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ARTILCES EN ANGLAISMore Than 10,000 Protest Armenia-Turkey Protocols By Asbarez Staff on Sep 28th, 2009 GLENDALE—The Southern California Armenian community came together Sunday evening at Pelanconi Park to express its unified and unequivocal opposition to the Turkey-Armenia protocols and, with more than 10,000 people, sent a message to Yerevan that conceding to Turkish pressure was unacceptable. They came in droves. On foot; with buses, and by car to join in the protest rally organized the Social-Democratic Hunchakian Party, Armenian Democratic Liberal Organization-Ramkavar Party, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation and the Unified Young Armenians. Chanting “No Concessions to Turkey” and “No to Protocols,” the crowd overwhelmingly cheered calls to put an end to the process, which sets unacceptable preconditions on Armenia and, if enacted, would endanger Armenia’s national security and halt the aspirations of future generations of Armenians. The mood of the crowd was decisive. As the deficiencies and dangers of the protocols were articulated by the slate of speakers, the crowd’s calls on the government to take appropriate action grew louder and more resolute. Opening remarks were made by Melina Mayilyan in Armenian and Caspar Jivalagian in English after which representatives of each political party and organization made their statements to the crowd. Aroutin Haroutunyan spoke on behalf of the UYA, Harout Der Tavidian presented remarks on behalf of the Hunchakian party, Minas Kojayan presented the Ramkavar party’s message and Avedik Izmirlian presented the message on behalf of the ARF. The keynote speaker, Harut Sassounian, outlined the protocols’ dangerous points and urged the authorities to be more prudent in their efforts to normalize relations. Also speaking were Glendale City Councilman Ara Najarian and Hovik Zirakyan. In closing Hovan Tashjian, on behalf of the organizing committee, rallied the crowd to, once again, express its opposition to the protocols and read out loud a resolution on behalf of the participants of the protest rally [See Resolution]. The crowd’s loud roar indicated its approval of the resolution, which among other provisions called for an immediate end to the rapprochement process under the current stipulations. Another resolution–read in English by Jivalagian and in Armenian by Mayilyan–called on Rep. Howard Berman, chairman of the House Committee of Foreign Relations, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Reps. Adam Schiff and George Radanovich to immediately schedule a vote on H. Res. 252, the Armenian Genocide Resolution pending in Congress. “We, the over ten thousand Americans of Armenian descent, gathered at this political rally on September 27, 2009, at Pelanconi Park, in Glendale, California, make this call for immediate action by the U.S. Congress on the adoption of the Armenian Genocide Resolution,” read the resolution. “We call upon our friend, Congressman Howard Berman, the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, to immediately set a date, in the coming weeks, for a vote of his panel on the Armenian Genocide Resolution, H.Res.252,” the resolution emphasized. “We encourage all the members of the powerful California Congressional delegation, most notably Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Chairman Berman, and the lead authors of this legislation, Adam Schiff and George Radanovich, to ensure that this genocide-prevention measure is adopted by the full U.S. House of Representatives,” concluded the resolution, which was unanimously adopted by the protest participants. At the conclusion of the rally, singers Armen Movsesian and Razmik Mansourian performed patriotic songs to further highlight the crowd’s resolute stance on the matter. At the beginning of the program, Narine Ojakhyan performed the US and Armenian national anthems. http://www.asbarez.com/2009/09/28/more-than-10000-protest-armenia-turkey-protocols/ Resolution Urges End to Protocols Process By Asbarez Staff on Sep 28th, 2009 GLENDALE—The more than 10,000 participants of a public rally on Sunday in opposition to the Armenia-Turkey protocols unanimously adopted a strongly-word resolution directed at the Armenian authorities, rejecting Turkey’s preconditions for establishing relations with Armenia and demanding the government put an immediate end to the Turkey-Armenia protocols. Below is the complete text of the resolution: Resolution Based on the imperative of defending the absolute interests of Armenia and the Armenian people and taking into consideration that the August 31 Protocols on Establishment and Development of Relations between the Republics of Armenia and Turkey are loaded with dangerous provision that are counter to those interests, we, the participants of this public rally declare that: Whereas, the veracity of the Armenian Genocide is an irrefutable fact. We find unacceptable that within the context of “implementing dialogue on the historical dimension” any examination of “historical records and archives” by a commission or sub-commission on any level. Such an examination not only will irrevocably halt the process of international recognition of the Armenian Genocide, but also completely diminishes the Armenian