News.am, Armenia
Jan 30 2020
17:04, 30.01.2020
Category: 2020
Recognition of Armenian Genocide is precondition for peaceful society in Turkey
AHVAL News
Jan 30 2020
Last year, Garo Paylan, a Turkish Armenian member of parliament for the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), was awarded for contributions to the fight for democracy and human rights in Turkey and around the world. This year, historian Taner Akçam, one of the leading authorities on the Armenian Genocide, was the guest of honour at the 7th annual dinner of the Coordinating Council Of The Armenian Organizations in France (CCAF).
The event brought together around 500 personalities from media and business and several local and national political leaders, alongside French President Emmanuel Macron. Akçam, a professor of Armenian genocide studies at Clark University in Massachusetts, is one of the first Turkish intellectuals to acknowledge and openly discuss the Armenian Genocide. While most historians agree the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman forces during World War One constituted genocide, Turkey says thousands were killed on both sides of bitter fighting in eastern Anatolia.
The professor, whose last book has just been translated into French by the prestigious CNRS editions, has been applauded by the audience for having worked since more than 30 years on the recognition of the 1915 genocide by his country. Macron praised the struggle of the Turkish historian, and his passion to “denounce the denial” of the Turkish state.
"One cannot build any great history on a lie, no great policy can be based on revisionism or denialism," French President said in his address to the Armenians of France.
In a sharp and moving speech, Akçam had set the tone, calling out to Western leaders for their permissiveness towards Turkey.
"In truth, the ties between denial and contemporary political problems are strong and cannot simply be ignored. This is something that most European and U.S. politicians fail to understand and is the reason most Western states pay lip service to the recognition of the Armenian genocide, while simultaneously continuing their business-as-usual relationship with Turkey. It reminds me a little bit of Mafia bosses who attend church every Sunday, yet continue their criminal activities the moment they exit the building,” Akçam said, causing a murmur among attendees.
Denial is not only about an ideological approach to the past, nor is the demand for recognition of historical crimes merely an _expression_ of a moral conviction regarding past events, according to the historian.
"Denialism is a structure, one that cannot simply be relegated to past atrocities. The denialist structure has produced and continues to nurture policies in present. In this regard, it would be appropriate and reasonable to compare Turkish denialism with the racist Apartheid regime of South Africa,” he said.
Akçam maintained that Turkey's acknowledgement of the atrocities of its predecessor, the Ottoman empire, is a precondition for its people to be able to live in peace and tranquillity, not only with one another but with the other people of the region.
“Those who forget their past are condemned to relive it,” as Italian Jewish writer Primo Lévi wrote in If This Is a Man.
Macron seemed that he received the message. Earlier in the afternoon, he denounced “Turkey's provocations ” in the eastern Mediterranean and the deployment of Turkish-backed Syrian mercenaries to Libya in violation of the ceasefire after a meeting with the Greek prime minister. His relations with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan have been particularly tense for the past few months. After Macron's criticisms toward NATO's ineffectiveness to stop Ankara's recent Syria offensive, claiming that the alliance experiencing a “brain death”, the French president had been targeted by his Turkish counterpart.
The unsolved question of the fight against denial has put the idea of a law to penalise denial back on the table. France recognised the Armenian Genocide in 2001, but the contestation of the genocide is not punishable according to the law despite France's Armenian communities long-standing demand. Attempts to pass a law in this direction failed in 2008 and 2011. A text was finally adopted by the National Assembly and the Senate in 2016, but it was held by the Constitutional Council. The Armenians of France did not accept the decision and their organisations campaigned for a new legislative process.
"I share your values and your struggles, it remains to find the right legal path to get there," Macron promised during his speech at the event.
The views expressed in this column are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of Ahval.
Armenia 1st Ombudsman: Such meetings of Armenia and Azerbaijan FMs pose threat to Armenians’ security
News.am, Armenia
Jan 30 2020
Armenia 1st Ombudsman: Such meetings of Armenia and Azerbaijan FMs pose threat to Armenians' security Armenia 1st Ombudsman: Such meetings of Armenia and Azerbaijan FMs pose threat to Armenians' security
23:59, 30.01.2020
Azerbaijan responsible for Manvel Saribekyan’s death, ECHR rules
Panorama, Armenia
Jan 30 2020
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that the Azerbaijani authorities had been responsible for the torture and death of Manvel Saribekyan, an Armenian national who had been locked up in a military police cell in Baku.
