266 replies to this topic

[Aratta-Kingdom]

<H1>Armenia Scraps Border Deal With Turkey </H1>The Wall Street Journal

http://online.wsj.co..._LEFTSecondNews


By MARC CHAMPION
Armenia on Thursday said that it is abandoning a U.S.-backed agreement with Turkey to reopen the border between the two countries, until Ankara drops preconditions and ratifies the deal.

In a televised statement to the nation, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan accused Ankara of stalling ratification of the agreement, which was signed in October. He said Turkey was treating the process as "an end in itself," whose main goal was to prevent the United States from acknowledging the Ottoman Empire's 1915 massacre of Armenians as genocide.

"For a whole year, Turkey has done everything to protract time and fail the process," said Mr. Sargsyan. "Reasonable time frames have, in our opinion, elapsed. The Turkish practice of passing the 24th of April at any cost is simply unacceptable."

The Armenian decision came just days before U.S. President Barack Obama is due to make the White House's annual statement on the April 24 anniversary of the massacres, in which up to 1.5 million people were killed. The administration has repeatedly argued against a genocide declaration on grounds that it would torpedo efforts to secure the border deal between Turkey and Armenia.

The agreement signed in October was designed to cut through a range of disputes between Turkey and Armenia. Relations were poisoned by the 1915 massacres, the scale of which Turkey has never acknowledged.

In the 1990s, relations suffered further, when Armenia fought a bloody war over the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan, a close Turkish ally, leaving Armenia in control of a swathe of Azeri territory. Turkey closed the border in protest, in 1993.

Armenia and Turkey began secret negotiations some two years ago to secure a deal that would reopen the border, establish diplomatic relations, and set up a joint commission to discuss problems of history, such as the 1915 killings.

A year ago Thursday, the two sides set out a road map for the deal, and in October, they signed it. Neither side, however, has ratified the agreement. Armenia has waited for Ankara to move first, while Ankara—under heavy pressure from Azerbaijan—insisted there should first be progress on resolving the Nagorno- Karabakh dispute, an issue not mentioned in the agreement.

"It is up to them to decide how they want to move with the ratification process," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters in Ankara on Thursday. "I have expressed our loyalty to the protocols on numerous occasions. We will press ahead with the process on the principle that treaties are binding."

Turkey strongly denies that genocide took place in 1915, describing the deaths—the number of which it disputes—as the tragic result of a civil war in which all sides suffered.

Most historians in the field say the Ottoman state committed what today would be called genocide.

As the Armenian side grew increasingly frustrated, Armenia's parliament this year passed legislation that would allow Mr. Sargsyan to withdraw his country's signature from treaties, but the president said Thursday he would leave October's agreement intact, out of respect for the U.S., Russia and France, which back the deal.

"This was the less bad of two options," said Thomas de Waal, Caucasus expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington think tank. "Armenia was never going to continue with the status quo, the question was how it left the process—leaving the door ajar, or slamming it shut."

Thursday's decision left the door open to diplomacy, but also responded to Mr. Sargsyan's critics at home and among Armenia's large diaspora, says Mr. de Waal. These critics say Mr. Sargsyan has been duped by Turkey into providing Mr. Obama with an excuse not to call the 1915 massacres genocide, as he pledged to do in his election campaign.

Since a U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee voted last month to recognize the genocide, the White House has lobbied intensely against a full vote on the House floor, saying it would kill the border agreement between Turkey and Armenia. Ankara reacted furiously to the March vote, recalling its ambassador.

Mr. Obama pledged during his election campaign to recognize the Armenian genocide, but, like several U.S. presidents before him, has balked once in office. faced with angering Turkey—a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and an increasingly important player in the Middle East. Mr. Obama isn't expected to use the term genocide in his statement Saturday, analsysts say.

Prospects for ratifying the Turkey-Armenia deal have long looked poor, but analysts say progress is now unlikely at least until after Turkish elections, which must be held by mid-2011. A meeting in Washington earlier this month between Messrs. Sargsyan and Erdogan went poorly, according to people familiar with the matter.

As recently as Monday, Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu traveled to Baku to offer assurance that "Azerbaijan and Turkey share a common position on the issues in question."

[Arpa]

Ah!!! That clown again!!
Who the hell does this clown think he is?
He should concern himself to covering his own behind rather than meddle with the internal affairs of Armenia. He is still dwelling on that shameful piece of rag dead letter known as the proctocols”. He must read the news again and see why Yerevan did not ratify it. The reason is, after our fearless leaders scribbled their names on the dotted line, just because they did not understand a word of it since it was not written in russky, they finally read the final draft of the so called“"with no preconditions"” and saw those 3 preconditions, all 3 of them inserted by you know who, with no“preconditions”from our side.
What a clown? What an hypocritical liar who heaps such cynical words like “Armenian President'’s steps as a leader and statesman crowned with success”.
Above I placed this is because he is just a clown, a laughing** stock.
** We all assume that his surname “gul” means “flower/rose”, yes, maybe. In their non-language “gul” also means to LAUGH.
He may blow dust in the eyes of those idiots in Switzerland. We have seen such “dusts” many times before. Read Armeno-ottoman relations and see what tanzimat/(an Arabic word)/reforms” means.
http://news.am/eng/news/39481.html

15:26 - 25.11
November 26, 2010 | 07:00
Turkish President Abdullah Gul promised to go on making moves in the normalization process between Ankara and Yerevan.
“We intend to achieve implementation of the Protocols on the normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations. We will go on taking steps to establish durable peace in Caucasus,” Gul said in Berne, Intrefax reports.
Turkish President also expressed hope that Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan will continue his efforts for Armenia-Turkey process to be crowned

In an earlier new item we read this;
http://news.am/eng/news/39475.html

Armenian President’s steps as a leader and statesman crowned with success, Gul says
November 26, 2010 | 00:23
Arriving on a working visit to Switzerland, Turkish President Abdullah Gul delivered a speech in Swiss Parliament. In his speech he also touched upon Armenian-Turkey Protocols signed in Zurich last year.
According to Turkish Beyazgazete newspaper, Gul stressed the Protocols were signed with the support of Switzerland.
“Such issues are not solved easily. However, we continue to make efforts to put the Protocols into effect and will go on stepping up efforts to establish peace and stability in Caucasus. He stressed Armenian President’s significant role in the normalization process. “President Serzh Sargsyan’s steps as a leader and statesman have been crowned with success so far. We expect the same courage in the future as well,” Gul noted.

