Author: Chaltikian Arsine

INTELLIGENTSIA EXCHANGE SPARKS DEBATE, RAISES HOPES IN AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA
By Fariz Ismailzade

Eurasia Daily Monitor, DC
Day,az, Zerkalo, Echo, Musavat, 1news.az (June 28-July 5)
July 16 2007

The surprise and controversial exchange of intelligentsia delegations
between Azerbaijan and Armenia on June 28 generated heated debates in
both societies. The move, the first of its kind in the past decade,
raised more questions than answers.

Each delegation was comprised of five or six people and headed by
the Armenian or Azerbaijani ambassador to Russia, Armen Smbatyan and
Polad Bul-bul olgu respectively, thus giving the visit a semi-official
flavor. The assemblage also included university rectors, artists,
academicians, and doctors. There was no doubt that the presidents of
both countries had approved the visits beforehand.

The delegations visited the contested areas in Karabakh, including
Shusha, which has a deep symbolic significance for the Azerbaijanis.

Farhad Badalbeyli, a member of Azerbaijani delegation, noted "I
was shocked to see the destroyed mosque in Shusha." The groups
later met with both Armenian President Robert Kocharian in Yerevan
and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev in Baku. The delegation
from Azerbaijan included many Karabakhi Azerbaijanis, a move that
purposefully sent a signal to the outside world that there is a
sizable ethnic Azeri population in the disputed region as well.

News of the visit was not well received in Azerbaijan. The Karabakh
Liberation Organization, in its traditional approach, condemned these
contacts between the two countries and called the members of the
Azerbaijani delegation traitors. "Those who visited Karabakh insulted
the Azerbaijani people," said the organization in a statement. The main
opposition parties, such as Musavat and ANIP, also heaped criticism
on the authorities. ANIP officials stated, "Such mutual visits only
serve the interests of the Armenians."

Yet, more centrist opposition forces, such as Democratic Reforms Party,
Democratic Party, Civil-Solidarity Party, Social-Democratic Party,
and others, welcomed the move. Sabir Rustamkhanli, an MP and chairman
of the Civil Solidarity party, said, "The visit of [members of the]
Azerbaijani intelligentsia to Karabakh is a sign of our people’s will
to the peaceful settlement of the conflict." Ambassador Byul-Byul-ogly
added, "I believe we did the right thing by visiting Karabakh."

Most independent experts in the country also welcomed the move. Azad
Isa-zadeh, a military expert, stated, "We should not forget that
Armenians are our neighbors, and we are destined to live together."

Arkadiy Gukasian, resident of unrecognized Republic, agreed: "If we
cannot create an atmosphere of mutual trust, we will always be far
away from a peace settlement."

The international community showed strong signs of support for the
initiative, with positive statements coming from the Russian Foreign
Ministry, U.S. Department of State, and the Council of Europe. A
Russian Foreign Ministry statement predicted that the mutual visit
between the two countries would help to create a more favorable
atmosphere for settling the conflict, and Jonathan Hennic, head of
public affairs at the U.S. embassy in Baku, added, "The U.S.

positively evaluates" this visit.

Despite general approval regarding the visit, several questions
remained. Foremost, people are wondering what prompted such a
sudden shift in the position of the Azerbaijani leadership, which has
previously condemned similar exchanges between NGO representatives and
journalists. Some people linked the re-orientation with the upcoming
elections in both countries and the desire on the part of the political
leadership both in Azerbaijan and Armenia to show to the international
community that they are doing their best to solve the conflict. Others
believe that it was a trial balloon for future actions.

But the most important question is whether this was a one-time
stunt or the beginning of a larger trend. Azerbaijani officials had
contradictory evaluations themselves, with Foreign Minister Elmar
Mammadyarov welcoming the move and saying, "Azerbaijanis should
be able to travel to Shusha and Khankendi as freely as to Sheki
and Guba." Meanwhile his deputy, Araz Azimov, warned "NGO visits
to Karabakh are possible only after the liberation of the occupied
territories." Jonathan Cohen, director of Caucasus Program at the
UK-based NGO Conciliation Resources, believes that this is a political
decision. Yet, "they [the leaderships of both countries] can turn it
into a larger trend if they want to."

Both President Aliyev and President Kocharian face elections in
2008, making the likelihood of finding settlement to the conflict
and concessions related to it almost impossible in the next two years.

Yet, they also understand that the nationalistic crowd at home will
make it impossible to reach a compromise even after the elections.

