Armenian News

Fighting ridiculous Azeri falsifications with historic maps.

Armenia in Historical Maps II - YouTube

15 minutes long,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKjl9lLlisA

reporter.am

Wikileaks: Armenians can't be defeated by Azerbaijan

22.02.12

Washington - Despite record growth in military spending and frequently
heard threats by top officials to resume hostilities in Karabakh,
Azerbaijani leadership is said to be "terrified" by a prospect of an
Armenian military attack, a Stratfor memo made available via Wikileaks
revealed.

The memo was prepared by Reva Bhalla, Stratfor's director of analysis,
following her August 2010 meeting with a source described as
"Ambassador-at-large for energy security, Czech Republic." While the
official is not named in the memo, Vaclav Bartuska has been the Czech
envoy on energy security for the last several years.

The Czech official reportedly told Bhalla that "It is remarkable to
what degree Azerbaijan is under Russian influence. THey are thinking
about their survival. The Azerbaijanis cannot agree to a final deal on
Shah Deniz II" natural gas field being developed in the Caspian by BP
and whose output is sought by Russia and Western energy consumers.

"When I was in Baku recently, they showed me a 3-D topographic map of
Armenia, AZ [Azerbaijan], Nagorno [Karabakh]," the Czech related. "You
can see very clearly that once (and if) the Armenians cross over with
Russian backing, it is a flat path to Baku. The Russians told them
during the Georgia war that Georgia could just be the first stop...
pretty direct threat. The Azerbaijanis are terrified of this."

According to press reports, in June 2010 Bartuska participated in the
Baku oil and gas conference annually organized by the Azerbaijani
government.

Bhalla's memo was part of the Stratfor e-mail cache obtained last
December by internet hacking group known as the Anonymous.

Last year, speaking on the third anniversary of the Georgia war,
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev argued that the 2008 war taught
parties to the Karabakh conflict "a very serious lesson" that it was
"better to conduct endless talks" than fight even a few days of war.

And State Department cables also released by Wikileaks made clear

that in U.S. assessment, despite the military build-up and threatening
rhetoric, Azerbaijan remains incapable of launching a successful
military campaign against Armenia.

ARMENIA AZERBAIJAN DISPUTE NUCLEAR PLANT

Hurriyet

March 29 2012

Turkey

Azerbaijani President Aliyev (L) calls the closure of Armenian nuclear

plant. REUTERS photo The Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents disputed

the safety of the Armenian nuclear power plant in Metsamor, in front

of world leaders at the Seoul summit earlier this week.

Addressing the heads of more than 50 nations, including the United

States, Russia and China, at the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul,

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev called for the closure of the

Armenian nuclear power plant. Speaking there on March 27 he said that

the station, built in 1976, was outdated, did not meet modern safety

standards and was located in a seismic zone. Aliyev said that all

this had turned the site into a potential source of threat.

In response, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan labeled Aliyev's claims

"disinformation" and said that "spreading slander about Armenia has

long become a manner of action in Azerbaijan." Sargsyan stressed the

full compliance of the plant with International Atomic Energy Agency

requirements, and that this had been confirmed by the international

nuclear watchdog's mission last year. Sargsyan also criticized

Turkey and Azarbaijan for "exaggerating the issue," Anatolia news

agency reported. "Two out of Armenia's four neighbors, in blatant

violation of international norms, have been blockading our country

for the last twenty years, leaving us no alternative to achieving

energy independence," he said, the Armenianow website reported.

Yerkirmedia

TURKS HAVE SPENT MORE THAN 100 MLN USD TO FAIL FRENCH 

RESOLUTION: THE NEW RESOLUTION WILL NOT COME LATE

18:11 . 29/03

Though the adoption of the Armenian Genocide denial criminalisation

bill in the two houses of the French parliament was the result of

long lasting work of the Armenian community in France, for the two

main leading presidential candidates Nikolas Sarkozy and Francois

Hollande the issue to make the denial of the genocide a crime has

become a means to attract votes.

The present president Nikolas Sarkozy had promised to make the denial

of the Armenian Genocide a crime since 2007, while his party came

up with a corresponding resolution at the National Assembly only

before the presidential elections. But we should note that before

the bill would appear at the Constitutional Council, Sarkozy could

have ratified the document, and it would become a law.

"Sarkozy didn't want to keep his promise. He told us on April 30,

2011, he wouldn't go any further. But then he changed his mind as

he saw that Holland is going to take this step," representative of

ARF-D Western Europe Central Committee Murad Papazyan said.

ARF-D Committee of France thinks the fact that the bill failed at the

Constitutional Council after having succeeded among the politicians,

is the victory of the Turkish lobby. The Turkish government has spent

more than 100 mln USD to fail the resolution. The anti-Armenian

demonstrations organized on those days in France, in which Turks

having gathered from different parts of Europe were participating, were

held under the auspices of the Turkish authorities, the Turkish prime

minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a thing to which, according to Director

of Paris Hay Dat office Hrach Varzhapetian, Turkey had no right.

"It is our internal issue, it is a matter of law. The intervention of

the Turkish state is inadmissible. Today we, as a state, don't run

an anti-Turkish policy unlike the Turkish government, which runs an

anti-Armenian policy. Armenian politics needs to become more aggressive

and must have a concrete emphasis," Varzhapetyan said.

The text of the document is being newly developed, in order to avoid

the repetition of the previous scenario. The socialist presidential

candidate Francois Hollande, whose candidacy is supported by part of

the Armenian organizations, has promised to make the denial of the

Armenian Genocide a crime.