Edited by Arpa, 26 November 2010 - 06:46 PM.

[Arpa]

Proctocols?
What Proctocols?
See? It has been so long that I can’t even spell the word.
What are these idiots smoking? Is this minister from “afion”**
That “dead letter” *** has been permanently dead and buried for quite sometime. Of course, they would remember, since that so called “football diplomacy” contained three so called “no preconditions” , all three of which are potential three goal scores in their favor. For once, our fearless in Yerevan woke up and read that piece of trash, understood its implications and buried it deep. Yet those esheks in Ankara are still beting a “dead donkey”.


** Afion is a city in that country (they spell it afYon now). The word is corrupted form of “opium”.
[quote]Memories of Afion Kara Hissar It is the centre of the opium growing district of Turkey, from which it gets its name Afion, ;opium,) and Kara Hissar, from the "black tower," an enormous ...query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html
[quote]The name is Turkish for the opium black castle, since opium was widely grown here and there is a castle on a black rock. Also known simply as Afyon. Older spellings include Karahisar-i Sahip Afium-Kara-hissar and Afyon Karahisar. The city was known as Afyon (opium), until the name was changed to Afyonkarahisar by the Turkish Parliament in 2004[/quote]
***Dead Letter-
[quote]The United States Postal Service started a dead letter office in 1825 to deal with undeliverable mail. In 2006 approximately 90 million undeliverable-as-addressed (UAA) items ended up in this office; where the rightful owners cannot be identified, the correspondence is destroyed to protect customer privacy, and enclosed items of value are removed…..[/quote]
http://www.panorama....0/12/08/turkey/
[quote]Turkish State Minister linked ratification of protocols with Karabakh conflict
Turkey’s chief EU negotiator and State Minister Egemen Bağış declared, in his three-day visit to Denmark, that Turkey will be ready to join EU family in January 2014, “Hurriyet” daily reported.
Referring to Armenia-Turkey relations Bağış said he had made steps to contribute the normalization of the bilateral ties. He underscored unless Karabakh issue is unsolved, Turkish Mejlis would never ratify the protocols signed with Armenia.
Turkey’s State Minister said they don’t feel hatred against Armenians, otherwise they would not hand their children in hands of Armenian nurses.[/quote]

Edited by Arpa, 08 December 2010 - 07:49 PM.

[Johannes]

    

    Syria #News #Syrian_Truth #freedom #syria #Revolution#
    
    Syrian Truth l Lena Chamamyan's letter of apology to participate to Salam Orient Festival 2012.
    
    Greetings everyone,



The Arab community in Austria contacted me yesterday, asking about my participation in "salam Orient Festival 2012" knowing that the Israeli embassy's logo was showing as one of the sponsors on the festival's official poster.

I was quite surprised to know this, as I did not have any idea about the subject, and as I have participated once before in this festival since its objectives and visions are oriented towards correcting the occident's misunderstanding of the oriental Arab and Islamic world, which is usually done by organizing concerts and events with artists from the involved countries.
My intention was to use my art to enforce that idea instead of confronting media's misconceptions with media only, and this intention relates directly to me as an Arab Syrian citizen, and as an artist.

After heading to the festival’s site to verify the existence of the Israeli embassy's logo on the poster, I found out that the information that I have was true, which led me to cancel my participating for this year, and as an answer, they told me that the embassy is meant to bring an Israeli band during the event, however they would remove their logo from all of my concerts announcement, but I eventually realized that the festival’s agenda does not serve my visions as a human being and as an artist.

My problem is not with Judaism, nor with any other culture or belief, unlike how the festival's management hinted. My problem is about accepting the Israeli authority’s inhumane politics and tendency for atrocities and human rights violation by taking lives and building the famous “Israeli West Bank barrier”, which does not get along with my idea about breaking all walls and barriers between all human beings all over the planet, starting by politically-constructed barriers.
Therefore, as that the festival's vision does not agree with my own vision as a human first and as an artist second, I announce, as an Syrian Arab singer, my wish of not participating in the festival's concerts for this year, yet hoping to meet you all soon in our homeland,until we truly find peace

Peace for you , peace upon my mother Syria
Lena.

13/10/2012

 

Բայց մեր դաշնակահարները, կամ դաշնամուր նուագողները, տէր-տէր վարդապետները կերթան եւ ցեղասպան թուրքիոյ դրօշին տակ կը ներկայանան:Արժանապատւութիւն չունեցող ազ ենք մենք, նոյնիսկ քնադատող ու նշող չմնաց:

Edited by MosJan, 13 October 2012 - 11:01 AM.
JOhaness jan please enable HTML befor posting in Armenian

[Louise Kiffer]

Charles Aznavour has never accepted to sing in Turkey, though they have invited him many times, but he would never go.

[Arpa]

The main problem is at the head.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/virtuosos-to-sing-works-by-armenian-musicians.aspx?pageID=238&nID=32216&NewsCatID=383
He does not even have the decency to spell his name in Latin-Shahan instead writes it in furkish as “sahan”..

Armenian-American piano virtuoso Şahan Arzruni and famous Turkish violin virtuoso Cihat Aşkın will take the stage at Istanbul’s Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall tomorrow at 8 p.m. to perform pieces by Gomiadas and Khachaturian

Remember this?
http://hyeforum.com/index.php?showtopic=29864
I will never the fiasco when during a Thanksgiving season that idiot Victot Borge introduced Shahan as his side kick and the butt of a joke as a turkey . He went saying he could speak turkey -- “gobble-gobble“
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcV19rylSZc

[Yervant1]

David Phillips: Davutoglu wanted to scratch the Protocols and
negotiate a whole new agreement

Thursday 6 February 2014 10:19
Photo: from Edge.passblue.com website

David L. Phillips



Mediamax continues "Special File" project, that presents unknown or
less known details of the Armenian foreign policy.

David L. Phillips is Director of the Program on Peace-Building and
Rights at Columbia University's Institute for the Study of Human
Rights. He has served as Senior Adviser to the Bureau of South and
Central Asian Affairs, Bureau for Near Eastern Affairs, and Bureau for
European and Canadian Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, and as
Senior Adviser to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs.

David L. Phillips has extensive experience working on Turkish-Armenian
issues as Chairman of the "Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation
Commission". He is the author of books "Unsilencing the Past: Track
Two Diplomacy and Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation" (2005) and
"Diplomatic history: The Turkey-Armenia Protocols" (2011).

