Author: Nahapetian Lilit

ARMENIAN SIDE CONSIDERS FIRST MEETING OF SARGSIAN AND ALIYEV AS CONSTRUCTIVE

Noyan Tapan

Ju ne 6, 2008

SAINT PETERSBURG, JUNE 7, NOYAN TAPAN. A meeting of the Armenian
president Serge Sargsian with Azerbaijan’s president Ilham Aliyev
took place in Saint Petersburg on June 6. The meeting started with
the participation of the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan
Edward Nalbandian and Elmar Mmadeyarov, the co-chairs of the OSCE
Minsk Group Yuri Merzlaykov, Matthew Bryza and Bernard Fassier, and the
Special Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzei Kasprzyk.

Then the meeting of the heads of the two states continued in a
tete-a-tete format. The talk lasted an hour, after which the presidents
were again joined by the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers,
the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs and the special representative of the
OSCE chairman-in-office.

The Armenian side considers the results of the first meeting of the
presidents in Saint Petersburg as constructive. During the meeting,
the sides presented their opinions on the negotiation process, and
the foreign ministers were instructed to continue negotiations in
cooperation with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs. The presidents also
expressed a wish that the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs would continue
their activities on coordination of the sides’ approaches. An agreement
has been reached that the co-chairs will visit the region at the end
of June. The date of the visit will be specified later.

According to a press release of the RA president’s press service, an
hour’s meeting of the foreign minister of Armenia and Azerbaijan was
held prior to the meeting of the two presidents, which was followed
by another meeting of the foreign ministers of the two countries.

Ayna, Azerbaijan
May 17 2008

Unfulfilled commitments

NATO is trying to find ‘a common language’ with Azerbaijan over the
reforms which have not been implemented in the armed forces

As is known, the military committee of NATO’s Euroatlantic Cooperation
Council met at the level of chiefs of general staffs in Brussels on
14-15 May. The Azerbaijani delegation attending the meeting was led by
the chief of general staff of the armed forces, Col-Gen Nacmaddin
Sadixov.

NATO calls for joining efforts

The meeting, which was attended by more than 60 representatives of the
military of NATO member states and partners, discussed the military
threats facing the alliance and ways of overcoming them, especially
the situation in Afghanistan and Kosovo. The meeting was closed for
the media and detailed official information was not given to the
public on the issues agreed by chiefs of staffs. However, NATO sources
said that chiefs of staffs of NATO member states and partners stressed
the importance of jointly fighting the dangers and threats at the end
of the meeting and joining efforts in this area. The head of the NATO
military committee, General Ray Heno, said that it is necessary for
NATO member states and partners to strengthen cooperation in the fight
against terrorism. [Passage omitted: Heno’s quote on strengthening
cooperation and Brussels’s plans to support reforms in Azeri army]

Unfulfilled commitments

For the time being, NATO experts are interested in a number of
commitments that Azerbaijan is to fulfil. "They want to get official
guarantees from Baku on the fulfilment of these commitments. This may
happen in June this year. Certain clarity will be brought to the fate
of the reforms, which are envisaged in the first stage of the
Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP), but have not been carried
out due to some reasons if the Azerbaijani leadership satisfies
NATO. If this is the case, Baku will focus on the reforms that have
not been carried out in the first stage together with those in the
second stage. It is not ruled out that Brussels and Baku may hold
another round of negotiations on the fate of these reforms if Baku
refuses to implement some of them on the ground that they are
`harmful’. In that case, these reforms may be added to the second part
of the IPAP or may be taken out of the agenda," a source close to the
NATO circles told an Ayna correspondent. Our interlocutor did not want
to specify which article was in question, but it became clear from the
conversation that the emphasis is put here on four main points:

1. The formation of mechanisms of civil control over the defence and
security sector of Azerbaijan, the establishment of a transparent
military budget system and increased accountability of power
structures to the parliament.

2. The conduct of staff and structural reforms in the Defence Ministry
and the replacement of the ministry’s staff and leadership with
civilians.

3. The protection of the rights of servicemen and promotion of carrier
opportunities for the military.

4. The announcement of the details of the existing military
cooperation between NATO and Azerbaijan to the public and the state
guarantee for separate civil society groups to carry out monitoring in
the mentioned fields. Support for the policy of the media and
non-governmental organizations on public awareness.

Ayna has learned that the Azerbaijani government does not seem to be
so willing to carry out reforms in the mentioned areas. Baku has
different arguments: some officials believe that the law and order in
the military system may weaken and every kind of anarchy may arise
there if the army becomes civilian and the military have closer ties
with the public.

