Author: Tadevosian Garnik

Armenian foreign minister says Turkey far from ready for EU

The Associated Press
10/11/04 15:32 EDT

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) – Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian
lashed out at longtime foe Turkey on Monday, saying that the nation
was not ready to begin talks on entering the European Union.

Oskanian contended that compared to EU member states and nations
hoping to join, Turkey lags behind on economic development, democratic
principles and relations with its neighbors.

The EU’s head office recommended last week that the 25-nation bloc
open membership talks with Turkey.

Oskanian said he hopes those talks include discussions of Turkey’s
relations with Armenia, the opening of the Turkish-Armenian border,
and Turkish acknowledgment of what Armenians say was the genocide of
up to 1.5 million Armenians between 1915 and 1923. Turks claim that
the number of deaths is inflated, and say the victims were killed in
civil unrest.

Armenia and Turkey, which do not have diplomatic relations, also are
at odds over Nagorno-Karabakh, a region within Azerbaijan that has
been under ethnic Armenian control since a war that ended in 1994
without a political settlement.

Turkey, which shares close ethnic ties with Azerbaijan and supported
that nation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, has maintained an
economic blockade of Armenia, hobbling development in this landlocked
former Soviet republic.

After a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on
the sidelines of a NATO summit in June, Oskanian had said he was
convinced that the Turkish government wanted to improve prospects
for resolving the countries’ differences.

The New York Times
October 7, 2004 Thursday
Late Edition – Final

A Step Closer To Europe, Proud Turks Hold Off Glee

By SUSAN SACHS

ANKARA, Turkey

Turks reacted with relief on Wednesday to the European Commission’s
qualified endorsement of their country’s bid to start talks for
membership to the European Union, but civic and business leaders
acknowledged they face a more formidable battle to win the hearts and
minds of the European public.

In the boardrooms of Turkish companies, in the offices of human
rights groups and on the streets of the capital, many people said
they would reserve their celebrations for mid-December, when European
Union leaders will make their decision whether to put Turkey on the
road to eventual entry.

”It’s not a ‘yes,”’ said Can Paker, chairman of the Turkish
Economic and Social Studies Foundation. ”It’s a ‘yes, we’ll see what
you’ll do.’ There’s nothing unfair in this. Every situation is
politically different.”

The European Commission, the executive body of the 25-member bloc,
said Turkey had generally fulfilled the objective criteria for
advancing to the next stage of the membership process.

But its report also spoke of ”specific challenges” to Turkey’s
eventual entry and suggested it be held to a stricter standard than
other recent candidate countries and given no guarantee that
negotiations would result in full membership.

The preconditions, which were generally anticipated here, were a
reminder of the political divisions in many European countries over
whether to accept a largely Muslim labor-exporting nation into the
European Union’s fold.

As many Turks readily point out, the country’s focus has been on
Europe since 1923, when it emerged as a new nation from the ruins of
the Ottoman Empire.

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, its revered founder, saw Europe as the model
and aspiration for Turkey, a way of thinking that has been instilled
ever since in every Turkish schoolchild.

Over the past few months, as a debate has raged in Europe over
whether Turkey is fit for European Union membership, many Turks have
grown increasingly resentful that their credentials have come under
question.

”Frankly, I am so bored with all this back and forth about whether
they’re going to accept us or not, whether we are Asian or whether
we’re European,” said Atila Yildiz, 38, a government worker who was
taking a newspaper break on Wednesday in downtown Ankara.

”They talk as if we come from a completely different world,” he
said. ”But we’re the descendents of ancient civilizations on this
soil. We’re as civilized as they are.”

Prime Minister Recip Tayyip Erdogan, who has pushed through
substantial legal reforms to bring Turkey’s laws in line with
European Union standards, has occasionally displayed a similar
impatience with European misgivings about Turkey.

In a recent interview he noted that Turkey has been a full member of
NATO for 52 years.