- The rapprochement process between Armenia and Turkey is now almost
completely stalled, and even the recent meeting between Edward
Nalbandyan and Ahmet Davutoglu not to have broken the ice. Do you
consider it possible to return Zurich Protocols on the agenda?

- The Protocols are suspended. Prime Minister Erdogan and his AKP-led
government are responsible for the diplomatic impasse. Ankara can
revive the process at any time by submitting the Protocols for
ratification by the Turkish Grand National Assembly. There's also
another way.

Erdogan can issue an executive order to open the Turkey-Armenia border
for normal travel and trade. He can instruct Turkey's Foreign Ministry
to establish diplomatic relations with Armenia. Such steps take
leadership; they require statesmanship. It is unlikely that Erdogan
will act to repair relations with Armenia, as Turkey embarks on a
2-year election cycle.

- Once you mentioned that all the parties, including the stakeholders,
made some mistakes during the process. If we cast a retrospective
glance, which were the main mistakes of main parties - Turkey, Armenia
and US - and what lessons could they learn from that failed attempt of
normalization?

- Ankara repeatedly tried to link normalization of relations with
Armenia to events in Nagorno-Karabakh, even though there was no
mention of NK in either of the protocols or the annexes. Turkish
officials thought the normalization process would be served by
"constructive ambiguity." They assumed that the two issues would be
considered in parallel. There is no place for wishful thinking in
diplomacy.

When the Protocols were announced, there was a firestorm of
controversy in Azerbaijan. Ankara grossly underestimated Azerbaijan's
opposition and economic leverage. Erdogan travelled to Baku with his
newly-appointed Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu who wanted to scratch
the Protocols altogether and negotiate a whole new agreement. Erdogan
dismissed reports of de-linkage as "slander." He emphasized the
principle of "one nation - two states," assuring Baku: "It is
impossible for us to open the border (with Armenia) unless the
occupation ends."

Ankara was unabashed about declaring that the "dialogue on historical
issues" would be used to contest whether events of the early 20th
century met the definition of genocide. Turkish officials expected a
historical commission to affirm its view that a "mutual tragedy"
occurred, and to consider the deportation of Armenians within the
historical context of Armenia's rebellion against the Ottoman Empire.
That was a serious miscalculation.

Ankara thought that normalization would mollify calls for recognition
of the Armenian Genocide. Turkish politicians mistakenly view Genocide
recognition as an obsession of the Diaspora. No Armenian - in any
country or belonging to any political faction -- would ever forsake
the goal of Genocide recognition for normalization of relations with
Turkey.

Armenian Foreign Minister Nalbandian announced the Protocols on April
22, 2009 but the text of the Protocols was not made public until
August 31. The Armenian Government should have been more transparent.
Failing to disclose details of the Protocols until months after they
were signed created a vacuum, which allowed speculation that the
Protocols sold out Armenia's core national interests.

The announcement was just two days before Genocide Remembrance Day.
The timing was wrong. Critics of the Protocols maintained that they
were announced to give President Obama cover so he wouldn't have to
use the "G-word" in his Presidential statement on Remembrance Day.

Yerevan thought the historical commission and other commissions would
buttress facts affirming the Genocide and provide a forum for
resolving issues, including legal matters. However, Dashnaks and
others suspected that Turkey would manipulate the historical dialogue
to question the veracity of the Genocide. Questioning the Armenian
genocide is tantamount to undermining the Armenian state that,
according to Article 11 of the 1990 Declaration of Independence, stood
for "achieving international recognition of the 1915 Genocide in
Ottoman Turkey and Western Armenia."

The Armenian Constitutional Court opinion on the Protocols, gave
Turkey something to complain about. The United States welcomed the
Court's opinion. But Ankara did not. Opponents of rapprochement in
Turkey used the Constitutional Court to raise questions about
Armenia's goodwill.

The State Department heralded the Protocols as a "diplomatic
breakthrough" because it delinked bilateral issues between Turkey and
Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh. This understanding should have been
made explicit when President Barack Obama met President Abdullah Gul
and Erdogan during his trip in April 2009. Instead of affirming
de-linkage, Obama was silent on the issue.


David L. Phillips.
Photo: from 3.bp.blogspot.com website.

The U.S. should have worked with the Swiss Authorities to make sure
that the text of remarks by Davutoglu and Nalbandian were exchanged
well in advance of 5.00pm on October 10, 2009 (when the Protocols were
to be signed). More advance notification would have prevented last
minute problems that poisoned the atmosphere of the signing ceremony.
There's a golden rule of diplomacy: no surprises!

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's personal involvement was critical
to rescuing the signing ceremony and keeping the deal on track.
Subsequently, monitoring ratification and implementation was assigned
to U.S. officials of lesser rank. Secretary Clinton placed her
personal prestige on the line. She could have helped maintain momentum
by designating a Special Envoy for Ratification of the Protocols.
State Department officials working on the file were competent, but
more pressure at a higher level was needed to seal the deal.

- In your monograph titled "Diplomatic History: The Turkey-Armenia
Protocols", you recalled the details of signing ceremony on October
10, 2009 and the last-minute hitch over the final statements. Can we
conclude that such a step of the Turkish delegation demonstrated that
Ankara didn't have enough political will and readiness to carry out
the Protocols and Armenians just could not have any trust to Turkey
after that?

- Ambassador Ertugrul Apakan, the Turkish official who managed the
negotiations, told me: "Reality has two shores." There was fundamental
disconnect between the Turkish and Armenian sides. The last minute
misunderstandings at the signing ceremony was a harbinger of problems
to come. It was more than a problem of political will. There exists
deep distrust between the parties. More work was needed then - and is
still needed to build confidence. Civil society can play an important
role with confidence-building measures. Even though the Protocols are
suspended, it is still possible to open the border gate for tourism
and commercial contact.

DOSSIER

Passages from David L. Phillips monograph "Diplomatic history: The
Turkey-Armenia Protocols"

Signing Ceremony

The signing ceremony was scheduled to be held at the University of
Zurich on October 10, 2009. Davutoglu and Nalbandian each planned
remarks to commemorate the "historic moment in Turkish-Armenian
bilateral relations." Turkish and Armenian negotiators had reached an
understanding: they would avoid open discussion of sensitivities. To
maintain constructive ambiguity, they agreed that neither Davutoglu
nor Nalbandian would mention the genocide or refer to NK.

