VIOLATION OF CONSTITUTION AND LAW ON LANGUAGE

Azg/arm
29 Jan 05

Appeal

An Open Letter to Armenian Authorities, Particularly Andranik
Margarian, Prime Minister, President of the Council of Armenian
Republican Party and President of State Commission on Celebration of
1600th Anniversary of Armenian Alphabet

As a citizen of Armenian Republic, I feel obliged to draw your
attention to the fact that is as I think a violation of the Armenian
Constitution (the 12th article) and the Law on Language: the seals of
Armenia’s frontier posts contain no letter of the Armenian alphabet.

Moreover, if the frontier signets had the inscription “Rossiya,
Yerevan” (in Russian) before 1998, we have marked progress since then
and now the inscription reads “Armeniya, Yerevan” (in Russian), which
means that Armenia grew into an autonomous republic of RF from being a
Russian city.

Mr. Prime Minister,

I appeal to you to treat this fatal mistake from both its linguistic
and contextual meanings. I am sure that you will agree that this
disgustful fact contradicts Nzhdeh’s ideology of Tsekhakronutyun that
the Republican Party proclaims. Great leader, as was Garegin Nzhdeh,
would not bear such a thing.

Best regards, Gevorg Yaztchian

P.S. The last document of the 1st Armenian Republic – Dro’sletter to
the head of the Armenian delegation, Alexander Khatisian in December 2
of 1920- also was in foreign language. Is it surprising that a state
ruled by authorities with such a sacrilegious attitude towards
national values collapsed? It threatens today’s Armenia as well if it
goes on with such criminal ways.

By Georges Der Partogh, Nicosia

Las Vegas Review-Journal, NV
Jan 28 2005

IMMIGRATION CASE: Girls get to stay in U.S.

Intervention ends deportation threat for LV teens

By LISA KIM BACH

Rouben Sarkisian and his daughter Elizabeth, 12, get emotional
Thursday after hearing that Sarkisian’s two oldest daughters, who are
incarcerated in Los Angeles and were facing deportation, will be
released today.
Photo by K.M. Cannon.

Palo Verde High School graduate Emma Sarkisian, 18, is shown in this
undated family photo made available to the Review-Journal.

Palo Verde High School student Mariam Sarkisian, 17, is shown in this
undated family photo made available to the Review-Journal.

Rouben Sarkisian celebrates Thursday after hearing that his two
oldest daughters, who are incarcerated in Los Angeles and were facing
deportation, will be released today.
Photo by K.M. Cannon.

Rouben Sarkisian’s despair over the looming deportation of his two
teenage daughters was transformed into delight Thursday, when
intervention from some of the highest levels of government secured
their release from federal custody and the dismissal of the case
against them.

“My heart is ready to leap out of my body,” Sarkisian said in Russian
while working at his Tropicana Pizza parlor in Henderson. “At first,
I didn’t believe it would happen so fast. This day gives me more and
more good surprises.”

Immigration officials are expected to release Emma Sarkisian, 18, and
Mariam Sarkisian, 17, today. The girls, who are being held in a Los
Angeles Detention Center, will be flown back to Las Vegas, and then
turned over to the custody of their father. The family has been
separated since the girls were arrested Jan. 14.

Both Emma and Mariam were born in Armenia but raised in the United
States. They emigrated from the former Soviet Union in 1991 with
their father, who is a legal resident in the process of obtaining his
citizenship. Emma and Mariam have three younger sisters who are
American-born citizens.

Immigration officials were trying to deport Emma and Mariam to
Armenia. Neither teen speaks Armenian or has any means of support to
sustain them in that country.

The illegal status of the girls was not discovered until a trip to
the Department of Motor Vehicles sent them to Las Vegas immigration
officials for confirmation of their residency status in July.

Then the girls discovered they faced an outstanding order of
deportation. Until then, the family thought they were properly
documented. The girls were arrested two weeks ago when they complied
with a summons to report to the immigration office.

The girls’ difficulty is rooted in Sarkisian’s divorce from his
second wife, who was a U.S. citizen. Immigration officials told him
that his divorce voided the 1997 notice of acceptance of residency
applications sent to the girls by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Sarkisian said he was never informed of that. If he had been,
Sarkisian said, he would have corrected the situation immediately.

