Author: Varosian Antranik

EXTRACTING A LESSON FROM ARMENIAN EMIGRATION
By Mehmet Kamis

Zaman Online, Turkey
April 27 2006

The Editor in Chief of the Armenian newspaper Agos, Hrant Dink
and Turkish-Armenian Patriarch Mesrob Mutafyan made two different
statements last week on the Armenian issue. Dink said it was a big
mistake on the part of the Armenians to trust the British, Germans,
French, and Russians.

Protestant missionaries and Russians caused conflicts among the
two communities which had lived together for centuries, during
the last years of the Ottoman Empire, and they watched the events
that unfolded and the Armenian emigration. These countries acted in
accordance with the interests of their respective states and left
when their interests were at risk. These provocations caused the
deaths of hundreds of thousands of Turks and Armenians. People were
left homeless. Children became orphans and women became widows. Two
good friends became enemies, perhaps forever. The big states left
this region after getting what they wanted. Neither the rights nor
the future of the Armenians was secured.

Unfortunately, the same game is being played today and the players
of this game do not even need the least change in tactics. The game
that was planned for the Armenians in the past is presently being
planned for the Kurds. Those who are striving for the establishment of
a Kurdish state with encouragement from Western powers are not taking
the future into account. They do not care about what they will do with
the regional forces they are provoking, after these foreign powers
leave this region. However, the locals should make their calculations
very well as to what they are going to do when the foreigners are gone.

Mutafyan’s remarks last week need to be diagnosed very well. Looking
at the Armenian issue from another perspective, he said that Armenian
political parties and Armenian patriarchs in the 19th century also
bore the responsibility for the outbreak of the crisis. Mutafyan,
undoubtedly, did not put all the blame on the shoulders of the
Armenians; however, he stressed that the Armenians and big states
also bore the responsibility along with the Ottoman Empire.

What I am particularly interested in here is the mistakes of the
Armenian leaders; the Armenian patriarchs not fulfilling their
duties of averting such a crisis and the Armenian leaders not warning
the youths sufficiently to prevent them from being deceived. It is
necessary to scrutinize the mistakes of the Armenian leaders who
did not issue the necessary warnings and take measures against the
provocations made by the Russian spies and Protestant missionaries
at the break in this historical faultline.

Dink’s and Mutafyan’s statements on the Armenian issue are such
that could bring a new perspective to history. These rare warning
statements show that this geography can still extract very important
lessons from the past. Instead of judging the past once again, we
should rather focus on “What lessons could be drawn today from those
events”. While events that occurred 90 years ago are being reenacted
through the Kurds this time, one should look back at those days again
and extract lessons from the mistakes. Powers outside the region,
which have some plans for this region, have always provoked conflicts
among various ethnicities here. When their plans materialize and they
leave the region, the region’s residents are left on their own.

Turks and Kurds had been living in these lands before everyone else.

They had the same belief and thought. They married each other. They
are still living in these lands and will also continue to do so in
the future. Moreover, they are still relatives. Their leaders, with
common sense, should tell the youths more about these realities. The
leaders of the Kurds, in particular, should understand this historical
fact well and act in a more constructive manner. Ethnic nationalism
has done no good to any nation; it will do the Kurds no good, either.

People living in this geography should be more careful when they are
listening to the utterances of foreigners. If there is another break
in the faultline, the consequences will be hard to bear.

NOUVELLE PROPOSITION DE LOI A L’ASSEMBLEE
Olivier Pognon

Le Figaro
25 avril 2006

L’ASSEMBLEE nationale doit examiner jeudi 18 mai, dans le cadre d’une
“niche parlementaire”, une proposition de loi de Didier Migaud,
depute socialiste de l’Isère, visant a sanctionner la negation du
genocide armenien. Ce texte fait suite a la loi adoptee en 2001 par
le Parlement et ainsi redigee : “La France reconnaît publiquement le
genocide armenien de 1915.” La nouvelle proposition de loi vise donc
a faire de la negation du genocide armenien un delit et a prevoir des
peines de cinq ans d’emprisonnement et de 45 000 euros d’amende pour
ceux qui le commettent.

