Category: Armenian Question

“The great Turk is governing in peace twenty nations from different religions. Turks have taught to Christians how to be moderate in peace and gentle in victory.”Voltaire’s Philosophical Dictionary

Fiasco for the Azeri propaganda in the EP

Stomach sickening example of murdered democracy and freedom of speech

From: SS Aya [[email protected]]

From: European Armenian Federation [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Wednesday, March 11, 2009 10:11 PM

EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION

B-1000 Bruxelles
Tel/ Fax: +32 2 732 70 27/26
Website :Eafjd

PRESS RELEASE

For immediate release

Wednesday 11 March 2009

Contact : Varténie ECHO

Tel. / Fax. : +32 (0) 2 732 70 27

FIASCO FOR THE AZERI PROPAGANDA IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

– The anti-Armenian Pogroms in Sumgait were evoked at the Azerbaijani commemoration of Khojalu

– The ambassador of Azerbaijan prohibited to speak

The “commemoration” of the Khojalu events that was for Azerbaijan the pinnacle moment of its ongoing misinformation campaign turned to a fiasco on Tuesday, March 3, 2009, in the European Parliament.

Alerted by the European Armenian Federation and other voices of European public opinion, the MEP Mrs. Gisela Kallenbach (Greens, Germany) which initially had sponsored the exhibition of the “Aliev Foundation”, became aware that she was the object of the Azeri attempt of manipulation. Consequently, she surprised the participants, primarily the Azeris by declaring that she was there only “because it was too late to cancel the exhibition”.

In her inaugural speech, Gisela Kallenbach did not hesitate to say that she regretted that the exhibition did not include pictures of the anti-Armenian pogrom that was committed in the Azerbaijani city of Sumgait in 1988, before taking one minute of silence in memory of the victims of all the conflicts of the South Caucasus. She criticised implicitly the Azeri attempt of misinformation and stated that she learnt that this exhibition “could be used in order to destroy the promising and recent process of reconciliation between Armenia and Azerbaijan” and “that was absolutely not” her intention.

The short speech that Mrs. Kallenbach delivered on this occasion is available here.

Mrs. Kallenbach quickly put an end to her participation while the ambassador of Azerbaijan was prevented from expressing himself and distributing his false propaganda.

According to various sources, Mrs. Kallenbach had been deceived by officers of her political group directly financed by the Aliev Foundation.

“We congratulate Mrs. Kallenbach for her courage and her perspicacity” declared Hilda Tchoboian, the chairperson of the European Armenian Federation; “it is clear that the commemorations of Khojalu organized everywhere in Europe and in the United States form part of the political warmongering of the leaders of Azerbaijan; they aim to prevent the settlement of the conflict by prohibiting any concession to its public opinion, while masking its own crimes” she continued.

Within the framework of a worldwide campaign of disinformation, the Baku regime intends to make the international institutions acknowledge that the events which would have occurred in Khojalu in 1992 at the time of Artsakh liberation war (formerly Nagorno Karabakh) would have constituted war crimes – even a “genocide”. These events – presented as such using photos taken in Kosovo were never clarified but several sources – in particular Azeri – tend to prove that they would have been caused by the Aliev clan to destabilize the Azeri regime of Mutalibov which was at that time in power.

The massacres and pogroms of Armenians in Sumgait, Baku and Kirovabad, recalled by Mrs. Kallenbach, are on the other hand, attested as having constituted the response of Azerbaijan to the peaceful process by which the Armenian populations of Karabakh had requested their unification to Armenia, in accordance with the Soviet constitution which was into force at that time. These pogroms caused the Artsakh liberation war to begin.

At that time, the European Parliament strongly criticised the actions of Azerbaijan towards its Armenian population, pointing out “the blockade and the aggression of Azerbaijan”, “the 300,000 Armenian refugees who fled the pogroms”, the murders of Armenians perpetrated “in horrific circumstances”, “the economic blockade of Armenia”, “the unprecedented attack against the Armenians of Karabakh” and their “right to self-determination”.

