Seta's Armenian Blog: 11th April 2009

Showing posts with label 11th April 2009. Show all posts

Saturday, 11 April 2009

Armenian News

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT: ARMENIA IS WILLING TO ESTABLISH RELATIONS

WITH TURKEY, BUT WITHOUT ANY PRECONDITIONS
ArmInfo
2009-04-10 20:26:00

ArmInfo. "In establishing relations with Turkey we don't admit any
preconditions",- Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said at today's
press-conference in Yerevan.

According to him, the Armenian party doesn't expect Turkey to recognize
the Armenian Genocide and at the same time expects Turkey to give
up the precondition on suspension of the process of international
recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Speaking of possible recognition
of the Armenian Genocide by the United States, the Armenian president
pointed out that there is no need to persuade Americans of this fact
as they had diplomats, missioners, businessmen in this region who
witnessed the tragic days for the Armenian people.

"Even in course of discussion of the relevant resolution in the US
House of Representatives, the overwhelming majority of senators didn't
deny the given fact", - he said. If the USA considers that recognition
of the Genocide may become a factor to prevent similar crimes and
fight international terrorism, it will take this step, Sargsyan added.

At the same time, he sees no connection between normalization of
relations with Turkey and the USA's possible decision on recognition
of the Armenian Genocide.

"We are ready to establish relations with Turkey without any
preconditions, now the ball is in Turkey's field, but as it is
known, any football match has time limits",- the president said and
expressed hope that by the next Turkey-Armenia football match he will
have crossed the unblocked Turkish-Armenian border. Nevertheless,
he didn't rule out new possible conditions to be laid down by
Ankara. In any case, Armenia will come out of this situation as a
stronger country. Moreover, all international structures registered
Yerevan's desire to establish these relations. "We must establish
normal relations with Turks",- Sargsyan stressed. According to
him, now not the border should be unblocked, but relations without
preconditions should be established. "If there are relations, the
border will be opened",- he said. He thinks that opening of the border
will not result in inflow of Turkish commodities. Sargsyan advocates
competitiveness. "If the Armenian producers are unable to compete with
the Turkish ones, how can one speak about competition with European
producers?",- the president said and recalled that today one can find
in the Armenian market Turkish commodities delivered from Georgia. In
addition, the opened border and the big Turkish market may open new
opportunities for Armenian producers.

RFE/RL Armenia Report

Yerevan Slams Turkish `Preconditions'
By Emil Danielyan

Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian accused Turkey of jeopardizing the
normalization of its strained relations with Armenia before flying to
Istanbul late Monday for potentially decisive talks with Turkish
officials.

The official purpose of Nalbandian's two-day trip is to participate in
the UN-sponsored Alliance of Civilizations summit. He is expected to
meet his Turkish counterpart, Ali Babacan, for further talks aimed at
ending long-running tensions between the two neighboring states.

Ankara and Yerevan are reportedly close to reaching an agreement on a
gradual establishment of diplomatic relations and reopening of the
Turkish-Armenian border. Some Turkish newspapers have said the deal
could be announced during or shortly after Nalbandian's upcoming visit.

However, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that
this can not happen before a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
acceptable to Azerbaijan. "As long as the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is not
resolved, it is not possible for us to reach a healthy solution
concerning Armenia," he told a news conference in London, according to
Reuters.

In a written statement issued on Sunday, Nalbandian said that the
unresolved Karabakh conflict has not been on the agenda of the ongoing
Turkish-Armenian negotiations, implying that Ankara stopped using it as
a precondition when it embarked on the unprecedented dialogue with
Yerevan last year. `I believe that the statements, which put forth
preconditions for the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations, may
be regarded as an attempt to impede the progress reached in the
negotiations,' he said in an apparent references to Erdogan's remarks.

The remarks followed Azerbaijan's stark warnings to Turkey not to
normalize ties with Armenia before a Karabakh settlement. Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliev reportedly cancelled his scheduled participation
in the Istanbul forum in protest against such prospect.

In his statement, Nalbandian also said that Ankara must not use its
rapprochement with Yerevan for preventing greater international
recognition as genocide of the World War One-era massacres of Armenians
in the Ottoman Empire. `It has been said many times, and I want to
stress it again, that the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations
can never question the reality of Armenian Genocide,' he said.

According to `Hurriyet Daily News,' Nalbandian was originally due to
arrive in Istanbul on Sunday night. `Nalbandian's delay in traveling to
Istanbul was also taken as discontent over Erdogan's statements,' said
the English-language paper.

AZERBAIJAN CONCERNED ABOUT BEING LEFT OUT OF THE

TALKS BETWEEN ARMENIA AND TURKEY
armradio.am
10.04.2009 11:11

Azerbaijan has attached three conditions to its giving consent to
the normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia, Hurriyet
Daily News reports.