The plight of the family garnered much sympathy from residents, who
lobbied Nevada’s congressional delegation for relief.

Troy Baker, one of three attorneys working on behalf of the sisters,
said his understanding was that U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security
Tom Ridge deferred action on the case against the girls, which means
they no longer face deportation.

“The whole thing is over,” said Baker, who received the news after 6
p.m.

Earlier this week, U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., asked Ridge to
intercede in the Sarkisian case. Sarkisian said Reid’s concern had
given him cause to hope.

“He has great heart,” Sarkisian said. “He is a humanitarian.”

Sarkisian was also thankful to the people who lobbied on behalf of
his children, including retired Archbishop Vatche« Housepian of the
Western Diocese of the Armenian Church in North America. He flew to
Las Vegas from Los Angeles on Monday to offer aid to the family and
their attorneys.

Baker said he believed the calls and e-mails of support people made
to lawmakers were vital in turning the tide.

“If you want to give props to where they should go, it’s to the good
citizens of Nevada who heard the story or read it in the newspaper
and got involved,” Baker said. “That’s what got Senator (Reid) to
take notice.”

The evening events erased the disappointments experienced by the
family in federal court Thursday morning.

Attorneys Baker, Jeremiah Stuchiner and Vladimir Goutsaliouk
unsuccessfully sought an order of release for the girls. U.S.
Magistrate Judge Robert Johnston said he could find no legal basis to
grant the request.

“I thought the judge would send them home,” said younger sister
Michele Sarkisian, 13, after the ruling. “At least he gave us more
time though. He didn’t deport them today.”

Sarkisian said the mental state of his daughters had been
deteriorating while in custody. The limited phone calls they were
able to make from Los Angeles were filled with tears. Emma,
especially, was growing increasingly depressed.

During the hearing, Johnston voiced concern about the welfare of the
girls and asked about the conditions of their detention.

Attorney Tom Walter, representing U.S. Immigrations and Custom
Enforcement, said he understood from officers at the Los Angeles
Detention Center that the girls were kept separate from the general
population and given access to family and legal counsel.

Stuchiner, who took the case for free, took issue with that
assertion.

Immigration officials did not tell the family where the girls were
being held for more than a week, he said. They lack access to
showers, he said, and on Thursday told him they had been without
toothbrushes and toothpaste since they arrived at the detention
center Jan. 14.

And, Stuchiner added, the girls’ access to their family was limited
to 12 minutes at a time, the duration of the phone cards they receive
while in detention.

“It’s ridiculous,” Stuchiner said. “It’s just silly to say the family
has access.”

Baker said family friends were permitted to deliver fresh clothes to
the girls on Thursday, as they prepared to return home.

Elizabeth Sarkisian, 12, plans to meet her sisters with Titi in tow,
the family mutt that Mariam loves best.

The separation has been a burden on the Sarkisian family, which
relies on Emma and Mariam to help run the family business. The
Sarkisians live in northwest Las Vegas, where Mariam attended Palo
Verde High School as a senior. Emma graduated from Palo Verde in
2004.

Mariam’s teachers have called the family to say that they will be
happy to help her catch up when she returns. While in detention,
Mariam missed her final exams.

The father had to fight back his tears Thursday morning when he
described his 10-year-old daughter’s worry for her sisters’ plight.

“Patricia, the youngest, comes to me every day and asks if it’s true
they will let Emma and Mariam go free today,” he said.

The decision to release the girls does not set any kind of legal
precedent, Baker said. Immigration officials have discretion within
the law.

The girls are still technically illegal, but the deferment means that
the father will be given time to obtain citizenship. Once he has
that, he can sponsor both his daughters for legal residency.

That was the solution defense attorneys had sought from the start.
Baker laughed when asked why immigration officials didn’t exercise
their discretion from the outset.

“They did,” Baker said. “They exercised it in the negative.”

For pictures:

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Jan 28 2005

OSCE FACT-FINDING MISSION ARRIVES IN BAKU
[January 28, 2005, 17:36:52]

The OSCE fact-finding mission has arrived in Baku to carry out
investigations on illegal settlement of the Armenians in Nagorny
Karabakh and other regions of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia. On
January 28, the OSCE co-chairs and head of the mission met with the
foreign minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov.