Ten minutes before the signing ceremony, which was scheduled for 5:00
p.m., the Armenian delegation asked to see the Turkish statement.
Texts were exchanged through the U.S. delegation. Nalbandian saw
Davutoglu's text and was aghast. According to an anonymous Turkish
official, the Armenians objected to Davutoglu's emphasis on the joint
historical commission, insisting that allowing the commission's work
was tantamount to denial of the genocide. Armenian officials have a
different recollection. An anonymous Armenian official insists that
Davutoglu intended to speak about the historical commission's
importance, as well as NK. Ambuhl reflects on their different
memories, "Both sides were speaking the truth." Implicit and explicit
differences were conflated.

Calmy-Rey stayed upstairs in the "Aula," the auditorium where the
signing ceremony was to take place. She was with the VIPs who were
waiting to witness the signing of the Protocols. The media was off to
one side of the auditorium. The Zurich mayor and university rector
were mingling, trying to keep everyone engaged. Ambuhl left the
Turkish delegation in the University of Zurich's Senate hall and
rushed two kilometers in a police vehicle to the newly-renovated
Dolder Hotel where the U.S. and Armenian delegations were staying. It
was highly unusual in Zurich for a police vehicle with flashing blue
lights to go speeding through town. He and Clinton went to
Nalbandian's room. Nalbandian was visibly agitated, channel-surfing
between football matches. The Swiss came up with a compromise: neither
side would make remarks. Clinton and Nalbandian drove in the same car
to the University of Zurich--three hours behind schedule.

Diplomats attending the ceremony responded to the delay differently.
Secretary General of the Council of the European Union Javier Solana
was concerned, but followed the U.S. lead. French Foreign Minister
Bernard Kouchner was energized, but did not play a major role; Ankara
would never accept a mediation role for France. It viewed France as
pro-Armenian because of the French Senate resolution recognizing the
genocide and France's outspoken Diaspora community, which is a force
in French politics. Lavrov used his influence to help seal the deal,
providing Nalbandian with a strongly worded letter that urged him to
sign.

The Protocols were finally signed at 8:00 p.m. As agreed, no
statements were made after the signing. Clinton, Solana, Calmy-Rey,
Lavrov, and Kouchner stood behind Nalbandian and Davutoglu as
witnesses, and as a signal of the international community's support.
Calmy-Rey was the only speaker. Welcoming the agreement, she addressed
the audience and media assembled in the Aula. Winston Churchill spoke
in that same auditorium on September 19, 1946, saying: "The first step
in the recreation of the European family must be a partnership between
France and Germany." The historic address concluded, "Let Europe
Rise." The symbolism was trenchant. If France and Germany could
overcome their enmity and Europe could bind together in common
purpose, then Turkey and Armenia could also overcome their
differences.

- Prime Minister Erdogan is actively seeking to succeed President Gul
in 2014. According to British Oxford Analytica's report, "Erdogan
could take the Armenian issue away from Gul and make it his own". Do
you consider such a prediction realistic?

- Erdogan is pugnacious and confrontational. He always acts in his own
political interest, especially during an election cycle. When it comes
to domestic politics, Erdogan risks more than he gains by focusing
constructively on Armenian issues. There are more friendship monuments
and churches to destroy, if Erdogan has his way. Anti-Armenian
politics played well in Turkey. A return to that mentality would be a
major setback.

- In 2015, Armenians will commemorate the Centennial of Genocide. What
impact will this date have on policies and moods both in Armenia and
Turkey? Do you think the Turkish government will keep the protocols to
make another "political show" ahead of 2015?

- 2015 is an important centennial anniversary. Armenians wake up every
morning, gaze across the border at Mount Ararat and lament the
suffering of their ancestors and lost territories in "Western
Armenia." On the other hand, Turkey is surrounded by problems, many of
its own making. Davutoglu's "zero problems with neighbors" policy is a
total fiasco. Armenian issues are way down the list of Turkish
concerns. Initiatives such as the Gallipoli anniversary are clearly
an attempt to dilute the centennial of the Genocide. But nothing has
changed since Hillary Clinton observed, "The ball is in Turkey's
court."

The Obama administration can take the issue of Genocide recognition
off the table by simply recognizing the Armenian Genocide. Rather than
refer to his "well-known personal view," President Obama should
characterize the events as genocide in his 2014 Presidential Statement
on Armenian Remembrance Day. Secretary of State Kerry has always been
a strong supporter of Genocide recognition.

Turkey is increasingly an unreliable ally of the West. Erdogan
tarnished his democratic credentials by cracking down on peaceful
protesters last summer. The AKP is rife with corruption and cronyism.
U.S. officials should see Turkey as it is, not as it was or how they
want it to be.

Aram Araratyan talked to David Phillips.

http://www.mediamax....cial-file/9013/

[Yervant1]

18:10 16/02/2015 » POLITICS

Armenian President withdrawing Armenian-Turkish protocols from parliament

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has addressed a letter to Armenian parliament Speaker Galust Sahakyan notifying about his decision to withdraw the Armenian-Turkish protocols from the parliament.
The letter reads as follows:
“We fully imagined all possible developments when embarking on the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations without preconditions. We were ready for both comprehensive normalization of relations through ratification of the protocols and their failure because we had nothing to hide and it would be clear for the international community which side was to blame for failing to open the last closed border in Europe and missing the chance. 
“About six years have passed since the protocols were signed. During this period, Armenia has always demonstrated a consistent position on the implementation of the protocols.
“However, we must point to the lack of political will of the Turkish authorities, the distortion of the letter and spirit of the protocols and the repeated mention of preconditions. In parallel with this, on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the policy of denial and editing history is gaining a new momentum.

“I have said repeatedly that time is not endless, I also said this in September 2014 at the UN General Assembly. I regret that the Turkish authorities turned a deaf ear to Armenia’s call.
“Therefore, I have made a decision to recall from the National Assembly the protocols “On establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Turkey” and “On the development of relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Turkey,” signed in Zurich on October 10, 2009.” 
 

 
 

Source: Panorama.am

[MosJan]

isk inchu hima ?iysor ??  6 tary  araj chyir  lsum paron serj hima   iysor ?? yerb  kariq  unes  spyurqi ognutyan qez not Papularity berelu ??

 

 

pastoren mer  Hay Harts@  bozi Vartik e  dartsel nyn iyn mardkants dzerqum ov pit lutsum gtner....

ehhhh inch enq  kortsrel inch enq man  galis ..

[Yervant1]

Our leaders are brain dead, what a timing instead of unity we get this nonsense.