people’s achievements resulting from decades of immense and continuous efforts, as well as reality of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by numerous countries. Whereas, as members of the United Nations and other international organizations, Armenia and Turkey have already agreed to, under acceptable international norms, to acknowledge each other’s borders. To reaffirm this through a separate agreement and the Republic of Armenia’s official recognition of Turkey’s current borders is a concession of our people’s historic, territorial, moral and legal rights, in the name of establishing inequitable and unjust relation. Whereas, the principle of the nations’ right to self-determination, on which hinges the just resolution of the Artsakh Question is visibly absence from the documents, which contain other irrelevant specifics. Whereas, the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the pursuit of the Armenian Cause (Hai Tahd) are the sole responsibility of the Armenian people, be they in Armenia or the Diaspora. This is not an issue of our ancestors or our generation, but rather it is an issue of the rights of the Armenian people’s future generation. The Armenian authorities do not have the legal right, in the name of the Armenian people, to bargain during negotiations with Turkey, the just right of the Armenian people, especially the issues of the Armenian Genocide, our occupied historical territories and reparations. Be it Resolved that We, the participants of the public rally, by expressing our opposition and protest, reject any pre-conditions for the establishment of relations between Armenia and Turkey; and find the announced protocols, in their current form, unacceptable and dangerous. The signing of such defeatist protocols by the Armenian government is fraught with irreversible and heavy consequences. Thus, we demand from the Armenian government to immediately end all efforts and activities for the signing and approval of both protocols. Otherwise, the president of Armenia will bare sole responsibility for future events and will be treated accordingly by the Armenian people and history. *The public rally was organized by the Social Democratic Hunchakian Party, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, the Ramkavar Azadagan party and Unified Armenian Youth at Pelaconi Park on the corner of Glenoaks Boulevard and Grandview Street in Glendale. http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102732802503&s=7939&e=001bXNsmRSUlyjSBHej1x7tZYlmIqMSmbeQ4r7dAbGoYtijWWaZV8_l_jTjpB1GUZZfAavfQ-2kloPJ1h8VAcdrL_rlnH-QhyPXkXlMZ499E-KxMcQlkkIP_9388ZBTD7ANU63P2-C9eEobjT9UYJxr3CCbP0bWKpJJ5oyWwJxQFeaPKo6wq3zuhaYAV6rqJ0xG Erdogan Again Links Armenia Ties With Karabakh Peace By Asbarez Staff on Sep 28th, 2009 ANKARA (RFE/RL)–Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was reported on Monday to have again linked the normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations with a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that would satisfy Azerbaijan. “We will not take steps contradicting Azerbaijan’s interests,” Erdogan told the Azerbaijani Trend news agency in an interview. “We can accelerate the process of the adoption of the agreement [with Armenia,] but that will depend on the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.” “Azerbaijan’s interests have always been important to Turkey. We will never betray Azerbaijan,” he said. Azerbaijan has repeatedly made clear that it would consider the reopening of the Turkish-Armenian border before a Karabakh settlement a serious blow to its national interests. Baku reiterated that immediately after the August 31 publication of two Turkish-Armenian draft protocols envisaging border opening and diplomatic relations between the two states. Neither document makes any reference to the Armenian-Azerbaijani dispute. Erdogan was quoted as telling Turkish media chiefs earlier this month that Ankara will not lift its long-running economic blockade of Armenia “as long as Azerbaijan’s occupied territories are not returned.” The Armenian government criticized the remarks, with Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian saying that they run counter to “the letter, spirit and aims” of the Turkish-Armenian agreements. Ending a visit to the United States, Erdogan told journalists on Sunday that the two protocols will be signed by Nalbandian and his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu on October 10. The AFP news agency cited an unnamed Turkish official as saying that the signing ceremony will take place in Zurich, Switzerland. The Armenian Foreign Ministry declined to confirm or refute the information. But President Serzh Sarkisian’s spokesman, Samvel Farmanian, indicated that no dates have been set for the ceremony yet. “When there is clarity about the next phases of the process, we will make a statement,” he told the News.am information agency. The agreements, welcomed by the United States, the European Union and Russia, need to be ratified by the Armenian and Turkish parliament in order to come into effect. Erdogan told Trend that his government will send it to the Turkish parliament ratification “if we don’t encounter some obstacles and if that step does not take into account only domestic political interests.” He did not