”My country has given martyrs to NATO,” Mr. Erdogan said. ”Nobody
there has talked about a special kind of membership or special
conditions for us.”

Despite such public statements of indignation, many Turks who have
been deeply involved in Turkey’s European Union campaign said they
were not surprised that the commission hedged its recommendations.

Kemal Kirisci, director of the Center for European Studies at
Bosphorus University in Istanbul, said he considered the special
conditions set for Turkey’s accession talks an attempt to create
”breathing space” for Turkey’s advocates to argue its case to the
European public.

”We have to open up skeptical European minds to reality and try to
dismantle their fears,” he said. ”But if Turkey lives up to what is
expected of it, I don’t see how the skeptics can object without
dynamiting very foundations of the European Union as an institution
founded on the rule of law.”

The public debate over Turkey is likely to turn more bitter in
advance of the decisive Dec. 17, European Union summit meeting in
Amsterdam, where Turkey’s advancement to the next stage of the
accession process will be settled.

Armenians living in Europe have already begun lobbying for a
rejection of Turkey unless it admits that the Ottoman government
practiced genocide against Armenians in the early 20th century, a
charge long denied by modern Turkish governments.

The Mirror, UK
October 8, 2004, Friday

BUYURUN!;
EXCLUSIVE LAWRIE’S ARMY HEAD TO TERROR WAR ZONE

by LAURIE HANNA

DIFFERENT WORLD: Azerbaijan national emblem over oil rigs at the
shore of the Kaspian Sea in Baku; TRIP: Manager Sanchez

NORTHERN Ireland football fans have been told to ignore scare stories
about Azerbaijan and support their team in the terror hotspot.

The East European country is at war with neighbours Armenia and
political terrorism is rife in certain regions.

And the British Home Office advises against travelling to the
Nagorno-Karabakh area, which the Armenian military control and where
gun battles ring out regularly.

But Graeme Johnstone, 43, a member of the Baku Rangers Supporters
Club in the Azerbaijani capital, said he has been looking forward to
the visit by Lawrie Sanchez’s men.

He added: “I know Azerbaijan has its problems but it is a great place
and well worth visiting.”

And he revealed the head of the Celtic Supporters Club in Baku, Billy
Quinn, would probably be more interested in the Republic’s test
against France tomorrow as he is the cousin of goalscoring legend
Niall Quinn. Vice-consul Derek Lavery, the UK’s official
representative in Azerbaijan, is a Scotsman but he insisted fans
would be welcomed by locals.

However, he warned against leaving Baku, where the vital World Cup
qualifier will be played tomorrow evening. He said: “The Armenian
military protect the area while the two governments are trying to
negotiate some sort of settlement.

“There is occasional firing, even though there is a ceasefire, but
fans coming out should be OK.”

Gary Hancock, secretary of the Amalgamation of Northern Ireland
Supporters Club, who has stayed at home, said: “I think there about
100 of our boys who went out, but they’re not worried.

“Last year, they went to Armenia in the middle of all the conflict in
Iraq, which was only 300 miles away.

