Author: Tigranian Ani

RULING COALITION MADE RIGHT DECISION: PROSPEROUS ARMENIA

news.am
April 22 2010
Armenia

Armenian ruling coalition made the right decision on Armenia-Turkey
Protocols’ removal from RA National Assembly agenda, while Turkish
political elite will ratify them, Prosperous Armenia party member
Naira Zohrabyan told NEWS.am.

According to her, Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent
statement that corresponding atmosphere in their parliament for
Protocols’ ratification is not provided, allows to say that the only
adequate move in this case is removal of the Protocols from National
Assembly agenda. "Turkey decides itself whether it wants to be a
state of 21st century or to go on with quack policy," the MP stated.

In conclusion, she expressed confidence that in this process
Armenia did not break rules of the game. "Armenia violated not a
single settlement throughout the process. Moreover, it was Turkey
that consistently and persistently seeked to distort Protocols’
content," Zohrabyan declared, adding that world community staked a
lot by Armenia-Turkey reconciliation and will definitely pressurize
Turkey further.

LETTERS TO TORONTO STAR, CANADA
Harout Manougian

article/799034–time-genocide-recognized
April 21 2010

Time genocide recognized

I applaud Olivia Ward for covering this very important topic. Genocide
is not confined to a particular time period, it is a crime that
transcends time and space. Genocide has adverse effects on every new
generation, particularly through the stage of denial.

According to genocide scholar and director of Genocide Watch Dr.
Gregory Stanton, genocide denial is a double killing, it is considered
the last stage of genocide where the perpetrators and their successor
states attempt to cowardly rewrite history, vilify the victims and thus
trivialize their fate. The Turkish state has extended its denialist
propaganda overseas into North America by hiring lucrative public
relations companies, lobbying firms and academics to help them deny
in the United States and Canada.

By implementing a policy of denial on the issue of the Armenian
Genocide, the Turkish government not only victimizes Armenians,
but also corrupts the conscience of the Turkish people. The Turkish
government must acknowledge its history and by doing so end the
cycle of genocide. Removing any ban on discussing the Genocide of
the Armenians in Turkey, ending state sanctioned hostility toward
the Armenian people, protecting Armenian cultural wealth in Turkey,
and using the power of education to promote justice for Armenians and
reconciliation between the parties, are all necessary initiatives
Turkey must adopt. The international community must play a role in
encouraging Turkey to take this step.

Raffi Sarkissian, Toronto

————————–

Thank you for publishing the article highlighting the denial of the
Armenian Genocide by the Turkish government. However, I believe it
would have been important to mention that many Turks risked their
lives by harbouring Armenians during the Genocide. Today, many
prominent Turkish academics and authors face persecution for refusing
to censor their works and comments. Too often this conflict is pitched
as one between two nations, whereas it is actually a conflict between
humanity and inhumanity.

BILDT OPPOSES POLITICAL DEBATE ON ‘GENOCIDE’

Today’s Zaman
April 21 2010, TUrkey

Sweden’s top foreign policy official has said the position of the
Swedish government on Armenian genocide claims is clear and has
reiterated that historical events should not be evaluated at the
political level.

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said a second vote on the
so-called Armenian genocide resolution is possible, in a response
sent to Yilmaz Kerimo, a member of Sweden’s parliament who had asked
whether the Armenian resolution would be brought to the agenda of
Sweden’s parliament again.

Kerimo led the vanguard in advocating the vote on the resolution
recognizing Armenian deaths at the hands of the Ottomans as genocide.

Sweden’s parliament approved the resolution with a one-vote margin
in March, just a week after the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs
approved a similar resolution.

Bildt also said in his response that a second vote in parliament would
not be surprising and added that only parliament has the authority
to decide on this. Making the government’s position clear, Bildt said
in his response that the government had repeatedly shown its position.

"Our position was and will be that the judgment of historical events
should not be realized at political levels," Bildt said. Bildt also
spoke of the possibility of a second vote in late March. The Swedish
government believed the resolution was a mistake and needs to be
rejected in a second vote. The second vote is expected to take place
next year after a proposal for the vote is passed by the Swedish
Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs.