After the meeting, the Russian co-chair Yuri Merzlyakov disclosed
that the Azerbaijan side has presented detailed information on
illegal settlement of the Armenians. The meeting with Mr. Elmar
Mammadyarov was useful, the Russian co-chair said.

Yuri Merzlyakov said, as agreed earlier, the mission would carry out
investigations in all the occupied seven regions of Azerbaijan around
the Nagorny Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs and the OSCE Acting Chairman’s
personal envoy, ambassador Andzey Kaspshik will accompany the
fact-finding mission comprising representatives of Italy, Germany,
Sweden and Finland. The mission to carry out a weeklong investigation
on January 29 will go to Yerevan, and then to the occupied Khankendi.

OSCE MISSION WILL NOT VISIT OCCUPIED SHAHUMIAN, GETASHEN AND NORTHERN
MARTAKERT

Azg/arm
29 Jan 05

The OSCE co-chairs and the Minsk group monitoring mission arrived in
Baku yesterday. They will visit Yerevan on January 29 and Stepanakert
on 30.

Armenia gave consent to OSCE monitoring mission when Azerbaijan agreed
to take the formula on “situation in Azerbaijani occupied territories”
back from the UN General Assembly.

Official Yerevan, foreign and defense ministers in particular, even
expressed satisfaction on the coming mission in Nagorno Karabakh’s
contiguous territories. Oskanian said that it is Azerbaijan that
should fret as they carried out inhabitation of Shahumian and Getashen
regions on state level. “The monitoring group will arrive to assess
the situation with inhabiting. Azerbaijan will get puzzled when it
appears that most of the inhabitants are refugees from Shahumian,
Getashen and Northern Martakert” he said.

“Firstly, our state implements no policy of inhabitation, secondly,
the world knows that there is a safety zone. And, at least, that will
be a chance to see if, say, Shahumian or other regions are inhabited
with Azeris or not, if Azerbaijan is really inhabiting the territories
or not”, Serge Sargsian said.

The OSCE monitoring group is reportedly not going to visit the regions
of Shahumian, Getashen and Northern Martakert – territories under
Azerbaijan’s occupation.

Vahram Atanesian heading the Commission on Foreign Affairs of Nagorno
Karabakh said that Karabakh is open for any kind of monitoring but was
concerned that the mission will visit only territories under Karabakh
forces’ supervision passing by the territories occupied by Azerbaijan
and inhabited by Azeris, according to official Baku.

“We would like the monitoring mission to learn the situation in
Shahumian, Getashen and in the north of Martakert too. The
inhabitation there started in 1991. Ayaz Mutalibof, the Azeri
president of the time, participated at the inhabitation of Getashen
region with Meskhet-Turks”, Atanesian said.

Authorities in Karabakh expressed readiness to create favorable
conditions for the mission work. Seyran Ohanian, minister of defense
of Karabakh, noted at the new conference that “those territories are
under Karabakh’s total control” but “we cannot forbid our citizens to
farm in this regions”. “There is a long talk process ahead to decide
the fate of these territories and any decision concerning the
territories should be taken in the framework of this process”.

The Shahumian-Getashen Union turned to the European Court of Human
Rights to institute an action against Azerbaijan. “The court took
cases of 4 families but the proceeding is not under way yet”,
president of the Union, Edik Balayan, said. Balayan said that those
families’ property was taken away. The population of the 26 villages
under Azeris’ supervision left without property. “Our right of
property was violated, and the sate has to compensate for this”,
Balayan said.

Is not that likely that the Azeris will follow Armenia’s example and
demand compensation? Balayan said that most of the Azeris who left
Armenia managedto change their flats. He had no information whether
Azerbaijan turned to the European Court or not. But according to Trend
agency of Azerbaijan, 10 Azeri refugees appealed to the court in
Strasburg demanding compensation.

