Author: Yeghisabet Arthur

 

By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier

I just became aware of an important interview Pres. Serzh Sargsyan had given to Turkish journalist Cansu Camlibel of Hurriyet newspaper on April 24, 2015 in Yerevan. The article was buried under the avalanche of media coverage during the commemorations of the Armenian Genocide Centennial.

Here are key excerpts from Pres. Sargsyan’s lengthy interview as published in the Turkish Daily News, the English edition of Hurriyet:

— The President rightly pointed out that “the emotional and non-diplomatic reaction of the Turkish leadership [to Pope Francis’s acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide in The Vatican on April 12] was yet another proof that Turkey continued its policy of evident denial pursued at a state level, thus taking upon it the burden of the responsibility for the crime perpetrated by the authorities of the Ottoman Empire.”

— “As a mighty power and champion of democratic values, the United States has on numerous occasions stated its position regarding the Armenian Genocide. Out of 51 U.S. constituent states 44 recognized and condemned the Armenian Genocide. Throughout history various American presidents, such as Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, described the atrocities against the Armenian people as genocide. Even those U.S. presidents, that had not used the word ‘genocide’ during their tenure, had used that term while campaigning. It means that they never questioned the veracity of what had happened, and only due to certain political considerations refrained from uttering the word ‘genocide.’” While Pres. Sargsyan correctly characterized U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide, there were a couple of inaccuracies in his answer: The United States has 50, not 51 states; and Gerald Ford acknowledged the Armenian Genocide as a Congressman, before becoming President.

— “The Turkish proposal of establishing the so-called commission of historians has only one goal, which is to delay the process of the Armenian Genocide recognition, and divert the attention of international community from that crime. That is not only our view but also the view of the international community that goes on recognizing and condemning the Armenian Genocide. The protocols contain no clause of establishing any commission on historical studies. The respective paragraph in the protocol envisages a dialogue aimed at restoring mutual confidence between the two nations, which entailed the establishment of a sub-commission. Throughout the negotiations, the Armenian side has stressed on numerous occasions at various levels also to the Turkish side that the veracity of the genocide cannot be questioned under any circumstances.” Armenians who opposed to the Protocols, including this writer, had made similar objections.

— “It is already the sixth year since the protocols have been signed: when is the expedient time? …The years past have demonstrated that Turkey is looking forward not to some convenient moment, but instead is trying to prevent the manifestation of the unambiguous position of the international community on the Armenian Genocide by imitating a process of the Armenian-Turkish rapprochement, claiming that recognitions were something that hindered the reconciliation. The process of the Armenian-Turkish reconciliation was launched upon my initiative, and pursued a very simple goal — to establish diplomatic relations without any preconditions, and unseal the last closed border in Europe, safeguarding peaceful and neighborly coexistence of our nations. Unfortunately, the lack of political will on the part of the Turkish authorities, distortion of the letter and spirit of the protocols, fresh manifestations of denial, and continuously brought up preconditions intended to feed groundless demands of Azerbaijan thwarted the implementation of the protocols…. After six years of unfulfilled expectations, I have decided to recall the protocols from the parliament. On one occasion I said the Armenians are not going to wait indefinitely for the Turkish authorities to be able to find a convenient moment to finally ratify those protocols.” In my opinion, the Armenian Foreign Minister should immediately withdraw his signature from the Protocols and declare them obsolete.

— “The Republic of Armenia has never declared any territorial claims either on Turkey or any other country since our independence. There has never been such an issue on the foreign policy agenda of our country, and there is none today. That is a clear-cut position.”

If not read carefully, Pres. Sargsyan’s last answer could easily be misunderstood. He is neither saying that Armenia has territorial claims from Turkey nor that it does not! Armenia simply has not raised this issue officially because doing so could have serious national security implications given its powerful and hostile neighbor on the Western Front. Political parties, organizations, and individuals like this writer have frequently made territorial claims from Turkey, but it is understandable that Armenia’s Head of State has to be much more circumspect in his public pronouncements.

Pres. Sargsyan stated several years ago that he leaves the pursuit of Armenian territorial claims to a future generation, which implies that Armenia does indeed have territorial demands from Turkey!

Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan received today the newly appointed Head of EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Piotr Świtalski.

The Prime Minister stressed that the Armenia-EU relations are based on common values and reiterated Armenia’s commitment to continue to develop the cooperation with the European Union.

Hovik Abrahamyan praised the joint work with the EU Delegation in Armenia and noted that there is a great potential for deepening comprehensive bilateral cooperation and reach greater achievements.