These resolutions of the European Parliament are available on the European Armenian Federation website.

“Taking into consideration the serious incriminations that the European Parliament and the International community charged against Azerbaijan, for the first time, the machine of Azeri misinformation failed to use the European Assembly as a springboard to spread its falsified interpretation of the history” commented Hilda Tchoboian.

“The abusive exploitation by Azerbaijan of the Karabakh conflict to justify the warmongering and racist speech of his leaders towards Armenia and the Armenians, will have to be condemned by the European Union which carries a real interest with the establishment of a durable peace in the area” continued the Chair of the European Armenian Federation.

The European Armenian Federation recalls that for several years, the Azeri power has tried repeatedly to discredit the OSCE Minsk group who is in charge of the peace negotiations in order to move their framework. In spite of these attempts, the European Parliament constantly affirmed its confidence in the Minsk group which takes into account the right to self-determination of the Karabakh people in compliance with the principles of the International law.

Fiasco for the Azeri propaganda in the European Parliament

Stomach sickening example of murdered democracy and freedom of speech

From: SS Aya [[email protected]]

From: European Armenian Federation [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Wednesday, March 11, 2009 10:11 PM

EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION

For Justice & Democracy

Avenue de la Renaissance 10
B-1000 Bruxelles
Tel/ Fax: +32 2 732 70 27/26
Website :Eafjd

PRESS RELEASE

For immediate release

Wednesday 11 March 2009

Contact : Varténie ECHO

Tel. / Fax. : +32 (0) 2 732 70 27

FIASCO FOR THE AZERI PROPAGANDA IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

– The anti-Armenian Pogroms in Sumgait were evoked at the Azerbaijani commemoration of Khojalu

– The ambassador of Azerbaijan prohibited to speak

The “commemoration” of the Khojalu events that was for Azerbaijan the pinnacle moment of its ongoing misinformation campaign turned to a fiasco on Tuesday, March 3, 2009, in the European Parliament.

Alerted by the European Armenian Federation and other voices of European public opinion, the MEP Mrs. Gisela Kallenbach (Greens, Germany) which initially had sponsored the exhibition of the “Aliev Foundation”, became aware that she was the object of the Azeri attempt of manipulation. Consequently, she surprised the participants, primarily the Azeris by declaring that she was there only “because it was too late to cancel the exhibition”.

In her inaugural speech, Gisela Kallenbach did not hesitate to say that she regretted that the exhibition did not include pictures of the anti-Armenian pogrom that was committed in the Azerbaijani city of Sumgait in 1988, before taking one minute of silence in memory of the victims of all the conflicts of the South Caucasus. She criticised implicitly the Azeri attempt of misinformation and stated that she learnt that this exhibition “could be used in order to destroy the promising and recent process of reconciliation between Armenia and Azerbaijan” and “that was absolutely not” her intention.

The short speech that Mrs. Kallenbach delivered on this occasion is available here.

Mrs. Kallenbach quickly put an end to her participation while the ambassador of Azerbaijan was prevented from expressing himself and distributing his false propaganda.

According to various sources, Mrs. Kallenbach had been deceived by officers of her political group directly financed by the Aliev Foundation.

“We congratulate Mrs. Kallenbach for her courage and her perspicacity” declared Hilda Tchoboian, the chairperson of the European Armenian Federation; “it is clear that the commemorations of Khojalu organized everywhere in Europe and in the United States form part of the political warmongering of the leaders of Azerbaijan; they aim to prevent the settlement of the conflict by prohibiting any concession to its public opinion, while masking its own crimes” she continued.