PRESS RELEASE
United Nations Development Programme / Armenia
14 Petros Adamyan St., Yerevan 0010
Contact: Mr. Hovhannes Sarajyan, Communications Associate
Tel: +37410 566 073
E-mail: [email protected]<mailto:hovhannes.sa [email protected]>
Web site:

From Upgraded Vocational Skills to Decent Employment

Yerevan, 21 April 2010 – Today Ms. Dafina Gercheva, UN Resident
Coordinator/UNDP Resident Representative in Armenia and Mr. Mkhitar
Mnatsakanyan, RoA Minister of Labor and Social Affairs signed a Letter
of Agreement on organization and conduct of large-scale vocational
re-trainings with further job placement for registered unemployed
focusing on youth unemployment in the regions of Armenia.

UNDP "Vocational Education and Training (VET) System" Project,
together with the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, organized last
year 2-3 month training programs for unemployed to retrain them in
vocational specialties demanded by the labor market. At the peak of
crisis, this initiative was aimed to address the growing level of
unemployment in Armenia. The first series of vocational re-trainings
with further job placement requirement were initiated in August 2009
and proved to be very successful: 170 unemployed participated in the
program and 75% of them are already placed at different jobs across
the country.

In light of this, UNDP in Armenia came forward to continue the support
to the employment sector and initiated the second phase of the project
with a total budget of USD 140,000 for 2010. The retraining programs
have a strong practical component and are seen as a part of active
labor market (ALM) policy, which is one of the remedies along with
existing social safety instruments like public works, family benefits,
expansion of unemployment benefits, to support the most vulnerable
layers of the Armenian society. The project will allow to upgrade the
skills of more than 400 unemployed people in different sectors of
vocational occupations (artisan, services, agriculture, IT,
construction, etc.) currently demanded in the domestic labor market to
boost employment and income generation.

"This is yet another example of successful partnership between the
UNDP in Armenia and the national counterparts when targeted, rapid and
flexible response provides the necessary remedies to development
challenges, such as the impact of the global financial and economic
crisis on the most vulnerable layers of the society. Poverty reduction
and ensuring access to basic social and economic services for the most
vulnerable layers of the society are the priority areas of the UNDP
activities in the country. Developing national capacities is one of
the most effective ways of fostering human development," said
Ms. Gercheva, UN RC/UNDP RR.

"I am sure that this type of projects representing ALM instruments
will have positive impact and will mitigate the consequences of
economic crisis in employment sector," stressed Minister Mnatsakanyan
in his speech.

A strong tripartite partnership is already in place between UNDP VET
Project, State Employment Service Agency and vocational training
providers, which is a strong prerequisite for the successful
implementation of the project’s second phase. This time UNDP
assistance has tripled addressing almost all the regions of Armenia
with the special focus on youth from remote communities. The duration
of the professional trainings will vary from 2 up to 4 months based on
the core content of the VET state curricula to be introduced and
delivered.

###

UNDP is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and
connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help
people build a better life. We are on the ground in 166 countries,
working with them on their own solutions to global and national
development challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on
the people of UNDP and our wide range of partners. UNDP in Armenia was
established in 1993 and supports the Government of Armenia to reach
its own development priorities and the Millennium Development Goals by
2015.

GORKY WITNESSED "DEATH MARCH"

A1Plus.am
21/04/10

The Armenian Genocide greatly affected the life and activity of
American Armenian painter Arshile Gorky. Gorky was born in the village
of Khorgom, situated on the shores of Lake Van

Gorky fled Van in 1915 during the Armenian Genocide and escaped with
his mother into Russian-controlled territory. In the aftermath of
the genocide, Gorky’s mother died of starvation in Yerevan.

The Cafesjyan Center for the Arts hosts an event dedicated to the
renowned painter on April 20-21.

The event entitled "Silent Victims. Arshile Gorky", will be opened
by Shahen Khachatryan, Director of Arshile Gorky Museum in Etchmiadzin.

He will deliver a lecture on Gorky’s life and art, sharing the artist’s
memories of the Genocide.

The second part of the event will start with by documentary film
viewing by the Armenian film-producer Karen Adamyan.

Many of his paintings portrayed the suffering and loss of the period.

In the letters sent to his sister, Gorky often referred to the
Genocide as "the death march of our relatives and dearest friends",
bitterly recalling the circumstances of his mother’s death.