The incumbent leadership of the Defence Ministry is also extremely
negative about another commitment the replacement of the military
leadership with a civilian one. They believe that it will not bring
about any positive result if the leadership consists of civilians who
"have no idea about the army" at a time when Azerbaijan is at war
[with Armenia].

However, NATO experts do not share all these opinions. Observers think
that the main hindrance to rapid reforms in the mentioned areas in
Azerbaijan is some top ranking military officials: "They are afraid of
being replaced. Therefore, some officials continue to oppose rapid
reforms."

Positive aspect of cooperation

Despite all the difference in opinions, NATO focused on one particular
positive aspect in the present relations with Azerbaijan. This is
Azerbaijan’s providing strong support for efforts to fight
international terrorism. Western experts believe that Azerbaijan is
very active in this area and is trying too much to ensure
harmonization between its peacekeepers and the NATO coalition. This
issue is expected to be a new topic for discussions between NATO and
Azerbaijan in the days to come. As has been reported, Azerbaijan’s
report on the Planning and Analysis Process Programme (PARP), which
also includes the objectives of partnership, will be discussed at
NATO’s political and military steering committee in the 26+1 format on
19 May. According to information from Azerbaijan’s representative
office at NATO, a broad delegation from Azerbaijan will take part in
the discussions. The head of the international cooperation and
Euroatlantic integration department of the Defence Ministry, Maj-Gen
Ramiz Nacafov, will lead the Azerbaijani delegation. It should be
noted that the PARP was last evaluated in Baku in February 2007. Then,
a NATO delegation met representatives of the Azerbaijani Foreign
Ministry and the Defence Ministry.

[translated from Azeri]

PRESS RELEASE

Armenia Solidarity
Nor Serount Cultural Association
c/o The Temple of Peace, Cardiff
[email protected]
0044 7718982732

UK government advisory body agrees to the validity of the name "Armenia"
in Turkey

In response to an enquiry from Armenia Solidarity, a reply received
this week from Paul Woodman on behalf of the "Permanent Committee on
Geographical Names" (a British government advisory body ) contains
agreement on the validity of using Armenia and Armenian Highland to
describe an extensive part of present Eastern Turkey..
His reply contains the following statement:

"There is therefore absolutely no problem in showing the Armenian
Highland should a cartographic editor wish to do so, and we would
support such an inclusion wholeheartedly. It is a standard English
conventional name for an established feature. If it does not appear on
the maps where you might expect to see it, it is not necessarily for
some political reason but more straightforwardly because of the
unresolved question concerning its extent. It clearly relates to
present-day Turkey and Armenia (where it is Haykakan Lerrnashkharh), but
some authors ascribe it further eastward into Azerbaijan and Iran as
well, to encompass the three great lakes of Van, Sevan and Urmia. It is
therefore something of a locational headache for a cartographic
editor."…

"Your application of the name "Armenia" remains absolutely valid in its
own cultural-historical context."

Armenia Solidarity / Nor Serount Cultural Association have been in
consultation on this issue with the scholar Rouben Gallichian, who has
traced the gradual disappearance of Armenia from Western maps from 1923
onwards, and the disappearance of Armenia from Turkish maps from the mid
nineteenth century. His work and this new statement will be presented to
the UK government.

The Permanent Committee for Geographical Names is situated at the Royal
Geographical Society
It is an independent inter-departmental body which was established in
1919.Its web-site is

——————————– —————————————–

The original request was as follows:

FAO Permanent Committee on Geographical Names

Dear Sirs, Madames,
I understand that you were founded in 1919. I write to find if you
able to give an explaination for the disappearance of the Geographical
term "Armenia" from the maps of Turkey from 1915 onwards. (ie in the
world maps produced in Britain)
I assume that your organisation had a hand in this process. Surely the
fact that the entire population of Turkish controlled Armenia were
either massacred or deported does not justify the deletion of all traces
of Armenia from the maps of Anatolia?
I am not referring here to the Armenian Republic which was established
in the eastern extremity of historical Armenia.(which was situated in a
large area of eastern Anatolia.)
Also the terms Armenian plateau and Armenian Highlands have
disappeared by the same process

I ask also if this process was unique ?(ie the rather sudden deletion of
a name used since biblical times, -probably in 1923 )
Yours sincerely,
Eilian Williams

MINSK GROUP SHOULD SPEED UP WORK – CO-CHAIRMAN

Interfax News Service
June 4 2008
Russia

The American co-chairman of the Minsk Group, an Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)

Body mediating in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, urged the Group on
Tuesday to speed up its work.