The court held unanimously that there had been violations of Article 2 (right to life) and Article 3 (prohibition of torture and ill-treatment) of the European Convention on Human Rights.
The court found in particular that applicants Mamikon Saribekyan and Siranush Balyan had made a prima facie case that their son, Manvel Saribekyan, had died as a result of the violent actions of others, notably personnel at the Military Police Department in Baku, where he was being held. It could not accept the Azerbaijani authorities’ version of events that he had hanged himself.
ECHR obliged Azerbaijan to pay the applicants 60,000 euros jointly in respect of non-pecuniary damage and 2,200 euros in respect of costs and expenses.
Manvel Saribekyan, 20, who resided in the Armenian village of Ttujur, inadvertently strayed into Azerbaijani territory due to bad weather conditions on 11 September 2010 and was taken captive by Azerbaijani officials. He died in the Baku military police cell on 5 October.
Armenian MP talks about political prisoners and democracy in Azerbaijan at PACE
News.am, Armenia
Jan 30 2020
18:04, 30.01.2020
Three parties formed an alliance in support of Artsakh presidential candidate Masis Mayilyan
Arminfo, Armenia
Jan 30 2020
ArmInfo.Three parties formed an alliance in support of Artsakh presidential candidate Masis Mayilyan.
According to the message received by ArmInfo, on January 29 a joint meeting of the governing bodies of the Ramkavar Azatakan party of Artsakh, the parties of Identity and Unity and Tomorrow Artsakh took place, in the framework of which the issue of forming an election alliance was discussed. Following its results, it was announced the formation of the election block "Mailyan – new Artsakh", which in the presidential election will support the candidacy of the head of the Artsakh Foreign Ministry Masis Mayilyan. He will also lead the block proportional list in parliamentary elections.
Representatives of three parties spoke at a joint meeting. In particular, they emphasized the importance of creating a new quality of power to counter the country's internal and external challenges, as well as the broad consolidation of political and social forces. Masis Mayilyan addressed the participants of the joint meeting with a welcoming speech. "I have no doubt that as a result of the reforms, we will jointly provide a safe, prosperous, reliable, fair, civilized and democratic future for our country," he said.
Macron: No great history is formed on lies, denial and revisionism
Arminfo, Armenia
Jan 30 2020
ArmInfo. France will start legal proceedings against individuals questioning allegations of Armenian genocide during the Ottoman Empire. French President Emmanuel Macron stated this at an annual dinner organized by the Coordination Council of Armenian Organizations of France (CCAF).
According to Macron, France will always support the representatives of the Armenian Diaspora and Armenia.
"The CCAF called for prosecution of those who deny the Armenian Genocide. Legal procedures are being conducted in this regard," he added.
Speaking about the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide, Macron stated that France has been involved in this process for 19 years.
" The struggle that the Armenians are carrying out for the recognition of the genocide is also a struggle against silence and forgetting. As for the issue of truth-seeking, there is a brotherhood between the Armenian and French peoples. Turkey has based its policy on revisionism. No great history is formed on lies, denial and revisionism," Macron said.
Turkish historian Taner Akcam who recognized the Armenian Genocide, also took part in the event as a guest of honor It is also noteworthy that yesterday in Paris, a presentation of the French version of the book of Akcam's "Killing Orders" was held.
It should be noted that a law has already been passed in France criminalizing the fact of the denial of the Armenian Genocide. The law was adopted during the presidency of Nicolas Sarkozy, but was subsequently repealed by the Constitutional Court in view of the fact that it was recognized as unconstitutional.
Artsakh presidential candidate Samvel Babayan answered Pashinyan: "status instead of territories" formula is unacceptable
Arminfo, Armenia
Jan 30 2020
ArmInfo. Former commander of the Karabakh Defense Army Samvel Babayan, who declared his presidential ambitions, responded to the call of the Prime Minister of Armenia to speak about the formula "status instead of territories."
