Water and Sewerage and its head, Patrick
Lorin, for this partnership producing effect for our organizations,
successfully operating all over Armenia and for ordinary people,
consuming water every day, including specialists providing water to
final consumers," Ovsyannikov said.

Kamo Aghababyan, in return, expressed gratitude to VTB Bank in
Armenia and Valery Ovsyannikov personally and called on the country’s
population to pay their bills in time and through banks.

VTB Bank (Armenia) (Armenian Savings Bank before June 20, 2006)
joined VTB Group in April 2004.

Now VTB Bank (Armenia) CJSC is fully owned by VTB Bank.

According to ARKA News Agency’s data, the bank’s assets totaled AMD
125.6 billion and liabilities AMD 99.8 billion by March 31, 2010.

The bank’s total capital amounted to AMD 25.8 billion, authorized
capital AMD 13.9 billion and credit portfolio AMD 74.7 billion.

Liabilities to clients totaled AMD 60.1 billion.

The bank’s net profit for January and February after taxation amounted
to AMD 669.6 million.

The bank has 68 branches. ($1= AMD 392.09).

ARGENTINA CALLS ON TURKEY TO RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Panorama.am
24/04/2010

Armenian Genocide and its victims have been commemorated on April
22 in Argentina’s "Manuel Belgrano" hall initiated by Argentina’s
national Senate and Armenian Cause Office of South America.

Argentinean PM-s, famous politicians, representatives of judicial
organizations, Argentinean Armenians and reporters have all attended
the event. Armenian Ambassador to Argentina Vladimir Karmirshalyan
and spiritual leader of Armenian apostolic church to Argentina have
attended the event.

Stating that dozens of Parliaments, Governments and international
organizations have recognized and condemned Armenian Genocide and its
organizers; and Argentina’s Government has also recognized Armenian
Genocide in 2007. Argentinean authorities called on Turkey to express
that political will and to recognize Armenian Genocide committed by
the Ottoman Empire.