Selon son auteur, cette loi est necessaire si l’on veut que la
negation soit sanctionnee, comme l’est la contestation de crimes
contre l’humanite. En effet, explique-t-il, la loi Gayssot de 1992,
qui sanctionne la contestation des crimes contre l’humanite, ne peut
s’appliquer au genocide armenien, car celui-ci n’a ete reconnu par la
France qu’après l’adoption de cette loi. Argument qu’avait d’ailleurs
conteste Pascal Clement lorsqu’il etait president de la commission des
lois de l’Assemblee : selon lui, la loi Gayssot pouvait s’appliquer. Le
sort de la nouvelle proposition de loi est donc incertain, surtout si
l’on tient compte des reactions très defavorables que ce sujet inspire
a la Turquie. Il avait d’ailleurs fallu trois ans au Parlement pour
adopter en janvier 2001, après diverses peripeties, la proposition
de loi reconnaissant le genocide.

–Boundary_(ID_APYwKLVJihCTCArFTRml2w)- –

NEW AUTOMOBILE COMMUNICATION ORDER BETWEEN ARMENIA AND GEORGIA

A1+
[08:28 pm] 25 April, 2006

More images Today an agreement on international automobile
communication was signed between the RA and Georgian Governments in
Tbilisi. The two sides are to contribute to the cooperation in the
automobile sphere in the realm of the agreement.

The cars and other vehicles registered in one side and making transfers
in the territory of the other side are exempt from the levy and tax on
the generally used roads as well as all the special taxes and levies
prescribed by the legislation of the receiving country.

The RA Minister of Transportation and Communication Andranik Manukyan
and the Georgian Minister of Economic Development Irakli Chogovadze
mentioned at the press release that the treaty aims at the development
of the economic and commercial ties between the two countries and
facilitation of the luggage transfer conditions in the countries
in question.

This agreement will replace the agreement of 1997 and the record of
2005 “on making changes in the international automobile communication
agreement signed between the RA and Georgian Governments on May 3,
1997.”

ROBERT KOCHARYAN: INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION OF THE GENOCIDE IS PRINCIPAL ISSUE FOR ARMENIA

Regnum, Russia
April 25 2006

Armenian President Robert Kocharyan has thanked the Lithuanian
parliament for adopting a resolution condemning the Armenian Genocide
in the Ottoman Turkey in 1915-23. It is worth mentioning that today,
on April 25, Armenian-Lithuanian top-level talks were held, after
which presidents of the two countries Robert Kocharyan and Valdas
Adamkus held a joint news conference for Armenian and Lithuanian press.

Answering a question of a Lithuanian journalist on position of
the official Yerevan on the issue of international recognition of
the genocide, Robert Kocharyan announced that “it is a principal
issue for Armenia, as it concerns not only the historic context,
but burdens the current Armenian-Turkish relations.” “Earlier,
the problem was hostage to ideological barriers and disagreements,
but today Armenia is a sovereign country and can protect its position
firmly. The Armenian Diaspora is persistent in seeking historic justice
too, which is a result of the genocide by itself. We believe we shall
achieve the result that will lay the basis for normal coexistence of
Armenia and Turkey in the future and will be the guaranty of peace
and mutual understanding in the whole region,” Armenian president said.

It is worth mentioning, on December 15, 2005, the Lithuanian parliament
with 48 votes for and tree abstained from voting adopted the resolution
that recognized and condemned the Armenian Genocide in Turkey. The
resolution contains a call upon official Ankara to recognize the
Armenian Genocide.

A draft resolution to recognize the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman
Empire is also on the agenda of the Latvian parliament.

In turn, the Turkish authorities criticized sharply the decision
of the Lithuanian parliament. A statement of the Turkish foreign
ministry on the issue noted that the resolution was presented to the
Lithuanian parliament as “a thing that already happened” and without
discussions and presence of majority of the MPs was approved at the
parliamentary session.

TURKEY FINALLY HEARS ITS PAST
By Henry Morgenthau III

Boston Globe, MA
April 24, 2006

“AMBASSADOR Morgenthau’s Story,” my grandfather’s account of the
killings of Armenians in Turkey in 1915, was published just before
World War I ended in November 1918. A personal chronicle of his service
as the US ambassador to Ottoman Turkey for 26 months, the book was
published last month for the first time in Turkish, a milestone in
informing the Turkish people of what happened in their country more
than 90 years ago.