20

FACTS ABOUT AZERBAIJAN

1. The country lies between Russia and Iran and is in Europe and
Asia.

2. The national language is Azeri and the currency is manat. One
thousand manat is the equivalent of 11p.

3. Northern Ireland are ranked 110th in FIFA’s world rankings, just
four places above Azerbaijan.

4. More people live in the capital Baku than in Northern Ireland. The
country’s population is 7.5 million.

5. It is a Muslim country and visitors are advised to avoid wearing
shorts in case they offend locals.

6. The country declared its independence from the Soviet Union in
August 1991.

7. Oil is Azerbaijan’s number one export and the world’s first oil
well was drilled in Baku in the 1800s.

8. About four per cent of the population have internet access. In
Northern Ireland, 33 per cent have access.

9. The country has nine airports.

10. It has the largest number of mud volcanoes in the world.

11. A person from Azerbaijan is known as an Azeri.

12. There are estimated to be more than 45million Azeris in the
world.

13. Garry Kasparov, once the world’s number one chess player, was
born in Baku.

14. The Nobel brothers, who the peace prize is named after, made
their fortune drilling oil in Baku.

15. A central part of Hitler’s vision was to create an empire
connecting Berlin and Bombay, via Baku.

16. There are two television stations.

17. December 31 is a national holiday.

18. Pancakes and spiced meats are popular in Azerbaijan.

19. Popular sports include basketball and karate.

20. The national anthem reads: “Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan, you are the
country of heroes. We will die so that you might be alive.”

RUSSIA JOINS TURKISH-AZERI BLOCKADE

Azg/am
6 Oct 04

Price of Armenian-Russian Strategic Cooperation

The Armenian-Russian strategic relations arouse suspicion. Anyway,
Moscow, close friend of Armenia, its strategic and the only ally, put
Armenia in a situation that is unprecedented for the last 13
years. There were cases of misunderstanding in the Armenian-Russian
relations in the past as well. There were times, for example during
the Georgian-Abkhazian war, when Georgia was in chaos, when Armenia
was blocked from three sides and the neighbouring Iran was the only
way for us to communicate with the outer world.

Soon, it will be a month that the Russian-Georgian border is locked,
i.e. Russia is indirectly keeping Armenia in blockade. According to
some information, over 1500 cars are stuck on the Russian part of
Verin Lars checkpoint. It’s worth reminding that Moscow closed its
border with Georgia after the terrorist act in Beslan, condemning
Georgia and Azerbaijan of making no sufficient efforts to prevent the
entrance of the hirelings and terrorists to Chechnyathrough their
territories.

By the end of the last week, Sergey Mironov, chairman of the Council
of Federation of Russia, who paid an official visit to Armenia,
expressed hopethat “the Armenian authorities will treat with
understanding the decision of the Russian authorities to close the
border with Georgia in Verin Lars point. Mironov characterized it as a
“forced measure”. “Terrorists penetrate into Russia from Georgia. They
feel quite free there. This measure is not directed against the
transportation of the Armenian goods. We are aware of Armenia’s
problems,” Mironov said.

Mironov arrived in Armenia just in time. It seemed that his Armenian
colleague will express concrete discontent. It is not a secret that
President Kocharian can’t express discontent for well-known
reasons. Yet, thebehaviour of Artur Baghdasarian exceeded all the
expectations. And not only his behaviour. Instead of expressing
concrete discontent to Mironov, the second person of our country
(according to the Constitution), at the airport, at the
parliament,during the press conference, displayed such a flattering
behaviour as if nothing happened. Meanwhile, this was the case when
the very chairman of the parliament and the deputies should have
expressed concrete discontent to Russia.

One can understand Russia. The terrorist acts of the recent years made
the Russians take additional security measures. On the other hand,
difficult questions occur. For instance, why Russia doesn’t allow the
cars leaving for Armenia to pass the Georgian-Russian
border. According to our information, the cars stuck in Verin Lars are
going to Armenia or Azerbaijan mainly. Isn’t it possible to let at
least one car move in a day? Do the terrorists pass through the
Russian-Georgian passport control points to reach to Chechnya? The
Russian side assures the Armenian drivers and passengers stuck in
Northern Ossetia for weeks that the border is blocked from the
Georgian side.

About a month ago, the Georgian president ordered to close the
Southern Ossetian part of the Georgian-Russian border. Trucks heading
for Armenia manage to pass the Northern Ossetian border by bribing
guards but have to stay in South Ossetia as the Georgian side is
reluctant to let them cross the Georgian-Ossetian border. For several
times in Tbilisi by the assistance ofthe Armenian Embassy it became
possible to let some of the cars cross the border. In this case, a
complicated situation is shaped for the Georgian authorities. It turns
out that the instructions of Mikheil Saakashvili don’t concern the
Armenians. There were speeches held at the Georgian Parliament,
saying that the blocked borders should be blocked for everybody,
including Armenians.

