Author: Vardanian Garo

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

TO THE HONORABLE SPEAKER

AND THE MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS,

CANADA

Antelias, Lebanon – We were informed by our Prelate Archbishop Khajag
Hagopian that the House of Commons of Canada has adopted a motion
recognizing the Armenian Genocide. This courageous act of the
representatives of the people of Canada is the victory of truth over denial
and the restoration of justice for the Armenian people.

As the Spiritual Head of the people who have lived the experience of
Genocide in 1915; and now dispersed all over the world, and as the
Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, I know the profound significance
of such an important decision.

This resolution of the House of Commons was conveyed to us during an
international conference on “Genocide, Impunity and Justice” organized by
our church (22-23 April 2004) in Antelias, Lebanon. At this conference we
stated that any such crime against humanity must not remain unpunished. I
believe that other countries will also follow your example in a world where
peace with justice and meaningful dialogue could be established only when
human rights are fully respected.

On behalf of the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia and its worldwide
Dioceses -including that of Canada – our clergy, community leaderships and
people, we would like to express our deep appreciation to the honorable
members of the House of Commons for their courageous decision.

Prayerfully,

ARAM I

CATHOLICOS OF CILICIA

##

The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
April 24, 2004 Saturday 5:32 AM Eastern Time

Armenia marks sad anniversary of 1915 genocide-Kocharyan

By Tigran Liloyan

YEREVAN

Armenian President Robert Kocharyan said on Saturday that Armenia was
ready to build normal relations with all the countries of the region,
including Turkey, on the occasion of the day of memory of the victims
of the genocide of the Armenian population in the Ottoman Empire on
April 24, 1915.

“Like in all the previous years on April 24 we are confirming our
will to raise above the feelings of rancour and revenge. Our efforts
are aimed at achieving durable peace, stability and cooperation in
the region and we are ready to play an active and constructive role
in this process,” Kocharyan said.

The Armenian leader recalled that a people with great cultural
heritage and material values which the Armenian civilization had
accumulated over thousands of years was subject to physical
extermination in the Ottoman empire under a state program and with
the use of state structures 89 years ago.

“Today when we are bowing our heads in memory of millions of innocent
victims, we publicly reaffirm our determination to seek comprehensive
and unanimous recognition and condemnation of this crime against
humanity on the part of the world community,” Kocharyan went on to
say.

He is convinced that “unpunished crimes can cause new atrocities.”

“The task of the world community is to exert every effort to prevent
a repeat of such phenomena in future,” the Armenian president
stressed.

The president and all Armenian statesmen laid a wreath at the
memorial to 1.5 million victims of the 1915 genocide on Saturday
morning. They observed a minute of silence in their memory. The
monument was erected in Yerevan’s park “Tsitsernakaberd” in 1967.

The truth about the Armenian genocide

Editorial
National Post
Friday, April 23, 2004

Wednesday’s parliamentary resolution recognizing the Turkish slaughter
of Armenians during the First World War as a genocide and a crime
against humanity may seem obscure to many Canadians. But in Turkey, the
issue is extraordinarily sensitive. Most non-Turkish historians agree
that Turks killed up to 1.5 million Armenians in 1915 , in some cases
burning them alive in churches or forcing them into the wilderness,
where they died of starvation and exposure. The Turkish government,
however, claims the real number of deaths was just 300,000, and that
even these fatalities arose not from genocide but from Turkish
“self-defence” against Armenians allied with Russia. Though widely
debunked, this national myth is precious to the Turks, which explains
why Ankara went ballistic yesterday, accusing Canadian legislators of
being “narrow-minded” and sowing “hatred.”

Paul Martin knew this was coming. In 2000, when the U.S. Congress
considered a similar resolution, Ankara threatened to cut America’s
access to its Turkish military bases. Prior to the vote, Mr. Martin had
his Foreign Affairs Minister, Bill Graham, twist arms in an effort to
defeat the motion. But to his credit, the Prime Minister ultimately
refused to declare this a whipped vote — despite the fact there are a
number of Canadian companies with business interests in Turkey,
including Bombardier, which has a $335-million contract with Ankara’s
public transportation system. Ignoring realpolitik, many Liberals voted
their conscience, and the motion passed by a 153 to 68 margin.

All of this leaves us conflicted. On one hand, the MPs who voted for
Wednesday’s motion are certainly on the right side of history — and
there was something gratifying about seeing them buck their party bosses
to speak up for the truth. On the other hand, Parliament’s job is to
make laws — not to decide issues best left to historians and
filmmakers.

This is not to say that governments should never take a position on
historical events. In Germany, it is illegal to deny the existence of
the Holocaust, a law arguably justified by the singularly evil crimes of
the Nazis. And in other Western nations, governments have properly
recognized the campaigns of slaughter their forebears inflicted on
aboriginals. But these are exceptional instances. Our worry is that,
with the passage of Wednesday’s resolution, we will now witness a parade
of aggrieved ethnic groups coming before Parliament, each seeking
recognition of its own historical tragedy. Recall that millions of
Ukrainians were starved by Stalin in the 1930s. Half-a-million Rwandan
Tutsis were killed at the hands of Hutus in 1994. In 1948, Hindus and
Muslims killed one another by the truckload in South Asia. Is our
Parliament to serve as history’s scorekeeper, duly tallying all of these
massacres and the hundreds more like them?