Thus, the time is ripe to start working with the domestic population
to prepare common ground. Mutual visits and the resumption of public
diplomacy between the two societies is the only way to build confidence
and trust between the insecure neighbors and pave the way for the
lasting and sustainable peace in the region.

The American Chronicle
July 16, 2007
Are the Turks Confessing from Conviction or from Convenience?
Rauf Naqishbendi

>From denial to admission, suppression to confession, innocence to guilt –
the Turks are pressured to confront their past and to finally acknowledge
their commission of genocide against the defenseless Assyrians and
Armenians.
But the purpose of admitting past mistakes is typically to disconnect with
past behavior, come clean of moral indecencies, wholeheartedly join
humanity, and through good deeds and actions console the pain of the
victims. When the Turks truly bear the responsibilities of the genocide they
committed, then they should be credited for their courage and humility.
However, the truth is that their coming forward now and confessing past
crimes is merely a requirement for EU membership, not spurred by a heartfelt
desire to change. Furthermore, this acknowledgement of genocide and the
supposed repentance of the Turks are nullified by their continued and
conspicuous human rights abuses against the Kurds today.
Since the genocide, the Turks have made a concerted effort to exonerate
themselves through a campaign of misinformation and heavy propaganda. They
have tried to shift the guilty verdict to the Armenians, telling the world
it was the Armenians who betrayed the Turks, sided with their war enemies,
and killed thousands of innocent people. But the facts speak for themselves,
showing that the Armenian genocide was a protracted process that went on for
almost two decades.
First between 1884 to 1896, Sultan Abdul-Hamid II massacred up to 30,000
civilians and left tens of thousand of others destitute. In 1908, a group of
Turkish extreme nationalists, called Young Turks, designed to save what was
left of the collapsed Ottoman Empire. Less than a year after they took
control, they committed a large-scale massacre against Armenians and
Assyrian Christians.
As the Ottoman Empire started to crumble, the Turks made a last-ditch effort
to pursue a pan-Turkish state that would stretch to central Asia. Since they
wanted a purely Islamic Pan-Turkish state, they were convinced that the
final impediment to their objectives was the existence of the Christian
minorities.
In 1915, the Turks initiated an organized and systematic genocide against
Armenians and Christian minorities, killing 1.5 million people. They started
with killing Turkish intellectuals in Istanbul and other major cities to rob
Armenians of their leadership. Then they asked the Armenians to hand over
their hunting rifles as a contribution to the war against the Russians
during World War I. As the Armenians turned over their weapons, the Turks
used the numbers of weapons confiscated as proof that the Armenians had been
planning a revolt. Once this proof was established, the Armenian villages
and towns were obliterated, their churches flattened, and many innocent
Armenians executed. The Turks killed them in groups or individually, in
public or in remote locations, whichever was most expedient, using every
tool and resource in their disposal to annihilate the Christian minority in
Turkey.
A massive group of Armenians was rounded up for deportation, their final
destination being the Syrian Desert, Der Zor. Most of the deportees died
from hunger and starvation. Females over the age of ten were raped and many
were seized from their families and taken as slave brides. Few of the
victims were able to escape the desert and tell their stories to a silent
and deaf world.
Half a century after this ferocious crime, the Turks continued to pursue the
destruction of everything and anything associated with the Armenians, so
that no evidence would be left behind for Armenians to claim as proof of the
genocide. Per David Holford, "as the curator of the Armenian Museum in
Jerusalem told William Dalrymple, ‘Soon there will be no evidence that the
Armenians were ever in Turkey. We will have become a historical myth.’"
The EU is to be praised for setting high standards for Turkish membership in
this economic and political union. For contrast, consider that the United
States has made a mockery of freedom and liberty by fueling the vicious
regime of Turkey for near half a century. It never occurred to the US to
attach human rights strings to their enormous aid to such a repressive
regime. In February of 1990, a commemorative resolution was introduced to
both houses of representatives in the US to acknowledge the Armenian
genocide. The state department feared the passage of such a resolution might
harm US-Turkey relations, thus the resolution never received enough votes to
pass.
During the time of genocide, Ambassador Morgenthau pleaded with the American
State Department to intervene in any way possible, but the response he got
was "we just don’t know what is going on." The Turks are not the only ones
who need to offer remorse for the genocide they committed. What about the
silent world that made no difference, particularly the United States and
United Kingdom, who both were aware of this horror? The fact that they did
nothing to stop these atrocities from continuing can only mean that they
were willing participants in them, however silently they looked on.
It’s admirable to see the Turks come to terms with their past crimes against
humanity, but they shouldn’t be allowed to stop there. They also need to
address their present human rights abuse practices against the Kurds in
Turkey, a minority that, until recently, had been deprived of the most basic
of human rights, including speaking their mother tongue. Since the rise of
Turkish nationalism after the collapse of Ottoman Empire, the Kurds have
been the subject of Turkish brutalities. Since the 1980’s, more than 5,000
Kurdish villages across Turkey’s border with Syria and Iraq have been
demolished and their inhabitants forced to relocate elsewhere in Turkey.
Moreover, tens of
thousands of Kurds have been jailed and subjected to the most inhumane
torture for no other reason than being Kurds. These are the kinds of
brutalities practiced in today’s Turkey.
Turks need to face their current human rights abuses before turning the page
on their past atrocities against humanity. Coming to terms with past
evil-doing requires decency in one’s present actions and a sense of remorse
that originates from the heart rather than from external forces. The latter
circumstance indicates a degree of convenient self-interest, nothing more
than lip service and pretense, and therefore should not be taken seriously.
What is even more absurd is that the Turks continue to proclaim their
innocence of genocide, and want the world to see them as the victims of an
unfair EU, who is forcing them to confess a crime they never committed. If
and when they ever do acknowledge their hand in Armenian atrocities, what
will that really mean?