[Yervant1]

Lying SOB Armenia did not do that for AG, it did it because you and your ilk put zillion conditions upon us and pretended as if you are doing something in front of the world.
 

 

Turkish MFA: Ankara committed to spirit of Armenian deal

Ankara will remain committed to protocols signed between Turkey and Armenia aiming to normalize bilateral relations, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tanju Bilgiç has said, after Yerevan recently decided to withdraw the 2008 protocols from the Armenian Parliament,Hurriyet Daily News reports. 
Bilgiç told reporters that Yerevan has decided to withdraw the Protocol on Establishing of Diplomatic Relations and the Protocol on Developing Relations in order “to create a reason to accuse Turkey” ahead of the 100th anniversary of the massacres of Ottoman Armenians.
“Turkey disagrees with the attitude taken by the Armenian side,” he said, describing Yerevan’s step as “wrong and unfortunate.”
“Turkey will remain loyal to regional normalization process which is the fundamental goal of the protocols,” he said.
 

Source: Panorama.am

 

[Yervant1]

ARMENIA'S PRESIDENT MADE WELL-TIMED STEP - EXPERTS

21:30 * 17.02.15

Since gaining independence Armenia has been committed to its foreign
policy in terms of Armenia-Turkey rapprochement, with the exception
that the Armenian side has been gradually adopting a harder line on
its demands, Ruben Safrastyan, Director of the Institute of Oriental
Studies, Academy of Sciences of Armenia, told Tert.am.

"Armenia has always favored improvement of its relations with Turkey,
without any preconditions. Armenia is committed to its policy. This
principle remains in force, but new approaches have been shown, and
we are now discussing not only the problem of recognition, but that
of demands as well," Mr Safrastyan said.

He considers logical that Armenia has been pursuing a harder line
since 1999-2000. According to him, if Turkey had changed its policy,
Armenia would not have had to take such steps.

Most experts welcomed Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan's step.

However, they called it a belated step because the Armenian-Turkish
protocols have done their "dirty business" by raising Turkey's role.

Mr Safaryan disagrees with experts. According to him, Armenia's
president made a well-timed step.

"We have seen Turkey continues disregarding Armenia's 'no
preconditions' policy. On the other hand, Turkey has lately made
overtly impudent steps on the threshold of the Armenian Genocide
centennial. I mean their cheap trick involving the Battle of
Gallipoli. Under the circumstances such a step was to be expected
before April 24, but it was made even earlier, and I welcome it,"
Mr Safrastyan said.

The international community understands everything and has seen
Turkey has not changed its policy toward Armenia for years. So Turkish
propaganda may make use of this step to slander Armenia once again,
but it will not succeed.

Expert in Turkic studies Andranik Ispiryan told Tert.am that the
Armenians expected President Serzh Sargsyan to make that step.

"It was expected prior to April 24 because Turkey has not so far taken
any steps to Armenia-Turkey rapprochement. On the contrary, as the
Armenian Genocide centennial is nearing, Turkey has been following
a harder line in denying the Armenian Genocide, which has logically
led to the present situation," he said.

The withdrawal of the Armenian-Turkish protocols has not essentially
changed anything because the protocols had no legal force. However,
in terms of propaganda it created a situation for Turkey. It claims it
is extending its hand to Armenia, protocols were signed, but Armenia
does not respond.

"And Armenia's president is thus putting an end to this all," Mr
Ispiryan said.

As regards Turkey's response, he said that, regrettably, Turkish
society and mass media do not properly present Turkey's responsibility
for Armenia-Turkey rapprochement.

"What is the meaning of the headline 'Sargsyan has buried
Armenian-Turkey rapprochement process' by one of the Turkish media
outlets? That is, they are once again trying to accuse the Armenian
side, turning a blind eye to the fact that it was Turkey that, after
signing the protocols, placed them on the furthest back burner."

http://www.tert.am/e.../17/gen/1592829
 

[Yervant1]

ANKARA CALLS ARMENIANS 'INCOHERENT' FOR REJECTING PROTOCOLS

Tuesday, February 17th, 2015

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic

ANKARA--Turkey's Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic told reporters
Tuesday that Ankara remains committed to the protocols signed between
Turkey and Armenia purportedly aiming to normalize bilateral relations,
after Yerevan recently withdrew the 2008 protocols from parliament,
Hurriyet Daily News reports.

Bilgic told reporters yesterday that Yerevan has decided to withdraw
the Protocol on Establishing of Diplomatic Relations and the Protocol
on Developing Relations in order "to create a reason to accuse Turkey"
ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

The Armenian government, and a majority of Armenians around the world,
regarded the protocols as unfair and a diplomatic ploy by Turkey,
due to the myriad conditions and concessions it demands of Armenia.

Meanwhile, the Turkish parliament itself has not ratified either of
the agreements.

Bilgic, however, called Armenians "incoherent and insincere" because
of the move, adding that "Turkey will remain loyal to regional
normalization process which is the fundamental goal of the protocols."

On Feb. 16, Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian announced that he has
asked the country's parliamentary speaker to withdraw his signature
from the protocols.

Sarkisian said in a statement that Armenia would not ratify the
agreement because of the "preconditions" that Turkey is putting in
place before it ratifies its side of the deal.

The agreement aimed to restore diplomatic ties between the countries
as well as reopen the common border, which Turkey closed in 1993.

Turkey holds off weapons deal for April 24 Authorities said Turkey will
postpone the selection a winner for a controversial, multibillion
dollar contract for the construction of an anti-missile defense
system until after April 24, the Hurriyet Daily News reported,
quoting senior officials.

A senior diplomat confirmed that Ankara first wants to see the U.S.

and French positions on the Armenian Genocide before awarding
a sizeable contract "to a bidder potentially from one of these
countries."

"We have agreed with the government leaders not to rush to a decision
any time soon," one defense procurement official said. "A decision
before April 24 is out of the question."

"How these countries observe the centennial of the events will be an
important input for our final decision," he said.

After Ankara selected a Chinese company in September 2013 to build
the air defense architecture and came under heavy pressure from its
Western allies for the decision, it also opened parallel negotiations
this summer with a European contender in the multibillion dollar
competition.

