Author: Nalchajian Markos

LA TURQUIE APPELLE LA FRANCE A RENONCER A UNE LOI SUR LA QUESTION ARMENIENNE

Agence France Presse
18 mai 2006 jeudi

La Turquie a reagi au report, jeudi, du vote a l’Assemblee nationale
francaise d’une proposition de loi visant a penaliser la negation du
“genocide” armenien de 1915 en encourageant les deputes francais a
abandonner pour de bon l’examen de ce texte.

“Après ce developpement, notre attente est que le renvoi de la
proposition de loi devant l’Assemblee nationale francaise lors de sa
prochaine session soit abandonne”, a indique dans un communique le
ministère turc des Affaires etrangères.

Une reprise eventuelle de l’examen de ce texte soumis au Parlement par
des deputes socialistes (opposition) et qui prevoit jusqu’a cinq ans
de prison et 45.000 euros d’amende pour les auteurs de declarations
niant le “genocide” armenien n’interviendra pas avant la prochaine
session parlementaire, qui commence en octobre.

La Turquie appelle egalement la France a soutenir le lancement de
recherches historiques communes turco-armeniennes visant a etablir
le caractère genocidaire ou non des massacres d’Armeniens survenus
en 1915-1917 en Anatolie, sous le règne de l’empire ottoman.

“Nous attendons que la societe internationale, la France inclue,
soutienne la proposition que nous avons faite l’an dernier a l’Armenie
pour la constitution d’une commission commune qui enquete sur les
realites hitoriques des evenements de 1915 (…) et partage les
resultats de ses travaux avec l’opinion publique mondiale”, affirme
le communique.

Les Armeniens estiment que jusqu’a 1,5 million des leurs ont peri
dans un genocide orchestre par l’Empire ottoman entre 1915 et 1917.

Ankara affirme que des massacres ont ete commis de part et d’autre
et recuse les accusations de genocide.

Ankara a averti au cours des derniers jours que le vote de la
proposition de loi aurait de graves repercussions sur les relations
bilaterales franco-turques.

–Boundary_(ID_gTvv18MZBqG10V3P9X nojw)–

ELECTION OF NEW SPEAKER IS A GAME

Lragir.am
16 May 06

The opposition must not take part in the election of the new speaker
of the National Assembly, stated the leader of the National Democratic
Union, Member of Parliament Vazgen Manukyan on May 16. He says it is
his personal opinion, adding that the election of the new speaker of
the National Assembly is the game of Robert Kocharyan who is likely
to appoint someone whom he would control.

With regard to the rumors that the opposition may nominate Victor
Dallakyan or Artashes Geghamyan, Vazgen Manukyan says there can always
be such rumors, and different names can be given.

RUSSIAN AIR FORCE CO BLAMES ARMENIAN AIRLINER CRASH ON PILOT ERROR

Ekho Moskvy radio, Moscow
16 May 06

[Presenter] The Air Force commander-in-chief, Vladimir Mikhaylov,
believes there is no point in raising the black boxes of the Airbus
that crashed near Sochi. Yuliya Kosilova has more.

[Correspondent] The cost of searching for and retrieving the on-board
recorders of the lost A-320 is unjustified, Vladimir Mikhaylov,
commander-in-chief of the Air Force, thinks. Even if the black box
is brought up from the bed of the Black Sea, he believes, it won’t
tell the experts anything new. It will only confirm that it was all
down to the weather.

But Mikhaylov blames the crash not on the weather itself but an error
by the pilot, who failed to take proper account of the difficult
weather conditions. That said, Mikhaylov thinks that the captain’s
decision not to try and land at Sochi and instead return to Yerevan,
whence the aircraft had taken off, was the right thing to do. That’s
what he should have done, according to Mikhaylov. There’s little
point in changing your mind, because it can bring serious consequences.

Mikhaylov pointed out that the black boxes are at the heart of
media comment, which he regards as distressing for the victims of
the relatives. However, he added, military specialists are willing
to help decode the on-board recorders.

[Presenter] The Armenian airliner crashed into the Black Sea on 3 May,
with 112 people on board. All perished.

[The operation to raise the black boxes continues, RTR Russia TV
reported at 1300 gmt. There are fears that the batteries powering
the boxes’ location transmitters will soon go flat.]

THE USA WILL ASSIST THE ARMENIAN POLICEMEN

A1+
[05:53 pm] 16 May, 2006

On May 16 at the US Embassy in Yerevan, a contract for $699,000 for
development of the Police Computer Network will be signed. The company
AEAI (Advanced Engineering Associates International) with its Armenian
partner Yerevan Computer Research and Development Institute (YCRDI)
have been selected by the US Embassy to develop the Network.