Will Sanctions On Iran Affect Armenia-Iran Relations?

Tert.am
21.04.10

The sanctions the international community may possibly impose on Iran
cannot affect Armenian-Iranian relations, Iranologist and Deputy
Director of Noravanq Foundation Sevak Sarukhanyan said at a press
conference today.

In his words currently Armenia and Iran are working on the
implementation of energy projects and therefore any pressure
the international community will exert on Iran cannot affect the
Armenian-Iranian energy cooperation.

According to Sarukhanyan the two countries are presently having "good"
relations, and that it is important that the two sides – in an attempt
to strengthen relations – to carry out the projects planned previously.

Iran is planning to build a new nuclear reactor in Armenia and put
into action the 5th energy unit of Hrazdan Thermo Power Plant.

In reference to recent regional developments Sarukhanyan said that
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict would see no serious progress in the
near future, while the Armenia-Turkey normalization would be stalled
to some extent.

AZERBAIJANI AMBASSADOR SPEAKS ON KARABAKH CONFLICT AT SAINT ANDREWS UNIVERSITY

news.az
April 20 2010
Azerbaijan

Fakhraddin Gurbanov An international conference on the Caucasus was
held at the Scottish Saint Andrews university on April 16-17.

Azerbaijani embassy in Great Britain reports that the event involved
the ambassadors of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, as well as experts
in the sphere of Caucasus, teachers and students of the university.

In his speech, Azerbaijan’s ambassador Fahreddin Gurbanov spoke of
the socioeconomic reforms in the country and general principles of
foreign policy. They stressed the priority of Azerbaijan’s integration
with Euro-Atlantic structures.

The ambassador noted that Azerbaijan has achieved creation of a
multidirectional infrastructure of energy export and that special
attention is paid to the development of other economic sectors of
the country.

Gurbanov also said the continued Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict hampers
durable peace and cooperation and the conflict can be settled only
within the framework of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

PRESIDENT OF AZERBAIJAN RECEIVES TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER

APA
April 19 2010
Azerbaijan

Baku – APA. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received Turkish
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on April 19, APA reports.

Davutoglu conveyed greetings of Turkish President Abdullah Gul
and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The importance of the
strengthening of Azerbaijan-Turkey friendship and brotherhood, as
well as bilateral cooperation was emphasized at the meeting.

Davutoglu provided information about the Turkish-Armenian
relationship. President Aliyev spoke about the latest developments
around the solution to Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. President Aliyev
thanked for the greetings of President Gul and Prime Minister Erdogan
and asked the Foreign Minister to convey his greetings to them as well.

ART EXHIBITION DIDICATED TO 95TH ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE TO OPEN AT YEREVAN HISTORY MUSEUM

NOYAN TAPAN
APRIL 19, 2010
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN. An art exhibition dedicated to the
95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide will open at the Yerevan
History Museum on April 22. The exhibition has been organized
on the initiative of the RA Ministry of Diaspora and the Yerevan
municipality, within the framework of the fourth annual One Nation,
One Culture pan-Armenian cultural festival. Among its organizers
are also the One Nation, One Culture Foundation, the Yerevan History
Museum, the Union of Armenians of Russia, and Noah’s Ark art gallery
(Lebanon). The exhibition will last until April 30.

"THE NKR LEGAL SYSTEM CORRESPONDS TO THE EUROPEAN CONVENTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS": RA OMBUDSMAN

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
2010-04-19 14:45

"Nagorno-Karabakh has made more headway than Azerbaijan in terms of
building a democratic statehood, and the whole legal system of the
NKR corresponds to the European Convention on Human Rights",-stated
Armen Harutyunyan, the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of
Armenia during the press conference in Stepanakert.

"You know that Azerbaijan unfolded serious information war in
connection with the NKR ombudsman’s membership to the European
Ombudsman Institute. Anyway, human rights as a value will win. And as
in this case human rights are on this side and political conjuncture
is on the other side, we’ll win in this dispute as well, for human
rights unambiguously are higher than political conjuncture either
in the domestic policy, or in the international issues",-said the RA
Human Rights Defender.

Armen Harutyunyan noted the stable cooperation of the RA and NKR
ombudsmen.