So, in a statement by Babayan's office to ArmInfo, in particular, "An interesting situation arose around the statement of the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan about the negotiation process, which he inherited from the former authorities. Finally, from the mouth of the head of state – the main negotiator I heard from Armenia that the basis of the negotiations was the surrender of all the liberated territories, and that all three presidents negotiated in this context. I declare with all responsibility that if it weren't for the revolution in Armenia, we would have not only buffer territories were given, but also Artsakh itself.The main merit of the velvet revolution and Nikol Pashinyan was that the negotiations of Serzh Sargsyan on the basis of the Madrid principles were disrupted and the process of land handing was interrupted, but the negotiation process nevertheless resumed, and again around the same Madrid principles voiced by the Prime Minister during a joint meeting of the Security Council of the Republic of Armenia and Artsakh, that is, the Armenian side today requires the same as under Serzh – this is a rejection of all liberated territories (7 districts: Agdam, Fiz whether Jerbrail, Zangelan, Kubatlu, Kelbajar and Lachin) and the return of Azerbaijani refugees.
In fact, Nikol Pashinyan is now driven into a dead end. If he continues the negotiation process in the form in which he got it, he will be forced to sign under the condition of the surrender of land. If he refuses the negotiation process, this will mean a refusal of promises to Azerbaijan from the previous authorities to transfer the land, which, accordingly, will provoke a war. Both the first scenario and the second are unacceptable for all Armenians, especially those living in Artsakh. However, the only outcome of the meeting of the joint Security Council held by Pashinyan with the current authorities of Artsakh was the Prime Minister's proposal to replace ambiguous, with varying interpretations, wordings in the Madrid document. Strangely enough, the parties agreed with all other principles and points. How can you agree with the Madrid principles, the basis of which is the surrender of land and at the same time declare the unacceptability of a concession to even an inch of land, it is probably worth asking the applicants themselves – candidates for the presidency of Artsakh. And for journalists who are willing to retype the flash mob with such statements, I would advise before publishing also to clarify what post each of today's <patriots> held during the active negotiations with the previous authorities. If you did this, dear journalists, you would see that in the summer of 2016, at the very peak of the criminal negotiations, the current candidates were in the same criminal echelon of power, and in the first positions. If you, gentlemen, candidates are so categorically opposed to the surrender of land, why none of you have ever opposed the concessions, the criminal negotiation process and the inadmissibility of the Madrid principles before the change of power in Armenia. Why didn't you fight like me, and didn't go to jail for this, why didn't you go on a hunger strike, didn't write open letters to the authorities, with a forecast of the April outing of Azerbaijan, didn't give numerous interviews to reach the public and reveal the criticality of the situation.
And today you declare that you will take responsibility for the future of Artsakh? First answer for the responsibility entrusted to you in the past. I speak with you directly, without an army of media and fakes bought. I ask you questions, unlike you, without hiding behind the backs of others. Answer and you honestly. Why were you silent, when before your eyes, with your tacit consent, the question of the lands liberated by the blood of my people and my soldier was being decided.
Why were you silent when the former authorities agreed to transfer Artsakh to Azerbaijan on a silver platter with a bow? I am sure that the new government in Armenia will soon reveal these and other details of the negotiating backstage. Today we are all in a situation no less difficult than we were in 1992, when Azerbaijan captured almost half of Karabakh and intended to take Stepanakert. Only then it happened through military operations, and now, with just a stroke of the pen. The fact that Azerbaijan is dictating the terms of negotiations today happened through the fault of the former authorities of Armenia, as well as the former and current authorities of Artsakh. The fact that today the Armenian side is forced to bargain for peace in exchange for lands was due to the inaction of those who today are trying to stay in power at all costs, who, instead of building a powerful economy and a professional combat-ready army, were engaged exclusively in personal enrichment. It is time to finally understand that Azerbaijan will only abandon the desire to return the land when it is sure that it will not succeed in winning the war, when the power of our army will be undeniable. Only having built a strong state, with a socially secure population and a combat- ready army, can we make us reckon with our interests and sit at the negotiating table on equal terms. So that I would not interfere with the plan of land handing over, the previous authorities tried to remove me from the political arena for more than 20 years. But today I am in Artsakh, together with my people, and if the court does not make a fair decision, that is, does not restore me in the right to participate in the presidential election, we will introduce our candidate. In this case, at the extraordinary congress of our party "Miasnakan Ayrenik" on February 9, the name of the new presidential candidate who implements our party program will be announced – this is, first of all, ensuring the security of the Artsakh borders, launching effective repatriation mechanisms, restoring military and economic power in the shortest possible time. If today we do not unite around these goals, consider that we have lost Artsakh. Dear Armenians, my dear Artsakhians. I urge you today to soberly face the truth and fully understand what is really happening in these fateful days. You choose not between different models of a prosperous life, but between whether or not to be Artsakh, whether or not you and your children live on this earth. We paid for the right to live in our homeland at the cost of blood. And today they can sell us: those who live on this earth and perished for this land. The threat of surrendering land or war is more relevant than ever. Therefore, I urge you to approach your choice with all responsibility. There will no longer be a chance to correct the error. He is only now, while we are still able to become the arbiters of our destinies. " Earlier, Pashinyan, during a large press conference on January 25 in Kapan, called on presidential candidates in Artsakh to express an opinion on the legacy in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue left by the previous Armenian authorities.
