Will Armenia Withdraw from the Protocols?

The buzz in the news these days is Armenias contention of possibly withdrawing from the Armenia-Turkish protocols and with that there have been a quite a few opinions out of Baku on the subject.

The following is an interview that came from a “political expert” who if you ask me is just a propagandist and has no idea or foundation to draw any conclusions as he has, since he clearly lacks a real understanding of what protocols are and their legal implications.

In addition to this, he also has a very selective memory when it comes to our concerns in terms of Genocide recognition and our desire to make sure history does not repeat itself.

I have made some notes to the reader within the body of the article below in Italics.


Today.Az » Politics » Political expert: Withdrawal from Zurich protocols will be Armenian-style hara-kiri

18 December 2009 [11:56] - Today.Az

Day.Az interview with renowned Azerbaijani political expert Vafa Guluzude.


Day.Az: Armenia is going to make amendments to laws which will enable the country to withdraw its signatures from international treaties. Armenian officials recently announced that if Turkey delays ratification of the Zurich protocols, Armenia may withdraw from them. In your opinion, what is the reasons for these statements?


[Ara’s note: “Protocols” are not “treaties” and do not hold anyone responsible to any obligation. Protocols are an understanding between two parties and are also in many cases intended to set the stage for future treaties between said parties. One can not be sanctioned for violating the terms of protocols.]


Vafa Guluzade: The reason is a turkophobia inherent in Armenia. Yerevan made sure that the Turkish parliament either may delay or not ratify the Armenian-Turkish protocols at all. So, it decided to move back. I think that a move by the Armenia parliament to review withdrawal of signature from the Zurich protocols will prove absolutely senseless and unnecessary step. Once Armenia takes this step, it will lose a chance to resume relations with Turkey. It means that Armenia will “dig a grave” for itself. This will be a kind of Armenian-style hara-kiri.



[ Ara’s note: In my opinion, Turkey has no intention to ratify the protocols and would like to see them in limbo as it has with over one hundred other protocols it has not ratified so that as long as it is awaiting to be ratified, the United States and other governments will not recognize the Armenian Genocide in fear of spoiling the potential signing of the protocols and possible good relations they were intended to nurture.]


Do you believe Armenia’s willingness to withdraw from Zurich protocols had an impact on Armenian Diaspora’s radical position towards the Armenia-Turkey rapprochement?

Armenian Diaspora is a special conglomerate, who lives by memories of 1915. The world has seen dramatic changes since then.

There is a very strange situation. The number of Russians the German fascists killed during the World War II was ten times more than current population of Armenia. The elite of the Turkish army was destroyed during the course of the many Russian-Turkish wars, in particular, in the Sarikamish battle. Nevertheless, today, Germany and Russia on the one side, and Turkey and Russia on the other side build a new relationship not looking at past.

However, the Armenian diaspora lives with memories of far-fetched "genocide" in the Ottoman Empire even after 100 years. Neither the empire nor people of that era exist any more. But Armenians do not still forget the times when their betrayal of their country (Ottoman Empire) and taking side of Russian troops provoked an adequate response by the Ottoman Empire. Until now, the Armenian Diaspora believes that hatred towards Turks should unite Armenian people and make it "great". It's just some sort of disease of Armenian psychology. This is quite an unhealthy way of thinking that will ultimately lead to collapse of the Armenian state which is at odds with its neighbors.


[ Ara’s note: I guess Mr. Guluzade was not around during the visit of Turkey’s President (who at the time was Prime Minister) Turgut Ozal, who in a speech he made in May of 1992, which took place on his last trip to Baku before he died, blatantly threatened the Armenians by saying: “Let those Armenians not forget what we did to them. Let them behave themselves or else....” What does Mr. Guluzade mean by empire or people who don’t “exist any more”? If you ask me and according to Turkey’s former President, the statement of “we did” clearly means that as of May of 1992, Turkey is the same empire and same people that the Armenians have to be very careful in dealing with.]