Azerbaijan sent an envoy recently to Ankara to explain the
government's views on the reconciliation process between Yerevan and
Ankara.According to the envoy, Azerbaijan insists on three conditions
to give its green light to opening the borders:

- Armenia should withdraw from five of the seven regions surrounding
Nagorno-Karabakh, which are Agdam, Fizuli, Jabrayil, Zangilan and
Qubadli.

- The return of the southern portion of the Lachin corridor.

- The use by Turkey of the Lachin corridor.

The Lachin corridor connects Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. By enabling
Turkey to also use the Lachin corridor, Azerbaijan wants to have
direct land access to Turkey. ( ??? )

The envoy is said to have voiced concern about being left out of the
talks between Armenia and Turkey.

ISRAELI DIPLOMAT RECOGNIZED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
PanARMENIAN.Net
10.04.2009 13:55 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Former Israel's Ambassador to France said historian
Gilles Weinstein "had been wrong to deny the genocidal character of
extermination of Armenians in 1915," freelance journalist Jean Eckian
told PanARMENIAN.Net.

"It was Genocide," Eli Barnavi said during a meeting of International
League against Racism and Anti-Semitism (LICRA).

Former Ambassador said he could not employ the term Genocide as
a statesman. ( !!! )

ARMENIA HAS ALREADY LAUNCHED REPAIR OPERATIONS AT

GYUMRI-KARS RAILWAYS
PanARMENIAN.Net
09.04.2009 18:47 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Repair-and-renewal operations are already launched
at Gyumri-Kars railways, informed circles reported to PanARMENIAN.Net.

Active cleanup works have been conducted for 3 days already, both on
Turkey's and Armenia's territory, the circles informed, adding that
no specific activities were registered at the Armenian-Turkish border.

According to Azeri media-circulated information, Azerbaijan's Consul
General in Kars, Hasan Zeynalov declared that repair-and-renewal
operations were launched at Alijan frontier point, Armenian-Turkish
border. Repair operations are conducted on the Armenian territory,
in Turkey roads to Alijan are being repaired.

In Soviet times, 3 frontier points existed on the Armenian-Turkish
border: at the footbridge over Araks river, in Gyumri and on Artashat
frontier detachment territory in the village of Margar, RA Ararat
Region.

ARMENIAN RADIO OF TURKEY SPEAKS "WRONG" DIALECT
armradio.am
10.04.2009 13:58

The new radio station launched by the Turkish Radio and Television
Corporation, or TRT, on April 2 is using the Eastern Armenian dialect
in its broadcast, used mainly in Armenia, Hurriyet Daily News reports.

The rest of the world's Armenian communities, including the one in
Turkey, use Western Armenian, also called "Askharhapar." While the two
dialects cannot be described as totally unintelligible to each other,
different uses of the same words and accents make most communication
between the speakers of the two dialects very problematic in the least.

The difference between the Western and Eastern Armenian dialects is
one of the forthcoming subjects on the agenda of the newly founded
Ministry of Diaspora of the Armenian Government.

Turkey's Chief Negotiator to the European Union Egemen BagÄ±Å~_
expressed surprise at the situation last Friday night and said he
will investigate.

When told most local Armenians did not understand the broadcasts,
BagÄ±Å~_ said: "I hadn't a clue. This is the first time I have heard
this. Perhaps TRT could only find news presenters speaking this
dialect, I just don't know. But I will look into it."

ARMENIAN INTEREST RATE CUT ON WANING INFLATION PRESSURES
by Venla Sipila
World Markets Research Centre
Global Insight
April 9, 2009

The Board of the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) has decided to
cut its key policy rate, the annual refinancing rate, by 25 basis
points, bringing the rate to 7.5%, ARKA News reports. The modest
downward revision comes after the Board opted to leave the policy
rate unchanged in March. Prior to this, the refinancing rate was
increased by 100 basis points to 7.75%, in a move designed to
give support to the dram exchange rate on the switch to a flexible
exchange rate regime (seeArmenia: 4 March 2009:). The CBA based the
return to monetary easing on moderating inflation pressures, noting
that, due to falling demand both in global and domestic markets,
price growth at present is lower than forecast in spite of the recent
dram depreciation. Deteriorating external demand and easing financial
inflows have resulted in slowing down of the economy at an intensifying
rate. The latest inflation figures put consumer price growth in March
at 1.4% from February, which left the annual inflation rate stable
at 8.7% (seeArmenia: 2 April 2009:).