PRESS RELEASE
Glendale Public Library
222 East Harvard Street
Glendale CA
Tel: 818-548-2042
Web:

Shant Kenderian, 2006 president of the Armenian Engineers and Scientists of
America, will speak at the Glendale Public Library, 222 East Harvard Street,
Glendale, CA, on Wednesday, July 18 at 7 p.m. He will discuss his
autobiography, 1001 Nights in Iraq: The Shocking Story of an American Forced
to Fight for Saddam Against the Country He Loves. This free event is
sponsored by the Friends of the Glendale Public Library. Reservations are
not needed.

1001 Nights in Iraq presents a human story that provides unique insight into
a country and culture that we only get a hint of in the headlines.

Shant Kenderian’s visit to Baghdad in 1980, at age seventeen, was supposed
to be a short one — just enough time to make peace with his estranged
father before returning to his home in the United States. But then Saddam
Hussein invaded Iran and sealed off Iraq’s borders to every man of military
age — including Shant. Suddenly forced onto the front lines, his two-week
visit turned into a nightmare that lasted for ten years.

After the Iran-Iraq War, Saddam invaded Kuwait in August 1990, recalling
Kenderian to active duty before he could escape. When the landing craft he
was on hit a mine in the Persian Gulf, ironically placed by his own unit,
the survivors were picked up by an American frigate and the relieved
Kenderian became a POW. Because of his flawless English, Kenderian was a
favorite of his American captors.

After much diplomatic maneuvering, the self-described "man without a
country" was granted "humanitarian parole" and returned to the U.S.
Kenderian’s decade-long ordeal is a bittersweet story, but after
acknowledging his "really bad timing," he eschews the negative for an
inspirational account of perseverance and survival.

Shant Kenderian received his undergraduate degree in engineering in Baghdad.
He later completed a Ph.D. in the United States, where he joined a NASA team
in the aftermath of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster to investigate the
cause of the disaster and make improvements. On September 8, 2002, he became
an American citizen.

Website: an.asp

Information: (818) 548-2042

Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE
July 13, 2007
CONTACT: Karoon Panosyan
E-mail: [email protected]

Rep. Pallone Emphasizes Importance of Genocide Resolution by Honoring
Ambassador Morgenthau and Expresses Support for Swift Passage

Washington, DC – The Armenian Assembly commended Armenian Caucus
Co-Chair Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) for his remarks on the floor of the
House of Representatives in support of the Armenian Genocide Resolution,
H. Res. 106. Pallone honored Henry Morgenthau, U.S. Ambassador to the
Ottoman Empire during the start of the Armenian Genocide for providing
first-hand descriptions of the atrocities that were taking place.
Pallone plans to give a series of speeches to emphasize the importance
of passing the Armenian Genocide Resolution which is currently supported
by a majority of House members.

Below is the text of Representative Pallone’s statement before the House
of Representatives on July 11th 2007:

"Mr. Speaker, the Armenian Genocide that was orchestrated by the Ottoman
Empire from 1915 to 1918 is an irrefutable fact. Looking at the history
of this catastrophic event, it is impossible to deny that this was
genocide on all accounts. One way to hear witness to the truth is to
make reference to first hand accounts at the time the Armenian genocide
occurred."