As for the Turkish government, we would urge that it stop insisting on a
blinkered view of history. Even within the Turkish community itself, a
small group of scholars has emerged in recent years to challenge the
official line. Ankara should pay them heed. Though it is not our
Parliament’s job to point it out, Turkey’s refusal to recognize the 1915
Armenian massacre is a stain on the country’s international reputation.

C National Post 2004

Associated Press Worldstream
April 22, 2004 Thursday 1:55 PM Eastern Time

German foreign minister talks with Armenian president

YEREVAN, Armenia

German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer on Thursday met with
President Robert Kocharian and urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to seek a
resolution of their long-standing dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh.

The enclave in Azerbaijan has been separated from the country since
the mid-1990s, under the control of ethnic Armenians after a
separatist war.

A cease-fire in the conflict was signed in 1994, but the final status
of Nagorno-Karabakh has not been resolved.

“For us, it is important that there be a peaceful solution to the
conflict,” Fischer said after meeting Kocharian. Germany and the
European Union could “contribute to creating a climate of trust,” he
said, but the process must be led by the two countries involved.

Later Thursday, Fischer went to the Georgian capital Tbilisi, where
he is to take part in a seminar of Germany’s ambassadors to the
countries of Central Asia and the South Caucasus.

Interfax
April 19 2004

U.S. wants Karabakh resolved in OSCE Minsk Group format

YEREVAN. April 19 (Interfax) – The United States believes the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must be resolved within the framework of
the OSCE Minsk Group, U.S. diplomat Stephen Mann, who was appointed
in early April as co-chair of the group, told a news conference in
Yerevan on Monday.

He said that in acting as the U.S. co-chairman of the group, he will
be guided by the national interests of the United States. Mann
explained that the U.S. wants the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolved
through peace talks.

Mann met in Yerevan with Armenian President Robert Kocharian, heads
of defense and security agencies, and the leader of the self-
proclaimed Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh. He said his talks with
Kocharian were warm and useful.

The U.S. official will travel from Yerevan to Tbilisi and Baku for
meetings with the leaders of Georgia and Azerbaijan. <>

ARKA News Agency
April 19 2004

Vardan Oskanian and Steven Mann discuss perspectives of promoting
talks on Nagorno Karabakh

V. Oskanyan: Demands of Armenian opposition incorrect and not in
accordance to Constitution

RA President receives famous Canadian Armenian singer Isabel
Bairakdarian

RA Minister of Defense receives American Co-Chairman of OSCE MG

**********************************************************************

VARDAN OSKANIAN AND STEVEN MANN DISCUSS PERSPECTIVES OF PROMOTING
TALKS ON NAGORNO KARABAKH

YEREVAN, April 20. /ARKA/. RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian and
newly appointed US Co-Chairman of OSCE Minsk Group Steven Mann
discussed the perspectives of promoting th negotiating process on
Nagorno Karbakh problem settlement. As stated by Oskanian on his
briefing the “meeting was fruitful”, mentioning that the sides
exchanged their opinions in relation to their positions and
approaches to the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. He
also said that during the familiarization visit the Co-Chairman did
not plan any concrete proposals. “We plan to draw existing common
grounds in the settlement of the conflict on basis of which it might
be possible to start the negotiations”, he said.
On April 16 Steven Mann arrived in Yerevan within frames of his first
familiarization visit in the region of Karabakh conflict. Tomorrow he
will leave for Tbilisi and then for Baku. T.M. –0–

**********************************************************************

V. OSKANYAN: DEMANDS OF ARMENIAN OPPOSITION INCORRECT AND NOT IN
ACCORDANCE TO CONSTITUTION

YEREVAN, April 20. /ARKA/. The demands of power change of the
Armenian opposition are incorrect and their objective to change the
power if needed even by force is not in accordance to the Law and the
Constitution, as Vardan Oskanian, RA Foreign Minister stated on his
briefing. In his words, holding meetings is the opposition’s right
while they remain in the frames of the law and the Constitution. He
also mentioned that the Armenian opposition should shape its
objectives differently in order not to transgress the law and the
Constitution and “to continue raise its voice of protest in respect
of various social issues that are within the frames of its right”.
However, changing the power by force or other unconstitutional
methods can be reserved to nobody”, he said. At the same time, he
expressed a hope that the rally of the opposition scheduled on April
21 will be peaceful and “they will not go to unconstitutional steps”,
that may impact negatively on Armenia’s image”. T.M. –0–