The term genocide had not yet been invented when my grandfather wrote
his book. Thus, Morgenthau refers to “the destruction of the Armenian
race” as “the murder of a nation.” It was Henry Morgenthau’s lonely
voice that alerted the world to the premeditated atrocities of the
Young Turk leaders and the complicity of their German allies.

Why Morgenthau chose to speak out on behalf of the Armenians is a more
complex question than how he did so. Almost from the time he arrived
in New York as a 10-year-old German Jewish immigrant, he envisioned
public service as his ultimate calling. When the opportunity arose,
he attached himself to Woodrow Wilson’s rising star and was appointed
US ambassador to Turkey.

At the end of 1914, Morgenthau noted a pattern: Palestinian Jews were
conscripted into the Turkish army, then promptly disarmed and placed
in labor battalions. This was a tactic the Turks used against Greeks
and other minorities, and, most ominously, against the Armenians.

Fearing reprisals against Jews in Turkish territories, Morgenthau
warned international Zionist leaders to contain their indignation.

Then he took it upon himself to call on the US Navy for help. In
January 1915, the USS Tennessee was ordered to Alexandria, Egypt,
ostensibly to protect US citizens. In fact, it made possible the
evacuation of impoverished Jewish refugees, including David Ben-Gurion
and Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, who became respectively Israel’s first prime
minister and second president.

Morgenthau was never able to carry out a rescue of the Armenians with
the effectiveness he achieved in saving Jews, though certainly not
for want of trying. There were fundamental differences between the
Armenian and Jewish situations. The Armenians were a minority located
within the borders of Ottoman Turkey and Czarist Russia. The Jews, on
the other hand, were widely dispersed throughout Eastern and Western
Europe and the United States, and to a much lesser extent in the Near
East, including the Holy Land. In Western Europe and the United States,
Jews had risen to positions of power and had learned how to network
internationally. The diaspora Armenians had not yet achieved such
status and so could not mobilize support for their persecuted kinsmen.

When Morgenthau appealed to Enver Pasha, the Turkish minister
of war, to permit US missionaries to feed starving Armenians, the
response was coldly cynical. “We don’t want the Americans to feed the
Armenians. . . . That is one of the worst things that could happen
to them. . . . It is their belief that they have friends in other
countries which leads them to oppose the government and so bring down
upon them all their miseries.” The Turkish minister of the interior,
Talaat Pasha, was equally callous: “The hatred between the Turks and
the Armenians is now so intense that we have got to finish them. If
we don’t, they will plan their revenge.”

The memoirs of my grandfather factually chronicle an important
period of history. Yet, 91 years later, the Turkish state insists
the genocide of the Armenians did not happen. Why does Turkey protect
the murderers of the past? That is a question that needs to be asked
over and over again until the truth is acknowledged. As Turkey seeks
membership in the European Union, it is being challenged to open up
its society and adopt free speech.

But its penal code has resulted in several Turkish writers being
brought before their own courts for speaking out about the Armenian
genocide. Surely a modern country like Turkey needs to treat its
citizens with more respect. Free speech cannot be denied, especially in
a country seeking to join the EU. Whatever may have motivated Turkish
officials to deny the genocide for more than 90 years, there now
appears to be some light at the end of the tunnel. The US government,
which had knuckled under in support of the Turkish policy of denial,
is now urging all parties to accept the realities of history.

At this critical moment, the publication of the Turkish edition of
“Ambassador Morgenthau’s Story” is an important step for the citizens
of Turkey. It is their right to know their own history, good and
bad, without interference from the state. A crime denied is a crime
repeated. Great nations in history have acknowledged the misdeeds of
their earlier governments. It is time for Turkey to join the ranks
of those great nations.

Henry Morgenthau III, who lives in Cambridge, is the author of a
family history, “Mostly Morgenthaus.”

itorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/04/24/turkey_fi nally_hears_its_past/

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
April 22 2006

FM MAMMADYAROV: `IN USA, WIDE RANGE OF ISSUES OF COOPERATION WILL BE
DISCUSSED’
[April 22, 2006, 11:57:52]

As was reported, visiting Moscow to partake at the sitting of the
Council of heads of MFA of the CIS countries, foreign minister of
Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov has commented position of Azerbaijan on
a number of key questions of internal and foreign policy.