Within the framework of a worldwide campaign of disinformation, the Baku regime intends to make the international institutions acknowledge that the events which would have occurred in Khojalu in 1992 at the time of Artsakh liberation war (formerly Nagorno Karabakh) would have constituted war crimes – even a “genocide”. These events – presented as such using photos taken in Kosovo were never clarified but several sources – in particular Azeri – tend to prove that they would have been caused by the Aliev clan to destabilize the Azeri regime of Mutalibov which was at that time in power.

The massacres and pogroms of Armenians in Sumgait, Baku and Kirovabad, recalled by Mrs. Kallenbach, are on the other hand, attested as having constituted the response of Azerbaijan to the peaceful process by which the Armenian populations of Karabakh had requested their unification to Armenia, in accordance with the Soviet constitution which was into force at that time. These pogroms caused the Artsakh liberation war to begin.

At that time, the European Parliament strongly criticised the actions of Azerbaijan towards its Armenian population, pointing out “the blockade and the aggression of Azerbaijan”, “the 300,000 Armenian refugees who fled the pogroms”, the murders of Armenians perpetrated “in horrific circumstances”, “the economic blockade of Armenia”, “the unprecedented attack against the Armenians of Karabakh” and their “right to self-determination”.

These resolutions of the European Parliament are available on the European Armenian Federation website.

“Taking into consideration the serious incriminations that the European Parliament and the International community charged against Azerbaijan, for the first time, the machine of Azeri misinformation failed to use the European Assembly as a springboard to spread its falsified interpretation of the history” commented Hilda Tchoboian.

“The abusive exploitation by Azerbaijan of the Karabakh conflict to justify the warmongering and racist speech of his leaders towards Armenia and the Armenians, will have to be condemned by the European Union which carries a real interest with the establishment of a durable peace in the area” continued the Chair of the European Armenian Federation.

The European Armenian Federation recalls that for several years, the Azeri power has tried repeatedly to discredit the OSCE Minsk group who is in charge of the peace negotiations in order to move their framework. In spite of these attempts, the European Parliament constantly affirmed its confidence in the Minsk group which takes into account the right to self-determination of the Karabakh people in compliance with the principles of the International law.

Fiasco for the Azeri propaganda in the European Parliament (11 March 2009)

The anti-Armenian Pogroms in Sumgait were evoked at the Azerbaijani commemoration of Khojalu

The ambassador of Azerbaijan prohibited to speakerdit de parole

The anti-Armenian Pogroms in Sumgait were evoked at the Azerbaijani commemoration of Khojalu
The ambassador of Azerbaijan prohibited to speakerdit de parole
The “commemoration” of the Khojalu events that was for Azerbaijan the pinnacle moment of its ongoing misinformation campaign turned to a fiasco on Tuesday, March 3, 2009, in the European Parliament.
Alerted by the European Armenian Federation and other voices of European public opinion, the MEP Mrs. Gisela Kallenbach (Greens, Germany) (…)

March 13, 2009
U.S. Lawmakers Pressure Obama On Armenian Issue

By Susan Cornwell, Reuters

Several U.S. lawmakers have written to President Barack Obama urging him to follow up on campaign statements and label the 1915 massacre of Armenians as genocide.

The pressure on Obama comes ahead of an expected presidential trip to Turkey, which has warned that such declarations by the United States would damage relations. Turkey denies that up to 1.5 million Armenians suffered genocide at the hands of Ottoman Turks during World War One. Turkey accepts many Armenians were killed, but denies they were victims of a systematic genocide.

Ronald Reagan was the only U.S. president to publicly call the killings genocide. Others avoided the term out of concern for the sensitivities of Turkey, an important NATO ally.

Four members of the House of Representatives urged Obama to make a statement ahead of the 94th anniversary of the killings on April 24. “As a presidential candidate, you were … forthright in discussing your support for genocide recognition, saying that ‘America deserves a leader who speaks truthfully about the Armenian genocide and responds forcefully to all genocides.’ We agree with you completely,” the letter said.