elaborate. The Turkish-Armenian rapprochement was reportedly on the agenda of Erdogan’s weekend meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama held on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh. According to “Hurriyet Daily News,” the Turkish premier told Obama that the U.S., Russian and French mediators “would make things easier” if they pressed for an Armenian-Azerbaijani agreement on Karabakh “more actively.” http://www.asbarez.com/2009/09/28/erdogan-again-links-armenia-ties-with-karabakh-peace/ Minsk Group Seeking Another Karabakh Summit By Asbarez Staff on Sep 28th, 2009 NEW YORK (Combined Sources)–International mediators said over the weekend that they will visit Armenia and Azerbaijan soon to prepare for the next meeting of the two countries’ presidents which they hope will pave the way for a framework peace accord on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The American, French and Russian diplomats co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group met in Washington on Thursday to discuss details of their upcoming trip both amongst themselves and with two senior U.S. administration officials dealing with the South Caucasus. “The Co-Chairs met with Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, Senior Director for European Affairs at the National Security Council and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Tina Kaidanow,” they said in a joint statement issued on Saturday. The three mediators also held separate talks with the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers in New York the next day. “The two foreign ministers and the Co-Chairs reaffirmed a commitment to negotiations based on the Basic Principles [of Karabakh peace,] and discussed upcoming travel of the Co-Chairs to the region in early October,” the statement said. “As agreed in Moscow July 18, the Co-Chairs will travel to Armenia and Azerbaijan to prepare for a proposed meeting between President Aliyev and President Sarkisian in Chisinau on the margins of the CIS Summit,” added the statement. The summit of former Soviet republics is scheduled for October 8-9. “At this important moment in the negotiating process, the Co-Chairs called on both sides to be constructive in their public statements,” the statement said, referring to recent bellicose rhetoric from Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry. The mediators hope that Aliyev and Sarkisian will iron out their remaining differences over the settlement principles proposed by them. The two leaders failed to do so at their last face-to-face meeting held in Moscow in July. In an early August interview with RFE/RL, the Minsk Group’s outgoing U.S. co-chair, Matthew Bryza, insisted that they agree on the “fundamental concept” behind the proposed settlement and are “coming close” to working out its important details. Still, Sarkisian sought to lower expectations of an impending breakthrough in the Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations when he addressed Armenia’s top diplomats on September 1. The resolution of the Karabakh dispute, he said, is “not a matter of days, weeks or months.” As agreed in Moscow July 18, the Co-Chairs will travel to Armenia and Azerbaijan to prepare for a proposed meeting between President Aliyev and President Sargsian in Chisinau on the margins of the CIS Summit. http://www.asbarez.com/2009/09/28/minsk-group-seeking-another-karabakh-summit/ US Prods Armenia; Clinton to Attend Protocols Signing By Asbarez Staff on Sep 28th, 2009 NEW YORK (AP)–Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday pressed Armenia and Turkey to follow through on their commitment to normalize relations after decades of hostility. In separate meetings on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, Clinton told the foreign ministers of the two countries that they should proceed apace and not get bogged down by political opposition to a deal, which they hope to seal by mid-October. Normalization “should take place without preconditions and within a reasonable timeframe,” Clinton said as she met Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian. She later delivered a similar message to Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, U.S. officials said. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Sunday that Turkey and Armenia would sign a deal to establish diplomatic ties on Oct. 10. The Swiss NZZ online reported Monday that Clinton is scheduled to attend the signing ceremony of the Armenia-Turkey Protocols scheduled for October 10 in Zurich. She has yet to official confirm her participation at the event, however, the reservation at the hotel has already been made, the paper said, adding that the Armenian and Turkish Foreign Ministers are also set to arrive in Switzerland the same day. Before the agreements can take effect, they must be approved by the countries’ parliaments. The top U.S. diplomat for Europe, Philip Gordon, said the United States was eager for the deal, which also foresees the reopening of the Turkish-Armenian border, and was anxious that it happen quickly. “This is a difficult process that faces some political opposition in both places and it’s hard for both governments,” he told reporters after Clinton’s meetings. “It shouldn’t wait for other things to get done, or