Armenian Political News‏

Agence France Presse -- English
January 30, 2009 Friday 9:31 AM GMT
Erdogan, Armenian president hold landmark meeting
YEREVAN, Jan 30 2009


Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Armenian President
Serzh Sarkisian have held their first bilateral talks as they seek to
end decades of enmity, the Armenian presidency said on Friday.

The meeting, held on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in
Davos on Thursday, was "positive", the Armenian presidency said in a
statement.

"President Sarkisian and Prime Minister Erdogan considered their first
meeting as positive and charged the foreign ministers of both
countries to put additional efforts into normalising relations," it
said.

Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic ties and their border has been
closed for more than a decade.

In September, Turkish President Abdullah Gul became the first Turkish
head of state to visit Armenia, boosting a tentative dialogue process
between the two countries.

Turkey was one of the first countries to recognise Armenia when it
gained independence in 1991 amid the collapse of the Soviet Union.

But Ankara has refused to establish diplomatic ties because of
Yerevan's campaign to have mass killings of Armenians under the
Ottoman Empire during World War I classified as a genocide.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their people were systematically
killed by Ottoman Turks between 1915 and 1917 -- a claim supported by
several other countries.

Turkey rejects the genocide label and argues that between 300,000 and
500,000 Armenians and at least as many Turks died in civil strife.

In 1993, Turkey also shut its border with Armenia in a show of
solidarity with ally Azerbaijan over Nagorny Karabakh, an
Armenian-majority enclave within Azerbaijan that declared
independence.

Public Television of Armenia
Jan 30 2009
Armenian leader, Russian premier discuss ties

[Presenter] The leader of our country met Russian Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin and the Swiss president last night [29 January, on the
sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos].

[Passage omitted: Correspondent presents details of the forum, an
Armenian businessman from Russia attending the forum says Armenia's
participation in the forum is important both economically and
politically.]

[Correspondent over video of the meeting] President Sargsyan's second
working day was quite full of bilateral meetings. The president
discussed Armenian-Russian bilateral relations with Russian Prime
Minister Vladimir Putin. According to Putin, Russia is satisfied with
the course, pace, and quality of its relations with Armenia.

[Putin speaking in Russian with superimposed Armenian translation]
Russia is Armenia's first economic and political partner and I hope
that these relations will develop in the same direction in the future
as well.

[Correspondent over video of the forum] Serzh Sargsyan believes that
although it would be logical that Armenian-Russian negotiations would
be held in Moscow or Yerevan, any meeting, especially in such dynamic
relations, stems from the interests of both sides.

[Sargsyan speaking at the meeting in Russian with superimposed
Armenian translation] In 2008 bilateral trade between our two
countries exceeded 1bn dollars, and despite the difficulties of the
financial crisis, I believe that the year 2009 will be no less
productive for our countries.
Regional Kinetics
USA Office
Contact: David Davidian
Email: 
www.regionalkinetics.com
January 13, 2009
Web Site on Land Reparations for Armenia Has Nearly 11,000 Hits

Regional Kinetics's website `Land Reparations for the Turkish Genocide
of the Armenians' has had nearly 11,000 page hits from visitors from 56
countries since being on-line September 2008. Its Facebook "Cause"
currently has over 900 members. This level of interest is
uncharacteristically high for this type of web site. The 11 minute
historical documentary `1915 Turkish Genocide of the Armenians,' which
is accessible on the site home page, had the highest viewership, after
the home pages.

The www.regionalkinetics.com web site, written in six languages,
provides a rationale for Armenian land claims against the Republic of
Turkey. Quoting from the web site, `Reparations from the Turkish state
to the Armenian people for the crime of genocide must include a land
transfer for Armenia to exist as a self-sustaining state. Sovereign
access to the Black Sea is the requisite element for its survival.'

The intent of the Turks was to remove the capability of Armenians to
exist as a nation on their ancestral lands, and Regional Kinetics
believes the capacity of Armenians to be self-sufficient must be
restored to the Republic of Armenia.

Regional Kinetics includes a set of six `Frequently Asked Questions8
0 and
their answers in English, Armenian, Persian, Turkish, Russian, and
Georgian to provide background on the issues raised by the web site.

An Academics Papers page specifically dealing reparations, land grants,
insurance settlements, and related issues is frequently updated.
Scholarly submissions to this site are encouraged.

Regional Kinetics is a virtual, worldwide organization composed of
individuals who assert that land reparations for the Turkish genocide of
the Armenians must be based on a clearly stated, reasonable argument.
The US office is managed by David Davidian, Belmont, MA, USA
 
PRESS RELEASE
Nor Serount Cultural Association & Armenia Solidarity
Andrew Dismore MP presents an  Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day Bill

We are pleased to announce that Andrew Dismore, the hard-working Labour
MP for Hendon, who sponsored our commemmoration of Hrant Dink in the
House of Commons last week, has tabled a Presentation Bill (a Private
Memnbers Bill) in the UK Parliament on the Genocide  He is one of the
most helpful MPs in the House of Commons  and is Chairman of the Joint
Human Rights  Committee. This position  shows that he is held in high
regard by the government

He has  developed a reputation as a private members' Bill expert.. His
first, Holocaust Memorial Day, was taken up by the Government, and is
now part of the national calendar. He  introduced a Corporate
Manslaughter Bill, which helped push the Government into promoting their
own Bill, now law. His third, the Divorce (Religious Marriages) Bill
became law, helping resolve problems concerning Jewish divorce.
   We are proud of our continuing co-operation with Mr Dismore.This is
the first such bill on the Genocide to be presented in the UK
parliamemt. We appeal to all UK Armenians for their support  to persuade
the House of Commons to grant a second reading of the bill.

HANSARD 26 Jan 2009 :
Bills Presented

Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day Bill
Presentation and First Reading (Standing Order No. 57)

Mr. Andrew Dismore, supported by John Austin, Mr. Virendra Sharma, Clive
Efford, Ms Karen Buck and Rob Marris, presented a Bill to introduce a
national day to learn about and remember the Armenian genocide.

Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 16 October,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
and to be printed (Bill 43).