It was signed by Democrats Adam Schiff of California and Frank Pallone of New Jersey, and Republicans George Radanovich of California and Mark Kirk of Illinois.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, on a visit to Turkey last week, said Obama would visit “within the next month or so” in his first trip as president to a Muslim country. During Clinton’s visit, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said Turkey would consider mediating between the United States and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program.

The foreign minister also said in a recent television interview that he saw a risk that Obama would describe the Armenian deaths as genocide, because Obama had done this during his campaign. But Babacan said the United States needed to understand the sensitivities in Turkey.

Another consideration for Obama will be that both Turkey and Armenia say they are close to normalizing relations after nearly a century of hostility.

Other members of the administration, including Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden, have in the past supported calling the Armenian killings genocide. Democratic aides said they also expected several lawmakers to reintroduce a resolution branding the massacre of Armenians as genocide. Armenian-Americans have been pushing for passage of similar proposals in Congress for years.

Two years ago, a resolution was approved in committee but dropped after Turkey denounced it as “insulting” and hinted at halting logistical support for the U.S. war effort in Iraq.

March 12, 2009
All problems will be solved as a whole

Istanbul. Mayis Alizadeh-APA. Turkish MP from National Movement Party (MHP), Professor Midhad Melen’s exclusive interview with APA Turkish Bureau

– Are you satisfied with the meetings in Washington? What is Washington’s reaction towards so-called “Armenian genocide”?

– The congressmen were more restrained. Armenian Diaspora also takes proper steps. As a matter of fact, Armenian Diaspora tries to keep Armenia under pressure not to establish relations with Turkey. In spite of Obama’s pre-election promises to Armenians, I could say that the Congress does not approach this question as closer as it was before.

– What is the reason of this?

– 70 members of the Congress have signed a bill on recognition of “Armenian genocide”. I don’t believe that these signatures will be enough. The US new government started a new cooperation stage with Turkey in the region. Everything will be solved as a whole. That’s why, Turkey will never retract from Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh problem for normalization of relations with Armenia. As the problems will be solved entirely in the regions, solution of Karabagh conflict cannot be left aside either. Furthermore, the United States is very busy with the economic crisis at present. I don’t believe that so-called “Armenian genocide” issue may assume importance in such crisis days.

– May the opening of borders be realized on the government’s initiative only? Will this issue be on the parliament’s agenda in the end?

– I don’t believe that the government will take any steps secretly from the people and the parliament. In one of the meetings in Washington, our Azerbaijani brother said if Turkey opened its borders with Armenia I would break all the windows of Turkish Embassy in Baku. This objection is his just right. But I want everybody to be sure that such issue is not on the agenda. We are brothers and Turkey will never sacrifice Azerbaijani brothers for its personal interests.

March 12, 2009
WILL THEY BE ALLOWED?

Below, please find a dear colleague letter issued by The Honorable Alcee L. Hastings in the U.S. Congress.

It is not a secret that there has been a rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia since President Gul visited last September the latter for a soccer match between the respective national teams upon invitation from Armenia’s president.
This has generated a flurry of activities and joint meetings, giving rise to expectations, perceived or real.
Though it is known that there can be little advance in this area without resolving the Karabagh issue where Armenia forcibly occupies 20% of Azerbaijan proper along with Karabagh, talks went on.

Armenia still covets neighbor’s territories in search of a utopia, the creation of greater Armenia: Western regions of Azerbaijan, eastern regions of Turkey, Javath region of Georgia, and others.

Armenian constitution still refers to eastern Turkey as western Armenia. Armenia also denies the legitimacy of international agreements signed in 1921 between Turkey and Armenia, Turkey and Soviet Union, and others determining the borders between Turkey and Armenia.

Another contentious issue is the Armenian insistence to characterize the 1915 events a genocide, totally ignoring Armenian propaganda, agitation, raids, terrorism, rebellions, territorial demands and treason, in that order, giving rise to 524,000 Muslims, mostly Turkish, which in turn triggered the TERESET (Temporary Resettlement order of May 27, 1915.)