Significance:With economic growth now sharply cooling, Armenian
inflation pressures have recently displayed a decelerating
trend. Taking into account that this was not reversed even after
the March devaluation, the CBA's looser monetary stance to boost the
ailing economy could be defended. Then again, March inflation data
in any case brought a halt to inflation deceleration. In addition,
financial risks at present are high in Armenia; the current-account
deficit remains wide, while the sharply deteriorated foreign exchange
inflows, combined with the country's weak export earnings potential
and the weakness of global demand, imply a deep external financing
gap. Thus, downward pressure on the exchange rate may resurface again,
and caution in monetary easing should thus be exercised, paying close
attention to macroeconomic policy co-ordination. On the other hand,
Armenian interest rates do function as very effective policy tools,
instead mainly signalling the CBA's inflation expectations.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Armenian News

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT: ARMENIA IS WILLING TO ESTABLISH RELATIONS

RFE/RL Armenia Report

AZERBAIJAN CONCERNED ABOUT BEING LEFT OUT OF THE

ARMENIA HAS ALREADY LAUNCHED REPAIR OPERATIONS AT

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Obama's Visit to Turkey in the British press‏

[Articles from the Economist, The Times and Guardian.
The piece by Robert Fisk in the Independent has already been circulated]

Turkey and Barack Obama
Friends by the Bosporus
Apr 8th 2009 | ISTANBUL
From The Economist print edition

Turkey basks in the glory of a two-day visit by Barack Obama

IT WAS sealed with an embrace. Barack Obama concluded his wide-ranging
address to the Turkish parliament on April 6th by kissing the prime minister,

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on both cheeks. That seemed to please his audience

of parliamentarians, as did the American president’s pledge that his country

was “not at war with Islam.” He pointed out that many Americans are part of

Muslim families, and others have lived in countries where Muslims are in the

majority. “I know, because I am one of them,” he said, prompting wild applause.

Mr Obama delivered a high-class performance, charming his audience by

calling Turkey a “critical” ally and an important part of Europe. Its secular

free-market democracy is just the sort of model America hopes might

inspire Muslims everywhere. That message was also received by millions

tuned into Al-Jazeera’s live coverage of Mr Obama’s speeches during his

two-day tour to Ankara and Istanbul.

Mr Obama’s decision to add Turkey to his European tour went beyond

confirming (to the joy of Turkey’s secular elite) the country’s western

credentials. It highlighted Turkey’s emergence as a regional power that

matters and as a large, mainly Muslim member of NATO (tiny Albania,

another Muslim country, has just joined NATO as well). After seven years

under the mildly Islamist Justice and Development (AK) Party, Turkey

enjoys growing influence and popularity in the Arab world.

Turkish support will be critical as America prepares to withdraw from

Iraq and switch its focus to Afghanistan. Mr Obama (who went on from

Istanbul to Baghdad for a flying visit) reportedly urged Abdullah Gul, the

Turkish president, to send more troops to Afghanistan, some of them

for combat. Turkey already has 900 soldiers in Afghanistan and is a

transit hub for supplies to American troops both there and in Iraq. The

Turks have also acted as a conduit for messages between America and

Iran as the two countries consider re-establishing dialogue.

Mr Obama’s trip comes after a prolonged chill between America and

Turkey, prompted largely by differences over Iraq. The Turkish parliament

provoked fury, especially in the Pentagon, when it voted in March 2003

a gainst letting American troops use the country as a route for opening a

second front in Iraq. America’s refusal to take action against separatist

rebels from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in northern Iraq then fed

Turkish anger. Some opinion polls showed support for America in single

digits when George Bush was president. But America’s decision in late

2007 to provide intelligence on the PKK and to let Turkish planes bomb

rebel bases in northern Iraq changed the mood. So, even more, did

Mr Obama’s election.

Perhaps the most important change, as Mr Obama acknowledged, is

that America has overcome its cold-war habit of engaging mostly with

Turkey’s generals. As democracy has taken root, public opinion has

come to count. Turkey’s generals found this out when voters returned

the AK for a second term in the July 2007 general election with a thumping

47% of the vote soon after the top brass threatened a coup.

Mr Obama’s 25-minute speech to the Turkish parliament offered something

for everyone, whether secularist, Islamist, nationalist or Kurdish. Even the

generals showed up to listen. They have been boycotting parliament ever

since 20 members of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP)

were elected in 2007.

Most of his listeners will have been pleased to hear Mr Obama stress

Turkey’s Western orientation, saying that America supported Turkey’s

aspirations for European Union membership “not as members of the EU

but as close friends of both Turkey and Europe.” The Islamists liked his

reference to Turkey’s Muslim identity. But he also called for respect for

minorities, declaring that the Greek Orthodox seminary on Halki, an island

off Istanbul, must be reopened. In a bold gesture he included the DTP’s

co-chairman, Ahmet Turk, among the opposition leaders whom he met.

Mr Turk has long sought an audience with Mr Erdogan, but never had

one because he refuses to label the PKK as “terrorist”.

Only one cloud hung over Mr Obama’s trip: his campaign pledge to

call the mass killings of the Ottoman Armenians in 1915 “genocide”.