If Armenia had not occupied Azerbaijan’s lands, our region would be the most prosperous in the world. Today Armenia wants to take advantage of Turkey and reopen borders not returning Azerbaijan’s occupied territories and not giving up its hostility towards Turks. So, this is Armenia’s absolutely schizophrenic approach to the problems in our region. It will further feud with its neighbors. Even foreign owners of Armenia will be forced to think over this senseless policy.


[ Ara’s note: If Armenia did not liberate the lands they hold today, Azerbaijan would have wiped off the map all the Armenians of Artsakh and along with Turkey would be chipping away today at connecting Azerbaijan with Turkey and taking with that Northern Iran (which they refer to as Southern Azerbaijan), thus wiping out Armenia all together in the process. And in terms of Armenians desire to “reopen boarders”, this is not what Armenia wants, it wants for Turkey to lift the blockade which is a violation of international law, nothing more, nothing less.]


Armenia avoids linking opening of borders with Turkey with resolution ot the Karabakh conflict. How will Armenia’ possible withdrawal from the Zurich protocols impact resolving the Karabakh problem?

I think Armenia plays not a pivotal role in the Karabakh issue. Russia and the United States play the main role. Pace of the conflict resolution depends on their attitude. Unfortunately, I do not see any real progress in settlement of the Karabakh problem. It may appear only after geopolitical situation in the world and in our region changes.

In your opinion, what relations will Armenian and Turkish Diaspora have in the "neutral ground" (in the U.S. and other countries)?

I think everything will depend on the United States and its interests. If Washington is interested in making the South Caucasus a region of peace and its ally, it will pave a way for return of occupied Azerbaijani territories by Armenia, normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations and opening of borders between the countries. If Washington is interested in the status quo in the South Caucasus, the inactive OSCE Minsk Group to continue to act in its old format.

I do not know which option the U.S. has chosen. But I know one thing for sure- if Washington keeps on acting like this, America will never achieve "peace" in our region.

Concerning the Armenian diaspora in the United States, its representatives are very strange citizens of America. They dedicate their lives to recognition of the far-fetched "Armenian genocide". The actions of the Armenian Diaspora harm the United States and American interests. Thus, it seems that the U.S. citizens (Armenian diaspora) act to detriment of the state, which is extremely interested in close relations with Turkey as its strategic ally in the region.

Z. Ahmadov

URL: http://www.today.az/news/politics/58316.html

Edik Baghdasaryan Honored with “Defender of Armenia Freedom” Award by U.S. Ambassador

www.hetq.am
[ 2009/12/10 | 22:55 ]
society media


On December 10, United States Ambassador to Armenia, Marie L. Yovanovitch, conferred the “Defender of Armenia Freedom” award to Mr. Edik Baghdasaryan, “Hetq Online” Chief Editor and President of the “Investigative Journalists” NGO.

During the reception following the award ceremony at the U.S. Embassy, Ambassador Yovanovitch noted that, “Due to the unprecedented work of Edik Baghdasaryan, it has been possible to uncover cases of corruption, human rights violations and human trafficking, today’s version of slavery. At the “Investigative Journalists Conference” last year in Norway, particular attention was paid to a series of articles that Mr. Baghdasaryan wrote regarding the exploitation of Armenia’s natural resources by a former top ranking Armenian government official.”

Ambassador Yovanovitch stressed that the defense of human rights is a step by step process in which all must participate and demand transparent governance from their elected officials.

Edik Baghdasaryan stated that he would have preferred not to receive such an award and would like to see a world where such awards didn’t exist, “since it is extremely difficult to sit and ponder the fact that people are being persecuted and arrested in your own country merely for their political convictions, when you reflect that 30% of children are malnourished and go to bed hungry. I would really like to underline this last matter and urge our NGO’s to pay specific attention to the plight of the children. I would go so far to say that child malnourishment is the biggest challenge facing Armenia today. As proof, let me just point out that 40% of all army conscripts have some sort of malady. These kids are the ones going without.”

The “Hetq” chief editor argued that as a result of this problem the country would be facing much larger challenges 5-10 years down the road. Thus, he urged greater attention to be paid to the fact that many kids cannot enjoy a normal childhood, a normal school life and receive adequate nourishment.