**********************************************************************

RA PRESIDENT RECEIVES FAMOUS CANADIAN ARMENIAN SINGER ISABEL
BAIRAKDARIAN

YEREVAN, April 19. /ARKA/. RA President Robert Kocharian received
famous Canadian Armenian Singer Isabel Bairakdarian. During the
meeting, the singer who visited Armenian for the first time, stated
that she is impressed with her stay in Armenia and plans to make
similar visits periodical. Bairakdarian said that she is admired and
surprised with rich cultural life of Armenia and high professionalism
of Armenian musicians. L.D. –0–

**********************************************************************

RA MINISTER OF DEFENSE RECEIVES AMERICAN CO-CHAIRMAN OF OSCE MG

YEREVAN, April 19. /ARKA/. RA Minister of Defense Serge Sargsian
received American Co-Chairman of OSCE MG Steven Mann. During the
meeting the parties discussed present level of Karabakh conflict
settlement and possible ways of settlement. Sargsian noted the role
of OSCE MG in settlement of the conflict and confirmed Armenian
position considering peaceful settlement of the conflict. L.D. –0–

Armenia To Reject Karabakh Talks If Azerbaijan Starts ‘From Scratch’ – Minister

Mediamax news agency, Yerevan
14 Apr 04

YEREVAN

Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan announced in Yerevan today
that “if Baku agrees to continue the talks on the Karabakh settlement
on the basis of the agreements reached by President Robert Kocharyan
and (former Azerbaijani) President Heydar Aliyev, Armenia is ready to
take part in the negotiations at the level of heads of state”.

As Mediamax news agency reported, Vardan Oskanyan said this speaking
at a seminar today, which discussed foreign political priorities
of Armenia.

“If Azerbaijan insists on starting everything ‘from scratch’, Armenia
will not take part in the negotiations process and will raise the
issue with the mediators of holding negotiations between Azerbaijan
and the Nagornyy Karabakh authorities,” Vardan Oskanyan said.

The foreign minister said that President Robert Kocharyan’s
participation in the negotiations had been justified as long as
“discussions of Nagornyy Karabakh’s status immediately concerned
Armenia”.

“If the content of the negotiations is changed, this means that the
rules of the game are also changing,” Vardan Oskanyan stressed.

The Armenian foreign minister said that he was leaving for Prague
tomorrow where he would hold his first meeting with Azerbaijani
Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.

German FM to visit Afghanistan, south Caucasus

Agence France Presse
April 16, 2004

BERLIN, April 16 – German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer will hold
talks with Afghan leaders and visit German troops and aid teams during
a visit to Afghanistan next week, his office said Friday.

Fischer, who flies out Monday, will meet Afghan President Hamid Karzai
and Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah as well as UN special envoy
Jean Arnault.

The theme of their talks will be how to turn the promises of donations
and support made at a March 31-April 1 international conference here
into reality on the ground.

At the conference, the international community promised 8.2 billion
dollars for Afghanistan over the next three years, more military
support to stabilise the country and continued backing for Karzai’s
fragile government.

Fischer’s talks will include Afghanistan’s upcoming presidential and
legislative elections and the pace of disarmament.

He will also visit a German-led provincial reconstruction team in
the northern region of Kunduz and German troops in the international
peacekeeping force based in and around the capital Kabul.

Germany has around 2,000 soldiers serving in Afghanistan.

Afterward Fischer will visit Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia for
talks that will take in regional security in the southern Caucasus.

In Azerbaijan he will meet President Ilham Aliyev and new Foreign
Minister Elmar Mamedyarov. In Armenia, he will meet President Robert
Kocharian.

In Georgia, Fischer will meet with President Mikhail Saakashvili
and Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania and open a regional conference of
German ambassadors.

HAS A NEGATIVE ATTITUDE

Azat Artsakh–Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
14-04-2004

The organization of Collective Defence Treaty has a negative opinion
on the prospect of deploying NATO military stations in the territory
of Azerbaijan. This was stated by the general secretary of
organization in Yerevan Nikolay Borduzha who paid a visit to
Armenia. He is against the expansion of NATO to the borders of Russia
and the South Caucasus. Moreover, the general secretary mentioned that
today there is no question of confrontation between the Collective
Defence Treaty Organization, and particularly Russia and
NATO. Evaluating the situation in the South Caucasus Nikolay Borduzha
mentioned that the situation is stable and there is no reason for
anxiety. He also announced that it is early to speak about demarcation
lines in the South Caucasus. The reason of the three-day visit of the
general secretary of the organization was to discuss the questions of
preparation for the upcoming conference of the Collective Defence
Treaty Organization in Kazakhstan with the leadership of the country.

PANARMENIAN.
14-04-2004

A1 Plus | 19:37:17 | 15-04-2004 | Politics |

FOR INSULTING AUTHORITIES AND PRESIDENT

The first instance court sentenced the head of Republic party’s Talin office
Jora Sapeyan to a two-month imprisonment for insulting the authorities and
the president.

Khachik Simonyan, who was captured in the party office Monday night, was
sentenced to five days in jail.

The court held its session behind closed doors.