In a press conference after his talks with Mr Gul, the American

president said that he had not changed his view of history. But in a

blow to the Armenian diaspora, which has long lobbied for a

congressional bill to label the massacres as genocide, Mr Obama

suggested that Turkey’s recent efforts to reopen its border and

re-establish diplomatic ties with Armenia should not be

overshadowed by America’s position on the issue. Turkey and

Armenia are expected soon to sign an agreement, after months

of Swiss-sponsored talks in Bern. Officials close to the negotiations

say that a document could be initialled by both sides in “a matter

of days” and that the border could be reopened “within months”.

This was not all a cynical fudge. During his parliamentary speech,

Mr Obama declared that “history…unresolved can be a heavy weight…

I know there are strong views in this chamber about the terrible events

of 1915. While there has been a good deal of commentary about my

views, this is really about how the Turkish and Armenian people deal

with the past. And the best way forward for the Turkish and Armenian

people is a process that works through the past in a way that is honest,

open and constructive.”

Not all Turks agree. An Ankara court recently overturned an Istanbul

prosecutor’s decision not to investigate some 30,000 Turks who have

signed an online declaration apologising to the Ottoman Armenians for

the “great catastrophe” that befell them in 1915.

Tensions are also running high in the mostly Kurdish south-east.

Mr Obama praised the recent launch of a state-run 24-hour

Kurdish-language television channel. But only days before his arrival,

two Kurdish youths were killed in clashes with police during a rally called

to mark the birthday of the captive PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan. Over 50

demonstrators who turned out to protest against the deaths are still in

police custody.

Many friends of Turkey hope that Mr Obama will stick by his pledge on

the Armenian genocide. They say that would restore America’s moral

credibility and would allow it to draw attention to Turkey’s patchy

human-rights record. Until recently, the EU’s remonstrations counted

most. But Europe’s habitual foot-dragging during Turkey’s membership

talks has meant that it “has neither any carrots nor any sticks left,”

confesses an EU envoy in Ankara. Enter Barack Hussein Obama to

fill the void.

BARACK OBAMA SIDESTEPS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ROW ON TRIP TO TURKEY
Philippe Naughton
Times Online
April 6, 2009

Barack Obama found his diplomatic skills tested to the limit today
when he was forced to address the Turkish slaughter of Armenians during
the dying days of the Ottoman Empire without using the word "genocide".

Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed in a
systematic campaign of extermination during the First World War, and
during his campaign for the presidency Mr Obama declared that "America
deserves a leader who speaks truthfully about the Armenian genocide".

Today, during a joint press conference in Ankara with his Turkish
counterpart Abdullah Gul, President Obama said that his views had
not changed but he took extreme care not to use the word "genocide"
so as not to inflame his hosts, who have always denied the claims.

Instead, he expressed the hope that talks between Turkey and Armenia
could "bear fruit very soon" and he wanted to support that process.

"Well, my views are on the record and I have not changed views,"
Mr Obama said in response to a question about the genocide and his
stance on it.

"I want to focus not on my views right now, but on the views of the
Turkish and Armenian people. If they can move forward and deal with
a difficult and tragic history, then I think the entire world should
encourage that."

Responding to the same question, Mr Gul appeared to back Mr Obama
by declaring that it was "not a legal or political issue, but an
historical issue" which was being addressed by a joint commission
of historians.

Even though he took a swipe at members of the Armenian diaspora
who use the issue to "cling to their identity", he also appeared to
suggest that a breakthrough was near.

"Our view is that we should let the historians, the experts, sit down,"
Mr Gul said.

"We are ready to face the reality, the facts. I cannot be the
politicians who decide what happened when, who lost the most lives
and who is right and who is wrong."

BARACK OBAMA URGES TURKEY AND ARMENIA TO 'DEAL WITH TRAGIC HISTORY
Mark Tran
guardian.co.uk
Monday 6 April 2009 13.12 BST

'US president downplays his support for Congress resolution accusing
Turkey of 1915 genocide against Armenians

Barack Obama today downplayed his support for a controversial US
Congress resolution accusing Turkey of carrying out a genocide against
the Armenian people in 1915.

Speaking during a visit to Ankara, the US president - who
has previously described the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians as
"genocide" - said he had not changed his view but had been encouraged
by negotiations between Turkey and Armenia on the issue.

Obama told a joint news conference with the Turkish president, Abdullah
Gul, that he did not want to focus on his own views but wanted to be
a partner in efforts between Armenia and Turkey to come to terms with
what happened.

He supported an Armenian genocide resolution put before Congress
during the 2008 presidential campaign.

Turkey fears he will continue this backing as president in a break
with his two immediate predecessors, George Bush and Bill Clinton.