“Sadly, in Armenia today, the same situation holds true when it comes to other rights as well, starting from environmental rights to the right to a decent education. I never blame society for the state of affairs. It is those higher up the ladder that I hold accountable since there are some problems that could be resolved in an hour with the stroke of a pen. There are many such problems awaiting such resolution. The authorities must possess the political will to act in order to change and reform the situation as quickly as possible,” Edik Baghdasaryan stated to audience members.

He added that it was an unfortunate fact of life that elections in Armenia are a sham and that voters cannot possibly exercise their right to political franchise.

“This is the most basic of issues. It thus behooves us all to seek out those individuals, wherever they may exist, with whom it might be able to change certain things. The attempt must be made,” concluded Mr. Baghdasaryan.

Armenian government trying to come to terms with problem of internet porn effects on youth

Many years ago, we tried to bring to the attention to the Armenian Government and public at large the problem internet access in schools provided by a program funded by the United States Government that was giving children free access to porn to almost no avail.

Well it seems now some of the effects of this exposure is surfacing and counter measures on an official level are going to be implemented.

I'm not sure if Psychosexual education in kindergarten is the answer, but at very least those in power finally recognize the problem and understand that there is a need for change.


Psychosexual education to become compulsory subject in kindergarten and school curricula

12.12.2009 19:36 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Psychosexual education should become a compulsory subject in kindergarten and school curricula, according to Ph.D. Candidate of Sexology Marat Zakaryan, Assistant in Sexology Chair at Yerevan State Medical University. `The absence of such education causes deviations like homosexuality etc. This is a problem that should be resolved on state level,' he told today a news conference.

At that, he stressed the importance of raising awareness among teachers.

`The country's main problem is the existence of a great number of poor quality books whose accessibility disorients teenagers. Free access to the Internet can also have harmful effect,' Mr. Zakaryan said, stressing the importance of starting psychosexual education at pre-school age.

FOOL ME ONCE, SHAME ON YOU. FOOL ME TWICE, SHAME ON ME.

Could we hear from Barak Obama's mouth the 'G' word? I really don't think the protocols will be ratified anytime soon and would go so far that it will take much longer than April 24, 2010.


BARACK OBAMA: IT WILL BE VERY DIFFICULT TO HINDER ADOPTION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION BY US CONGRESS IF ARMENIAN-TURKISH PROTOCOLS ARE NOT RATIFIED

ArmInfo
2009-12-09 21:12:00

ArmInfo. US President Barack Obama called on the Grand National Assembly of Turkey to immediately ratify the Armenian-Turkish Protocols. According to the Turkish mass media, Obama said about it during the meeting with Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan on December 7 in the White House.

As the source reports quoting Hurriyet newspaper and DunyaBulteni.Net site, B. Obama recalled that the Resolution on the Armenian Genocide was multiply included in the agenda of the Congress. According to B.

Obama, it will be very difficult to hinder adoption of the Armenian Genocide Resolution by US Congress if the Armenian-Turkish Protocols are not ratified. In his turn, R. Erdogan said that the major part of his party's deputies are not overjoyed at ratification of the Protocols because of the Karabakh problem unsolved. According to him, the Armenian- Turkish Protocols will not be ratified if include them in the agenda of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey today.

Olympic Champ Albert Azaryan – “I never cursed out the president”

www.hetq.am
[ 2009/12/11 | 12:50 ] society
Arman Gharibyan

Minutes ago, Olympic gymnastics champion Albert Azaryan, publicly refuted charges that he ever mumbled profanities regarding President Serzh Sargsyan. An evidently emotional Azaryan was responding to a video clip that recently appeared on the Internet showing that the Olympics champion left the podium, after praising the president, and mumbled some expletives about Sargsyan.

“I sincerely can say that I feel terrible right now. Why would I ever defame our leader? I saw the internet clip and what I say is that if Serzh Sargsyan became president our situation would improve…and then I suddenly shake my head and…Such a thing isn’t possible,” said Mr. Azaryan, a gold medal winner in the 1956 and 1960 Olympics representing the Soviet Union.