be linked to other things. It should go ahead.” Gordon also said the United States supported what has become known as “soccer diplomacy” between the two countries and would like to see Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian visit Turkey for an Oct. 14 World Cup qualifier between Turkey and Armenia. Turkish President Abdullah Gul attended a World Cup qualifier in Armenia last year in what was hailed as a breakthrough but Sarkisian has said he’ll only go to the game in Turkey if there’s progress toward opening the border. Gordon said Sarkisian should attend the match regardless. “It would be a good sign and further evidence of the two countries coming together if he went to the football match.” http://www.asbarez.com/2009/09/28/us-prods-armenia-clinton-to-attend-protocols-signing/ Azeri FM Meets with Clinton on Karabakh By Asbarez Staff on Sep 28th, 2009 NEW YORK (ArmRadio)—Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov met with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in New York on Saturday for talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Azeri Press Agency reported. Citing a press release from the Azeri Ministry of Foreign Affairs, APA quoted Clinton as saying that the status quo in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was “inadmissible.” She also stressed her administration’s continued commitment to quickly solving the conflict. Mammadyarov, for his part, thanked Clinton for the U.S. administration’s ongoing involvement in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. He added that “peace and stability” can only be secured in the region when the conflict is resolved in Azerbaijan’s favor. http://www.asbarez.com/2009/09/28/azeri-fm-meets-with-clinton-on-karabakh/ Azerbaijan Seeks Support for Security Council Bid By Asbarez Staff on Sep 28th, 2009 NEW YORK (Today.az)—Azerbaijan is seeking support from member states of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) in its bid to gain a non-permanent seat on the United Nation’s Security Council in 2012. Speaking to a meeting of foreign ministers representing OIC member states, Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov over the weekend said his country hopes the grouping of states will support its candidacy as a means to ensure a two-state solution to the Palestinian conflict. Baku intends to put forth its candidacy for the 2012-2013 seat during the 66th session of the UN General Assembly scheduled for 2011. “The situation in Palestine and the issue of Jerusalem remain a topical issue for the Islamic community and members of the OIC must show a unified position in this regard in the international community,” Mammadyarov said, making his case for Azerbaijan’s bid for the UN Security Council. “Azerbaijan backs efforts of the Palestinian people to establish an independent and sovereign state with Jerusalem as its capital,” he said, adding that the OIC must be “ready to respond to such challenges as the fight against extremism, as well as terrorism and religious fanaticism.” Mammadyarov said Azerbaijan intends to continue to cooperate with the Organization of Islamic Conference, and has applied to host the OIC summit in 2014 in Baku. Turning to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Mammadyarov described as “very useful” the decisions and resolutions on the Karabakh conflict issued by the OIC, the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council. Mammadyarov said that Azerbaijan seeks to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within international law, and based on UN resolutions and OIC and OSCE documents, and hopes for continued support from the OIC on this front. http://www.asbarez.com/2009/09/28/azerbaijan-seeks-support-for-security-council-bid/ Government Moves To Cut Spending In 2010 By Asbarez Staff on Sep 28th, 2009 YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–The Armenian government announced on Monday plans to slash its budgetary expenditures by 9 percent next year, citing the ongoing economic recession and the resulting serious shortfall in its tax revenues. The government’s draft budget for 2010 approved by ministers envisages an even sharper reduction in state revenues which would dramatically widen Armenia’s public deficit. Finance Minister Tigran Davtian said the austerity measures reflect the economic situation in the country that has progressively worsened this year amid a deepening fallout from the global financial crisis. “We drew up the budget in a conservative regime,” he told journalists after an extraordinary session of Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan’s cabinet. Armenia’s state budgets have steadily and rapidly grown over the past decade on the back of robust economic growth that came to an end last year. The proposed 2010 budget, if adopted by parliament, will mark the first cut in Armenian government spending since the economic turmoil of the early 1990s. A relevant bill drafted by the Finance Ministry calls for 859.6 billion drams ($2.23 billion) in budgetary expenditures, down from 945.4 billion drams budgeted for this year. The government has been struggling to meet the 2009 target due to a significant fall in its tax revenues resulting from the recession. The Armenian economy contracted by as much as 18.4 