By Tatoul Hakobian

ARTUR BAGHDASARIAN:FIGHT AGAINST UNLAWFULNESS WILL BE CONSISTENT BUT NOT EASY

YEREVAN, January 28 (Noyan Tapan). As a result of the examination of
the documents that were compiled in the process of the control
activities of the RA NA Control Chamber in 2004 and afterwards sent to
the RA Prosecutor General Office, officials of 34 organizations were
presented solicitations by the Prosecutor Office, over 50 persons
responsible were warned, a total of tens of millions of drams was
returned to the state budget, as well as administrative punitive
measures were applied to 15 officials. A number of criminal cases were
started, carges with respect to some of these cases have already been
sent to court. The RA National Assembly Chairman Artur Baghdasarian
told this in a television statement. “Our objective is that those who
committed violations discovered by the Control Chamber should bear
rsponsibility,” he stated. According to A. Baghdasarian, the Control
Chamber will continue its examination activities in 2005 in accordance
with the program approved by the National Assembly since “the Control
Chamber is the instrument that should be used to fight illegality and
unlawfulness that unfortunately are rife in Armenia.” According to the
NA Chairman, the examinations reveal that very often unlawful actions
are done on behalf of the law. He brought as an example the notorious
case of the Institute of Nonorganic Chemistry when “the land plots
belonging to the employees were sold in an illegal way” without
informing them. Pledging to continue the fight against unlawfulness in
the future, Artur Baghdasarian at the same time noted that “this is
not an easy thing since, unfortunately, economic and political
interests and groups have formed in many spheres.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

VARTAN OSKANIAN: I DON’T THINK THAT RUSSIA’S MEDIATION WILLFOSTER
ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS

Azg/arm
29 Jan 05

European Union’s decision of December 17 to start accession talks with
Turkey gave a new momentum to the talks around Armenian-Turkish
relations. Turkey, which was drawing forward preconditions for
relations’ improvement and Armenian-Turkish border-gate opening, began
condemning Armenia of not recognizing the Kars Treaty, of refusing to
draw Armenian forces out of the so-called Azeri occupied territories
and of manipulating Turkey with “groundless” claims of “alleged”
genocide.

Vartan Oskanian, foreign affairs minister of Armenia, refuted
Turkey=80=99s condemnations in an interview to Turkish Zaman daily on
January 25. Oskanian’s irrefragable answers rendered Turkey’s
condemnations ineffective.

– Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan explaining that Armenia
does not recognize the Kars Treaty said: “If they say ‘I don’t
recognize it,’ then, in that case, don’t get upset, we won’t recognize
it, either.” Those are the expressions he used. Why don’t you
recognize the Treaty of Kars?

– The PM’s statement about the Kars Treaty really surprised
me. Government of Armenia has made no statements saying we don’t
recognize it. We are the successor states of the Soviet Union. All of
the agreements, which the Soviet Union signed, continue to be in force
unless new agreements have been signed to replace them, or unless
statements have been made about not recognizing those agreements.

– What’s your approach to Turkey’s preconditions concerningwithdrawal
of Armenian forces from Azerbaijan’s occupied territories?

– Turkey cannot equate the Karabakh issue with a territorial issue. It
is a many-sided issue. Though its status is the vital one. There was
no territory under Armenians’ control before the confrontation. We
took the control after the issue emerged. Turkish side seems to be
mixing the cause and effect relation. To remove the effect it should
be viewed separately from the cause. Turkey cannot put the issue of
territories as a precondition because of Baku=80=99s evasive
stance. We want a versatile approach to the issue.

– What do you think of Turkey’s strivings to mediate in Karabakh
issue?

– Turkey cannot midiate because it is partial. Russia, for instance,
has no preconditions and is neutral. Turkey frequently offers its help
as a mediator, and we hold bilateral meetings. We are not against
meetings but don=80=99t accept its mediation

– How will the Russian-Turkish cooperation influence the conflict as
regards Armenia?

– Russia’s dialogue with Turkey is not a problem for us. But I don’t
think that these countries’ cooperation will foster conflict’s
settlement.

– Armenia occupied 1/5 of Azerbaijan’s territory. When are you going
to put an end to the occupation?

– Nagorno Karabakh always was an Armenian territory. The issue of
other regions is to be dealt by Karabakh and Azerbaijan. Karabakh was
in Azerbaijan’s structure during the USSR indeed but when the war
between Karabakh and Azerbaijan broke out Armenia supported
Karabakh. The other issues (of the other regions) are discussed by
Armenia and Azerbaijan because the Azeris avoid to seat at the table
with Karabakh side.

– Years ago, you put Genocide assertions on the agenda. In that
regard, you are also trying to receive the assistance of the West, led
by the US. What is your intent? Are you trying to grab territory from
Turkey, or to receive compensation?