“If I actually said such a thing, it should have been exposed two years ago. Someone is evidently out to get me and smear my name. The people behind this should be severely punished so that they understand that such a thing isn’t possible,” stated the 80 year-old Azaryan, arguing that the video clip is doctored.

He confessed that he doesn’t remember when the tape was made or by whom. “I’m now looking into the matter and se who distributed this video.

"Go, Armenia!" in and out of frame

December 8, 2009
7or.am
December 08, 2009 23:25

http://www.7or.am/hy/news/2009-12-08/9001/


Yesterday evening a video was uploaded to Youtube which is footage of the 2008 presidential election campaign where actor Hrant Tokhatyan and Olympic champion Albert Azaryan urge the electorate to cast their votes for Serzh Sargsyan, the candidate from the Republican Party of Armenia.

This very footage, however, never made it to the final cut. Albert Azaryan and Hrant Tokhatian literally cuss out Serzh Sargsyan, then the prime minister and presidential candidate, and Yervand Zakharyan, the former mayor of Yerevan.

It needs to be mentioned that after becoming president Serzh Sargsyan appointed Zakharyan head of the state committee of the real estate cadastre. He still works there.

7or.am tried to find out who had uploaded the video material and what purpose it served. However, we've been unable to reach Samvel Farmanyan, the Armenian president's press secreteray, and Hrant Tokhatian. Our phone calls were not answered by the press office of the state committee of real estate either.

As for Albert Azaryan, he told 7or.am that it's only a provocation:

"How could Albert Azaryan possibly cuss out his president like that? It's all made up. It was intentionally done to compromise me. Those fools' mouths need to be shut up. I'd like you to know that I will never say such a thing," assured us A.Azaryan.

Eduard Sharmazanov, press secretary of the Republican Party of Armenia, said that he doesn't comment on such negligible things like who uploaded what on youtube.

"I voice commentary on political statements and actions," said Sharmazanov adding that he was unaware who were involved in the filming crew in charge of producing video clips for the presidential campaign.

He, nevertheless, mentioned that Serzh Sargsyan's pre-election headquarters organized the campaign. By the way, the leader of Serzh Sargsyan's pre-election campaign was Hovik Abrahamyan, the incumbent speaker of the Armenian parliament. As far as the filming crew is concerned, it was Sharm. We will be trying to find out how that footage appeared online and whether all other people filmed within the project were campaigning for Serzh Sargsyan against their will.

The speaker of the Republican Party has shared his opinion on what purpose all this serves.

- I wouldn't want to go that far and oppose the second and the third presidents. And I would advise those people who set them against each other and want to get bonuses or to hike up their ratings not to play such dangerous games and, as the saying goes, don't fish in muddy waters. The Republican Party has worked with Robert Kocharyan for 10 years very successfully and normally within the coalition framework. And today. along with Srerzh Sargsyan, we realize our policy.

Go, Armenia!

Albert Azaryan: I think that after his election our Armenian people can be in a very good condition. And the purpose of this struggle is not only, say, Serzh Sargsyan’s election… Ah, fuck Serzh's mouth44…

Hrant Tokhatyan: As for the army - we have it. As for the city, it still needs to be created… Er… no, the thing about Yerevan didn’t work… Well, it won’t do. Yervand Zakharian is an a faggot (gyot)! How else should I put it. А faggot is a faggot? Let’s write it down like this: the mayor is a faggot. Big deal, let this one be that way.

ARMENIA AND UAE TO SIGN HUMAN TRAFFICKING MEMORANDUM

Tert.am
17:07 ~U 04.12.09

From December 5-7, United Arab Emirates Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs Anwar Gargash will visit Armenia.

Planned during the visit are meetings with His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan; RA Vice Prime Minister and RA Minister of Territorial Administration Armen Gevorgyan; and RA Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian.

After the meeting, the ministers will sign a Mutual Understanding Memorandum on cooperation in the fight against human trafficking between the UAE Human Trafficking Committee and the Republic of Armenia council that deals with issues of human trafficking, announces the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs.


UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs due in Armenia

armradio.am
05.12.2009 11:15

UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Mohammed Gargash is arriving in Armenia today.

Within the framework of the visit the Minister is expected to meet the Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Territorial Administration Armen Gevorgyan and Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian.