The newly appointed Head of EU Delegation to Armenia pledged to do his best for the deepening of Armenia-EU ties and bringing them to a higher level. He agreed that a common value system lies in the basis of Armenia-EU cooperation and noted that the EU is interested in the further deepening of relations with Armenia.

The interlocutors exchanged views on the perspectives of expansion of bilateral cooperation and the future plans. They appreciated the visit of the President of the European Council Donald Tusk to Armenia this summer and attached importance to high-level contacts, which provide an opportunity to set new directions of cooperation.

The Prime Minister expressed gratitude for the continuous financial assistance and consulting, stressing that the Armenian government actively cooperates with different EU agencies and is consistent in meeting all its commitments.

OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) decided last week that no OSCE PA delegation will deploy to observe the 1 November parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan, in line with an earlier decision made by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

The President announced his decision during the Assembly’s Autumn Meeting, saying on 17 September that if ODIHR would not send observers due to restrictions imposed by the Azerbaijani authorities, than neither would the Parliamentary Assembly.

Speaking at the PA’s Standing Committee meeting last week in Ulaanbaatar, President Kanerva said, “The Azerbaijan government has imposed restrictions on the work of our traditional OSCE partner, ODIHR. As a result, ODIHR has been forced to cancel their planned observation mission in Azerbaijan. I think it is only appropriate that if our very vital and close partner ODIHR cannot observe, that we also don’t observe in Azerbaijan.”

On 11 September, ODIHR Director Michael Georg Link said that restrictions on the number of observers being imposed by the Azerbaijani authorities would make credible election observation impossible in Azerbaijan. “Regretfully, we are compelled by these actions to cancel the deployment of ODIHR’s observation mission for the parliamentary elections,” said Link.

The Assembly’s decision was confirmed today by OSCE PA Secretary General Spencer Oliver. “As an OSCE participating State, Azerbaijan agreed in the 1990 Copenhagen Document to invite the OSCE to observe its elections. It is therefore regrettable that the authorities’ insistence on a restricted number of observers has undermined the effectiveness and credibility of our election observation. The President of the Assembly has announced that we will decline to send observers to these elections if ODIHR does not,” Oliver said.

Since 1993, more than 5,000 OSCE parliamentarians have observed nearly 150 elections in more than 30 countries.

President Serzh Sargsyan, who has arrived in the Republic of Tajikistan to take part in the session of the CSTO Collective Security Council, had a meeting with Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon.

The two heads of state discussed issues pertaining to bilateral and multilateral cooperation between Armenia and Tajikistan. The interlocutors particularly touched upon collaboration in political, economic, humanitarian and other spheres, as well as within the frames of the CSTO and other international organizations, talked about the further reinforcement of bilateral ties and the opportunities for implementation of mutually beneficial programs. President Serzh Sargsyan noted that the two peoples’ friendship and the current level of mutual understanding and trust between Armenia and Tajikistan provide a solid foundation to jointly develop and deepen interstate relations, promote inter-parliamentary ties, and enrich the Armenian-Tajik economic agenda with promising projects.

Emomali Rahmon welcomed President Serzh Sargsyan and stressed that Tajikistan is keen on developing its traditionally friendly relations with Armenia, and deepening ties both in bilateral and multilateral formats. To strengthen interstate relations and promote multi-sectoral cooperation, President Rahmon attached importance to the broadening of the legal framework between the two countries, which, according to him, will also contribute to trade growth.

The parties placed importance on senior-level reciprocal visits to develop relations between Armenia and Tajikistan and fulfill the agreements made at a high level. President Serzh Sargsyan invited his counterpart to pay an official visit to Armenia, which was accepted by President Emomali Rahmon with pleasure.

Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Emomali Rahmon exchanged views on issues vital to the two countries, as well as on current international and regional issues and challenges which will be discussed in more detail at the session of the CSTO Collective Security Council to be held tomorrow. The RA president presented the efforts of the RA and the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs aimed at a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“The frequency of the provocative actions by the Azerbaijani armed forces at the frontline and the quantity and type of the weapons used come to prove that the military-political leadership of Baku pursues the policy of creating a war-like situation,” the NKR Defense Ministry said in a statement.

“The recent developments at the line of contact and the accompanying belligerent statements are a proof of the said. Not only Azerbaijan is trying to present its attacks as a response to the steps of the Armenian side, but also using reactive rocket and artillery weapons as it shells the Armenian positions,” the statement reads.

The Ministry warns that “the tactic adopted by the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan not only causes unjustified and irreversible losses, but also threatens to lead to unpredictable consequences.”

