Author: Tashjian Arbi

THE TURKISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY TO RESEARCH TASHNAK ARCHIVES
By Aslihan Aydin

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
March 15 2007

The Turkish Historical Society (TTK) reportedly wants to finance the
opening up of the Tashnak Archives in Boston to Turkish historians.

The president of the TTK, Professor Yusuf Halacoðlu, said that until
now his organization has been denied access to the Tashnak Archives
on the basis of claims that the documents "are not classified and
categorized." As for archives in Jerusalem and Armenia, Professor
Halacoðlu notes that no excuses have been provided in the barring
of Turkish historians from these resources. Refusing to accept the
excuse the Boston-based Tashnak Archives had proffered, Halacoðlu
has offered to finance the cataloguing of the archive with TTK funds.

The TTK has obtained access to documents pertaining to Ottoman
Armenians in the archives of a number of countries, including Russia,
Iran, Azerbaijan, France and England. Two central archives to which
the TTK has not been able to obtain access are the Tashnak Archives
in Boston, which contains pre-1923 documents concerning the Armenians,
and the Patriarchate Archives in Jerusalem.

These archives, he maintains, contain crucial documentation about the
Armenians. Halacoðlu also maintains that despite the fact that a few
well-known defenders of the Armenian genocide have been given access
to the Tashnak Archives, there has never been a Turkish historian or
researcher allowed to use this resource.

–Boundary_(ID_yk1/L67qABOTzAJIO2kSWg)- –

JOHN EVANS CALLS FOR PASSAGE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION

ArmRadio.am
15.03.2007 11:41

Ambassador John Evans, the most recent US Ambassador to Armenia, called
upon the US Congress to pass the Armenian Genocide resolution. Evans
addressed a capacity crowd of over 400 guests gathered in San
Francisco for the Bay Area Armenian National Committee’s annual Hai
Tahd Evening banquet.

In his speech at the ANC banquet, Ambassador Evans discussed the book
he will be writing about the Genocide issue and explained how he came
to embrace the importance of the issue of addressing US policy on
the Armenian Genocide, stating "I do believe that in the long run,
my stance in support of recognition, will be vindicated, if not this
Spring, then at least by this Congress."

He continued later to state "The Armenian Genocide should be recognized
as such by this Congress." Evans also highlighted the importance
of genocide recognition efforts by the community. "…those of you
who’ve devoted hours of your days, years of your lives, fighting for
recognition for what happened to your forebears. I stand here tonight
in admiration of all of you. I salute you tonight, and I also thank
you for your efforts on my behalf, when it seemed to you as if I was
being done an injustice."

Elizabeth Chouldjian, ANCA Communications Director introduced
Ambassador John Evans. In her opening remarks she described the
ANCA’s key role in defending Ambassador Evans’ courage to speak openly
about the Armenian Genocide. " Our message to the State Department is
clear – come clean on the firing of Ambassador Evans, withdraw the
Hoagland nomination, and end the shameless pandering to the Turkish
Government," stated Chouldjian. "And if the State Department doesn’t
have the guts to stand by one of its own, to honor the man who tried
to bring dignity and morality to American foreign policy, then the
ANC and Armenian American community will."

COURT CASE INSTITUTED AGAINST RFE/RL

Panorama.am
21:10 14/03/2007

Anna Karapetyan, former employee of RFE/RL has opened a court case
against RFE/RL and its Armenian management," European independent
journal "Days," published in Praha, reports. The ex-employee demands
to cancel the decision according to which she is dismissed.

The journal writes, "The radio states, which postulated democratic
values and human rights, have to prove in Praha court that it
has not violated human rights by dismissing Anna Karapetyan." The
journal claims that the radio station has offered some money to Anna
Karapetyan against silence but the latter has refused. According to
the publication, Karapetyan worked with RFE/RL since 1995.

Yerevan office of RFE/RL told Panorama.am that Anna Karapetyan has, in
fact, worked with the radio station and is a well-known reporter. The
office could not detail more saying she worked in Praha.

RESULTS OF ARMENIA’S COOPERATION WITH NATO DURING FIRST YEAR OF IPAP TO BE SUMMARIZED IN APRIL

Noyan Tapan
Mar 14 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 14, NOYAN TAPAN. The results of implementation of
Armenia’s Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) with the NATO
during the first year will be soon discussed at the NATO. Samvel
Mkrtchian, Armenia’s Resident Representative to NATO, stated at
the March 14 press conference that the preliminary date of the
discussion to be held in Brussels is April 4 but this date may be
changed. It was noted that the discussion will take place in the "26+1"
format. According to S. Mkrtchian, the duration of an Individual
Partnership Action Plan is usually two years, after which the plan
can be continued as in case of Georgia.

