Catholicos of All Armenians & WCC Execs Discuss AAC Activities

CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS AND MEMBERS OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF WCC
DISCUSS ISSUES OF AAC ACTIVITY

YEREVAN, APRIL 14. ARMINFO. His Holiness Garegin II Catholicos of All
Armenians and members of Executive Committee of the World Church
Council discussed issues of activity of the Armenian Apostolic Church
at Apr 13-17 sitting with participation of representatives of
Orthodox confessions in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

Press-service of Holy See informed ARMINFO that bishop Rolf Koppe
(Evangelistic Church of Germany), on behalf of WCC EC addressed to
Supreme Patriarch. “Armenian Apostolic Church is known as a Church
paying significant attention to inter-confessional relations and
ecumenism”, bishop noted.

The meeting participants discussed issues of history and the present
activity of the AAC, afterwards His Holiness answered the questions
interesting His guests. -r-

FM Does Not Have Information on US State Secretary Visit to Caucasus

Pan Armenian News

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY DOES NOT HAVE INFORMATION ON US STATE SECRETARY
VISIT TO SOUTH CAUCASUS

14.04.2005 06:15

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Foreign Ministry of Armenia does not possess
information on US State Secretary Condoleeza Rice’s visit the South
Caucasian countries, Arminfo news agency reported. Meanwhile, Azeri media
reported that Condoleezza Rice will visit the South Caucasian republics in
the first decade of May. During her meetings with the Armenian, Georgian and
Azeri leaders Rice is reported to be going to discuss bilateral relations,
issues of democracy, military and political cooperation, regional conflicts
resolution. The Karabakh issue will be the key topic during Rice’s meetings
with the Armenian and Azeri leaders.

Massaker an den Armeniern Last der Vergangenheit – Keine Denkmaeler

Schweizerische Depeschenagentur AG (SDA)
SDA – Basisdienst Deutsch
14. April 2005

Massacre of Armenians in the past – No Armenian monuments in Turkey’s
past

Massaker an den Armeniern Last der Vergangenheit – Keine Denkmaeler
fuer Armenier in der Tuerkei Hintergrund

Von Ingo Bierschwale, dpa

Istanbul

Denkmaeler, die an Graeueltaten “armenischer Banden” an der
muslimischen Bevoelkerung erinnern, werden in der Tuerkei noch immer
errichtet. Fuer die bis zu 1,5 Millionen Opfer der Massaker an den
Armeniern erinnert auch 90 Jahre nach Beginn der Vertreibungen kein
einziges Denkmal.

“Auch ich habe meine Vorfahren verloren, aber ich kann ihrer am 24.
April nicht gedenken”, sagt Hirant Dink, Chefredaktor der armenischen
Wochenzeitung Agos bei einer Anhoerung im tuerkischen Parlament.

“Wie sehr wollen Sie Ihrer Geschichte denn noch gedenken?”, lautete
die Antwort einer Abgeordneten der islamisch-konservativen
Regierungspartei AKP. “Sie haben doch ueberall in der Welt Denkmaeler
aufgestellt.”

Reizthema

Je mehr der Druck in diesem Jahr auf die Tuerkei zunimmt, desto
aufgeregter wird das Thema auch in der tuerkischen Oeffentlichkeit
diskutiert. Wer allerdings, wie der tuerkische Schriftsteller Orhan
Pamuk, im Streit um die Anerkennung der Massaker als Voelkermord von
der offiziellen Linie der Leugnung eines Genozids an den Armeniern
abweicht, begibt sich in Gefahr.

Pamuk, der mit seinem Ausspruch: “In der Tuerkei sind 30 000 Kurden
und eine Million Armenier getoetet worden”, heftige Reaktionen
nationalistisch gesinnter Tuerken auf sich gezogen hat, ist
vorsichtshalber abgetaucht.

Fuer den Praesidenten der Tuerkischen Historischen Gesellschaft,
Yusuf Halacoglu, ist der “angebliche Genozid” schlicht eine
“armenische Luege”. “Wenn 1,5 Millionen Armenier umgebracht worden
sein sollen und diese jeweils zu 500 vergraben wurden, macht das 3000
Massengraeber. Wo sind diese Massengraeber?”

Einseitigkeit?

