Hovik Abrahamian to attend funeral of Polish President Lech Kaczynski
YEREVAN, APRIL 17, NOYAN TAPAN. The Speaker of the RA National
Assembly Hovik Abrahamian is leaving for Poland on April 17 to
represent Armenia at the funeral of the Polish President Lech
Kaczynski, NT was informed by the press service of the RA National
Assembly.
"Process that doesn’t lead to stalemate but remains in stalemate"
Aysor
April 14 2010
Armenia
"The representatives of Turkey have no idea about the Artsakh
problem," told press secretary of Heritage parliamentary faction
Larisa Alaverdyan and explained that the speeches of the Turkish
officials and the analysts prove that idea.
According to L. Alaverdayn the establishment of the Armenian-Turkish
relations too doesn’t have the same significance for the Turkish
as it has for the Armenians. On the other hand she mentioned that
Turkey is not dragging out the ratification of the protocols because
of Azerbaijan, but it seeks to get the three in one package.
"There is no controversy between Turkey and Azerbaijan and there can’t
be any, as they both are countries which direct each other and all the
statements and manners of Azerbaijan are simply a tool for Turkey," L.
Alaverdyan explained.
As for the 3 yet unrealized wishes of Turkey, the MP says are "the
recognition of the Turkish territories by Armenia, the NKR issue and
the end of the Genocide recognition before the 100th anniversary."
"I think that those protocols are leading to an impasse and I feel as
if everything is being done to put the Armenian – Turkish relations
in a worse situation. At this moment I could call the process of
Armenian – Turkish reconciliation not a process taking to a deadlock
but one which remains in it," L. Alaverdyan concluded.
PACE SUPPORTS MINSK GROUP ACTIVITIES ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT SOLUTION
Trend
April 13 2010
Azerbaijan
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) supports the
activities of the OSCE Minsk Group to resolve the Armenian-Azerbaijani
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said the Chairman of the Assembly Movlud
Chavushoglu upon his arrival in Baku on April 13.
Chavushoglu is on his first official visit to Azerbaijan after his
appointment to this post last year.
He said that the PACE will help solve the problems that exist in the
member countries of the Assembly, including Azerbaijan and Armenia.
"Our goal is to solve the frozen conflicts and assist in solving the
problems existing between the countries [members of the PACE]. So after
Azerbaijan, I will leave for Armenia," Chavushoglu told journalists.
In Baku and Yerevan the head of the Assembly will discuss the
Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and then will go
to Russia.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the
occupied territories.
Chavushoglu’s visit will last by April 16, during which he will meet
with members of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE and representatives
of civil society and make a speech at the Azerbaijan University of
Languages. On April 15 Chavushoglu will visit the second largest city
of the country – Ganja, where he will meet with representatives of
local authorities.
ICRC: SIX ARMENIAN POWS AND FIVE CIVILIANS KEPT IN AZERBAIJAN
Nelly Danielyan
"Radiolur"
13.04.2010 18:23
There is one Azerbaijani prisoner of war and one civilian in Armenia,
while six prisoners of war and five Armenian civilians are kept in
Azerbaijan, Head of the Communication Programs of the International
Committee of the Red Cross Ashot Astabatsyan told a press conference
today.
There are 401 and 457 missing persons registered in Armenia and Nagorno
Karabakh respectively, while the number reaches 3 707 in Azerbaijan,
Ashot Astabatsyan informed
He ICRC periodically visits the POWs to see their living conditions and
establish contacts with relatives. However, the ICRC never publishes
information about the living conditions of the prisoners.
If the ICRC notices violation of human rights or harassment against
POWs, it applies to the authorities with a request to take adequate
measures. It’s kept secret how often such cases occur in Azerbaijan.
As for the missing persons, Ashot Astabatsyan said the ICRC had been
collecting information about them since 1995. Information has been
collected about 323 missing persons, whole the relatives of the rest
have either left the county or they are psychologically not ready to
talk about it, he said.