In fact, Georgia doesn’t suffer from Russia’s blockade. Let’s suppose
that the Georgian budget loses several million of dollars because of
the blocked borders. It is obvious that Saakashvili, who is enjoying
the assistance of the West, will get ten times more sums for that. In
fact, Russia put in blockade its strategic ally Armenia.

One should suppose that by this step Moscow is expressing discontent
for Armenia’s policy to deepen relations with NATO. But the measure
Russia chose to punish Armenia is not good for a long period. If
Russia wants to arouse anti-Russian moods among the political and
public circles of Armenia, it can continue keeping locked the
Russian-Georgian border, i.e. to keep Armenia in blockade.

By Tatoul Hakobian

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
PRESS AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
375010 Telephone: +3741. 544041 ext 202
X-Sender: Asbed Bedrossian <[email protected]>
X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 — ListProcessor(tm) by CREN

Fax: +3741. .562543
Email: [email protected]:

PRESS RELEASE

30 September 2004

Armenia Becomes Member of UN UPU Administrative Council

On 29 September in Bucharest, the 23rd Universal Postal Congress of
the United Nations Universal Postal Union (UPU) held elections in its
Council of Administration and other bodies. Armenia was elected to the
Council, which is composed of 40 states and coordinates UPU
operations. A French delegate was elected as UPU Director General and
representative of China was elected as Deputy Director General.

UPU is a specialized agency within the United Nations system that
establishes a universal framework for postal operations. The Union
establishes indicative rates, sets limits on weight and size of posted
items and regulates terms for processing of mail and post items.

Hastert rejecting calls to consider recognition of Armenian genocide
By Lisa Friedman, Washington Bureau

dailynews.com
Sept 28, 2004

WASHINGTON — Despite mounting pressure from Southern California
lawmakers, House Speaker Dennis Hastert will continue to oppose a
Pasadena congressman’s amendment recognizing the Armenian genocide,
his spokesman said Tuesday.

“That amendment, in the Speaker’s view, was poorly crafted and
wouldn’t help us with one of our most valuable allies in the war
against terror,” John Feehery said. “He doesn’t think that this is
a fight we should be picking right now.”

Feehery’s comments came on the heels of a petition from Rep. Adam
Schiff, D-Pasadena, asking Hastert to reconsider his position that the
United States should not formally declare the massacre of Armenians
in the Ottoman Empire after World War I a genocide, saying it would
alienate Turkey, a NATO ally.

The letter, signed by more than 60 lawmakers sympathetic to Armenian
issues, reminded Hastert that four years ago, in order to help
James Rogan — a then-struggling Glendale Republican incumbent —
the Speaker vowed to allow a vote on the Armenian genocide.

Lawmakers also downplayed the effect such a resolution would have on
the U.S. relationship with Turkey, noting that the European Parliament,
the Council of Europe and several European nations have recognized
the genocide without suffering long-term breaches with Ankara.

“Our relationship with Turkey is important, but that relationship
must not compel us to acquiesce in the unwillingness of Turkey to
confront the actions of its Ottoman forebears,” lawmakers wrote.

Schiff, whose district is home to a large concentration of Armenians,
attached an amendment to a foreign-operations funding bill earlier
this year that would forbid Turkey from using U.S. funds to lobby
against the genocide resolution.

The amendment is largely symbolic because the law already prohibits
foreign governments from using U.S. aid to lobby. But it has the
practical effect of formally designating, for the first time, the
killing of 1.5 million Armenians between 1915 and 1923 as a genocide.

Hastert and the GOP leadership reacted swiftly to the amendment and
insisted it be stripped from the bill. He also vowed that the central
question of whether to declare the killings genocide would never be
scheduled for a vote under his watch.