percent in the first eight months of 2009. The revenue shortfall will be mostly offset by anti-crisis loans allocated to Armenia by Russia, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other international institutions. One of Davtian’s deputies, Vahan Aramian, told RFE/RL in late July that the government will still have to cut its projected 2009 spending by about 4 percent. The government has already failed to keep the 2009 budget deficit from rising above the projected level of 40 billion drams. The deficit totaled 67.5 billion drams in January-July 2009, according to the Finance Ministry. It is projected to surge to 183 billion drams as a consequence of a 25.2 percent drop in state revenues envisaged by the draft 2010 budget. According to Davtian, the government plans to use external loans for financing half of the fiscal gap. “Unfortunately, spending on debt servicing will rise next year,” said the finance minister. “That is one of the reasons why we will be as cautious as possible in attracting new credit resources.” That is why, he added, the government will abandon earlier plans for further rises in pensions, poverty benefits and other social spending. Labor and Social Security Minister Gevorg Petrosian openly criticized the measure. In particular, he demanded more government funding for boarding schools, orphanages and seniors houses, offering to personally show fellow cabinet members the dire conditions of those institutions. The complaint prompted a stern rebuke from Prime Minister Sargsyan, who recalled a recent corruption scandal over the alleged misuse of government funds by Petrosian’s ministry. “When it comes to the allocation of financial resources, we all recall the difficult plight of our compatriots,” he said. “But once we start spending money somehow we forget that those people live in dire conditions.” http://www.asbarez.com/2009/09/28/government-moves-to-cut-spending-in-2010/ Harut Sassounian to Receive ANC Legacy Award By Asbarez Staff on Sep 25th, 2009 LOS ANGELES—Community legend and Armenian National Committee long-time activist Harut Sassounian will be honored with the ANC Legacy Award at the organization’s annual banquet. The honor is among the organization’s highest awards and is being granted to Sassounian for his volunteer support for the ANC and many other sister organizations for more than 30 years. The banquet, which is set to be a sold out event, will be held on November 8th at the Pasadena Convention Center. “For the past three years, the ANC-WR has been bestowing the Legacy Award to individuals who have made a difference in the Armenian community and the advancement of Hye Tad,” said Aida Dimejian, ANC-WR Board Member. “We are honored to award Mr. Sassounian with this distinguished award.” Sassounian is the Publisher of The California Courier — the nation’s oldest independent Armenian weekly newspaper. His political columns are reprinted in scores of U.S. and overseas publications and posted on countless websites. In tandem, he is the President of the United Armenian Fund, a coalition of the seven largest Armenian-American charitable organizations. The U.A.F. has supplied $575 million of humanitarian assistance to Armenia and Artsakh over the past 20 years. “Wait. There’s more,” exclaimed Dimejian. “Harut serves in many capacities.” As Senior Vice President of Kirk Kerkorian’s Lincy Foundation, he has overseen the implementation of $250 million of infrastructure-related projects in Armenia. From 1978 to 1982, he worked as an international marketing executive for Procter & Gamble in Geneva, Switzerland. For 10 years, he was a non-governmental delegate on human rights at the United Nations. He played a leading role in the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the UN Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities in 1985. Sassounian has a Master’s Degree in International Affairs and a Certificate in Middle East Studies from Columbia University in New York, and a Master’s in Business Administration from Pepperdine University. He is the author of “The Armenian Genocide: The World Speaks Out, 1915-2005, Documents and Declarations.” The book has also been published in Arabic in Lebanon. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Diaspora Ministry of Armenia. For more than a dozen years he served on the Board of Directors of the Armenian National Committee of America, Western Region. Sassounian has been decorated by the President and Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, as well as the heads of the Armenian Apostolic and Catholic churches. He is the recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. “We are proud to be honoring Harut Sassounian,” remarked ANC-WR Banquet Chair Elizabeth Boyadjian. “We are pleased that Harut, who has supported the ANC’s work and mission for many years, will be receiving the ANC Legacy Award.” Individuals interested in attending the ANC-Western Region banquet where Sassounian will be honored are encouraged to contact ANC-WR office at (818) 500-1918 or visit www.itsmyseat.com. The Armenian National Committee – Western Region is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANC-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues. http://www.asbarez.com/2009/09/25/harut-sassounian-to-receive-anc-legacy-award/ |