In an editorial dated March 10, 2009 in The California Courier, a anti-Turkish, racist Armenian journal, Harut Sassounian wrote the following:

“… It is hard to believe that the Armenian government would invite the Turkish Foreign Minister to Armenia just one week before April 24. Mr. Babajan, a Genocide denialist and high-ranking official of a hostile country that is blockading Armenia, should never be welcomed in Yerevan, unless he intends to place a wreath at the Armenian Genocide Memorial Monument and offers an apology to the Armenian people!…”

If such hostile and racist attitudes frequently and openly displayed by Armenian diaspora opinion makers are any yard stick, or if same are allowed to influence the current rapprochement, you can kiss good bye the latter.

Let’s wait and see.

***

From: The Honorable Alcee L. Hastings
To: Colleagues
Re: The Frozen Relations Between Armenia and Turkey are now Showing Some Signs of Melting

March 9, 2009
Dear Colleague,

I am writing to bring to your attention a March 9th commentary in Newsweek, “The frozen relations between Armenia and Turkey are now showing some signs of melting,” by Grenville Byford, a regular contributor to the magazine and an affiliate of the Caspian Studies Program at Harvard University.

Mr. Byford outlines the way forward to improve Turkish-Armenian relations. Most importantly he recognizes that improved relations between Turkey and Armenia would further U.S. objectives in the Caucasus and enhance regional energy security.

I urge you to review the article and join with me in demonstrating strong Congressional support for continued Turkish-Armenian rapproachement.

Sincerely,
/s/
Alcee L. Hastings
Member of Congress
***
THE FROZEN RELATIONS BETWEEN ARMENIA AND TURKEY ARE NOW SHOWING SOME SIGNS OF MELTING

By Grenville Byford

NEWSWEEK
From the magazine issue dated Mar 9, 2009
https://www.newsweek.com/grenville-byford-turkish-armenian-reconcilation-82299

It’s almost April, so Washington is gearing up for another performance of the “Armenian Genocide Resolution Spectacular,” a regular event since 1984. Here’s the historical plotline: the Armenian-American lobby gets a few U.S. congressmen to sponsor a resolution recognizing the 1915 massacre of Armenians in what is now Eastern Turkey as a “genocide.” Then other members of the House are induced to support it. (Members of the House may not be history buffs, but they understand the importance of stroking a powerful domestic lobby.) Next, the Turkish government says Turkey is too important to be insulted like this. In response, the American administration, recognizing that Turkey is indeed a critical NATO ally whose Incirlik Air Base is vital to the Iraq mission, starts twisting congressional arms to abandon the resolution. Offstage, the Israeli lobby, generally keen to boost Turkish-Israeli relations (though less so this year), w! orks against the resolution. Finally, the House leadership reluctantly shelves the whole thing and the curtain falls.

Before staging this year’s performance, however, Congress should note that hitherto frozen relations between Armenia and Turkey are now showing signs of melting, and that this may be the first step toward reconciling the Turkish and Armenian peoples. In September, Turkish President Abdullah Gül attended a Turkey-Armenia football match in Yerevan at the invitation of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, who recently met with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Davos. The two foreign ministers, Turkey’s Ali Babacan and Armenia’s Eduard Nalbandian have also been meeting. Both have made optimistic noises.

Progress has been possible because the Armenians have focused on the concrete issue of opening the Armenian-Turkish border—a vital matter to them since none of their other neighbors (Azerbaijan, Georgia and Iran) can offer a viable trade route to the West. Both sides have wisely avoided the genocide dispute, surely recognizing it will have to be dealt with eventually but that developing economic ties will make it easier to do so. Lingering in the background, however, is the Armenian diaspora’s passionate insistence that there was a genocide—and its mirror image in the fury of the Turkish people denying it. Right or wrong is not the point. No Turkish government could contemplate opening the Armenian border with this issue front and center, and Congress should recognize that a genocide resolution would put it there.