"Let's see what kind of legacy Serzh Sargsyan left in the Karabakh issue. Recently, an article was published in one of the media that essentially quoted the document at which point Serzh Sargsyan left the negotiation process, and did not officially refute the previous authorities Received …
Paragraph one: the ultimate goals of a comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict were the return of 7 regions to Azerbaijan – Agdam, Fizuli, Jebrail Zangelan, Kubatly, Kelbajar and Lachin, provided that the corridor connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia remains. Decision of the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh by universal suffrage, which is the free _expression_ of the will of the entire population of Nagorno-Karabakh under the auspices of the UN or OSCE within the time agreed between the parties, which will be legally binding and will comply with the norms and principles of international law, given that the issue is put to the vote or questions should not be limited and may include all status options. Complete settlement of political, trade, economic and humanitarian ties in the region, restoration of good-neighborly cooperation, ensuring complete stability in the region of the South Caucasus. Paragraph two: immigrants with the assistance of the international community will leave the territories of five districts indicated in the first paragraph. Azerbaijani civilian authorities will enter these territories after the international peacekeeping forces are deployed and the armed forces located in these areas are withdrawn. Peacekeeping forces will be deployed along the administrative borders of the former Nagorno- Karabakh Autonomous Region, with the exception of the Kelbajar and Lachin districts. The Kelbajar region will remain under transition monitoring by the OSCE.
The third paragraph: at the same time, along with the adoption of the above measures, until the final resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Nagorno-Karabakh should be endowed with a temporary status that guarantees the organization of its daily life, "Pashinyan said, noting that this is the legacy that was on the negotiating table.
We also note that the nationwide elections in Artsakh will be held on March 31.
Vladimir Vardanyan named new chair of PACE Sub-Committee on Human Rights
Panorama, Armenia
Jan 30 2020
Politics 11:42 30/01/2020Armenia
A member of Armenia’s delegation to the PACE, Vladimir Vardanyan has been elected Chairperson of the PACE Sub-Committee on Human Rights.
Vladimir Vardanyan, who heads the Armenian National Assembly’s Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs, represents the My Step alliance faction.
Edmon Marukyan, another member of the Armenian delegation who heads the Bright Armenia faction, has been elected First Vice Chairperson of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, one of the most important PACE committees. The committee has three vice chairmen.
Marukyan had been nominated by the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE). The PACE Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights is composed of 91 members representing the national parliaments of the 47 member states of the Council of Europe. The committee has three sub-committees.
PACE is holding its winter session in Strasbourg from January 27-31.
Commission set up to prevent the spread of coronavirus in Armenia
Panorama, Armenia
Jan 30 2020
Armenian Prime Minister Niko Pashinyan signed a decree on setting up a commission with the involvement of relative agencies for coordination of works to prevent the spread of coronavirus. According to the decree released by the government press service the commission will report to the PM about the situation and the ongoing works.
To remind, Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Avet Adonts earlier said that around 400 citizens of Armenia currently reside in different provinces of China. The Foreign Ministry of Armenia and the Embassy of Armenia in China have been in constant contact with the Chinese government and other partner countries concerning the evacuation of the citizens of Armenia.