Last week, the Senate passed a version of the legislation that made
no mention of the Schiff amendment. Now House and Senate negotiators
are working to merge the two versions, a process that will determine
whether the genocide language will live or die.

Schiff did not accept an early defeat regarding the fate of his
amendment, but noted: “We’re in this fight for the long haul. If we
don’t succeed in the remaining few weeks of this session, we want to
recognize the genocide while there are still some victims left.”

Armenians estimate that more than 1.5 million died in a planned
genocide campaign. Turkey has consistently denied the assertions,
putting the number at 300,000 and contending that thousands of Turks
also died in what was a multiparty conflict during the last years of
the Ottoman Empire.

Lisa Friedman, (202) 662-8731 [email protected]

PRESS RELEASE

September 23, 2004

American University of Armenia Corporation
300 Lakeside Drive, 4th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612
Telephone: (510) 987-9452
Fax: (510) 208-3576

Contact: Gohar Momjian
E-mail: [email protected]

AUA Appoints Dr. Lucig Danielian Dean of Political Science

Oakland, CA – The Board of Trustees of the American University of Armenia
Corporation (AUAC) approved the appointment of Dr. Lucig Danielian as Dean
of the School of Political Science and International Affairs. AUAC Trustee
and Chair of the Search Committee, Dr. Wlad Godzich of the University of
California, Santa Cruz, noted, `Dr. Danielian has an outstanding commitment
to the development of Armenia and a strong record of service to the
University as Associate Professor, Associate Dean, and Director of the
Turpanjian Center for Policy Analysis.’

Dr. Lucig Danielian earned her Doctoral Degree in Communications from the
University of Texas at Austin in 1989. Dr. Danielian was Assistant
Professor of Political Communication at the University at Albany, State
University of New York, from 1988-1994, where she received a University
Faculty Fellowship for research conducted on mass communication and
democratic movements in Armenia, USSR. She has been the recipient of the
Harvard University Goldsmith Research Award, a Fulbright Fellowship, an IREX
Advanced Research Fellowship, and a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship from
the Social Science Research Council and the American Council of Learned
Societies Joint Committee on Soviet Studies.

AUA President, Dr. Haroutune Armenian, welcomed the newly appointed Dean,
`We are confident that Dr. Danielian’s experience in Armenia and at AUA will
help lead our institution into new directions and impact the development of
Armenia and the region.’ Dr. Lucig Danielian has been teaching at AUA since
1995, has served as the Associate Dean of the School of Political Science
and International Affairs since 1999, and has developed the Turpanjian
Center for Policy Analysis into a beehive of activity and research over the
last five years. She is an active member of several academic and
professional organizations, including the American Political Science
Association, and serves on the boards of several Armenian organizations and
publications, including the Open Society Institute Armenia Assistance
Foundation. Dr. Danielian has published in journals such as the American
Journal of Political Science and the Journal of Communication, is the author
of several book chapters and has many publications directly related to
Armenia and public policy.

AUA’s School of Political Science and International Affairs’ primary focus
is to provide analytical, reasoning and problem solving skills through the
study of international, comparative, and domestic governmental institutions
and processes. The School’s approach is multi-disciplinary with strong
emphasis placed upon providing students with a comprehensive understanding
of democratic governance at the local, national, regional and international
levels.