SURGEON OF "ARMENIA" MEDICAL CENTER SENTENCED TO 4-YEAR IMPRISONMENT

Noyan Tapan
Mar 14 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 14, NOYAN TAPAN. The Court of First Instance of the
communities of Ajapniak and Davitashen, Yerevan, sentenced on March
14 Armen Sargsian, the surgeon of the 2nd surgical department of the
"Armenia" medical center to 4-year imprisonment. By this the court
considered reasoned the accusations presented towards him of causing
treated patient Nune Baghdasarian’s (born in 1984) death in the
consequence of improperly implementing his obligations, fulfilling
them carelessly and unconscientiously.

N.Baghdasarian was taken to the hospital on October 19, 2005, with
the diagnosis "acute stomach, acute destructive appendicitis, local
peritonitis."

A.Sargsian operated on her on the same day, the patient was moved to
the therapy department and inspite of the serum production from the
drainage-tube, the drainage-tube was operated. Besides, the patient was
discharged from the hospital with 37.2 degree temperature. No control
or examination was carried out before October 26, the patient’s next
visit to the hospital, though the pathology continued in the stomach
cavity and post-operational peritonitis developed. As a result
the serum peritonitis developed and turned into spreading fibroma
mattery peritonitis. The doctor did not make correct diagnosis on
October 26 and, in conditions of 38.5 temperature, pains in the
region of stomach and existence of swelling, the patient was again
sent home. N.Baghdasarian was re-operated after being examined by
another specialist already on October 27, but in the consequence
of development of difficulties incompatible with life, it was not
managed to save her life, and N.Baghdasarian died on October 28.

"PROJECT C.U.R.E." CHARITY ORGANIZATION GIVES MEDICAL EQUIPMENT OF 1 MLN DOLLARS TO MARTAKERT REGIONAL HOSPITAL

Noyan Tapan
Mar 13 2007

STEPANAKERT, MARCH 13, NOYAN TAPAN. A number of programs are also
implemented in the health care spheres of the NKR regions of Martakert
and Hadrut, within the framework of the "Re-Birth of Artsakh" program
of the "Hayastan" (Armenia) All-Armenian Fund. As it is mentioned
in the message submitted to Noyan Tapan by the fund, the "Project
C.U.R.E." charity organization which gives medical equipment and
accessories to more than 100 countries, promised medical equipment
of 1 mln dollars to the regional hospital of Martakert. The promised
equipment was recently moved to the NKR and stored. Besides, three
ambulance cars were given to the Hadrut regional central hospital
under the patronage of the Los Angeles local body of the fund,
another car was given to the out-patient’s clinic of the village
of Togh, Hadrut, under the patronage of the Argentina local body
of the fund. The fund will also implement a program on fundamental
restoration of the Hadrut regional central hospital. The competition
for doing the works has already been announced.

MCC VICE PRESIDENT JOHN HEWKO VISITS ARMENIA

armradio.am
12.03.2007 11:22

John Hewko, Vice President of Operations for the Millennium Challenge
Corporation (MCC), is in Armenia to meet with high-level government
officials and review progress of the $235 million MCC Armenia Compact.

During his meetings here, Hewko stressed how important it is to MCC,
and the American Government, that Armenia continue to maintain a
high level of performance on the 16 objective indicators MCC uses
to determine Compact eligibility. These indicators measure whether
a country is ruling justly, investing in its people and promoting
economic freedom. Because the coming legislative and presidential
elections will directly affect three MCC indicators in the Ruling
Justly category – Political Rights, Civil Liberties and Voice and
Accountability – Hewko stressed that it is critical for the Government
of Armenia to maintain its commitment to holding elections that
demonstrate significant improvement over past elections.

As MCC Vice President of Operations, John Hewko is responsible for a
broad range of MCC interactions with eligible countries, including
proposal development, proposal due diligence, compact negotiation,
and compact implementation. The Operations Department works closely
with MCC’s Department of Accountability and Office of the General
Counsel on due diligence activities, compact negotiations and program
oversight. Prior to joining MCC, Mr. Hewko was an international
partner with the law firm Baker & McKenzie (B&M), specializing in
international corporate transactions in emerging markets spending
many years in the firm’s Kyiv and Prague offices.