This Project is included in the Letter of Agreement on Narcotics
Control and Law Enforcement between the Government of the United
States of America and the Government of Armenia.

The specific goal of this project will be to increase the ability of
Armenian law enforcement to conduct timely investigations, assist
in the refinement of all law enforcement databases to increase
sharing between law enforcement agencies, improve Armenia’s ability
to access international criminal databases and shorten the time it
takes U.S. and Armenian law enforcement to ascertain the whereabouts
of suspected international criminals. This program seeks to create
synergy between on-going assistance efforts with the Armenian Border
Guard, Customs, Police and Interpol, the General Procuracy and all
other law enforcement entities.

TAVUSH REGIONAL GOVERNOR’S ASSISTANT INVENTS NEW MARTIAL ART

Noyan Tapan
May 15 2006

GYUMRI, MAY 15, NOYAN TAPAN. Tavush Regional Governor’s Assistant, poet
Lyubik Chibukhchian published a 150-pages book about a new martial art
invented by him. According to the author, this was published under
the patronage of Ijevan Mayor Varuzhan Nersisian. Means of the new
martial art called “Chibu” by the initial letters of the author’s
surname are pictured in the book.

According to L.Chibukhchian, 3 people, he, his sister’s and brother’s
sons, know that new martial art at present. To recap, Lyubik published
earlier a poem entitled “Vladimir of Vladimirs” about President of
Russia Vladimir Putin.

NOTHING TO THE AVIATION

A1+
[04:06 pm] 16 May, 2006

“Nothing is allocated to such an important field as is aviation,”
announced deputy of “Justice” faction Tatul Manaseryan today.

“Justice” will soon suggest setting up a commission which will deal
with the issues of aviation. The commission will be aimed at the
survey of the current situation in the field of civic aviation and
will try to find out measures of overcoming the crisis.

The commission will also observe the procedure of the implementation
of investment programs in Zvartnots airport and aviation board. Tatul
Manaseryan, deputy of the “Justice” faction made this announcement
today.

He illustrated an example of investments and programs under way
proving the fact that “great sums of money are being embezzled.”

According to him the aviation has spent 10.5 million USD for the
reconstruction of 1800 meters runway whereas the same work was
implemented in Dushambe with the same equipment at the cost of 2
million USD to reconstruct 3000 meters runway.

Tatul Manaseryan claims that the person who urges that aviation is not
a profitable field leads people to confusion; “Aviation is doomed to
work with profits,” stated the deputy and added that only the above
mentioned field can put “1,5 – 2 budget on the table.”

In his words though the monopoly of the field was not affirmed,
everybody is aware of the fact that many organizations hold various
services and the sum accumulated goes into the pockets of definite
people whereas normal aviation organizations were deprived of licenses.

By the way, “Justice” faction suggested to pass an air legislation
which would regulate the sphere of aviation but the Government did
not approve of the bill, and the chief of aviation board promised
to give the deputy their bill 8 months ago but so far he hasn’t kept
his promise.

It turns out that the representatives of the aviation are concerned
by the similarity of the bill presented by the “Justice” faction with
the air legislation of our military partner, RF. Tatul Manaseryan
claims that there is nothing strange in the fact that they have much
in common as, “We must speak in the same language if we are partners,”
especially taking account the fact that our legislation is partly a
copy of those of other countries. This is only the apparent ground
for it, the main reason is the next grant given to the aviation.

Tatul Manaseryan reminded that the head of the civic aviation turned
to the Defense Minister two months before signing the agreement and
informed him that they cannot guarantee the security of flights. The
letter did not find its response.

FRENCH DEPUTY SAYS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE AND HOLOCAUST ESSENCE

Yerkir.am
May 12, 2006

In an interview with the Turkish daily Sabah, Didie Migo, a Solicits
member of the French National Assembly and sponsor of a bill penalizing
the denial of the Armenian Genocide, said he continues to support
the bill.

“I have no intention to teaching lessons of ethics to the Turks,”
Migo was quoted as saying. “But I don’t share the opinion of the
French deputies who oppose the bill.”

As reported by the Noyan Tapan, Migo said the bill is the continuation
of the 2001 French law recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

He also said historians will still be free to make their assessments
and that the French courts should be trusted in evaluating the
difference between denial and assessments.

Comparing the Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide, the French lawmaker
said: “For us there is no difference because there is no difference
between the Jewish Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide, both were the
same in essence, and it is incomprehensible why Turkey continues to
deny the fact of the Genocide.

This is an indisputable fact. It is, indeed, hard for a nation to
admit that their grandfathers committed unjust acts in the past.”