Sarkozy has also given promises, much more official promises and to

our president personally. And though it was his fault that the bill

appeared at the Constitutional Council, Sarkozy ordered the government

to submit another bill to the parliament. Only the process will take

place after the elections.

We have already appeared in a similar situation, therefore we have the

experience of waiting. We have only to hope that the previous negative

experience will not be repeated and irrespective of whoever comes to

power at the Elysee palace, he will not prove that the promise given

was only a manifestation of election campaign.

SARKOZY AND HOLLANDE PROMISE TO CRIMINALIZE DENIAL OF

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

ARMENPRESS

MARCH 29, 2012

YEREVAN

President Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande - have reconfirmed

their readiness to reach adoption of the bills criminalizing denial

of the Armenian Genocide. Sarkozy, in particular, stated he will keep

his promise, reports Armenpress citing Nouvelles d"Armenie.

"As president of the republic I consider it my duty to defend the

citizens who are threatened with the risk of denial," said Sarkozy

assuring the country"s government is already working at the new

bill criminalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide, which will

be submitted to the legislative body in the upcoming session of the

French Parliament. The French President also stressed the remarks

of the Constitutional Council of France concerning the previous bill

will be taken into consideration in the new bill.

Referring to the statements that the parliament must not adopt laws

concerning the history, Sarkozy stressed the parliament is a body

expressing national self-government and is eligible to defend the

memory of those who endured unspeakable sufferings.

In another interview French presidential candidate Francois Hollande

underlined that as soon as he is elected president he will undertake

the process of criminalizing the denial.

"I consider that our state, as a state having recognized the Armenian

Genocide, must also take the next step, criminalizing the denial of

the latter. Denial is manifestation of violence, which must not take

place in our republic," said Francois Hollande.

US Recognized Armenian Genocide In 1951, World Court Document Reveals

By Hye on 2008-06-19

While President Bush and several of his predecessors have avoided characterizing

the organized mass killings of Armenians in 1915 as genocide, it has recently come

to light that 57 years ago the United States government officially recognized the

Armenian Genocide in a document submitted to the International Court of Justice

(ICJ), also known as the World Court.

This half a century old reference to the Armenian Genocide was discovered by

Prof. William A. Schabas who posted it on the website "PhD Studies in Human

Rights," on June 4, 2008. Prof. Schabas, a world-renowned expert on genocide

and international law, is director of The Irish Center for Human Rights at the

National University of Ireland, Galway.

This document, filed by the Government of the United States with ICJ, is included

in the May 28, 1951 ICJ Report titled: "Reservations to the Convention on the

Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide."

The specific reference to the Armenian Genocide appears on page 25 of the

ICJ Report: "The Genocide Convention resulted from the inhuman and

barbarous practices which prevailed in certain countries prior to and during

World War II, when entire religious, racial and national minority groups were

threatened with and subjected to deliberate extermination. The practice of

genocide has occurred throughout human history. The Roman persecution

of the Christians, the Turkish massacres of Armenians, the extermination of

millions of Jews and Poles by the Nazis are outstanding examples of the crime

of genocide."

This is a very significant statement as it was made by the American government

of that time with the sole intent of telling the truth, without taking into account

any political or other considerations. Neither Armenians nor Turks had lobbied

for or against the U.S. statement. In other words, it was simply made on the

basis of historical facts.

How different is the situation today when the White House readily caves in to threats

and pressures from the Turkish government to prevent the House of Representatives

from passing a commemorative resolution on the Armenian Genocide!

Now that this critical filing by the United States government before the International

Court of Justice has been discovered, it is no longer necessary to exert excessive

efforts to try and reaffirm the facts of the Armenian Genocide by the U.S. Congress,

particularly since the House of Representatives adopted Resolutions 247 and 148 in

1975 and 1984 respectively, to commemorate the Armenian Genocide.

Furthermore, there is no particular reason to insist that the next President of the

United States acknowledge the Armenian Genocide since President Ronald

Reagan, back on April 22, 1981, issued Presidential Proclamation Number 4838

which stated: "Like the genocide of the Armenians before it, and the genocide of

the Cambodians which followed it - and like too many other such persecutions of

too many other peoples - the lessons of the Holocaust must never be forgotten."

Of course, should an elected official issue a statement reaffirming the facts of the

Armenian Genocide, such an acknowledgment would be most welcome by Armenians

worldwide. On the other hand, should a public official either deny or refuse to

acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, Armenian-Americans would have good reason

not to support his or her election.

Regardless of whether one agrees with Pres. Reagan's politics, most people acknowledge

that he was a man of principle. His successors - Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton

and George W. Bush - failed to display such moral leadership. During their presidential

campaigns, they misled voters by pledging to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, and

broke their promises after the election. These three recent U.S. presidents went far beyond

not keeping their word; they did everything in their power to prevent the adoption of

congressional resolutions on the Armenian Genocide. The names of these infamous

denialists should be etched in perpetuity on a special "Wall of Shame," so future generations

will not forget their reprehensible behavior.

On the basis of the official statement submitted by the Government of the United States

to the World Court in 1951, combined with the two House resolutions adopted in 1975

and 1984, Pres. Reagan's 1981 Proclamation, and resolutions adopted by more than

forty U.S. states and hundreds of U.S. cities, Armenians should now classify the United

States among the more than 20 countries that have officially recognized the Armenian

Genocide.

All those who claim that the United States has not recognized the Armenian Genocide

are misrepresenting the U.S. government's clear record on this issue.

This e-mail June 19^th, 2008 does not include the name of President Obama, who thus far has

not kept his promise to Armenian Americans either!!