In all probability, Turkey and Armenia can only resolve the genocide dispute if they recognize that “was it a genocide?” may be the ultimate question, but it is not the most important one today. To those aiming for reconciliation, two questions outrank it: what common facts can Turks and Armenians be brought to accept, and is the common ground sufficient for both sides to start binding up the wounds? To this end, Erdogan’s proposal to establish a joint historical commission should be pursued. Though Armenia has rejected the idea so far—largely because it is winning its argument on the world stage—the government has softened its stance recently. If the aim is reconciliation, persuading the Turks to abandon the blanket denial they are taught as schoolchildren is what counts.

Progress is not as implausible as it sounds. In the early days of the Republic, Kemal Atatürk, who was not personally implicated, described the Armenian massacres as “shameful acts.” No ex-Ottoman officials were investigated, however, as Turkey needed the newly minted heroes of its War of Independence to have no stain on their characters. Today, Erdogan will accept an investigation. In return, Armenia must accept a reciprocal investigation into the Ottoman Armenians, who fought with the sultan’s Russian enemy, and their responsibility for massacres of Turks and Kurds. Weaving together these two violently opposed historical perspectives will take time and patience. As important as the final answer, however, is the development of empathy across the divide.

Congress can help keep the path to reconciliation open if it is willing to deny the Armenian-American lobby the instant gratification of a genocide resolution. Surely doing so would be far better than repeating the exercises of the last 25 years over and over again until a resolution finally passes and all the House’s leverage over Turkey evaporates, along with most of the good will in the Turkish-American alliance, and maybe even the alliance itself. For its part, the Armenian diaspora might even support reconciliation if only as its second choice.
Finally, good relations between Turkey and Armenia would further U.S. objectives in the Caucasus. The proposed hydrocarbon corridor through the Caucasus from Central Asia looks much more secure in the context of Turkish-Armenian friendship, and it might give Armenia the confidence to break with the status quo in the longstanding Nagorno-Karabakh dispute with neighboring Azerbaijan. C! ongress and others should recognize that this year holds real promise for the beginning of reconciliation between the Turkish and Armenian peoples. If nothing comes of it, Congress can always return to a resolution.

Byford writes frequently on Turkish affairs and is a regular contributor to Newsweek.com.

March 12, 2009
Peter Gabriel Stresses Importance of Armenian Genocide Recognition

Home / News, Top Story /

Peter Gabriel Stresses Importance of Armenian Genocide Recognition

By KhatchigMouradian • on March 6, 2009 •

WATERTOWN, Mass. (A.W.)—In an interview that appeared in the March 2009 issue of Conde Nast Traveler, world-renowned musician and songwriter Peter Gabriel talks about the importance of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

Asked by interviewer Dorintha Elliott about the best places to travel for music, Gabriel said, “I had a house in Senegal and music was a big reason. And when I did music for ‘The Last temptation of Christ,’ I was introduced to one of the most soulful instruments, the Armenian duduk. I went to

Armenia for the birthday of duduk player Djivan Kasparyan. We visited the Genocide Memorial, which is dedicated to the more than one million Armenians who died in 1915.”

He added, “The Turks deny the genocide, and Britain and the United States haven’t properly acknowledged it. I hope that happens. As with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa, you need to air issues and accept what happened in the past before you are free to move on.”

Gabriel, 59, has won Grammy Awards in 1989, 1992, 1993, 1995, and 2008 for his work. He received the Nobel Peace Laureates’ Man of Peace Award in 2006 and was named Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience in 2008.

Also in 2008, Time magazine chose him as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

March 11, 2009
What Were Armenian Officials Thinking, If They Were Thinking at all?

[email protected]

Sent: Tuesday, March 10, 2009 4:25 AM

Two shocking announcements made by Yerevan officials have deeply troubled Armenians worldwide.