A defense industry source said he expected tough rivalry between
French and U.S. contenders in the second half of 2015. "Both of them
are surely aware that how their governments tackle the centennial
will be critical for success or failure," he said.

http://asbarez.com/1...ting-protocols/
 

[Yervant1]

14:25 20/02/2015 » POLITICS

Vigen Kocharyan: Withdrawal of Armenian-Turkish protocols is due to Ankara’s stance

The Armenian President’s decision to withdraw the Armenian-Turkish protocols from parliament is due to Ankara’s stance, Vigen Kocharyan, head of the Department of European and International Law at Yerevan State University, told a news conference on Friday.
“The withdrawal of the Armenian-Turkish protocols is conditioned not by their content or by change in Armenian side’s position on their content, but by the stance of Ankara that speaks the language of preconditions,” he said. 
As regards Turkey’s proposal to form a commission of historians, Kocharyan said that the issue of Armenian Genocide is not subject to discussion and a commission could only be created for studying the issue of compensation.
 
 
 
 

Source: Panorama.am

[Yervant1]

Our leaders are brain dead, what a timing instead of unity we get this nonsense.

LET TWO THUGS SETTLE THEIR DIFFERENCES

Garbis Korajian, Vancouver, 14 February 2015

The apparent declaration of war between President Serzh Sargsyan
and the head of the strongest criminal organization, Gagik Tsarukyan
(Dodi Gago) has nothing to do with their concern for the people of
Armenia, democracy, or for that matter the well being of the country.

Tsarukyan Mansion

In the last 20 years these two thugs were closely associated in
robbing the Armenian people so as to enrich themselves. As a result,
they have amassed billions of dollars in stolen wealth and guaranteed
an extremely comfortable lifestyle to their clans while the people
live in abject poverty and despair.

The core reason of their fight is their self-aggrandizing project. Now
that they have robbed the country of its last dram, they are
skirmishing so as to rob from each other. As the common saying goes,
"Thieves never fight among themselves when they rob; they only fight
when it's time to divide the booty."

As is often the case with law enforcers, when two thugs fight, the
police stay on the sideline. This is what the Armenian people or
the political parties have to do. Let these two thugs settle their
differences alone, without outside interference. At the end, the
winner will take it all and rule the country for some time to come
as a dictator. However, the winner's demise will follow as justice
eventually prevails in Armenia.

Out of this ugly and dirty war, Armenians will be able to elect decent
leaders who will care and work for the betterment of the people.

Finally, Armenia will emerge as a free and democratic country,
something it has been denied since independence. This is the best
gift Armenia can receive on the year of our Genocide Centennial.

http://www.keghart.com/Korajian-Thugs

[Yervant1]

Historian about recall of protocols. "The Turkish side can go for
provocations."

February 21 2015


Aravot.am asked the Head of the Department of the Armenian Cause and
History of the Armenian Genocide, Institute of History at the Armenian
National Academy of Sciences Armen Marukyan about how he assesses, as
a historian, the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan's decision to
recall the Armenia-Turkey protocols. "This move is logical and
completely fits in the spirit and letter of the Pan-Armenian
Declaration, because there was already some discrepancy between the
Declaration and the Protocols, because whenever we refer to Woodrow
Wilson's arbiter decision and the Treaty of Sevres, and we knew what
territories and boundaries were included in this document, it is
obvious that the covert reference here towards the Treaty of Kars,
i.e. the existing border document, reaffirms this provision of the
countries, somewhat opposes to it, and it is no more logical to
continue the process of overcoming the consequences of the Armenian
genocide, given these protocols at the legislative body," said the
historian.

In his words, this is the first move that needs to be reinforced by
the second move, also by recall of the signature. "Unless the
signature of the Republic of Armenia is underneath this document, it
is not ruled out that the Turkish side can go for provocations and
ratify the protocols after we remove it from the agenda to show to the
international community, look, how more law-abiding country I am than
the neighboring Armenia, while everyone knows that the Turkish side
was the one to violate it. Hence, after the recall, all possible
Turkish provocations will become null and void. These are the correct
and sequential moves by which the Republic of Armenia and all
Armenians should move ahead to the centennial of the Armenian
Genocide," opines Head of the Department of the Armenian Cause and
History of the Armenian Genocide, Institute of History at the Armenian
National Academy of Sciences Armen Marukyan.


Gohar HAKOBYAN
Read more at: http://en.aravot.am/2015/02/21/168946/
 

[Yervant1]

TURKISH PARLIAMENT SPEAKER URGES TURKS ABROAD TO BE UNITED LIKE ARMENIANS

15:51, 25 Feb 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Turks living abroad should be more like the Armenian diaspora when
it comes to standing up for their home country, a senior Turkish
politician has said.

The speaker of the Turkish parliament, Cemil Cicek, told Turkish
people living in Canada that they need a more "organized" association.

Cicek was speaking in the Canadian capital Wednesday.

"There is a need to organize a lobby, to reveal a reaction if need
be and to convey opinions to others," Cicek told a meeting of Turkish
community representatives in Ottawa.

Cicek cited Armenians as an example of how a small number of people
did much more than the many Turkish citizens living abroad.

"A group of 200 Armenians apply to the parliament of the country they
live in and ask for a motion on the allegations that Turks committed
genocide, whereas 50,000 Turkish citizens fail to make a 500-signature
petition," he said.

Cicek said divisions among Turkish associations were the reason for
this lack of action and called for unity.

http://www.armradio....like-armenians/

[Yervant1]

TURKISH POLICY OF DENIAL SETS DANGEROUS PRECEDENT FOR E RECURRENCE OF NEW GENOCIDES- PRESIDENT SARGSYAN SAYS

YEREVAN, March 18. / ARKA /. Addressing an international media forum
in the Armenian capital entitled 'At the Foot of Mount Ararat,'
dedicated to the centenary of the Armenian Genocide, President
Serzh Sargsyan said Armenia, Armenians all over the world and the
international community will remember and commemorate the Armenian
Genocide committed in the Ottoman Empire one century ago.

'The genocide took lives of one and a half million Armenians,
hundreds of thousands of people became refugees or were forcefully
converted into other religion. Each Armenian from any corner of
the world continues to feel the consequences of the Mets Yeghern
psychologically, culturally, linguistically and politically.

We wish we could have also commemorated the Centennial of the Armenian
Genocide together with the Turkish people, thereby heralding a new
haven of the rapprochement of the two nations and normalization of
their relations. This was the goal pursued by the protocols between
Armenia and Turkey signed back in 2009 and of my invitation to the
President Erdogan of Turkey to join us on April 24 in honoring the
memory of the Armenian Genocide victims. Unfortunately, once more we
encountered denial, one that acquired a particular manifestation this
year,' he said.