—————————————-
The American University of Armenia is registered as a non-profit educational
organization in both Armenia and the United States and is affiliated with
the Regents of the University of California. Receiving major support from
the AGBU, AUA offers instruction leading to the Masters Degree in eight
graduate programs. For more information about AUA, visit

USA might lose Caspian oil if Russia gains supremacy in region – Azeri
analyst

Yeni Musavat, Baku
20 Sep 04

An Azerbaijani political expert has said that Russia’s mediation in
the Karabakh talks is fraught with danger. In an interview with Yeni
Musavat newspaper, Vafa Quluzada said that the Russian settlement
option envisaged sending Russian troops to Nagornyy Karabakh since
Moscow aimed to boost its political and military presence in the
region. If Russia succeeds in dominating the region, the USA might
lose Caspian oil, Quluzada said. The following is an excerpt from the
report by Azerbaijani newspaper Yeni Musavat on 20 September headlined
“The USA might lose Caspian oil and the Caucasus” and subheaded “If
the Kremlin’s mediation proves successful, Washington will have to
withdraw from the region”; subheadings have been inserted editorially:

The latest CIS summit in Astana was different from the previous ones
for some parameters. First, it is noteworthy that Russia has never
shown its claims to the former Soviet Union [FSU] so obviously
before. [Russian] President Vladimir Putin is evidently displeased
with Russia’s position and influence on the abovementioned
geopolitical region. Therefore, an initiative to set up the Security
Council of the CIS, which was advanced at the summit, stems from this
concern.

Russia’s mediation in Karabakh talks promises Azerbaijan no good

Another direction which the Kremlin wants to follow in the FSU is to
take advantage of ethnic and territorial conflicts in the area
regarded as “near abroad” and strengthen its military and political
presence there. It seems to us that Moscow has started to take actual
steps towards this. The Astana discussions on Nagornyy Karabakh and
Putin’s active participation in them, and the circulated fresh news
about a new solution model that envisages bringing Russian
peacekeepers to the region promise Azerbaijan no good. Simply because
practice shows that the real welfare and territorial integrity of the
Azerbaijani people is linked not to Russia but to its integration into
the West.

>From this viewpoint, the former state adviser, Vafa Quluzada, sees as
very dangerous the Astana discussions and the Russian solution model.
The political analyst said that Russia mainly demanded that its troops
be sent to Azerbaijan and recalled that this was the main precondition
that the Kremlin set on 12 May 1994 during the signing of the
cease-fire agreement.

[Passage omitted: similar ideas]

Astana talks very dangerous

“I do not know the Azerbaijani leader’s attitude to the Astana meetings.
But those talks are in principle very important and dangerous,”
Quluzada said.

It is clear that the “Russian option” stipulates serious compromises
to Armenia. One of them is a referendum in Nagornyy Karabakh. In this
regard, the former state adviser said: “This will be even more terrible.
God forbid, if this happens, Armenians [in Karabakh] will immediately
say that Azerbaijan recognizes their independence since it allowed
them to hold a referendum. Actually, Armenians have occupied our house
and have been sitting there for many years. They just need an official
confirmation of this. They will reach this through a referendum.
Moreover, if we allow this to happen, then representatives from the
OSCE, the UN and the European Union will come to the region and the
illegal government will gain a completely legal status. This means
giving away Nagornyy Karabakh.”

[Passage omitted: Russia might take resolute steps]

Vafa Quluzada recalled another interesting detail about the subject.

“After my resignation, [the late Azerbaijani President] Heydar Aliyev
and I were still in contact at his request. We would meet from time to
time and he would ask for my advice. Meeting me after the Key West
talks, he said that according to the agreement, no peacekeepers would
be sent to the occupied lands after they were vacated. [Armenian
President Robert] Kocharyan also agreed with this. It meant that there
would be no possibility of troops clashing. It appears that the
Key-West option was better than the Astana option.”

The fact that the issue has reached this point naturally has its own
reasons. One of them is Russia’s intention to strengthen its
political and military presence in the region. Moscow has started to
intensively draw up new plans and tactics in this sphere. As has
already been mentioned, the plan to take advantage of ethnic and
territorial conflicts in the CIS occupies a special place among them.

USA might lose Caspian oil

Quluzada, who shared our opinions, thinks that the USA might lose
Caspian oil and the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline if the Kremlin’s activity
bears fruit.