In particular, speaking to representatives of the Russian and
Azerbaijan media, the head of foreign policy department has declared,
that during forthcoming visit of the President of the Azerbaijan
Republic Ilham Aliyev to the USA and meetings with President George
Bush, a wide spectrum of questions of bilateral cooperation, and also
questions of the international and regional character will be
discussed. According to the minister, one of the important themes of
negotiations will be settlement of conflicts on the Caucasus. Also
will be discussed issues of ensuring energy safety, combat against
international terrorism, in particular, participation of Azerbaijan
in anti-terror coalition.

Making comments on the question, whether in the USA will be discussed
the theme of Iran, Elmar Mammadyarov has informed: `The theme of Iran
can sound in the context of regional policy. We do not have any
problem with Iran, we have common borders, there passes a unique way
of delivery of cargoes to Nakhchivan, isolated from Azerbaijan as a
result of the conflict to Armenia. Iran is our close neighbor, we are
united by much in the economic and cultural plan, the history, and
religion, there lives many Azerbaijanis. Iran is the regional
country, the regional leader and we support settlement pf the
questions by diplomatic means, and any state has the right under
control of IANE over peace development of atomic engineering’.

The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan informed,
that new offers during negotiations in Washington concerning
settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are
difficult for expecting. `Positions which were constant in Azerbaijan
during 15 years, remain unchanged. We always supported and continue
to support that the question should be solved according to norms and
principles of international law, with known resolutions of Security
Council of the United Nations, decisions of the OSCE. And there is no
doubt, if we wish to solve the conflict really and that it
periodically did not flash, the decision should be based exclusively
on legality. Intermediaries try to find things in common to pull
together positions of the parties. As to concept of
`self-determination’, by principles of international law, it does not
mean infringement of territorial integrity. Self-determination of
people or national minority is realized within the limits of
territorial integrity, and Azerbaijan is from its part ready to give
to the Armenian national minority within the limits of Nagorno
Karabakh the highest degree of autonomy. This example is known for
all and widely practiced in the world, in Europe’, the Minister told.

HANS WINKLER: WE BELIEVE IN CLOSE COOPERATION WITH ARMENIA

YEREVAN, APRIL 20, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The joint press
conference of RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian and head of the
delegation of EU Troika, State Secretary of Austrian Foreign Ministry
Hans Winkler was dedicated to issues of development of cooperation
between Armenia and European Union, as well as to summing up of the
results of the delegation’s visit to Armenia.

The participants of the press conference gave a high estimation
to the results of Troyka’s visit to Armenia, as well as to current
negotiations between Armenia and EU dedicated to discussion of the
Actions Plan. The work at the latter will be over soon as the third
stage of the negotiations will start already in early May. Vartan
Oskanian estimated cooperation between RA and EU as “extensive
and deep” and expressed the hope that further discussion of issues
regarding Armenia’s integration to European structures will bring
effective results. In his turn, Hans Winkler emphasized that the
South Caucasus is a very important region for EU. “EU is interested
in close cooperation with the South Caucasus and considers that the
negotiations on the Actions Plan are a basis for further development
of cooperation between EU and the South Caucasus.

We also believe in close cooperation with Armenia”. According to
him, EU attaches great importance to human rights and development
of democratic processes in Armenia. As for the fact why EU is so
reserved in its reaction towards the violations during the elections
in Armenia and whether EU has a differentiated approach to Armenia
in this issue, Hans Winkler answered: “EU applies general approaches
towards all countries. I think it is clear what we expect from the
elections and there should not be incomprehension here”. Issues
regarding the sphere of energy, including diversification of energy
sources, took a special place at the press conference. Hans Winkler
confirmed the interest of EU in closing the Armenian Nuclear Power
Plant as provision of security on it does not correspond to the
current international standards. Meanwhile, he mentioned that each
country has its strategy in this sphere and has the right to solve
its problems itself. As for the possible consequences for Armenia
of the fact that almost all entities appeared in RF’s hands, Vartan
Oskanian said that diversification does not depend on the circumstance
in whose hands the energy entities are, the most important here is
diversification of sources of energy production and ways of supply
of energy carriers. “Of course, we would like diversification to
be in the issue of countries, too, but it came so that none of the
countries except Russia expressed interest in this issue,” Oskanian
declared. He admitted that indeed the most part of the Armenian energy
entities appeared in the hands of one state, whereas, in his opinion,
everything depends on the clauses of these agreements: “I think these
agreements completely protect our energy security”.