TURKEY’S PARIS, OTTAWA ENVOYS RETURN TO POSTS IN GENOCIDE ROW

Agence France Presse — English
May 11, 2006 Thursday 1:56 PM GMT

Turkey’s ambassadors to Canada and France have returned to their
posts after being been recalled over disagreements on whether the
massacres of Armenians during World War I constitute genocide,
a Turkish diplomat said Thursday.

Ambassador to Paris Osman Koruturk and Aydemir Erman, the ambassador
to Ottawa, “have returned” to their posts after talks with Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and foreign ministry officials,
the diplomat told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The foreign ministry said Monday that the two had been summoned to
Ankara “for a short time” for consultations.

Turkey has warned Paris that bilateral ties will suffer if the French
National Assembly adopts a bill that would make it a punishable
offence to “deny the existence of the 1915 Armenian genocide”.

A first reading of the bill, proposed by the opposition Socialist
Party, is scheduled for May 18.

“I believe the French parliament will probably not introduce the
so-called Armenian genocide like a virus between two countries that
have such important ties. I believe common sense will prevail,”
Erdogan told reporters Wednesday.

If approved, the bill, which follows a 2001 French law officially
recognising the Armenian massacres as genocide, would provide for
five years in jail and a 45,000-euro (57,000-dollar) fine for any
person who denies that the 1915-1917 massacres constitute genocide.

Turkey was also angered when Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper
referred to the “Armenian genocide” as fact in a statement during
commemorations of the 91st anniversary of the killings on April 24.

The foreign ministry said at the time that Harper’s words were
“appalling” and would “negatively affect” bilateral ties.

In protest, Turkey withdrew from a planned multi-nation military
exercise to be held in Canada, officials in Ottawa said Wednesday.

In 2002, the Canadian Senate recognised the massacres as the first
genocide of the 20th century and the House of Commons followed suit
two years later.

Armenians claim up to 1.5 million of their kin were slaughtered in
orchestrated killings between 1915 and 1917, as the Ottoman Empire,
modern Turkey’s predecessor, was falling apart.

Turkey rejects the claim, saying 300,000 Armenians and at least
as many Turks died in civil strife when the Armenians took up arms
for independence in eastern Anatolia and sided with Russian troops
invading Ottoman soil.

THE BODY OF THE RF CITIZEN WILL BE TRANSPORTED TO ARMENIA

A1+
[02:52 pm] 11 May, 2006

IN THE GOVERNMENT SESSION

In order to render state assistance to the RF citizen Seyran Hakobyan’s
funeral who was killed during the crash of the “A – 320” airplane and
in accordance with the RA law “on the RA budget system” the Government
decided to allocate 1 million 500 thousand AMD from the reserve fund
to the RA Ministry of Social Welfare for the funeral and gravestone
expenditure. Minister of Social Welfare Seiran Hakobyan is allowed
to give the above mentioned money to the people realizing the funeral
on hand.

ASSISTANCE TO THE UNIONS OF THE BLIND

The executive body decided to render financial assistance to the unions
of the NGO “Armenian Union of the Blind” in accord with the RA law
“on the RA budget system.” According to their decision the VAT and
obligatory social insurance payments of at least 50 % of the above
mentioned union members will be compensated.

The RA Government allocated to the Ministry of Social Welfare more than
62 million 772 thousand AMD from the 2006 reserve fund on this score.

BOTH INCOME AND EXPENDITURE INCREASED

The Government decided to add the income and expenditure sum by 856
million 781.1 thousand AMD in accord with the RA law on “RA 2006
state budget.”

There were amendments in the RA law on “RA 2005 state budget” in
this connection.

RUSSIAN BORDER-GUARDS WILL BE FINANCED FOR THEIR WORK

The Government decided to allocate 3 million 587 thousand and 982 AMD
to the RA Ministry of Defense to compensate the expenses of the RF
border-guards for their services and the military intergovernmental
transportation realized in the territory of the RA.

TURKEY HOPES FRANCE WILL NOT CRIMINALIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DENIAL

Anatolia news agency
10 May 06

Ankara, 10 May: “Turkey wishes the French legislators not to approve
a draft law which would make ‘the denial’ of the so-called Armenian
genocide a crime,” Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Namik Tan said
on Wednesday [10 May].

Responding to a question at a weekly news conference, Tan said French
administration was sensitive on this issue, stating that the issue
required a process in which calm reactions should be given.

“It should not be the desire of anybody to cause uneasiness in
a climate in which our rooted relations were being improved,”
he remarked.

Asked about Turkey’s reaction against the remarks of Canadian Prime
Minister Stephen Harper describing baseless Armenian allegations
as “genocide”, Tan said: “There has been assessment process in our
ministry to determine the steps that would be taken on this issue. We
carry out necessary consultations with other related institutions.”