– Take a look at the map please. Turkey’s geography, economy, and
population are obvious. Armenia on the other hand is a small and poor
country. On the Armenian foreign policy agenda, there is no reference
to territories or compensation. Our foreign policy goal is
international recognition of the Armenian Genocide, together with
recognition by Turkey. What happened in 1915 is quite obviously
Genocide. Turks have differing opinions about that. Let’s let people
openly discuss this issue. We are democratic societies. There is no
need to become concerned that Armenia is trying to place this issue on
other countries’ agendas. Turks, too, can lobby in different
countries, work with them. However, Armenia absolutely does not view
this as a precondition for the improvementof relations with Turkey. We
have never said that Turkey first acknowledges the Genocide. We could
have resolved the matter through dialogue, had there been diplomatic
relations between the two countries. How are we to resolve this issue?
Since we’re not able to resolve it at the governmental level, then
there are efforts to seek solutions at other levels, through other
channels.

– According to you, will Turkey’s entry into the EU facilitate this
claim?

– Today, there are two important problems between Armenia and Turkey:
opening the border, and Genocide. For the improvement of relations,
Genocide recognition is not a precondition but open borders
automatically are. No one can insist that there can be normal
relations between two countries if the border between them is
closed. However, even without Genocide recognition, it is possible to
normalize relations. The Genocide is a moral, broader issue. The EU,
too, would like for Turkey to recognize the Genocide at some stage in
the process. We hope that these matters will be included in the
agenda for negotiations between Turkey and the EU to begin later this
year. But on the border issue, we can’t wait 10-15 years or longer,
for Turkey to be accepted into the EU, for there to be some positive
movement. We hope that very soon, Turkey will open the border.

– Armenians living in Turkey accuse the Armenians of the Diaspora for
insisting on Genocide recognition. Where does Armenia take place in
this discussion?

– It is natural that the Armenians of the Diaspora would more
frequently raise the issue. They are the descendants of the Genocide
survivors. Their grandfathers were pushed to the Syrian deserts, to
the Arab countries, and from there, they moved on to Europe and the
US. They grew up listening to the elders telling stories of the
Genocide. But, this isn’t just their issue; it’s also Armenia’s
issue. There is no difference between them.

There is nothing left for historians to discuss about.

– If the issue is first discussed by historians and specialists, and
they find some common ground, wouldn’t that ease the process?

– There is nothing new to say on this. There are countless studies on
the subject and the events of 1915 have very clearly emerged. If the
historianswere to gather again, no one’s point of view would
change. The specialists have been working. They’re done with their
work. Now, it is essential that the Turkish government enter into this
discussion. Why are we afraid of these discussions? Today, around the
world, there are many countries with similarproblems. Japan and South
Korea, South Korea and China, Japan and the US, the US and Mexico, and
others. These countries continue to have relations with each other,
even as they continue to discuss these events. And they have fine
relations.

MEMBER OF “CLUB OF POLITICAL DISPUTE” NEGATIVELY ESTIMATES AMENDMENTS
TO LAW “ON PARTIES”

YEREVAN, January 28 (Noyan Tapan). The law “On Parties,” in essence,
froze the desperate situation formed in this sphere and closes the way
to formation of new political forces. Vigen Khachatrian, a member of
the “Club of Political Dispute,” declared this during the discussion
of the amendments to the law “On Parties” organized on January 27 in
the club. According to him, under the formed conditions when really
the parliament and parties don’t form the executive power and aren’t
able to control it effectively the amendment introduced to the law
gives new levers for control over the parties to the executive power.
Khachatrian also said that this “innovation” will contribute to
strengthening of monopoly positions of pro-governmental parties.

According to him, the amendments introduced to the law are really
aimed at limitation of political competition as the most important
condition of modern democracy. “Not encouraging but hampering
principles are the basis of the amendments.” In Khachatrian’s opinion,
the main provision of the Constitution, according to which the parties
are free to be formed and contribute to formation of political life of
the country, should be fixed and developed in the law. According to
another proposal of the speaker, they should introduce additions to
the law taking into consideration the demand of Article 7 of the
Constitution, according to which the structure and work of the parties
can’t contradict the democratic principles. According to Vigen
Khachatrian, the law badly reflects the mechanisms that will provide
fulfilment of the constitutional demand regarding publicity of
financial activity of parties. Samvel Nikoyan, an MP, a member of the
“Republican Party of Armenia” faction, and Stepan Zakarian, an MP, a
member of the “Ardarutiun” (“Justice”) faction, made reports during
the discussion.