EXHIBITION DEDICATED TO PROTECTION OF CULTURAL VALUES OPENS IN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 19 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. On April 18,
within the framework of the European Union -Armenia Cooperation
Committee, an exhibitiom dedicated to protection of cultural values
opened at the National Assembly. Armenian monuments being in the
territories appeared out of Armenia after the World War I are mainly
presented in the exhibition. Committee Co-Chairman Armen Rustamian
attached importance to opening of a similar exhibition, in the
sense of drawing the society’s attention to protection of historic
monuments. Representatives of the delegation of the EU-Armenia
Parliamentary Cooperation Committee, NA deputies, etc. participated
in opening of the exhibition which was initiated by the public
organization studying the Armenian architecture. As Noyan Tapan was
informed by the NA Public Relations Department, Armen Hakhnazarian, the
Chairman of the public organization studying the Armenian architecture,
presenting gems of the Armenian architecture, mentioned that the
goal of the organization is protection and valuation of Armenian
architectural values in the territories appeared out of Armenia after
the World War I. NA Deputy Hranush Hakobian attached importance to
organization of the exhibition, from the viewpoint of presenting
the Armenian cultural values to the European deputies. Mrs. Hakobian
emphasized that annihilation of archtectural monuments by neighbors
is inadmissible, reminding that both UNESCO and civilized world arise
the issue of protection of cultural values.

INSTITUTE OF POLITICAL RESEARCH ESTABLISHED ADJUNCT TO THE PRESIDENT’S OFFICE

ArmRadio.am
19.04.2006 17:15

“An institute of political research has been established adjunct to
the Office to the President,” declared Garnik Isaghulyan, Advisor
to the President on issues of National Security, Head of the newly
created institute.

The institute is a state structure, which will be financed from state
budget and will prepare political research materials for the President,
government and Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs. However,
it can carry out paid researches for other structures – political
parties and politicians.

DESPITE ASSURANCES, FILM “ARARAT” AIRED WITH ABRIDGEMENTS IN TURKEY

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 17 2006

ISTANBUL, APRIL 17, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The film “Ararat”
of world-famous Canadian Armenian film director Atom Egoyan was finally
aired on April 13 in Turkey by Canal Turk television channel. However,
according to the newspaper “Marmara” (Istanbul), despite assurances
to air the film without abridgement and censorship, two scenes –
one showing a Turkish officer burning a group of Armenians and the
scene of an Armenian woman’s rape – were removed, while sound was
muted in the scenes cotaining swear-words. No Turkish company agreed
to dub the film, so the Turksih subtitiles were prepared by Canal
Turk. Prior to the film’s demonstration, program presenter Turkcai
Eozkan stated that “Ararat” contains “imperialistic propaganda”
and recommended the viewers “never to belive the lies expressed
in the film”. The airing of “Ararat” was followed by the program
“Truths”, in which Baskn Oran, progressive Turkish intellectual,
Kemal Yavuz, retired general, Hrant Dink, editor of the newspaper
“Akos” (Istanbul), and Necati Seonmez, film critic, were invited
to take part. At the beginning of the program, it was announced
that at the last moment Dink declined to take part due to some
private reasons. Baskn Oran also refused to participate in the TV
program. Kemal Yavuz said that the events shown in the film “do
not correspond to the reality” and that the international courts,
even US archives “failed to present any fact against a number of
Turkish officials who were put on trial for committing the genocide
and who were eventually recognized innocent”. Necati Seonmez in his
turn criticized Eozkan for putting pressure on the viewers before
the film’s demonstration. He noted that in his opinion, “Ararat”
is the “most unsuccessful” of Atom Egoyan’s films. Nevertheless,
he was appreciative of the film’s artistic structure.