Ankara has warned that the resolution could strain ties and harm
efforts to improve relations with Armenia.

Historians estimate up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed in an event
widely viewed by scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century.

Turkey denies that the deaths were genocide , saying those killed
were victims of civil war. It also claims the number of deaths has
been inflated.

Gul said the issue was historical and not legal or political,
and invited the Americans or French - France has been vocal about
the deaths - to be part of a joint Turkish-Armenian commission
investigating what happened.

Obama said he wanted to encourage those talks, not tilt them in favour
of one country.

"If they can move forward and deal with a difficult and tragic
history, then I think the entire world should encourage that," the
US president said.

He added that he wanted the US and Turkey to build a "model
partnership" between a predominantly Christian country and a mainly
Muslim nation.

Turkey is seen as important diplomatic player because of its role as
honest broker in the Middle East conflict.

It has relations with Israel and Hamas and also has good ties with
Iran, with which the US wants to improve relations.

Obama was spending two days in Turkey as he wrapped up an eight-day
international trip that took in the G20 summit in London along with
stops in France, Germany and the Czech Republic, where he announced
ambitious plans to rid the world of nuclear weapons.

In Prague yesterday, Obama also urged the EU to let Turkey join
the 27-member club, a particularly contentious issue for Germany
and France.

Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, point edly said after Obama's
remarks that the decision was for the EU, not the US, to make.

Turkey is a member of both the G20 and Nato, in which it has the
alliance's second biggest army after the US, and is trying to get
into the EU with the help of the US.

HOW BARACK OBAMA REFRAINED FROM USING THE 'G' WORD IN TURKEY
Robert Tait
The Guardian
Tuesday 7 April 2009

Even before he took office, Turks were anxious to hear Barack Obama's
attitude towards the Armenians who died during the last days of the
Ottoman empire. Armenians in the US say that up to 1.5 million of their
ethnic kin were killed by Ottoman forces in a genocide plotted by the
then Turkish leadership. Turkey has said the numbers are exaggerated
and the deaths not deliberate genocide.

During last year's presidential election campaign, Obama had no
doubt. "The Armenian genocide is not an allegation, a personal opinion
or a point of view, but rather a widely documented fact supported by
an overwhelming body of historical evidence."

Obama, with Turkey's president Abdullah Gul and before parliament
yesterday, refrained from using what the Turkish media call "the
g word". It was not because his views had changed, he said, but
because of ongoing talks between Turkey and Armenia, they no longer
matter. "What I want to do now is not focus on my views but on the
views of the Turkish and Armenian people," he said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Armenian reaction to Obama'si Interest‏

OBAMA UNDERMINES HIS CREDIBILITY BY NOT SAYING GENOCIDE IN ANKARA
By Harut Sassounian
www.hairenik.com/
April 6, 2009

For several months now, I have been exposing the Turkish government's
ploy of creating the false impression that Ankara is engaged in serious
negotiations to establish diplomatic relations with Yerevan. Turkey
has been exploiting the illusive promise of opening the border in
order to pressure Armenia into making concessions on a host of issues,
while simultaneously subverting President Obama's pledge to recognize
the Armenian Genocide.

Turkish officials have been repeatedly warning President Obama not to
issue a statement on the Armenian Genocide, claiming that such a step
would disrupt the on-going negotiations between Armenia and Turkey.

Regrettably, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian's decision
to travel to Istanbul this week to participate in the meeting of
the Alliance of Civilizations served to substantiate the Turkish
government's contention that all is going well between the two
countries.

Azerbaijan's President, on the other hand, was determined to stick
to his guns in safeguarding his nation's interests. When President
Aliyev learned that Ankara was contemplating opening the border
with Armenia, he viewed it as a betrayal of Azerbaijan by "fraternal
Turkey." He promptly canceled his planned trip to Istanbul. Aliyev
even threatened to block the sale of natural gas to Turkey should
it proceed with its announced plan to open the border. He wanted the
Turkish border to remain closed in order to force Armenia into making
territorial concessions on Artsakh (Karabagh). The Azeri Press Agency
reported that Aliyev turned down a personal invitation to Istanbul
by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as well as Turkey's President
and Prime Minister. Aliyev remained unmoved even when he was offered
a private meeting with the President of the United States.

It is not clear if President Obama was deceived by the Turks
warnings to third parties not to interfere in the Armenian-Turkish
negotiations. It could be that he found it expedient to heed the
Turkish objections in order to maximize the concessions he wanted to
extract from Turkey on Iraq and Afghanistan.