SPEAKER OF RA NATIONAL ASSEMBLY HOVIK ARAHAMIAN IS ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO LEBANON
NOYAN TAPAN
APRIL 12, 2010
BEIRUT
The Speaker of the RA National Assembly Hovik Abrahamian went on a
three-day official visit to Lebanon on April 11. The parliamentary
delegation of Armenia is composed of Head of the NA Staff Gegham
Gharibjanian, and NA deputies Vahan Hovhannisian, Martin Sargsyan,
Hovhannes Margarian, Arayik Grigorian, Armen Martirosian, and Vahe
Enfiajian.
The Speaker of the Lebanese parliament Nabih Berri met H. Abrahamian
at Beirut Airport. The speakers of the two parliaments had a short
tete-a-tete talk.
Then a meeting of the speakers of the parliaments of Armenia and
Lebanon and the delegations headed by them took place in the House
of Receptions of the National Assembly of Lebanon.
N. Berri stated that Armenia and Lebanon have historical ties, while
the Armenians living in Lebanon are a live bridge between the two
states. 19 agreements have been signed between Armenia and Lebanon,
and these agreements were ratified by their parliaments. However,
as N. Berri pointed out, the economic ties of the two countries are
second to their political relations, and the parliaments should do
their best to promote the bilateral economic ties.
For his part, H. Abrahamian attached special importance to the
development of bilateral relations. Agreeing that the economic
relations are second to the political ones, he considered it necessary
to create such a field where Armenian and Lebanese businessmen can make
investments in the two countries. H. Abrahamian said it is essential to
organize meetings of businessmen in order to encourage economic ties.
"The relations between our countries cannot develop without
interparliamentary cooperation," H. Abrahamian said, stressing the
importance of mutual visits by parliamentary friendship groups. He
declared that the two countries also achieved success in terms
of mutually beneficial cooperation in various international
organizations. The two countries have assisted each other in
international organizations regarding issues of importance to Armenia
and Lebanon. He also expressed a high opinion about the brotherly
attitude to the Lebanese Armenians.
H. Abrahamian invited his Lebanese counterpart to visit Armenia again
on a date convenient for him. He expressed his gratitude that during
his visit to Armenia in 1997, the speaker of the Lebanese parliament
highlighted the Nagorno Karabakh people’s right to self-determination.
In this connection H. Abrahamian stated that Nagorno Karabakh cannot
be part of Azerbaijan.
Expressing his thanks that in May 2000 Lebanon’s parliament headed by
Nabih Berri passed a resolution condemning the Armenian Genocide, H.
Abrahamian said that such steps are important for preventing genocides
in the future.
The sides discussed the Armenian-Turkish relations as well. N. Berri
expressed a hope that these relations would normalize soon. According
to H. Abrahamian, the parliament of Turkey delays the ratifiction of
the protocols on Armenia-Turkey rapprochement, with an attempt being
made to link it to the Karabakh problem, whereas these processes are
not linked.
The press service of the RA National Assembly reports that at the
conclusion of the meeting, a memorandum of mutual understanding was
signed between the parliaments of Armenia and Lebanon.
95TH ANNIVERSARY OF GENOCIDE SET FOR NEXT SATURDAY
Lowell Sun
April 11, 2010 Sunday
Massachusetts
LOWELL — Area Armenians will mark the 95th anniversary of the Armenian
genocide with a procession and flag-raising ceremony downtown on
Saturday, April 24.
The event is being organized by the Merrimack Valley Chapter, Armenian
National Committee, and will begin with a procession from John and
Merrimack streets to City Hall, where the mayor and other city and
state dignitaries will speak.
A city proclamation has been drafted declaring the week of April
18-24 as Armenian Genocide Week in Lowell.
The featured speaker will be Dro Kanayan, of North Andover, grandson
of an Armenian Revolutionary General by the same name and a catalyst
in promoting genocide education in high schools throughout Merrimack
Valley.
Members of the Armenian Youth Federation and Armenian Christian Youth
Organization of America will join together in raising the Armenian
flag in commemoration of the 1.5 million lives lost to the Ottoman
Turks during 1915-1923.
"The Armenian Genocide was a crime against all humanity," Aram
Jeknavorian, ANC chairman, said in a prepared statement.
"We gather in spirit and solitude to remember those martyrs who
perished and those who survived to make America and Lowell a better
ethnic community," he said.
Those wishing to join the march are asked to gather at 9:30 at the
corner of Merrimack and John Streets in downtown Lowell.