ARTUR BAGHDASARIAN AWARDS MEDAL OF HONOR TO DEFENCE MINISTER AND NA
DIPLOMAS TO A NUMBER OF HIGH-RANKING SERVICEMEN

YEREVAN, January 28 (Noyan Tapan). On January 28, on the occasion of
the 13 anniversary of the formation of the Armenian Army, the RA
National Assembly Chairman Artur Baghdasarian awarded the Medal of
Honor to the RA Defence Minister Serge Sargsian, as well as NA
diplomas the RA President Advisor, Chief Military Inspector of the RA
Armed Forces Colonel General Gurgen Dalibaltayan, the Deputy Minister
of Defence Lieutenant General Alik Mirzabekian, the Deputy Minister of
Defence on Rear, Chief of the RA Armed Forces Rear Lieutenant General
Gurgen Melkonian, Head of the Defence Ministry’s Military Police
Department Major General Vladimir Gasparian, as well as a miltary unit
commander Major General Garegin Gabrielian. Noting that a new
tradition was initiated at the National Assembly, Artur Baghdasarian
congratulated, on behalf of the parliament, the servicemen awarded and
wished them good health, will and determination in implementing
reforms in the army and ensuring defence potential. The NA Chairman
expressed satisfaction with the efforts put by the Armenian people,
officers and soldiers into the establishment of the Armenian army, and
expressed hope that they will not spare effort and energy for further
strengthening of the Armenian army. According to the National
Assembly’s PR Department, the RA Defence Minister Serge Sargsian
expressed gratitude to Chairman of the National Assembly and the
parliament for showing a warm and considerate attitude to the army. He
pointed out that the 28 of January has started to enter the public
life as a holiday and it will become a national holiday in 3-4
years. The Defence Minister also expressed gratitude for the attention
to army-related laws and assured the Armenian Army is efficient and
ready to honorably defend the borders of the country.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKEY IN VIEW OF ITS BILIOUSNESS CAN’T BE A MEDIATOR IN KARABAKH ISSUE

YEREVAN, January 28 (Noyan Tapan). “Nagorno Karabakh was always the
Armenian territory. Other regions remain the problems of Nagorno
Karabakh and Azerbaijan,” said RA Minister of Foreign Affairs Vartan
Oskanian in his interview to the Turkish “Zaman” newspaper of January
25, whose translation was published in the “Azg” (“Nation”)
newspaper. According to the RA Foreign Minister, in the USSR times
Karabakh was included into the territory of Azerbaijan, but when the
war between Karabakh and Azerbaijan started, Armenian, naturally,
supported Karabakh. The issue of other regions, according to Oskanian,
is discussed between Armenia and Azerbaijan by the simple reason that
the Azeris avoid negotiations with Karabakh. Minister Oskanian
stressed that the statement of Prime Minister of Turkey Erdogan that
Armenia doesn’t recognize the Kars agreement was a surprise for
him. According to the Minister, none of the leaders of Armenia has
made statements on the occasion of this agreement up to day. “We are
among the countries-legal successors of the USSR. All the agreements
signed between the USSR and third countries remain valid until new
agreements are signed and the statement on the recognition of the
previous agreements as invalid is made,” he said. Presenting the
approach of the Armenian side to the condition on going out from the
“occupied territories” of Azerbaijan suggested by Turkey, Oskanian
mentioned that Turkey can’t reduce the Nagorno Karabakh problem
exclusively to the territorial argument, as the essence of the problem
is in status. “There were no Azeri territories controlled by the
Armenians before the Karabakh conflict. Control was set after the
raising of the Karabakh problem. The Turkish side is mistaken in the
issue of the cause-effect relation. It should be separated from the
reason for the elimination of consequence.” Hence, Turkey can’t raise
the issue of territories as a condition. “We want the problem to be
resolved, but we also want the universal approach to be shown.” Turkey
can’t be a mediator in the Karabakh problem because of its
biliousness, stressed the RA Minister of Foreign Affairs. For example,
Russia, according to Oskanian, doesn’t lay down conditions from the
viewpoint of the settlement of the problem and shows neutrality:
“Turkey constantly makes a suggestion on mediation, and we hold
bilateral meetings. From the viewpoint of these meetings we have no
problems, but mediation is another thing.” As for the recognition of
the Genocide, Minister Oskanian mentioned that there are no
territorial pretensions or the issue on compensation in the foreign
political agenda of Armenia: “We only long for the Genocide to be
recognized by the international community and Turkey. The 1915 events
are the evident Genocide. In spite of it Armenia has never demanded
that Turkey should recognize the Genocide with the purpose of the
regulation of relations. The issue may be resolved through a dialog,
but how to do it, if the diplomatic relations are absent?” Answering
the question: “Will Turkey recognize this statement (Genocide) for
joining the European Union?” Minister Oskanian mentioned: “We and
Turkey have two important problems: the Genocide and the opening of
the borders. The recognition of the Genocide is not a condition, but
the opening of the borders is a condition for the regulation of our
relations. Nobody can speak about the normal relations, when the
borders are closed. An on the contrary, without the recognition of the
Genocide it is possible to adjust the relations. We put the issue of
the borders to the EU agenda. It has already become an issue of the
agenda for the EU, and the Genocide is a common and moral issue. The
EU demands that Turkey should resign itself with this issue someway,”
said Oskanian. He also expressed hope hat these issues will be put
before Turkey at the end of this year, when the negotiations with the
European Union start. Nevertheless, according to him, “we can’t expect
progress during 10-15 years till Turkey joins the EU. We hope that
Turkey will open the border with Armenia soon.” According to Oskanian,
there is nothing more to be said on the issue of the Genocide. This
theme is studies, the great work is carried out, the real essence of
the 1915 events is shown. “Even if the scientists sit down at the one
table, the approved opinion will not change in any case. The
scientists have already done their part and completed it. At this
moment it is demanded that the Turkish government should get down to
business. Why are you afraid to discuss the issue of the Genocide?”