Andersdenkenden, wie Halil Berktay von der Istanbuler
Sabanci-Universitaet, der die Deportationen in der Endphase des
Osmanischen Reiches als “ethnische Saeuberung” bezeichnete, haelt er
vor, “kein einziges Mal die osmanischen Archive aufgesucht zu haben
und auch kein Osmanisch zu koennen”.

Auf eine gruendliche Auswertung aller Archive, nicht nur in der
Tuerkei, setzt auch die Regierung in Ankara, die der Ansicht ist,
dass die ganze historische Wahrheit noch nicht ans Tageslicht
gekommen ist.

“Ich bin ueberzeugt, dass es kein Kapitel in unserer Geschichte gibt,
dessen wir uns schaemen, das wir ignorieren, vergessen oder
vertuschen muessten”, sagte Ministerpraesident Recep Tayyip Erdogan
am Mittwoch vor einer Parlamentsdebatte zum Thema “Geschichte der
tuerkisch-armenischen Beziehungen”.

“Kampagnen”

“Aus der Luft gegriffene Kampagnen”, mit denen die Tuerkei gezwungen
werden solle, die Massaker an den Armeniern als Voelkermord
anzuerkennen, fuehrten zu nichts, hatte Erdogan bereits frueher
gemeint.

Daher ist kaum anzunehmen, dass Parlament und Regierung eine Anregung
des Universitaets-Professors Berktay auch nur in Betracht ziehen
koennten, naemlich zu sagen: “Wir bedauern diese historischen
Ereignisse”, auch wenn die Tuerkei fuer die Geschehnisse von 1915
nicht verantwortlich gemacht werden koenne. Die Entstehung aller
Nationalstaaten sei von schmerzlichen und dunklen Kapiteln
gekennzeichnet.

In einer Tuerkei, die gerade dieser Tage eine neue nationalistische
Aufwallung erlebt, duerften diejenigen, die die Vertreibung der
Armenier zu rechtfertigen suchen, groesseres Gehoer finden. “Das war
ein Krieg und natuerlich gab es dabei Tote”, schrieb der
“Huerriyet”-Kolumnist Emin Coelasan, der sich gern als Stimme des
Volkes sieht.

Gesellschaft Schweiz-Armenien warnt vor Leugnung des Genozids

Schweizerische Depeschenagentur AG (SDA)
SDA – Basisdienst Deutsch
14. April 2005

Massacre of Armenians:
Swiss-Armenians warn the Upper house of Parliament of denying
Genocide and request that the Genocide be recognized

Massaker an den Armeniern
Gesellschaft Schweiz-Armenien warnt vor Leugnung des Genozids
Bundesrat zur Anerkennung des Armenier-Voelkermordes aufgefordert

QUELLE: SDA

AUTOR: By TL; KN

DATUMSZEILE: Bern

TEXT:
90 Jahre nach dem Voelkermord an den Armeniern im damaligen
Osmanischen Reich verstaerken sich auch in der Schweiz Tendenzen zu
dessen Leugnung. Zu diesem Schluss kommt Nationalrat Dominique de
Buman (CVP/FR).

Der Nationalrat hatte die Massenvertreibungen von Armeniern in den
Jahren 1915/16 mit mehreren hunderttausend bis zu ueber einer Million
Toten im Dezember 2003 als Voelkermord anerkannt.

Dasselbe forderte De Buman, Praesident der Parlamentarischen Gruppe
Armenien, vom Bundesrat. Fuer Auschwitz haetten auch laengst
Persoenlichkeiten aus Politik und Religion um Verzeihung gebeten,
sagte er am Donnerstag an einer Veranstaltung der Gesellschaft
Schweiz-Armenien in Bern.

An den Bundesrat gerichtet, plaedierte De Buman fuer einen Ausbau der
Beziehungen zwischen der Schweiz und Armenien und fuer Mut, einmal
vom wirtschaftlich-materiellen Kalkuel abzusehen. Es gehe um
immaterielle Werte wie Menschenrechte.

De Buman forderte auch die tuerkische Regierung zur Anerkennung des
Voelkermordes an den Armeniern auf, schliesslich sei die heutige
Tuerkei nicht selbst kompromittiert.

In der Schweiz werde die Leugnung des Voelkermordes an den Armeniern
zunehmend “salonfaehig”, sagte auch Sarkis Shahinian, Co-Praesident
der Gesellschaft Schweiz-Armenien.