A reception will follow inside City Hall.
LE GENOCIDE ARMENIEN PRESENTE COMME UN DOCU-FICTION A LA TELEVISION ALLEMANDE
Stephane
armenews
lundi12 avril 2010
Il est rare qu’un documentaire soit presente pour la presse sous la
protection d’agents de securite. Dans le cas du documentaire richement
produit "Aghet – un genocide" la première chaîne publique allemande
l’ARD, groupement public de neuf radiodiffuseurs regionaux allemands
a voulu prendre toutes les precautions : Le thème du genocide des
Armeniens de 1915 a 1917, est pour beaucoup de Turcs, un tabou qui
a toujours suscite des violents troubles.
L’ex-redacteur en chef de l’hebdomadaire Der Spiegel Stefan Aust a
declare " avoir passe une nuit sans sommeil" après la previsualisation.
Les images historiques sont impressionnantes et parfois inquietantes.
" On estime que 1,5 million d’Armeniens sont morts a la fin de la
Première Guerre mondiale lors d’un genocide perpetre par les Turcs.
Les historiens le decrivent comme un "modèle" pour l’Holocauste.
L’histoire de ce crime avec "Aghet" arrive pour la première fois
"a la maison avec force et globalement pour un large public" , a
declare le chef du secteur fiction et programme de divertissement
de la NDR (Norddeutscher Rundfunk, une Radio de l’Allemagne du Nord)
Thomas Schreiber.
Eric Friedler le directeur du documentaire s’est clairement engage
pour le concept de genocide. Il pose la question, "Pourquoi aucun
gouvernement dans le monde n’a de problème pour discuter du genocide
au Rwanda ou au Cambodge ou de l’holocauste, mais sur le genocide
armenien au niveau international depuis presque cent ans une retenue
diplomatique est exercee".
"Aghet" (catastrophe) est le terme que les Armeniens emploient. Le 24
Avril 1915, le gouvernement nationaliste des Jeunes-Turcs a d’abord
arrete toute l’elite armenienne de Constantinople (aujourd’hui
Istanbul). Puis les Armeniens vivant principalement en Anatolie
orientale ont et rafles et envoyes via des marches de la mort vers
le sud pendant des mois. Ce qui les attendait etait la mort sûre et
prevu – par la faim, la soif, l’epuisement et les mauvais traitements
et viols par les gardes turcs et kurdes. La legitimite superficielle
a ete de dire que les Armeniens avait trahi la Turquie avait trahi
pendant la guerre ".
"Avec "Aghet", nous voulions trouver une forme par des documents
prouves, un film narratif qui raconte ce genocide et ses effets
jusqu’au 21ème siècle" a dit la productrice Katharina Trebitsch.
Materiellement on a assemble de nombreuses archives internationales.
Il a beneficie des fabricants de faits : de nombreux missionnaires
etrangers, membres de consulat, infirmières, officiers allemands et
correspondants qui eprouvaient sur place l’expulsion des Armeniens,
retenant leur horreur dans des lettres, journaux intimes et rapports.
Ces rapports de temoins oculaires sont rendus dans "Aghet" par 23
acteurs renommes, parmi ceux-ci Friedrich von Thun, Martina Gedeck,
Burghart Klaußner, Stefan Kurt, Joachim Krol et Ulrich Noethen.
Pour comprendre les motifs derrière le genocide, les propos de
l’ambassadeur americain d’alors, a Constantinople, Henry Morgenthau,
sont particulièrement enrichissant. Seuls quelques partisans comme
le missionnaire allemand Johannes Lepsius ou la danoise Karin Jeppe
ont reussi a temps a sauver des deportes au Liban.
L’infirmière suisse Beatrice Rohner, a toutefois dû constater que
près d’un millier d’orphelins armeniens ont ete transportes dans des
wagons a bestiaux. "La dernière fois que j’ai vu les enfants, cela
a ete dans un train special, où ils ont ete enleves, ecrit-elle. "
Ce fut le voile des tenèbres sur eux. Et autour de moi."
Le documentaire de 90 minutes fera " du bruit" juge le "Frankfurter
Allgemeine Zeitung".