The first statement was made by Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan in Tsakhkadzor, Armenia on February 21, during an international economic forum — “Outlook for International Economic Cooperation: Problems and Solutions.” The conference was attended by high-ranking officials and businessmen from Russia, Bulgaria, Iran and many other countries.

In his speech titled, “International Economic Cooperation: New Policy,” the Prime Minister invited the participation of Russia and Turkey in the construction of a new nuclear power plant in Armenia. He said that the multi-billion-dollar project had not only economic but also political significance. The existing power plant, located near Yerevan, was commissioned in 1976. Several international organizations as well as neighboring Turkey have been pressing for the closure of the Medzamor power plant for several years, citing safety concerns. The new power plant is expected to be operational in 2016.

Turkish leaders have not yet responded to Mr. Sargsyan’s invitation. However, according to Russian sources, Ankara is said to be interested. An unidentified Turkish spokesman was quoted by Nezavisimaya Gazeta as stating: “The government of Turkey is anticipating an official appeal on participation in the atomic power plant from Armenian official circles. Only after that, the Turkish side may consider the prospect of participating in the project and announce its decision. If all the issues involved are complied with, Yerevan’s proposal may be accepted.”

Several Armenian analysts have raised serious concerns about involving Turkey in such a sensitive project. Some pointed out the risk to Armenia’s national security, given Turkey’s historical enmity. Other commentators brought up the total lack of experience of Turkish companies in constructing nuclear power plants. Ara Nranyan, an Armenian parliament member representing the ARF, a junior member of the governing coalition, stated that his party opposes Turkey’s participation in the new nuclear power plant and views it as “damaging to Armenia’s interests.”

How can Armenian officials offer a role in constructing a nuclear power plant to a country that denies the Genocide, refuses to establish diplomatic relations with Armenia, sets up a blockade to destroy its economy, and provides political and military support to Azerbaijan in the Artsakh (Karabagh) conflict?

The second disturbing development is an invitation by Armenian officials to Turkey’s Foreign Minister to attend the Black Sea Economic Conference (BSEC) on April 16-17, just days before the 94th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Armenia’s six-month rotating chairmanship of BSEC ends on April 30.

Armenians were further irritated by a report in the Turkish newspaper “Today’s Zaman” that “Armenia has rescheduled a foreign ministerial meeting of Black Sea countries, apparently as a goodwill gesture to ensure Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babajan will be among the participants.” Zaman reported that Armenian authorities had moved the date of the BSEC meeting “from the previously announced April 29 to April 16. The shift is significant because April 29 is only a few days after April 24.”

To add insult to injury, Zaman quoted unnamed Turkish officials as stating that Babajan has not confirmed his attendance, and that his participation depended on “Armenia’s commitment to the ongoing rapprochement process and the course of closed-door talks with Armenia.”

Turkish officials make frequent statements about “rapprochement” with Armenia in order to give the false impression that the two countries are reconciling with each other, thus hoping that the Obama administration and the U.S. Congress would not take any action on the Armenian Genocide.

While Ankara officials are constantly bombarding Washington with such fake messages, the Armenian side stays astonishingly silent, giving credence to Turkish misrepresentations which are intended to undermine the prospects of any U.S. declaration on the Armenian Genocide.

In a rare display of responsiveness, Tigran Balayan, the acting spokesman of the Armenian Foreign Ministry, issued a statement denying that the BSEC conference was rescheduled to accommodate Turkish concerns. Mr. Balayan, however, provided no explanation as to why the conference was not held before the month of April.

It is hard to believe that the Armenian government would invite the Turkish Foreign Minister to Armenia just one week before April 24. Mr. Babajan, a Genocide denialist and high-ranking official of a hostile country that is blockading Armenia, should never be welcomed in Yerevan, unless he intends to place a wreath at the Armenian Genocide Memorial Monument and offers an apology to the Armenian people!

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March 10, 2009