'I believe you are well aware that this year Turkish authorities
decided to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli
on the very day of April 24. The only motive for that was the
simple-minded goal to distract the attention of the international
community from the events dedicated to the Centennial of the Armenian
Genocide. By the way, in this context your Norwegian colleague BÃ¥rd
Larsen published in February an article titled "Useless Diplomacy,"
in which he very aptly put that "this would be tantamount to Germany
celebrating heroic victories of Wehrmacht in the Eastern Front during
World War II."

I regret that the Turkish authorities instead of availing themselves
of this Centennial to confront their own history and reconcile,
put themselves in an awkward position by obviously distorting the
well-known chronology the Battle of Gallipoli, and thereby embellishing
their policy of denial with new manifestations.

The Turkish policy of denial pursued not only vindicates the crime
committed by the Ottoman authorities - the dispossession of Armenians
- but also sets a dangerous precedent for the recurrence of new
genocides. The Holocaust, the Rwandan and Cambodian genocides, the
ethnic cleansing and destruction of cultural heritage carried out by
the Islamic State in recent years have all been striking examples of
this. Their efforts to avoid responsibility or consign the Armenian
Genocide to oblivion can be characterized as continuation of the
crime and encouragement of new genocides.

Nevertheless, I must note that larger and larger segments of the
Turkish intelligentsia and progressive youth are demonstrating courage
to confront their historical past, desiring to live a dignified life
and relieving themselves of such a heavy burden of sin.

It is a matter of plain fact that the policy pursued by the current
Turkish government rules out the possibility of bringing the
famous Protocols into life at which official Ankara looked from the
perspective of the absurd preconditions perpetually set forth by it.

For that very reason I decided to recall them from our parliament.

Thus, the process did not reach its logical conclusion, and everybody
knows which party is to blame for its failure. This does not mean that
we are closing the window for rapprochement with Turkey. Nevertheless,
we are not going to get involved in a process, which may fall victim
to the third country's unconstructive whims and, most importantly,
without hope of restoring mutual trust.

Initially, we thought that the policy "Zero Problems with Neighbors"
proclaimed by the Turkish authorities enshrined Turkey's sincere
intentions to normalize relations with neighboring countries, including
Armenia. I do not want to comment on the nature of current relations
between Turkey and other states, but as the subsequent developments
demonstrated, Turkey had to face the reality of "Zero Neighbor and
Numerous Problems." In fact, Turkey's real intention was not to
have zero problems with neighbors, but to impose its own perception
of those relations on the neighbors, which was nothing else than a
manifestation of Neo-Ottoman policy.

The State Commission for coordination of the events for commemoration
of the Armenian Genocide Centenary was established. Its members
encompassed heads of all the largest Armenian institutions. The
Commission adopted All-Armenian Declaration, which determined the
united will of the Armenian people; by that Armenia and the Armenian
people reiterated their commitment to continuing the international
struggle for the prevention of genocides, restoration of the rights
and establishment of historical justice for the nations subjected
to genocide.

In that perspective, the Armenian Genocide Centennial events are not
solely of all-Armenian nature; they are a unique appeal to prevent
any encroachment upon universal values. For that very reason I have
invited the leaders and high-level officials of various countries to
visit Armenia on April 24 and, thus, send a powerful message of the
inadmissibility of the crime of genocide to the world.' -0-

http://arka.am/en/ne...h.sfsBAsYm.dpuf
 

[Yervant1]

Armenia's Sargsyan slams Erdogan's absence at Genocide centennial

22:48, 21 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan


In an interview with FRANCE 24, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's decision to change this
year's Gallipoli commemoration to coincide with Armenia's marking of
the 100th anniversary of the genocide was a "cynical act".

On April 24, Armenia is set to commemorate the centennial of the
Armenian genocide, which saw the deportation and deaths of up to 1.5
million Armenians during World War I.

"Our intention was to commemorate the centennial together with the
Turkish people," explained Sargsyan, noting that it was the reason his
government invited the Turkish leader to attend the commemorations.

Instead, Erdogan chose the same day to invite his Armenian counterpart
to the centennial of the Gallipoli campaign, which marked a major
World War I victory for the Ottoman forces against Allied troops,
mostly from Australian and New Zealand. The date of their landing --
known as "Anzac Day" -- is marked on April 25 every year.

Turkey has long denied the mass deportation and killings of Armenian
subjects of the Ottoman empire constituted genocide, claiming instead
that they were the consequences of inter-ethnic violence inflamed
during wartime.

Erdogan's decision to change the date of the Gallipoli ceremonies to
coincide with the Armenian centennial commemoration has drawn a sharp
rebuke from Sargsyan.

"Unfortunately, once again we find ourselves facing a negationist
approach and I'm sorry to use this expression, but it is a
particularly cynical act. The Battle of Gallipoli did not start of
April 24 [1915], nor did it end on April 24, it's self-evident. This
is a way of injuring, of wounding the Armenian people and at the same
time, it is intended to set obstacles on the path to centennial
commemorations [of the Armenian genocide]," said Sargsyan.

The April 24 ceremonies will be attended by a number of world leaders,
including French President François Hollande and Russian President
Vladimir Putin.

http://www.france24....ide-centennial/
http://www.armradio....ide-centennial/
 

[Yervant1]

RECONCILIATION TURKISH STYLE

Editorial 3-28 March 2015

By Edmond Y. Azadian

The aftermath of World War I and the formation of the Turkish Republic
in 1923 on the ruins of the collapsed Ottoman Empire left behind a
huge baggage of political, social and ethnic problems which were kept
under wraps from the world at large through bloodshed and terror by
successive Turkish administrations.

Ever since the digital era began undermining authoritarian rules around
the globe and at the same time Turkey's desire to join the European
Union increased, those problems gradually bobbed to the surface,
forcing Turkish leaders to deal with them in an awkward fashion.

The bloody legacy of the Armenian Genocide, Kurdish aspirations
for autonomy and independence were erased and rewritten in the fake
history manufactured by Ataturk to endow his country with a new image.

A country aspiring to join the civilized family of nations could no
longer sweep that legacy of problems under the rug.

Two Turkish leaders have emerged very much reminiscent of Miguel
de Cervantes' immortal characters of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza,
the first one blundering the issues and the latter putting the pieces
together. Indeed, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ahmet Davutoglu, president
and prime minister, respectively, have been engaged in politics to
replicate Cervantes' heroes, and many governments and statesmen around
the world take them seriously because of Turkey's strategic position,
both geopolitically and in world affairs.