The co-chairman, Matthew Bryza, told reporters in Baku that Armenia
and Azerbaijan now want major progress toward a settlement and that
this means the Minsk Group should step up its efforts.

Bryza expressed full support for Baku’s position of seeking
Nagorno-Karabakh’s reintegration into Azerbaijan but said the Group
was looking for a compromise between the principle of territorial
integrity and the right to self-determination.

ALAN KASAYEV: PRESIDENTIAL MEETING TO CONFIRM OSCE MG NECESSITY

PanARMENIAN.Net
03.06.2008 15:41 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The forthcoming meeting of the Armenian and
Azerbaijani Presidents will be an acquaintance, head of RIA
Novosti division for Baltic States and the CIS Alan Kasayev told a
PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

"First, this meeting is important for both Sargsyan and Aliyev,
since it will offer a chance to express opinions and make
conclusions. Second, they will have to publicly confirm the positions
of their states and thus reject opposition claims in both countries.

Third, the international community will eye them as adherents to
continuation of talks. And last but not least, this meeting will
confirm the necessity of the OSCE Minsk Group, whose activity has
been subjected to sharp criticism," he said.

YERKIR UNION CALLS INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY FOR CONTRIBUTING TO NORASHEN CHURCH’S RETURN TO ITS LEGAL OWNER

Noyan Tapan

Ju ne 2, 2008

LOS ANGELES, JUNE 2, ARMENIANS TODAY – NOYAN TAPAN. In connection
with the developments over Norashen Armenian church in Tbilisi, the
Yerkir Union called the international community for facilitating the
process of return of Norashen Armenian church to its legal owner.

The letter read that though Georgia has joined and ratified many
international documents on freedom of thought, conscience, and
religion, the current condition of minorities’ religious rights is
alarming. The local Armenian Apostolic and Rome Catholic Churches
have especially suffered from discrimination.

The Armenian Apostolic Church demands returning Norashen, Surb Nshan,
Shamkhoretsots Surb Astvatsatsin, Mughno Surb Gevorg and Surb Minas
churches, which are in Tbilisi, and Surb Nshan church of Akhaltskha.

On May 29, Union’s letters with the above mentioned content were sent
to the state Georgian structures, President, Prime Minister, parliament
Speaker, Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Education and Science, Internal
Affairs, Culture and Monuments Protection and Sport, Catholicos of
Georgia, Ombudsman, European Union Embassies, the United States,
OSCE, human rights organizations, NGOs acting in Georgia.

Many international organizations, human rights institutions recognize
the legality of these religious demands and constantly advise the
Georgian government to find a solution to these problems.

The European Union Human Rights Commission during its ninth session
called the Georgian government for undertaking steps to ensure
equal rights of freedom of religion and belief and correspondence of
their legislation to international standards, as well as for giving
solution to issues connected with seizure of sacred places of religious
minorities and other similar properties.

PRESIDENT SARKISIAN SIGNS SEVERAL BILLS INTO LAW

ARMENPRESS
June 2, 2008

YEREVAN, JUNE 2, ARMENPRESS: On May 31 President Serzh Sarkisian
signed into law several bills passed earlier by the National Assembly.

The presidential press service told Armenpress that they were bills
on making changes to the Law on Elementary and Medium Professional
(Vocational) Education, on making changes and amendments to the Law
on Excise Taxes and to the Law on Customs.

LEVON MKRTCHIAN: MY RESIGNATION WILL HAVE NO IMPACT EITHER ON COMING EXAMS OR ON EDUCATIONAL REFORMS

Noyan Tapan

Ju ne 2, 2008

YEREVAN, JUNE 2, ARMENIANS TODAY – NOYAN TAPAN. "My resignation will
have no impact either on the coming exams or the proceeding educational
reforms," Levon Mkrtchian, the RA Minister of Education and Science,
stated. He has resigned together with two other ARFD Ministers lately.

According to L. Mkrtchian, we have such a system that change of
personalities cannot have an impact on the educational processes. "I am
not upset due to this change, especially as it is not the first time,
besides, it is the first case I headed this department for two years."

Armenians Attack On Central Office Of Netherlands-Azerbaijan Turkish Cultural Center In The Hague

Azeri Press Agency
June 2 2008
Azerbaijan

Baku. Ramil Mammadli-APA. A group of unknown persons attacked on
Central Office of Netherlands-Azerbaijan Turkish Cultural Center at
04.00 on June 1, Ilham Askin, Chairman of the Center told APA.