The delegation headed by Anwar Gargash will visit Tsitsernakaberd to lay a wreath at the memorial to the Armenian Genocide victims.

The Foreign Ministers of Armenia and the United Arab Emirates will sign a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in fighting human trafficking. The signing ceremony will be followed by a joint press conference.

Turkish Officials Admit To Playing Games With Protocols

By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier


With each passing day, the games Turkish officials have been playing with the Protocols are becoming more obvious and ridiculous!

Throughout the long months of negotiations, I repeatedly warned that Turkish officials were not sincere in their announced intention of opening the border with Armenia and establishing diplomatic relations. By acting as if they were seeking reconciliation with Armenia, Turkish leaders simply wanted to prevent further acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide by third countries, extract maximum concessions from Armenia on Artsakh (Karabagh), and block future territorial demands from Turkey.

Turkey first dragged out the negotiations until right before April 24 to preclude Pres. Obama from keeping his promise on recognizing the Armenian Genocide. The Protocols were finally signed on October 10, to ensure that Pres. Sargsyan does go to Turkey to attend the soccer match between the national teams of the two countries.

Meanwhile, Turkey’s leaders were repeatedly announcing that they would not open the border and their Parliament would not ratify the Protocols until Armenia returned Artsakh to Azerbaijan -- even though there is no such requirement in the signed documents. More than a month has now passed since the signing of the Protocols in Zurich, but there are no signs that the Turkish Parliament would ratify them anytime soon.

Just before signing the Protocols, Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu traveled to Azerbaijan to pledge once again that they had no intention of opening the border with Armenia until Artsakh was returned to Azerbaijan.

As if these outrageous pre-conditions were not sufficient to shake Armenians’ confidence in the Protocols, Turkish officials made no attempt to hide their deceptive designs.

The October 5th issue of the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet quoted Foreign Ministry officials in Ankara as stating: “The formation of a joint history commission and re-opening the border are included in the documents. However, they can be put into effect only after a solution is found to the Karabakh issue. Without a solution to the Karabakh conflict, these protocols cannot be transferred to Parliament. Even then, Parliament would not adopt it. So, relax.”

To convince the Azerbaijanis that Turkey had no plans to ratify the Protocols, Turkish Foreign Ministry officials boasted about their success in deceiving Europeans on another agreement: “Turkey had to sign a protocol with the European Union on the Cyprus issue. What happened? Did Turkey open its seaports and airports to Cypriot vessels and airplanes, after four years?”

We now have solid evidence that these Turkish officials were not making an idle boast when they indicated that signing an agreement means nothing to them. In the Oct. 25 issue of “Today’s Zaman,” commentator Ercan Yavuz cited dozens of examples of agreements signed by Turkey, but not ratified, after the passage of many years! At present, there are 146 agreements with 95 countries, including Argentina, Azerbaijan, Libya, Slovenia, Sweden, and Syria, awaiting the approval of the Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Commission. The oldest -- an agreement signed 26 years ago between Iraq and Turkey -- is still pending ratification by the Turkish Parliament. Many other important agreements have been signed since 2004, but still not ratified!

Given the Turkish record of not taking seriously commitments made on behalf of their country, it should not come as a surprise to anyone that the Turkish Parliament would not ratify the Armenia-Turkey Protocols anytime soon. Of course, by not ratifying the Protocols, Turkey would be breaking its written pledge of August 31, to ratify the Protocols in a “timely” manner.

Interestingly, Armenia’s Foreign Minster Edward Nalbandian, in a recent interview with Reuters, asked: “Why sign the Protocols, if they are not going to be ratified?” The answer is obvious: The Turkish government is interested in creating a positive image for itself in front of the international community by appearing to want “good neighborly relations” with Armenia, without actually taking any concrete steps to do so.

Armenia’s officials are sadly mistaken if they believe that Turkey would come under intense international pressure, should it not ratify the protocols. Time and again, Turkey has proven its immunity from pressures applied by other countries, including the United States, as was the case on the eve of the Iraq war when Turkey refused to allow U.S. Troops to cross its borders to enter Iraq.