Armenians and Kurds are at the receiving end of this charade to prove
their cases and to make their voices heard around the world.

As Turkey has set into motion its well-oiled PR machine to fight the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide, it has also enlisted the support
of the captive local Armenian community to serve its political ends.

While Mr. Erdogan plays the bully, trying to intimidate Armenians and
Kurds around the world, Mr. Davutoglu has been assigned to the more
delicate responsibility of complementing his master's initiatives
using kid gloves.

As if it were not enough for Mr. Erdogan to stage the Gallipoli
fiasco, inviting more derision, he reiterated his hallmark denial by
challenging Armenians in a recent Istanbul speech to come up with
more documentary evidence: "How many documents do you have? Bring
your documents and we will task the historians, political scientists,
even archeologists and lawyers."

After the verdicts of the 1919 military tribunals in Istanbul,
after the proclamation of 120 respected genocide scholars headed by
Elie Wiesel in a 2000 edition of the New York Times, Mr. Erdogan's
knowledge of history is lagging a full century behind.

Armenians did not need to counter this outrageous statement. Instead,
Turkey's Today's Zaman newspaper wrote in response to this challenge:
"This position is backed by many Western historians specializing
in research of crimes against humanity. ... A historical record on
the Armenian Genocide is unambiguous and documented by overwhelming
evidence," the US-based International Association of Genocide Scholars
said in a 2007 letter to members of the US Congress. "It is proven by
Foreign Office records of the United States, Frances, Great Britain,
Germany and Austria-Hungary, as well as by the records of the Ottoman
Courts-Martial of 1918-1920, and by decades of scholarship."

While Armenia's President Serge Sargisian characterized the Gallipoli
centennial and invitation to Armenians to attend as a "cynical ploy,"
another question begs for an answer. The argument for inviting
Armenians to Gallipoli is that Armenian soldiers drafted into the
Ottoman army fought side-by-side with the Turks. But the irony is that
even the families of those soldiers, who put their lives in harm's
way for the defense of the Ottoman homeland, found their families
slaughtered as well. While the gist of Turkish justification for the
genocide is that Armenians sympathized with Russia and "betrayed"
the Ottoman government, the fact that even the families of Armenian
soldiers fighting in Gallipoli were not spared proves unequivocally
that the intent of the Young Turks was to exterminate all Armenians,
thus disproving their thesis that alleged treachery was the cause of
the genocide that did not happen.

To complement Mr. Erdogan's challenges, Mr. Davutoglu invited the
leaders of various minority groups to Ankara on February 11, to assign
them a delicate task. Indeed, consultations in a community council,
called VADIP*, have revealed that Mr. Davutoglu was incensed by a
letter in the New York Times, signed by Fetullah Gulen, stating that
the Turkish government continues to oppress the minorities. "I wished
that those very same minorities would produce a document refuting
those allegations," the prime minister reportedly said. After that
request, Mr. Davutoglu has politely stated that "this request will
not be construed as an imposition by anyone."

The council has also discussed Turkish-Armenian reconciliation on
terms very dear to the heart of Mr. Bedros Sirinoglu, the head of
the Armenian community; Armenians must seek amends from the Turks
for their "crimes" and Turks have to reciprocate, thus they can reach
reconciliation (halalashmak).

Of course, for the captive Armenian community, Mr. Davutoglu's wishes
are not only an "imposition," but they are in fact a blackmail attempt
in disguise. Therefore, the group has commissioned Mr. Markar Yessayan,
a contributor to Yeni Shafak newspaper, to come up with two articles,
one rebutting the New York Times, the other one defining the delicate
position of the Armenian community on the occasion of the Genocide
centennial. Mr. Sirinoglu has forwarded the articles to the president's
office in Ankara, certainly for approval.

In the mean time, the locum tenens of the Patriarchate, Archbishop
Aram Atesian, has already exceeded the government's expectations
regarding the delicate issues facing the Armenian community. He has
ordered eight Armenian churches to perform requiem services for the
"Martyrs of Canakkale (Gallipoli)" and he has personally conducted
the service at St. Stepannos Church in Yesilkoy. On the other hand,
he has refused to join Armenian Churches worldwide, which will toll
their bells 100 times on April 23 at 19:15 p.m., marking the beginning
of the centennial.

Thus, holding the Armenian community hostage in Turkey, denying the
Genocide and thumbing his nose at the world community, Mr. Erdogan
believes that he will succeed in signing the protocols and bringing
reconciliation between the Armenians and Turks.

He has been playing the same game with the Kurdish minority, which
account for 20 percent of Turkey's population.

Three years ago, the Ankara government began negotiating with Abdullah
Ocalan, the jailed Kurdish leader of the powerful PKK party. Recently,
Mr. Erdogan failed to deliver on his 10-point peace framework and the
negotiations began to stall. In view of the upcoming parliamentary
elections, where Mr. Erdogan needs the Kurdish votes to win an
absolute majority and consolidate his presidential powers, he has
once again enlisted the support of Mr. Ocalan, who recently issued the
following statement: "I call on the PKK to convene a congress to end
the 40-year-long armed struggle against the Republic of Turkey and to
determine political and social strategies and tactics in accordance
with the spirit of a new era."

After extracting that kind of conciliatory statement from the Kurdish
leader, Mr. Erdogan had the nerve to say that there had never been a
Kurdish problem in Turkey. "What are you talking about, brother?" he
asked rhetorically, "what Kurdish problem?" during a ceremony in
Balikeser.

After the murder of 40,000 Kurds and the imposed scorched-earth
policy resulting in the destruction of 2,000 Kurdish villages, the
prime minister is announcing that "there has never been a Kurdish
problem in Turkey." It is very much like asking Armenians to produce a
"single" document proving that the Genocide was perpetrated.

This time around, the deputy prime minister has rushed to his rescue.

As reported in the New York Times, "On Saturday, following Mr.

Ocalan's statement, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc reiterated
the government's commitment to the peace process and dismissed Mr.

Erdogan's remarks as 'emotional.'"

It is a disgrace that Armenians have to deal with this kind of
duplicitous political games while the unburied remains of our martyrs
still call for justice 100 years later.

Is this reconciliation Turkish style?

(*Editor's note: VADIP is a community council comprising the
representatives of charitable organizations (Vakif), hospitals and
churches. Along with Armenians, Greeks and Jews have the VADIP to
deal with government agencies.)