Dass der Bundesrat sich zur Frage der Anerkennung des Genozids
ausschweige, haetten die Medien als Nichtanerkennung gedeutet. Er
warnte davor, aus seiner Sicht fragwuerdige Argumente der offiziellen
Tuerkei zu uebernehmen.

Historiker: Keine Zweifel an Genozid

Der Historiker Laurent Auberson betonte, dass die Tatsache des
Voelkermordes an den Armeniern durch osmanische Kraefte nicht in
Zweifel stehe.

Aus diesem Grunde kritisierte er die Aufforderung Ankaras an
Armenien, eine gemeinsame Historikerkommission einzusetzen. Die
Quellenarbeit sei zum groessten Teil abgeschlossen und belege den
Tatbestand des Genozids bereits ueberzeugend.

Zeitzeugen wie deutsche Konsuln in den betroffenen osmanischen
Provinzen, die als Verbuendete Konstantinopels nicht im Verdacht
stuenden, Tuerken-feindlich geurteilt zu haben, haetten ihrerseits
von einer Million armenischer Opfer berichtet, so Auberson.

Nichtsdestotrotz reagiere die Regierung in Ankara noch heute entweder
hysterisch auf das Thema oder versuche zu verharmlosen.

Landesweite Gedenkveranstaltungen

Zum Gedenken an den Massenmord an Armeniern vor 90 Jahren finden vom
17. bis zum 24. April in der ganzen Schweiz Gedenkveranstaltungen
statt – die groesste Gedenkfeier ist fuer den 24. April im Berner
Muenster vorgesehen. Gemaess Shahinian gibt es Informationen ueber
von tuerkischen Gruppen geplante Stoermanoever.

Ara Abrahamian Vows To Bring Six Armenian Pilots Back Home

Armenpress

ARA ABRAHAMIAN VOWS TO BRING SIX ARMENIAN PILOTS BACK HOME FROM EQUATORIAL
GUINEA PRISON

YEREVAN, APRIL 12, ARMENPRESS: In an interview with RFE/RL the chairman
of the Union of Russian Armenians, Ara Abrahamian, heralded a soonest
release of six Armenian pilots, sentenced to lengthy prison terms by an
Equatorial Guinea court on dubious coup charges.
Abrahamian revealed that during a recent visit to the West-African
country he had had a series of meetings with its senior government
officials, including also Equatorial Guinea’s longtime president, Teodoro
Obiang Nguema.
Visiting Yerevan earlier this year Ara Abrahamian had vowed to bring the
pilots back in three months. He told RFE/RL that his personal
representatives are now in Equatorial Guinea continuing efforts for the
release of Armenians. He said he had talked African country’s officials into
allowing him to send $500 to each of the pilots and received their
assurances that the pilots would get proper medical assistance. He said
Armenian pilots are in normal condition and there is hope that they will be
back home before June 12.
Armenian foreign affairs minister Vartan Oskanian spent two days in
Equatorial Guinean capital Malabo on February 21-22, holding talks with the
country’s prime minister, foreign minister and chief prosecutor, but failed
to meet with its president. He was allowed to meet with the jailed pilots,
who were arrested in March 2004 and sentenced to between 14 and 24 years’
imprisonment on November 26 on charges of complicity in a reported plot to
topple Obiang.
All six Armenians pleaded not guilty to the accusations. The court
verdict was denounced as “grossly unfair” by Amnesty International. Their
German and Armenian employers also insisted on their innocence.
Back from Equatorial Guinea Oskanian told in Yerevan that he was not
given “definitive answers” regarding the fate of Armenian pilots, but was
promised that its authorities would seriously consider” their liberation.