"Henry Morgenthau served with dignity as U.S. Ambassador to the Ottoman
Empire from 1913 to 1916. In the wake of surging nationalism in Turkey,
and alarmed at reports of the Armenian genocide, he repeatedly appealed
to the U.S. government to intervene, without success. Morgenthau
addressed the genocide of the Armenians in a 1915 dispatch to the State
Department in which he warned that "a campaign of race extermination is
in progress."

"He then appealed to Ottoman rulers, also without result. Finally, he
publicized his opinions in his 1918 book of memoirs, Ambassador
Morgenthau’s Story, which documented his experiences while in Turkey,
including his vivid views of the Armenian genocide."

"Morgenthau wrote: "When the Turkish authorities gave the orders for
these deportations, they were merely giving the death warrant to the
whole race; they understood this well, and, in their conversations with
me, they made no particular attempt to conceal the fact…I am confident
that the whole history of the human race contains no terrible episode as
this."

"In one of his addresses Morgenthau commented on the United States
efforts during the Armenian Genocide, "If America is to condone these
offenses, if she is going to permit to continue conditions that threaten
and permit their repetition, she is party to the crime. These people
must be freed from the agony and danger of such horrors. They must not
only be saved for the present but they must be given assurance that they
will be free in peace and that no harm can come to them."

"At great personal risk and sacrifice, Morgenthau chose to intervene on
behalf of the Armenians and even managed to help rescue an unknown
number of Armenians. Of course, in the end his efforts were
unsuccessful. Drained by his failure to avert this disaster, Morgenthau
returned to the United States in 1916 and for the remainder of World War
I dedicated himself to raising funds for the surviving Armenians. He
is considered a hero in Armenia and an American man of courage and
character."

"Mr. Speaker, if America is going to live up to the standards we set for
ourselves, and continue to lead the world in affirming human rights
everywhere, we need to follow Morgenthau’s example. We must stand up
and recognize the tragic events that began in 1915 for what they
were—the systematic elimination of a people. By recognizing these
actions as genocide we can renew our commitment to prevent such
atrocities from occurring again."

"I wish to express my support for swift passage of H. Res. 106 which
reaffirms the Armenian Genocide. It now has a majority of the Members
of the House as cosponsors. As the first genocide of the 20th Century,
it is morally imperative that we remember this atrocity and collectively
demand reaffirmation of this crime against humanity."

The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based
nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of
Armenian issues. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.

###
2007-083

TER-PETROSYAN’S TEAM SUPPORTS KOCHARYAN

A1+
[03:22 pm] 12 July, 2007

"Levon Ter-Petrosyan has not talked for 10 years and he is still
silent. There are people around him who harm the activities of all
opposition parties in the political field to free the field for
Ter-Petrosyan’s return", says Vazgen Manukyan, chairman of "National
Democratic Union" (NDU). According to him these statements are done
in favor of the authorities.

As the NDU leader noted, since 1994 the model of constructing a state
has been carried out and Robert Kocharyan and Serge Sargsyan has not
invented new things after Ter-Petrosyan. He considers that financial
and ruling power is in the hands of 5-6 families and in the hands of
40-50 families which serve to the mentioned 5-6 families.

The society does not have any influence on the happenings in the
country. Mr Manukyan also pointed out that the above mentioned
individuals might cancel the elections, but "they have to obey to
the West, which prioritizes the elections". After 2008 presidential
elections we may have another model, and according to the NDU leader,
the life will show. "We must alter. The presidential elections should
promote it. The nation needs a change. I will make an attempt to
carry it out. I will take the responsibility on me.

But the problem cannot be solved by one person only, the society
should also contribute to that".

As to a common candidate of the opposition, Mr Manukyan said:
"Despite the bad sides of 2007, the year also brought good things
and the opposition parties found their places in the real processes".

Even if the opposition wins during the presidential elections, there
is a logical obstacle: "We need a very powerful constructive party
against such authorities, which would involve social powers. But we
do not have such a party in Armenia".

By the way, Mr Manukyan excluded that Robert Kocharyan would sign
a document on Nagorno-Karabakh problem before 2008 presidential
elections.

HRANT DINK HONORED WITH FREEDOM OF PRESS 2007 AWARD POSTHUMOUSLY

PanARMENIAN.Net
11.07.2007 18:02 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Agos Turkish-Armenian newspaper editor Hrant Dink
was posthumously honored with Freedom of Press 2007 award of the
Union of Journalists of Turkey.

The award is given to those who were prosecuted under article
301. Ragip Zakaroglu and lawyer Gulcin Caylergilu were also
awarded. Zakaroglu was the first to translate Franz Werfel’s "40 days
of Musa Dag", the book telling about the Armenian Genocide of 1915.