During a press conference in Ankara on Monday, this is how
President Obama responded when asked if he had changed his view on
the Armenian Genocide: "My views are on the record and I have not
changed views. What I have been very encouraged by is news that under
President Gul's leadership, you are seeing a series of negotiations,
a process, in place between Armenia and Turkey to resolve a whole
host of longstanding issues, including this one. I want to be as
encouraging as possible around those negotiations, which are moving
forward and could bear fruit very quickly, very soon. And so, as a
consequence, what I want to do is not focus on my views right now,
but focus on the views of the Turkish and the Armenian people. If
they can move forward and deal with a difficult and tragic history,
then I think the entire world should encourage them. And so what I
told the President was I want to be as constructive as possible in
moving these issues forward quickly. And my sense is that they are
moving quickly. I don't want, as the President of the United States,
to preempt any possible arrangements or announcements that might be
made in the near future. I just want to say that we are going to be a
partner in working through these issues in such a way that the most
important parties, the Turks and the Armenians, are finally coming
to terms in a constructive way."

When the reporter pressed him for not using the term genocide,
President Obama repeated the deceptive arguments advanced by Turkey:
"What I'd like to do is to encourage President Gul to move forward
with what have been some very fruitful negotiations. And I'm not
interested in the United States in any way tilting these negotiations
one way or another while they are having useful discussions."

President Gul then took the floor, and in a lengthy response, repeated
the standard Turkish denials of the Armenian Genocide.

Later that day, while addressing the Turkish Parliament, President
Obama again carefully avoided using the term genocide: "Human endeavor
is by its nature imperfect. History is often tragic, but unresolved,
it can be a heavy weight. Each country must work through its past. And
reckoning with the past can help us seize a better future. I know
there's strong views in this chamber about the terrible events of
1915. And while there's been a good deal of commentary about my views,
it's really about how the Turkish and Armenian people deal with the
past. And the best way forward for the Turkish and Armenian people
is a process that works through the past in a way that is honest,
open and constructive."

In view of these developments, it is imperative that the Armenian
government terminate at once all negotiations with Turkish leaders
in order to limit the damage caused by the continued exploitation
of the illusion of productive negotiations. Moreover, the Armenian
leadership should denounce in the strongest possible terms President
Gul's shameful denial of the Armenian Genocide during the Ankara
press conference which was broadcast live by TV networks worldwide.

Meanwhile, Armenians from all over the world should inundate the White
House Comment Line with phone calls to inform President Obama that his
statements on the Armenian Genocide in Ankara did not go far enough
and do not fulfill his solemn promises on this important issue. Please
call: 1 (202) 456-1111 and leave a message. Unless the White House
hears immediately from a large number of Armenians, President Obama and
his aides might think that Armenians are satisfied with the remarks he
made in Ankara. The President may then not issue a statement on April
24 or he may repeat the same unacceptable words he used in Turkey.

Finally, President Obama should understand that the significance of
keeping his word on the Armenian Genocide goes beyond this issue and
has a direct bearing on his overall credibility. Within hours of the
President's remarks in Ankara, the Politifact.com website questioned
his integrity, having concluded that he had broken his promise on the
Armenian Genocide-one of the 511 campaign promises that the website
keeps track of, to verify his trustworthiness.

No sooner President Obama's speech in the Turkish parliament got

close to its end, electronic messages, articles, editorials, interviews,

reports...were being carried through the wires. For Armenians this visit

had a special importance.
Could the speech provide clues as to what the President has in store

for April 24 when he faces Armenians? Will Obama officially recognize

the Genocide of the
Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Young Turks?

As expected there is no shortage of opinions, comments, remarks, outright
praises or denunciations. See following assessment by Prof. Dennis R.

Papazian's assessment

This moment is historic. We must understand, recognition by the United

States is only one part of the greater battle which is to gain Turkish recognition.

In effect, President Obama has given us that recognition, and he has done

it at a press conference in Turkey in the presence of Turkish
President Gul. Without using the G-word, he said that he had not changed

his belief-- "which is well-known." He has said many times and in many places

that he will recognize the Armenia genocide. He said in the Turkish Parliament,

attended by both P.M. Erdogan and Pres. Gul, that Turkey should look into its

dark past just as America has done, and should discuss "the events
of 1915." He said that in the Turkish parliament! This marks the end of one

era and the beginning of another.

Turkey cannot be bludgeoned into accepting the Armenian genocide, it must

be persuaded, it must be led there in stages. If Obama threw down the gauntlet,

it would have a negative reaction and would be useless for both Armenia and the

United States. In this way he effectively said, I know that was a genocide and you

should look into it for yourselves, you have to come to terms with your past
as America has come to terms with its past, then Turkey could become a true ally

of the United States.

Yes, there will be historic commission, There has to be. Turkey must find a way

of backing down which will not look like an ignominious defeat. You will notice that

president Gul said after the Obama press conference, that he is willing even to have

French and American scholars on the commission appointed by those two countries.

Denial of the Armenian genocide has been condemned in France, and it is very
well known that 95% of all genocide scholars in America accept the fact that an

Armenian genocide took place.