If pressured from outside, Turkish leaders would simply blame Armenia, by pointing out that it has not made any concessions on Artsakh, thereby making it impossible for the Turkish Parliament to ratify the Protocols.

Armenian officials have repeatedly stated that the Artsakh negotiations are unrelated to the Protocols and that the Armenian Parliament would not ratify the Protocols before Turkey, adding that they would scrap the agreement, if Turkey failed to act in a “timely” manner.

It remains to be seen whether Armenia would keep its pledge of not making any territorial concessions on Artsakh; and should Turkey refuse to ratify the Protocols after the lapse of several months, would Armenia’s leaders have the courage to declare the signed Protocols null and void?

Marashlian: Accepting the History Sub-Commission Is Like Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory

By Levon Marashlian

The dangers of the sub-commission on the "historical dimension" are so obvious that it is difficult to understand why so many supporters of the Armenian-Turkish protocols do not see them. Some Armenians who support the sub-commission do acknowledge the risks, but they also see the possible benefits; some say it will provide an opportunity to discuss consequences of the genocide, others say it may encourage more open debate within Turkey, while others say it may eventually lead Turkey closer to recognition. Supporters do not seem to realize that the chances of benefiting from these possibilities pale in comparison to the probability of suffering the damage caused by the dangers.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian emphatically declared "No, and once again, no," to accusations that "we are calling into question the fact of the Armenian Genocide, that we are obstructing the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide." Nalbandian and other defenders of the sub-commission do not see that the Armenian government's willing participation in "an impartial and scientific examination of the historical records and archives," during which the other side will call into question the fact of the genocide, will create a misleading impression that will be skillfully manipulated.

One of the consequences will be that when independent scholars and diasporan organizations continue their work for genocide education and international recognition, it will become harder because the Turkish government and some third parties, armed with or misled by the appearance of progress being made, will have the excuse to say that recognition efforts are not necessary for now, since Yerevan is already talking directly to Ankara about resolving the issue. This has already happened, as when President Obama referenced the Ankara-Yerevan talks to justify reneging on his promise last April.

During meetings of the sub-commission, meanwhile, historians and other experts chosen by Yerevan will want to discuss the consequences of the genocide and will try to reject efforts by the "Turkish side" to engage in denial. And if a debate does take place, the "Armenian side" will probably prevail inside the meeting room. Nevertheless, the process can still be a victory for Turkey outside the room-so long as the process continues-because Turkey's central objective is not to reach a consensus that it was not a genocide, but simply to further distort and delay, to hinder the pursuit of international recognition as we near the year 2015. Turkey will try, but may not expect to "win" the academic argument in the sub-commission. And eventually Turkey might pay a little price in terms of public relations if its true intentions are exposed. Still, Turkey will have succeeded in obstructing-maybe for years-the increasingly successful momentum generated by decades of dedication, sacrifice, sound scholarship, and public advocacy.

Turkish journalist Mehmet Ali Birand's CNN TURK interview in 2005 with Yusuf Halacoglu, the then-president of the Turkish Historical Society, reflected the extent to which this momentum has been succeeding.

Birand, sometimes agitated during the discussion, exclaimed that although academic work on "the Armenian Question" should continue, the time has come to take "political steps, to make gestures, to shock." Halacoglu agreed: "We are not going to change international opinion regarding Armenian Genocide claims only by publishing documents and books. It is necessary to take more serious political steps, for example, by establishing a research commission in the United States, by taking steps that will create a shock." Halacoglu added that the approach Turkey has been using has not worked, and "if things continue this way, in the end we will lose."

Two months later, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a letter to then-Armenian President Robert Kocharian suggesting the establishment of a commission of historians. This "gesture" by Turkey confirmed that the writing of truthful history by Armenian, Turkish, American, Jewish, and other historians, along with the diaspora's advocacy of recognition, was making impressive advances. In this context, with Turkey's back against the wall, the recommendation to form a commission was a decision by an almost-desperate government to stall those advances, with a clever trap. And President Serge Sarkisian has walked right into it.

Levon Marashlian is a professor of history at Glendale Community College.