Armenia Develops IPAP with NATO

Armenpress

ARMENIA DEVELOPS IPAP WITH NATO

YEREVAN, APRIL 12, ARMENPRESS: Speaking at a seminar today in Yerevan
organized and conducted by the George C. Marshall European Center for
Security Studies to support Armenia as it develops its NATO Individual
Partnership Action Plan (IPAP), deputy defense minister Arthur Aghabekian
said the main reason behind Armenia’s joining IPAP is to build a security
system in conformity with the requirements of the 21-st century.
IPAP is a document outlining general objectives and timelines of a
country for its future activities within the framework of cooperation with
NATO.
Aghabekian outlined major reforms in the defense system, which Armenia
will have to carry out within the frameworks of the IPAP and also
cooperation mechanisms to achieve this, such as regular consultations with
NATO on the issues of regional security, development of security strategy
and military doctrine, improvement of defense spending planning, ensuring
operative interaction with NATO in emergency cases, higher education level
of the personnel, development of more effective mechanisms of democratic
supervision of the armed forces and so on.
Aghabekian said Armenia does not expect any material or logistical
assistance from NATO. According to him, Armenia expects only effective
consultations. He said the axis of the reforms will be development of a
security strategy that will be submitted to parliament’s consideration after
standing the test of wide public discussion in 2007.
The deputy defense minister said the IPAP allows to reform the defense
system by stages under the condition of unresolved conflict. He expressed
hope that Armenia would be able to build by 2015 an army that would be able
to respond to 21-st century’s challenges.
The Marshall Center delegation is headed by Major General (retired) Dr.
Horst Schmalfeld, German Deputy Director of the George C. Marshall European
Center for Security Studies. The Marshall Center is located in
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. US and German ambassadors to Armenia, John
Evans and Heike Peitsch welcomed participants of the seminar.

Enlivened U.S. Diplomacy Compels Abkhaz Leadership to Visit Moscow

Civil Georgia, Georgia
April 12 2005

Enlivened U.S. Diplomacy Compels Abkhaz Leadership to Visit Moscow

President of breakaway Abkhazia Sergey Bagapsh is visiting Moscow
from April 12-13, following talks with senior U.S. diplomats in the
Abkhaz capital Sokhumi on April 11. While various Russian news
agencies have reported that Bagapsh plans to talk with unspecified
Russian officials no other details of this trip are known.

Sergey Bagapsh told reporters after talks with the U.S. delegation,
which included the U.S. Department of State’s Senior Advisor for
Caspian Basin Energy Diplomacy Ambassador Steven Mann, who is also
the Special Negotiator for Nagorno-Karabakh and Eurasian Conflicts,
and U.S. Ambassador to Georgia Richard Miles, that Abkhazia will not
give up its uncompromising stance over the region’s independence.

The Abkhaz leader reiterated that Sokhumi is presently ready to
discuss only economic issues with the Georgian side, as talks over
the political problems would bring the negotiation process to a halt.
Sergey Bagapsh said that the Abkhaz side is ready to contribute
developing a peace plan, which could guarantee the `peaceful
co-existence of the two neighboring states,’ the Abkhaz news agency
Apsnipress reported.

After talks in Sokhumi, Steven Mann and U.S. Ambassador to Georgia
Richard Miles met with President Mikheil Saakashvili to brief him
over this visit to Sokhumi. Later, the U.S. diplomats also met with
Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli, as well as with Chairman of Georgian
Parliamentary Committee on Defense and Security MP Givi Targamadze in
Tbilisi on April 12.

MP Givi Targamadze told reporters after talks that the `Georgian
President Mikheil Saakashvili is ready to meet Sergey Bagapsh and
Eduard Kokoity [leader of breakaway South Ossetia] in Tbilisi during
the visit of [U.S. President] George Bush to Georgia’ on May 10. The
statement immediately triggered speculations that the U.S. diplomats
invited the Abkhaz leader to Tbilisi during the U.S. President’s
visit. Steven Mann, however, said that his visit to Sokhumi had
nothing in common with the U.S. President’s planned trip to Georgia.

Political analysts in Tbilisi say that this recent visit by senior
U.S. diplomats to Abkhazia, as well as the U.S. President’s scheduled
visit, is a clear indication of Washington’s increased interest in
the the Abkhaz conflict resolution issue.

`This is the first time that such a high-level, U.S. diplomatic
mission has visited Abkhazia. Tbilisi has tried for a long time to
increase U.S. motivation towards being more actively involved in the
resolution of this conflict. But these attempts have been fruitless
so far. But now the U.S. understands very well that there will be no
stability in this region without settlement of these conflicts,’
political analyst Archil Gegeshidze, from the Georgian Foundation for
Strategic and International Studies (GFSIS), told Civil Georgia.