Of course, as they say "there is many a slip between the cup and the lip," so the

game is far from over. Turkey could move or slide backward at any time. If it does,

however, I am sure Obama will make a very public display of his belief that what

happened in Ottoman Turkey was, indeed, a genocide.

Obama is handling this situation brilliantly, better than I could ever imagine. He will

get Turkey to acknowledge the Armenian genocide and at the same time remain an

ally of the United States. It is a miracle. Pray for his safety. A plot was already

discovered in Turkey.

Dennis R. Papazian, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
Founding Director,
Armenian Research Center
U of Michigan, Dearborn

President Obama’s Message to Turkey: Let’s Agree to Disagree About
the Armenian Genocide
By Michael Mensoian • on April 9, 2009 •

President Obama’s statement at a joint news conference on April 6 with

President Abdullah Gul that “(M)y views [on the Genocide] are on the record and

I have not changed my views” may be translated to mean that the United States

and Turkey should agree to disagree about the Armenian Genocide.

During his much-anticipated visit to Turkey by both Turks and Armenians,

President Obama adroitly played to both sides of the street. For his Armenian

constituents he mentioned his having views on the Genocide that are well known,

and for his Turkish audience he capitulated to the need to assuage the Turkish

leadership. What happened to his conviction that the Armenian Genocide is not

only an historic fact, but that there was a moral imperative requiring his administration

to recognize it?

The Turkish leaders wisely co-opted his moral sensibilities by having him address

the Turkish Grand National Assembly; a rare honor for a western dignitary. It must

be granted, that it would have been difficult for President Obama to be forthright on

such an emotional issue in that particular venue, but a much stronger enunciation of

his views and a more balanced evaluation of the Turkish-Armenian normalization

process could have been made.

However, a cynic might wonder whether his side trip to Turkey to pay homage to

a government that has utterly failed to honestly address the issue of the Armenian

Genocide—an established historic fact—was orchestrated by Secretary of State

Hillary Clinton and President Obama himself, to give cover to his expected muted

expression of support for the April 24th message to the Armenian people.

This is not an overly critical analysis of his speech to the Turkish Grand National

Assembly when his comments are evaluated with respect to the various issues

relating to normalization. When he claims that Turkey is a critical ally and an important

part of Europe, it only encourages the Turkish government’s continued veiled threats

that passage of any genocide resolution by the United States Congress would
do irreparable harm to what Obama sees as a “critical” Turkey-United States

relationship.

In his speech in the Grand National Assembly, Obama said, “(A)t the end of World War I

Turkey could have succumbed to the foreign powers that were trying to claim its territory….

(b)ut Turkey chose a different future. You freed yourself from foreign control.” Did “foreign

control” include Armenian claims to its historic lands? How does he presume that this

so-called success affected the legitimacy of the independent Armenia
that was promised in the Treaty of Sevres and eliminated by the subsequent Treaty of

Lausanne. Wasn’t this the purpose of the Genocide unleashed by the Ottoman Turkish

government: to clear eastern Turkey—the western provinces of historic Armenia—that

was continued under Ataturk during the years between Sevres and Lausanne? Its purpose

was to prevent legitimate Armenian territorial claims from being implemented.

Are these territorial rights to be forgotten in the name of normalization? Evidently so.
Perhaps the most telling of the several disturbing comments made by President Obama

occurred when he said “(T)hat there has been a good deal of commentary about my views,

[but] this is really about how the Turkish and Armenian people deal with the past. And the

best way forward for the Turkish and Armenian people is a process that works through the

past in a way that is honest, open and constructive.” How anyone
can believe that this comment before the Turkish National Grand Asembly is a step in the

right direction is difficult to understand. Juxtapose President Gul’s statement as he stood

next to President Obama when he expressed the long-standing determination of the Turkish

government to tie normalization to a Turkish-Armenian commission to study the totality of

events that occurred during the period from 1915 through 1923. “It is not a political,
but an historic issue. That’s why we should allow historians to discuss the matter.” Does

President Obama believe exculpatory evidence exists to support Turkey’s view that the

Armenian Genocide never occurred? If so, how does this square with his campaign rhetoric

(January 2008) that “(T)he Armenian genocide is not an allegation…but rather a widely

documented fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical evidence…”
Add to this Prime Minister Erdogan’s statement on the previous Friday in London when he

maintained that “(F)or Turkey, it is impossible to accept a thing [the Armenian Genocide]

that does not exist.” How can Turkey’s position, emphatically stated and maintained as

official policy through decades of obfuscation and revisionism, fail to raise serious doubts

in President Obama’s mind as to the Turkish leadership’s desire or ability to deal objectively

with Armenia? If it hasn’t, it should.