He noted that Armenians and PKK-supported Kurds had committed the
accident.

"This is the second accident. Our office was attacked after erection
of monument on Khojaly Genocide and other events. Armenians residing
in Netherlands have increased pressures on us after the commissioning
of our office", he said. Askin added that there was no robbery during
the accident". The police have launched an investigation", he said.

Winnipeg Sun, Canada
June 1 2008

World forgets, Canada remembers

By ERIC MARGOLIS

Canada’s planned recognition of the 1932-1933 genocide, or Holdomor,
in Ukraine is very significant, even if long overdue. It was also
apropos for this week’s visit of Ukraine’s President Viktor
Yushchenko, who remains that troubled nation’s best hope for democracy
and continued independence.

Ottawa’s decision was motivated as much by ethnic politics as historic
justice, but Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government deserves kudos
for doing the right thing.

For eight decades, the greatest mass murder in modern history has been
shamefully covered up or ignored. I was shocked to receive letters
from young Ukrainian-Canadians saying they had known nothing about the
Holdomor until reading about it in my columns. Hopefully, more now
will know.

>From 1932-33, Josef Stalin and henchmen, Lazar Kaganovich and
V.M. Molotov, conducted a merciless campaign to crush resistance by
Ukrainian farmers to communism and collectivization. They isolated
Ukraine, then cut off all food supplies and seeds. Six to nine
million Ukrainians died from the ensuing man-made famine and mass
executions of "anti-State elements." Cannibalism became common.

Large numbers of Ukrainians were also murdered during the Great Terror
of 1936-38 in which an estimated two million Soviet citizens were shot
and the same number died in Stalin’s concentration camps.

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the Soviet penal system reached its
zenith: 5.4 million people were prisoners in the gulag or in frigid
Siberian exile.

TO THE GULAG

Some 300,000 more Ukrainians were sent to the gulag under the
supervision of Commissar Nikita Khrushchev, and 21,259 were killed in
Soviet "pacification" campaigns.

During the same period, Moscow unleashed terror on the tiny Baltic
states. From March to May 1949, 95,000 Lithuanians, 27,000 of them
children, were sent to concentration camps. In total, 120,000
Lithuanians, 50,000 Latvians and 30,000 Estonians went to the gulag
where the death rate was 51% per annum.

While the western world rightly commemorates genocide inflicted on
Armenians, Europe’s Jews, Cambodians, Rwandans and Bosnians, it
shamefully shut its eyes to the Ukrainian Holdomor because it was
conducted by a key wartime ally whom President F.D. Roosevelt hailed
as "Uncle Joe."

Nor has the West ever acknowledged genocide against other peoples of
the Soviet Union. In the Caucasus, Stalin sent most of the Chechen and
Ingush peoples to the gulag, where 500,000 died. Yet when the children
of the survivors fought for independence from Russia, the West branded
them "Islamic terrorists."

Up to three million Muslims of the Soviet Union died at Stalin’s
hands, including 1.5 million Kazakhs and Crimean Tatars. No holocaust
memorials exist for them.

Nearly 100,000 Moldovans were murdered in a purge conducted by then
Commissar Leonid Brezhnev, who would later lead the Soviet Union and
be feted by Western leaders.

Add to this butcher’s bill Volga Germans, Greeks, Cossacks, Armenians
and Poles.

If we keep demanding that Germany and Japan atone for their wartime
crimes, is it not time for our governments to finally recognize and
atone their alliances with the biggest mass murderer in history,
Stalin? His crimes exceeded those of Adolf Hitler by a factor of at
least four times. Particularly so in the United States, where the
Second World War has become something of a state religion and is
invoked endlessly to justify foreign military adventures. Soviet
dissident Vladimir Bukovsky demanded a Nuremburg trial for all the
Soviet crimes, but unfortunately this will never happen. Most of the
criminals are dead.

Canada’s recognition of this historic crime is important for two
reasons. First, Canada is one of the world’s most respected
nations. Its acknowledgement of the Holdomor will be heard around the
globe. Second, nostalgia for Stalin is on the rise in today’s
Russia. His memory and politics are being rehabilitated. Russians must
be reminded of his crimes and reign of terror.

In "les abuses de la memoire," the Bulgarian-born French philosopher
Tzvetan Todorov wrote, "Life cannot withstand death, but memory is
gaining in its struggle against nothingness."

t/2008/06/01/5735361-sun.html