"Aghet – un genocide" a ete diffuse une première fois vendredi a
23h30. Le docu-fiction d’Eric Friedler sera diffuse mardi 13 Avril,
a 20h15 sur le canal Phoenix.
Une table ronde anime par Alexander Kahler suivra la diffusion a
21h45 avec Bahattin Kaya (communaute turque en Allemagne), l’historien
Hans-Lukas Kieser (Universite de Zurich), Ahmet Kulahci (Hurriyet),
un representant de la communaute armenienne en Allemagne et la
journaliste Karen Kruger.
Selon le journal "Tagesspiegel" le docu-fiction sera diffuse par Arte.
Pour l’hebdomadaire Die Zeit (Le Temps) " Le lieu ou Talat Pasa repose
aujourd’hui dispose de fleurs, ses victimes n’ont meme pas une tombe".
L’ARD est une abreviation de Arbeitsgemeinschaft der
offentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland
(Communaute de travail des etablissements de radiodiffusion de droit
public de la Republique Federale d’Allemagne) et c’est un groupement
public de neuf radiodiffuseurs regionaux allemands.
Le groupement ARD n’a pas de personnalite juridique propre. Il
se compose de 9 stations de radiodiffusion regionales, seules
habilitees a operer des chaînes de television publiques en Allemagne :
Bayerischer Rundfunk – Hessischer Rundfunk – Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk –
Norddeutscher Rundfunk – Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg – Radio Bremen –
Saarlandischer Rundfunk – Sudwestrundfunk – Westdeutscher Rundfunk.
La Deutsche Welle, service international de diffusion de l’Allemagne,
est egalement membre de l’ARD.
Génocide arménien : Le procès de Temel Demirer reporté au 20 mai
TURQUIE
vendredi9 avril 2010, par Stéphane/armenews
Temel Demirer passera devant la justice le 20 mai pour sa déclaration
que le journaliste turco-arménien Hrant Dink a été tué pour sa
reconnaissance du génocide arménien.
Le journaliste et écrivain Temel Demirer tisque deux ans de prison
pour sa déclaration faite un jour après l’assassinat de Hrant Dink en
janvier 2007. Il est poursuivi en vertu de l’article 301 du Code pénal
Turc (TCK).
Temel Demirer essaye de faire annuler annuler par la cour
administrative la décision du ministre de la justice Mehmet Ali Sahin
qui avait autorisé les poursuites à son encontre en déclarant "je ne
laissera personne qualifier de meurtrier mon état".
Devant le refus de la Cour Administrative de cesser les pousuites, les
avocats de Demirer ont fait appel à la Cour Régionale Administrative
le 29 janvier. La 2ème Cour Criminelle de Première Instance attend une
décision de la cour administrative depuis le 14 novembre 2008.
Mercredi 17 mars Temel Demirer est allé à la cour d’Ankara et est
parvenu à savoir que son dossier a été expédié à Ankara à la 11ème
Cour Criminelle de Première Instance. Le procès de l’auteur continuera
le 20 mai.
Temel Demirer était accompagné par le sociologue Ismail Besikci,
l’auteur Fikret Baskaya et les membres de l’Initiative d’Ankara pour
la Liberté de Pensée.
TURKEY’S PM SENDS LETTER TO ARMENIA THROUGH SPECIAL ENVOY
Anadolu Agency
April 7 2010
Turkey
Paris, 7 April: The Turkish prime minister said on Wednesday that he
had sent his special envoy to Armenia.
Turkey’s Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he had sent his special
envoy to Armenia to hand over his letter.
"Whether or not to meet with Armenian President Serzh Sargsian in
the United States depends on the response to come from Armenia,"
Erdogan told reporters in Paris, France.
Erdogan also said he would act according to Sargsian’s response to
his letter.
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu went to
the Armenian capital of Yerevan, as Erdogan’s special envoy, to meet
Sargsian and Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian.
Sinirlioglu is expected to discuss problems regarding two protocols
Turkey and Armenia had signed as well as details of a possible meeting
between Erdogan and Sargsian.
Turkey and Armenia signed the two protocols on October 10, 2009,
to resume diplomatic relations and open their a border crossing.
After years of no diplomatic contacts, Turkish President Abdullah
Gul travelled to Yerevan to watch a soccer game between Turkish and
Armenian teams in September 2008.