“Because the situation in Iraq is indefinite. If Russia wins in
Azerbaijan, the USA will have to give up Caspian oil and the
Baku-Ceyhan pipeline might be exploded. The USA will, in general, have
to give up the region if the Kremlin gets mediation in its hands.”

Apparently, the fact that Moscow has intensified its efforts in the
negotiations and its wish to take the initiative promise Azerbaijan,
other regional states and democratic processes no good. Therefore, the
West, as well as the USA, which have great geopolitical interests in
the region, should seriously review the case. Or it might be late.

ArmenPress
Sept 21 2004

SPEECH OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA,H.E. MR. ROBERT
KOCHARYAN ON THE OCCASION OF THE 13TH ANNIVERSARY OF INDEPENDENCE OF
THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA

Your Holiness,
Dear compatriots,
Dear guests,
I congratulate our people and all those present on the occasion of
Independence Day. Today’s Armenia is an established state with ever
growing tendency of deepening market reforms, democratic transitions
and international integration. The choice of our people brought us to
a new domain.
As a result of the implemented systemic reforms our country has
experienced obvious progress. Armenia today is defined in terms of
sustainable economic growth and regular implementation of the state
budget. It is visible that small and medium businesses are more
active. Most of these results are directed at social sector and the
main problem today is the elimination of poverty. Precise
implementation of that program is the duty of all of us.
We prioritize balanced development of all our regions (marzes),
evolvement of the middle class and deepening our democracy. The
formula of the further advancement of Armenia is based on the pillars
of the rule of law, effective governance, fair competition and
extended employment opportunities. Those challenges are typical of
the current stage of Armenia’s development. They also represent the
world processes currently underway.
In foreign policy our country has a precise strategy: to
strengthen the credibility of our country abroad by furthering
relations in all directions. Armenia brings its contribution to the
international fight against terrorism, which nowadays has a most
urgent meaning.
Protection of peace in our complex region is a vital issue. We
consider that the key to it is in multilateral cooperation between
all countries of the region. On the issue of Nagorno Karabagh we
remain committed to the principle of peaceful settlement. Such
settlement shall be based on the objective realities that came forth
after the collapse of USSR. Particularly it shall be based on the
unquestionable reality of existence of NKR.
The Armenian Armed forces are an important component of the
security of the Armenian people and of the peace in the region.
Formation of the Armed forces and the current level of combat
preparedness are an historic achievement of our people. At the
foundation of our Army are heroes, whose feat made our country a
stable state and the motherland of all Armenians.
On the occasion of this important day I also congratulate
Armenians from around the world. The Republic of Armenia is the
herald of the feelings and goals of all segments of the Armenian
people. It has already undertaken its mission of addressing the
issues of pan-Armenian scale.
I once again congratulate all of us on the occasion of the 13th
Anniversary of Independence of the Republic of Armenia. Establishment
of free, prosperous and powerful Armenia has been a dream for many
generations. Our generation got the opportunity to implement the most
decisive phase of that dream. We fulfill that historic responsibility
with honor for the glory of Armenia and our people.
Thank you.

European Commission chief urges Turkey to recognize Armenian “genocide”

Arminfo
19 Sep 04

Yerevan, 19 September: European Commission President Romano Prodi
considers that Turkey should recognize the 1915 Armenian genocide in
Ottoman Turkey. Prodi announced this today during a meeting with
students of the European regional academy of information and
communications technology of Armenia.

“I am trying to understand why the European Union [EU] does not
recognize the Armenian genocide in Turkey. If you think that France
and Germany shed less blood than you then you are mistaken, but now
there is peace between them and they cooperate within the framework of
the European Union,” he noted.

He said that Turkey’s accession to the EU would change many
things. The EU member countries did not fight one another for two
generations, and this speaks for itself, the president of the European
Commission added.

“We shall change Turkey, though I do not know how, but we shall change
it without fail. Turkey should carry out a number of reforms,” Romano
Prodi said.