He also said that the planned visit by George W. Bush also contributs
to U.S. diplomatic efforts. `Washington is studying this conflict in
more detail on the eve of Bush’s visit… I do not rule out the
possibility that the U.S. diplomats invited Bagapsh to Tbilisi during
the U.S. President’s visit. But it would be very difficult for this
to happen because of Russia’s role,’ Archil Gegeshidze said.

`Bagapsh is not the kind of person to take important steps without
prior agreement with Moscow. That is why he left for Russia shortly
after his talks with U.S. diplomats,’ he added.

Many political analysts also believe that the U.S. diplomats
delivered at least two messages to the Abkhaz leader: `find a
compromise with the Georgian side; and, secondly, the international
community will never recognize Abkhazia’s independence,’ Gegeshidze
said.

Cal Grandma in Midst of Walking Record Setting 215 Miles in 19 Days

California Grandmother in Midst of Walking Record Setting 215 Miles in
19 Days

MODESTO, Calif., April 12 /PRNewswire/ — Zabel Ekmekjian of Moraga,
Calif. is taking part in a historical march from Fresno, Calif. to
Sacramento. She and more than a dozen other Armenians are walking 19
days and 215 miles in solidarity with the 1.5 million forgotten
victims of the Armenian Genocide.

“I took no measures to prepare for the walk. I didn’t change my diet
or do anything that I don’t normally do,” said Ekmekjian. “My
strength and motivation is with the Lord and with his help I am
determined to make it to Sacramento.”

Ekmekjian and her group young Armenians have already walked more than
130 miles in their first week. They walk whether it’s scorching hot
or pouring rain. They sleep in churches and eat from a lunch truck
that travels with them.

“Ninety years have passed since the Genocide and we still have not
received justice for the millions of lost lives,” said Ekmekjian.
“The least I can do is to sacrifice myself for a few weeks in an
effort to raise awareness about the Armenian Genocide and the plight
of my family.”

Ekmekjian’s father survived the Genocide but she lost many other
family members in the brutal killings between 1915 and 1923. As a
result of the forced exodus from his home Ekmekjian’s father, Garabad
Kassabian, was split apart from the rest of his family at the age of
five.

“I have no pain and with the will of God will be able to walk all the
way to Sacramento,” said Ekmekjian. “What amazes me most is the will
of the young people in our group.”

SOURCE March for Humanity

04/11/2005 23:48 ET

TBILISI: Georgia refuses air space in CIS exercises

Georgia refuses air space in CIS exercises

Channel One TV, Moscow
5 Apr 05

[Presenter] We have some interesting news about the large-scale
air-defence exercises which started today. Representatives of the
Russian armed forces say the initial plan was to hold the exercises
in another place, but the venue had to be changed because Georgia,
which is formally a member of the CIS air-defence system, is more or
less boycotting it.

[Boris Cheltsov, captioned as chief of general staff of the Russian
Air Force] Unfortunately, we wanted to do this in Armenia, but Georgia
would not allow us to use its air space, so we will use the territory
of the fourth army. [Passage omitted]

[Correspondent] There will be an exercise in detaining planes
violating air space, and in helping planes which have fallen into
difficulties. The special feature in this training is that it involves
planes equipped with the A-50 search radar system, the equivalent of
NATO’s AWACS.

ANKARA: Mustafa Onar explains Turkish lack of success on Armenian is

Mustafa Onar explains Turkish lack of success on Armenian issue

The New Anatolian / Adana
2005-04-05

Armenians have used propaganda, 126,000 books published on the
so-called genocide claims, whereas Turkish researchers are, on the
other hand, trying to present the reality of the issue to the world
through only 130 books, stated investigative author Mustafa Onar
yesterday to explain Turkey’s lack of success on the controversial
Armenian problem..

He highlighted that Turks and Armenians have lived together for
centuries and said that rebellious activities started after the 1878
Berlin Treaty. “The Armenians rebelled against the Ottoman Empire
at the incitement of foreign Christians,” said Onar at a conference
entitled “Unforgettable Armenian Problems,” organi zed by the Modern
Life Support Association (CYDD) in Cukurova.

He went on to propose that Turkish historians and scholars should
publish the archives relevant to the issue and new books on the
subject, and added, “While Armenians are trying to justify their
genocide claims with 126,000 published books, and through monuments
in France and the U.S., Turks have only published 130 books on the
controversial problem to date. Turks should increase the number of
related studies.”