The Armenian president came to Turkey to watch the return game in 2009.
TURKEY’S TOP DIPLOMAT MEETS PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA WITH 4 QUESTIONS
HULIQ
April 7 2010
SC
Turkey this morning has sent one of its top diplomats to Armenia for a
meeting with the foreing minster and the president of its northeastern
neighbor for developing the bilateral relations severely damaged
95 years ago by the Armenian genocide, which Turkey denies. Foreign
Ministry’s undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu was just received with
the Armenian FM Edward Nalbandyan and the president of the country
Serzh Sargsyan.
The official sources say that Sinirlioglu was sent to Armenia to
discuss a range of issues with the Armenian side about the bilateral
relations. Unofficial sources say Erdogan has sent his Foreing
Ministry’s undersecretary to convince the the president of Armenia
to have a meeting on the sidelines of Obama’s nuclear summit held in
Washington D.C. next week.
CNN Turk and Hurriyet report that Sinirlioglu is in Armenia wanting
to discuss four important points all related to the Armenian Turkish
relations. Judging from them April will be a very busy month and we
may see some more diplomatic traffic as well as possible parliamentary
ratification of the protocols signed in Zurich last year to improve
relations, open the borders for trade and open embassies.
Disagreements between Armenia and Turkey
First topic in Sinirlioglu agenda is to discuss the disagreements that
have come forward in the relations between Armenia and Turkey. Armenia
says there should not be any conditions for ratification of the
protocols signed to improve relations last year. Turkey, siding with
Azerbaijan (with which it shares cultural and ethnic common ties)
says it wants to see some progress on the Nagorno Karabakh issue
to improve relations with Armenia. US, Russia and Europe insist on
moving forward with the protocol ratification unconditionally. For
some reason, Turkey asks unilateral concessions only from Armenia
and not from Azerbaijan, who has dragged Turkish foreign policy since
the beginning of the conflict 22 years ago.
Commitments to protocols
The second issue on Sinirlioglu’s agenda is to ensure the authorities
in Armenia that Turkey is committed to the protocols to normalize
relations with Armenia. So far this commitment has only been in words
and no direct steps have been taken to ratify the protocols in the
Turkish parliament. Instead, recently Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdoghan
threatened to expel Armenian immigrants that illegally work in Turkey.
Expelling illegal workers is the right of each country, but when they
threaten to do so for a political reason, that at least is not ethical.
Steps need to be taken
Thus Sinirlioglu is in Armenia to discuss what steps can both
countries take to move the normalization process forward. Armenian
FM, in a released statement has told the Turkish envoy that the
country’s aproach to normalization is in line with the international
expectations. According to News.am the officials from the office of
the president of Armenia say that the president Sargsyan has told
Sinirlioglu that his country is committed to the protocols and expects
practical steps from Turkey toward ratification of these protocols
in the Turkish parliament.
Possibility of Arranging a Meeting
This meeting is already confirmed according to Turkish sources,
however negotiations about this issue are still in process and it’s
hard to confirm at this point. Yet the meeting is very likely.
Armenian News.am referring to Turkish Yeni Safak reports that the
president of Armenia and Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan will hold
a meeting on the sidelines of April 12-13 summit on Global Nuclear
Security. If the meeting goes successfully we may see protocols
ratified and the border opened before April 24 when the Armenians
around the world commemorate the 95th sad anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide. Nearly 1.5 million Armenians systematically were annihilated
and deported during the last days of the Ottoman Empire.
The prime minister of Turkey Mr. Erdogan, according to some observers,
is trying to save his face as he was not granted an audience with
president Obama during the nuclear summit next week. The message
for Turkey is clear: the signed protocols have no precondition and
they need to be ratified and normal relations started. Turkey does
not want to upset Azerbaijan and drags the issue. EU says to Turkey:
if you want to be an EU member get more civilized, open the borders
and allow free trade. No close borders in the 21st century.
Nearly 23 parliaments in the world have called the events that took
in 1915 as genocide. Recently Swedish parliament and the US House
subcommittee did the same. President Obama has promised to call
the events as genocide in his traditional April 24 message to the
Armenian powerful community in the U.S. Last year he used the Armenian
equivalent of the term.