The military-political leadership of Artsakh informs both the Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan and the international structures involved in the settlement of the Karabakh conflict, namely the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, that the Azerbaijani side carries full responsibility for the further escalation at the line of contact and the deriving consequences.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg – boasting a massive $41billion fortune – has topped a list revealing how the world’s richest young billionaires have generated their staggering wealth, the Daily Mail reports. 

Among those to feature in the world’s top 20 billionaires under the age of 35 are the brilliant young entrepreneurs responsible for start ups such as Snapchat, Airbnb and Facebook.

However, many others have inherited old money – companies, fortunes and vast real estate empires passed down from their parents, and in some cases, their grandparents.

Dwarfing the fortunes of all others on the list is Zuckerberg, 31, who founded Facebook in 2004, and is now worth an estimated $41.6bn.

His nearest competitor on the list is his 31-year-old co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, who, like Zuckerberg, is self made, but has only earned a comparatively paltry $9.3bn.

In third place sits Huiyan Yang. Heir to her father’s massive mainland China real estate empire, she boasts a $5.9bn fortune and as a member of the governance board of Country Garden, is a fierce businesswoman in her own right.

 

 

 

The problems caused by the lack of a shared border between Armenia and the Eurasian Economic Union are of technical character and can be solved over time, Armenia’s Deputy Finance Minister Emil Torosyan has said.

Issues related to the main directions of industrial cooperation between EEU member states were discussed at the Armenian Ministry of Economy. Sergey Sidorsky, member of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and Minister of Industry and Agriculture of the Eurasian Economic Commission participated in the industrial forum.

According to Emil Torosyan, Armenia has received support from all EEU member states on all issues.

The Deputy Minister said it’s still early to assess what the EEU membership can give the manufacturers. “Half a year is not enough for developing the industrial capacities,” he said. He added, however, that the formats and directions, in which Armenia can cooperate with EEU, are currently being discussed.

Sergey Sidorsky said Armenia has good construction materials and added that the branch is very promising.

“The EEU countries import construction materials from non-member states. Therefore, these should be replaced by Armenian materials,” he said.

Polar bears are unable to adapt their behaviour to cope with the food losses associated with warmer summers in the Arctic, according to a report by the BBC.

Scientists had believed that the animals would enter a type of ‘walking hibernation’ when deprived of prey.

But new research says that that bears simply starve in hotter conditions when food is scarce.

The authors say that the implications for the survival of the species in a warmer world are grim.

Polar bears survive mainly on a diet of seals that they hunt on the sea ice – but increased melting in the summer reduces seal numbers and as a result the bears struggle to find a meal.

Islamic State (Isis) jihadis have destroyed a 2,000-year-old statue of a lion outside the museum in the Syrian city of Palmyra, the country’s antiquities director has said, reports.

Maamoun Abdelkarim said the statue, known as the Lion of al-Lat, was an irreplaceable piece. “IS members on Saturday destrotyed he Lion of al-Lat, which is a unique piece that is three metres [10ft] tall and weighs 15 tonnes,” Abdelkarim told AFP. “It’s the most serious crime they have committed against Palmyra’s heritage.”

The limestone statue was discovered in 1977 by a Polish archaeological mission at the temple of al-Lat, a pre-Islamic Arabian goddess, and dated back to the 1st century BC.

Abdelkarim said the statue had been covered with a metal plate and sandbags to protect it from fighting, “but we never imagined that IS would come to the town to destroy it.”

Isis captured Palmyra, a Unesco world heritage site, from government forces on 21 May, prompting international concern about the fate of the city’s antiquities.

Charles Aznavour, one of France’s most eminent singer-songwriters, is still touring, and it’s been announced  that on 3 November he’ll be playing at the Royal Albert Hall, reports.

Aznavour will be performing a selection of his greatest hits, and with his back catalogue of a staggering 294 albums it’s not like he doesn’t have a choice of them.

The singer’s longevity is remarkable; he was first performing at the age of nine, and was given his first break by none other than Edith Piaf. He’s also a fine actor, turning in a lovely, bittersweet performance as Charlie, the misfortunate title character of Truffaut’s gleeful 1960 homage to film noir, Shoot the Piano Player.

Born Shahnour Varinag Aznavourian in Armenia in 1924, he moved to France in the 40s but he’s a hero in his mother country; in the wake of the devastating Armenian earthquake of 1988 he set up a charity, Aznavour for Armenia, and besides being the Armenian ambassador to Switzerland, Aznavour is Armenia’s permanent delegate to the UN in Geneva. Staunchly anti-racist, he ralled support for Jacques Chirac against Jean-Marie Le Pen in the 2002 French elections, and his 1976 song ‘Ils sont tombés’ (‘They fell’) is about the Armenian Genocide.