The awarding ceremony will take place July 24 in the Dolmabahce Palace
built by Armenian architect Garabet Amira Balyan and his son Nigogayos
Balyan by order of sultan Abdulmecid I.

RA PRIME MINISTER MET WITH THE AMBASSADOR OF BULGARIA

armradio.am
10.07.2007 17:08

RA Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan received the Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary of Bulgaria to Armenia Stefan Dimitrov.

Highly appreciating the current level of Armenian-Bulgarian relations,
the Prime Minister attached importance to the activation of efforts
in the direction of reinforcement and expansion of cooperation in
different spheres.

The parties emphasized the importance of cooperation between the
two countries in the sphere of European integration. Ambassador
Dimitrov noted that there is much to do in this sphere, taking into
consideration that Bulgaria is a member of the European Union and
NATO, while Armenia is in the process of developing cooperation with
the structures.

The Ambassador of Bulgaria noted that during her tenure in office in
Armenia she will work in the direction of reopening the Yerevan-Sofia
flight.

According to him, the development of economic relations, the increase
of commodity turnover between the two countries, and expansion
of cooperation in different levels will make the reopening if the
flight real.

At the end of the meeting the Prime Minister underlined that the
government is willing to do its best for the further reinforcement of
Armenian-Bulgarian relations and implementation of programs targeted
at development of economic cooperation.

STABLE LEVEL OF TARIFFS FOR SERVICES REGISTERED IN 2007JUNE IN ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan
Jul 10, 2007

YEREVAN, JULY 10, NOYAN TAPAN. A relatively stable level of tariffs for
services was registered in June 2007, as compared with May, in Armenia.

According to the data of the RA National Statistical Service,
apartment, communal, medical service, communication, education system,
rest organization, legal and bank services’ tariffs have been kept
unchanged, as compared with the previous month. In parallel with that,
a 0.2% fall of tariffs for everyday and transport services has been
registered in Armenia, and tariffs for cultural and public catering
services have grown by 0.1%.

ISRAELI MINISTER PLANS BROADCASTS TO IRAN TO FOMENT DOMESTIC OPPOSITION

AZG Armenian Daily #128
Ma’ariv, Tel Aviv
Middle East
10/07/2007

Uri Yablonka: "Lieberman to cooperate with NATO against Iran"

Eight months after being appointed Israel’s supreme coordinator in
dealing with the Iranian nuclear threat, Strategic Affairs Minister
Avigdor Lieberman has devised a practical plan of operation.

Israel, NATO, and the EU are considering cooperation in the
establishment of television and radio broadcast stations and websites
that will air anti-government messages to the Iranian public in a
bid to destabilize its government.

Ma’ariv has learned that the plan will include, among other things,
the establishment of an Azeri-language television station, since
Azeris, whose loyalty to the radical regime in Iran is not absolute,
make up 25 per cent of its population. Moreover, the new broadcast
stations will appeal to young people in Iran, particularly students,
in an effort to encourage elements already critical of the regime
to take practical measures to topple it. The aim of the project is
to undermine the radical regime by imparting values of democracy and
peace to the local population in Iran.

Lieberman’s bureau did not comment on the report Thursday evening, but
it has been learned that these steps were discussed in Lieberman’s
talks with senior diplomatic sources in Europe during his visit
there this week. At the beginning of the week Lieberman left for a
comprehensive round of meetings in Madrid and Brussels, where he also
met NATO Deputy Secretary General Alessandro Minuto Rizzo. On 28 June,
Lieberman said he had emerged optimistic from the meetings, where
he says he discussed, among other issues, the possible inclusion of
Israel into NATO and the assignment of a NATO force to the Gaza Strip.

Although Lieberman did not receive an answer on the spot, on 28 June
he said that it was his strong impression that there is a chance this
proposal would ultimately be accepted.

33-YEAR-OLD FELLOW MURDERED NEAR HIS FATHER’S TOMB

A1+
[02:23 pm] 09 July, 2007

On July 7, 2007, shots were fired at a cemetery in Silikyan
district. The police immediately left for the scene and found the
bodies of Vardan Melikyan (b. in 1977) and Artavazd Vardanyan (b. in
1974) near Ashot Vardanyan’s tomb. Grigor Stepanyan was taken to
"Malatia" Medical Centre with bodily injuries.

The police found a "Sayga-M4" sporting -gun at the back of a
"Ford-Explorer" car belonging to Artavazd Vardanyan.

Investigation is under way.

To remind, Aratvazd Vardanyan is the son of Ashot Vardanyan, the
Director of "Sweetheart" Ltd who was killed on March 4, 2007.