Los Angeles Times, CA
March 9 2007

A modern mockery
Ankara’s outdated laws to protect ‘Turkishness’ only bar free speech
and hold the nation up to ridicule.
March 9, 2007

GEORGE WASHINGTON and Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey,
had much in common. Both men led successful wars of independence;
both fought ferociously against the British; both became the first
president and "father" of their respective countries, and both proved
to be uncommonly forward-looking statesmen who made sure their new
republics were secular democracies.

And yet the national cultures that the two men helped to create are
vastly different, which explains partly (if glibly) why the United
States produced YouTube while Turkey is producing ridiculous
justifications for banning it.

Though Washington’s name graces the nation’s capital and currency, it
is also used for such crass purposes as selling used cars and
mattresses. Ataturk, on the other hand, who died in 1938, remains the
object of a cult of personality, one in which merely insulting his
memory is grounds for imprisonment. That’s why the file-sharing
company YouTube was banned from Turkey this week after it hosted a
sophomoric video titled "Kemal Gay Turk."

Playground stuff, to be sure. But against the law? The United States
has learned through trial and error (and with the guidance of a
remarkable Constitution) that allowing citizens to insult their
leaders is an acceptable price to pay for a culture of free inquiry
that holds no president, current or dead, above scrutiny. This allows
Americans to learn from the mistakes of even their greatest
presidents – Washington owned slaves, for example – while constantly
questioning assumptions about how the country should be governed.

Turkey denies itself this opportunity, hobbling the very process that
Ataturk so forcefully set in motion. Besides cordoning off inquiry
into the country’s founder – who, like most revolutionaries, was a
man of considerable flaws – Ankara’s illiberal speech laws
notoriously prohibit the "denigration" of "Turkishness," a concept so
vague and broad as to be meaningless.

Such laws are a barrier to Turkey’s bid to join the European Union,
which would be good for both Turks and Europeans. The good news is
that more and more Turks are beginning to realize the injustice (and
futility) of such laws, especially in the wake of the slaying in
January of Armenian-Turk journalist Hrant Dink, who had been
prosecuted for denigrating Turkishness.

Playground battles belong in the playground. Young Turks have
responded to the offensive speech in question by launching a volley
of crude YouTube videos of their own, mostly aimed at Greeks. But the
underlying issue is dead serious: Turkey can, and needs to, fulfill
Ataturk’s goal of modernization by allowing him to be mocked.

ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
March 9, 2007 Friday

Armenia not pursues aim of becoming NATO member-deputy FM

Armenia doesn’t pursue the aim of becoming a NATO member, Armenian
Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Kirakosian said on Friday.

“In our relations with this organization we consider complementarity
of our foreign policy and cooperation as key principles,” he said at
a meeting at the NATO information centre in Armenia.

“Cooperation with NATO is important for Armenia from the point of
view of cooperation itself, political and economic processes in the
republic, reform and modernization of the country’s army, in
particular, of its civil component,” Kirakosian said.

“Of late our relations with NATO became one of Armenia’s foreign
policy priorities, and full-fledged cooperation with the Alliance is
a component of the republic’s multi-layer security system,” he said.

Over the past years Armenia expanded its participation in NATO’s
Partnership for Peace Program, he said.

“This participation gives an excusive opportunity for inclusion to
modern concepts and defence policy,” he said. “It may be properly
applied to modernization and upgrading of the country’s defence
system.”

He pointed out that Armenia’s cooperation with NATO is multifaceted
and includes regular dialogues, political consultations with NATO
member-countries on foreign policy and security and participation in
NATO operations.

Vartan Oskanian: Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku rail project is a political
mistake

ArmRadio.am
09.03.2007 16:39

Armenia’s position on the construction of the
Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku railway is unchangeable: the project is
a political mistake and is not a hopeless step. RA Foreign Minister
Vartan Oskanian said at a press conference today that Armenia will
continue speaking against it, and said that despite the fact that the
three countries have signed an agreement the implementation of the
program has not started. `If they are trying to involve Kazakh
investments, it means they have no full financing. I don’t know what
the Kazakh position is, but when the question was under consideration
a year ago, we held discussions with the Kazakh side: they show no
particular interest. Possibly, the situation may have changed now, but
it will not alter anything. We think this approach is incorrect,’ said
Vartan Oskanian. According to him, from the economic point of view
the implementation of the program will do no additional harm to
Armenia other than the losses the country faces because of the closed
border with Turkey. It will create a non-positive atmosphere in regard
to regional cooperation, which will have a negative influence on other
issues, including the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.