3 POLITICAL FIGURES MAKE JOINT STATEMENT CONDEMNING ARMENIA’S FOREIGN
POLICY

YEREVAN, January 28 (Noyan Tapan). Armenia has no strategy (national
ideas and goals) in the sphere of foreign policy and it “plays
complementarism.” The January 28 joint statement of Vazgen Manukian,
Chairman of the National-Democratic Union, Ashot Manucharian,
Political Secretary of the Union of Socialist Forces, and Paruyr
Hayrikian, Chairman of the National Self-Determination Union, said
this. The statement was publicized by Paruyr Hayrikian at the press
conference held the same day. According to the statement, “yielding to
the provocation of one of the numerous levers of systematized foreign
policy of Turkey, representative of Turkish press (correspondent of
the Zaman newspaper: NT), Vardan Oskanian, RA Foreign Minister,
declared that the Republic of Armenia has nothing against the Kars
treaty.” According to P.Hayrikian, Turkish Prime Minister Erdoghan is
sure that no sensible Armenian should accept the Kars treaty of 1921
legalizing the Armenian Genocide but “instead of accepting and
continuing the thought of the Turkish Prime Minister our Minister
commits mistakes, which are difficult to understand.” In Hayrikian’s
opinion, today’s Armenia may be considered as Armenia of “outpost”
period, and the statesmen as “little members of Komsomol” looking
towards Moscow who only strive for preserving their power. According
to him, the pan-Armenian interests are ignored on the international
arena and everything is moved to the Karabakh (“not Artsakh”) plane,
as a result of which Artsakh itself will gain nothing. Hayrikian
declared that the Turkish diplomacy managed to lead the
Armenian-Turkish relations to Turkey’s demanding lands from
Armenia. In his estimation, today the state committing a Genocide and
seizing the historical lands of Armenia puts forward a condition to
Armenia, again to surrender the territories if not in favor of Turkey
by the example of the Moscow-Kars treaty of 1921 then in favor nof
Azerbaijan as it was done in case of Nakhichevan. According to
Hayrikian, today they also demand Artsakh and Armenia has no power
resisting this. “We only defend ourselves.” According to the
statement, “not only every pupil” but the President of Armenia and his
supporters should know that “the Genocide was summed up and fixed by
the Moscow treaty of 1921 and its copy, Kars treaty.”