Not having strengthened Turkey’s position vis-à-vis Armenia sufficiently, President Obama

continued: “We have already seen historic and courageous steps taken by Turkish and

Armenian leaders. These contacts hold out the promise of a new day. An open border would

return the Turkish and Armenian people to a peaceful and prosperous coexistence that
would serve both of your nations. That is why the United States strongly supports the full

normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia.”

On what basis, one might ask, would normalization be achieved that would be beneficial

to Armenia and its long-term interests? In an interview with journalists on April 6, the

President is quoted as saying that he is not interested in the United States in any way tilting

these negotiations.” Would not recognizing the Armenian Genocide “tilt these negotiations”

toward Armenia? If that is so, how does this affect Genocide recognition by his administration?

Conversely hasn’t his deference to Turkish interests tilted the negotiations toward Ankara?

Praising Turkey’s leadership, President Obama went on to say “…that…[Turkey is] …poised

to be the only country in the region to have normal and peaceful relations with all the South

Caucasus nations.” This comment certainly could not have pleased either Moscow or Tehran.

He continued to say that “… to advance that peace, …[Turkey] can play a constructive role in

helping to resolve the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict, which has continued far too long.” How is

“constructive role” to be interpreted? For whose benefit? Azerbaijan’s? How do these comments

expressed before the Turkish National Grand Assembly affect the future of our brothers and sisters

in Artsakh? It effectively strengthens Baku’s demands by reinforcing the United States position

that any settlement must maintain the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. This all but eliminates the

likelihood of Artsakh ever achieving a free and independent status. Is this why their

lives and homes were sacrificed?

President Obama’s performance in Turkey cannot be viewed as having any beneficial impact

on Armenian interests; just the opposite is true. Unfortunately, it significantly bolstered the Turkish

position in the ongoing process of “rapprochement.”

How much better it would have been if President Obama had been less eager to have Armenia

bear the burden for his obsequious performance before the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Watch Video: No Defeat. No Retreat. No Delay.‏

No Defeat.

No Retreat.

No Delay.

Call President Obama at (202) 456-1414.

Call Your Representative
at (202) 225-3121.

Urge concrete action to end the Darfur Genocide and secure Armenian Genocide recognition.

Made your calls? Sent your emails? Let us know!anca@anca.org

| CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO NOW |

Published by the Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street NW | Washington, DC 20036 | 202 775-1918
anca@anca.org | ww

Screamers Film at Oxford - 22 April 2009‏

On Wednesday April 22nd the undergraduate society Aegis, which promotes awareness of genocide around the world, is hosting a screening of the film 'Screamers' (www.screamersmovie.com) at Rewley House in Oxford, from 6pm.

Chronicling the efforts of Armenian rock band System of a Down to persuade both the British and U.S. governments to recognize the Armenian genocide, Screamers also traces the history of modern-day genocide - and genocide denial - from the first occurrence in the 20th century in Turkey, to today in Darfur.

Commentary and interviews with Pulitzer prize-winning author Samantha Power ("A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide"), survivors from Turkey, Rwanda and Darfur, FBI whistleblowers, and the recently assassinated Hrant Dink, who was murdered in Turkey after appearing in this film, shed light on why genocides repeat.

The screening will be followed by a discussion with one of the leading figures in the film, Serj Tankian, lead-singer of the Armenian rock band, System of a Down. There will also be present Mr Raffy Manoukian, who funded the film and is a member of the Humanities Division Campaign Advisory Board, and Professor Theo van Lint, Gulbenkian Professor of Armenian.

We would be delighted if you were able to join us for what promises to be an interesting evening. Please also pass details of the event on to others who might be interested.

Yours sincerely

Luke.
Luke Purser
Head of Development – Humanities Division
University of Oxford Development Office
University Offices, Wellington Square
Oxford OX1 2JD
Tel: +44 (0) 1865 611543
Mob: +44 (0) 7894 838394
Email: luke.purser@humanities.ox.ac.uk
Web: http://www.campaign.ox.ac.uk

"Through the centuries, Oxford's great minds have changed and bettered the world through their discoveries, innovations and insights."

The Rt Hon Lord Patten of Barnes, CH, Chancellor of the University of Oxford

To make a gift to The Campaign for the University of Oxford please go to www.giving.ox.ac.uk. Your support today will help to ensure that Oxford can continue to change and better the world in centuries to come. Thank you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seta's Armenian Blog

About Me

About My Blog

Search This Blog

My Links

My Video Links

Armenian Church Newsletters

My Blog List

Blog Archive Links

Blog Archive

Saturday, 11 April 2009

Armenian News

Armenian News

Obama's Visit to Turkey in the British press‏

Armenian reaction to Obama'si Interest‏

Watch Video: No Defeat. No Retreat. No Delay.‏

Screamers Film at Oxford - 22 April 2009‏

We are sorry we are not able to publish photos at this time.