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The BFCA Fabius calls on a statement of the Ambassador of France to the USA

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arton106993-480x278January 12, 2015, France’s ambassador in Washington, giving an interview to Andrea Mitchell of NBC News, entitled “Why does France allows the provocations of anti-Muslim cartoons while laws in France say you can not deny the Holocaust and the Armenian genocide. “

What, Gerard Araud, Ambassador of France to the USA, said: “In fact, on the Armenian genocide, there is no law on the denial of the Armenian genocide. There is one law on Holocaust denial because it is not an opinion. The Holocaust took place. So you know, you do not express an opinion when you say that the Holocaust did not happen, it’s a fact. But apart from the Holocaust, everything is permitted. Of course, if there is no defamation against a person. “

At the “result of these more than clumsy statements of the Ambassador of France to the USA, Mr. Gerard Araud on MSNBC January 12, 2015 to consider the Armenian Genocide as an opinion that could deny era, the French Office for the Cause Armenian wrote a protest letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, Laurent Fabius.

In the US, the NAFC has simultaneously launched a protest campaign calling with the Embassy of France in Washington. “Informs us BFCA.

Armenian Ambassador Confronts Azeri Counterpart in Argentine Media

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vahagn-melikianArmenia’s Ambassador to Argentina Vahagn Melikian

BUENOS AIRES (Agencia Prensa Armenia)—The current Armenian Ambassador to Argentina, Vahagn Melikian, sent a letter to Clarin, the largest newspaper in Argentina, about the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, in response to a letter published by the Ambassador of Azerbaijan, Mammad Ahmadzada.

“The Ambassador of Azerbaijan confuses his mission and believes his goal in Argentina is to deny and correct the opinions of journalists and political analysts about the situation and the prospects for peace in the South Caucasus,” says Melikian in his response.

“It is very difficult to define Azerbaijan as a democratic state. From the first years of independence to the present the presidency has been passed from father to son. The free press is persecuted systematically. The opposition leaders are political regime prisoners. The petrodollars of the Caspian Sea got to the head of a leadership without ideological support and despised by his own people, to whom they prohibit to freely express themselves.”

“The vice of lying, distorting and misrepresenting the historical truth has become an inseparable part of the machinery of official propaganda of Azerbaijan,” concludes the Armenian ambassador.

In early December, Ahmadzada sent a letter to the newspaper criticizing an article written by the head of the International section in Clarín, Marcelo Cantelmi, a journalist that had already been victim of the persecution of the Azerbaijani government in August 2013, when he was added to the country’s blacklist and banned from entering Azerbaijan. In the article, Ahmadzada said that Armenia has a “repressive regime of military-oligarchic dictatorship” and that Nagorno Karabakh “is an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan.”

This was followed by two responses of Vahagn Melikian and Mario Nalpatian, Vice President of the Socialist International and member of the Bureau of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, which were subsequently answered by Ahmadzada, all published by Clarin.

Richard Mills confirmed as next US Ambassador to Armenia

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new-us-ambassador-armeniaThe U.S. Senate confirmed Richard Mills as a next Ambassador to Armenia, Ambassador John Heffern tweeted.

The Senate also confirmed Robert Cekuta as a next ambassador to Azerbaijan.

Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group James Warlick also congratulated the confirmation of new ambassadors.

“Both are career diplomats and our very best. #Nkpeace,” he tweeted.

Mills worked in Beirut, Malta, Paris, Dublin, Islamabad, Riyadh and London. In early 90s he also worked as a desk officer for the newly independent Armenia and Azerbaijan, followed by a tour as a political officer at the U.S. Consulate in St. Petersburg, Russia.

His foreign languages are French and Russian.

Algerian Ambassador presents credentials to Armenian President

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algerian-ambassadorSmail Allaoua, newly appointed Ambassador of Algeria to Armenia, on Friday presented his credentials to Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, the presidential press service reported.

The Armenian President congratulated the Ambassador on his appointment and expressed the hope that during his tenure he will direct his professional skills and great experience to strengthening the relationship between Armenia and Algeria.

Serzh Sargsyan underscored that Armenia attaches great importance to maintaining political dialogue and contacts with the Arab world, including Algeria, and is ready to explore opportunities for comprehensive cooperation. In the President’s words, as an observer state, Armenia’s involvement in the work of the Arab League stimulates collaboration as well.

Serzh Sargsyan and Ambassador Allaoua agreed that the Armenian and Arab peoples are bound together with an age-old friendship, which has laid down the foundation to successfully develop interstate relations between Armenia and Arab countries. They considered the current level of collaboration between Armenia and Algeria unsatisfying and underscored that there is great potential for boosting cooperation over common approaches and supporting each other both in bilateral format and within international organizations, and they need to work hard toward that direction. In the Algerian Ambassador’s words, one of such common approaches is the right of peoples to self-determination. The interlocutors also stressed the need for concerted efforts to respond to new challenges facing our rapidly changing world.

Serzh Sargsyan wished Ambassador Allaoua success in his responsible mission.

Libya calls back ambassador from Turkey

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ANKARA

Libya’s Parliament has called back its ambassador from Turkey.

Quoting an unnamed source, the Dubai-based broadcaster Al Arabiya reported Sept. 2 that the Libyan Foreign Ministry accused President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of interfering with Libya’s internal affairs after saying the relocation of Libya’s Parliament to Tobruk was “unacceptable.”

Sources from the Turkish Foreign Ministry have confirmed the Libyan ambassador is on his way back to the North African country; however, it is not clear whether he was recalled permanently as a diplomatic rebuke or for temporary consultations.

“There is no direct information on such a move that has been conveyed to our side, the Foreign Ministry, or by the Libyan officials,” a Turkish diplomat, speaking under the customary condition of anonymity, told Hürriyet Daily News on Sept. 3.

“There is an obvious disagreement between the previous Parliament and the new Parliament of Libya over the issue, while noting the previous Parliament is against calling the ambassador back to the country,” the source added.

Currently, Turkey has no ambassadors in Syria, Egypt and Israel, as bilateral relations between Ankara and the aforementioned countries have become strained over the past three years. In July, Turkey also removed all of its diplomatic personnel from Libya, citing security risks as the main reason for the move.

Öztürk Yılmaz, Turkey’s consul general in the Iraqi city of Mosul, was taken captive by militants belonging to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on June 10, along with 48 Turkish citizens.

September/03/2014

New Armenian envoy to U.S. hands credentials to Obama

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The new Armenian ambassador to the U.S. Tigran Sargsyan handed his credentials to President Barack Obama Monday, July 14.

Armenian Envoy to USAt the ceremony, the envoy hailed the effectiveness of the Armenia-U.S. ties, pledging to contribute to further development of the bilateral relations.

The U.S. President, in turn, expressed confidence that the ambassador will put his experience to best use in helping to expand bilateral ties. Obama welcomed cooperation with Armenia in the framework of peacemaking missions, strengthening of democracy and economic development.

He also gave high assessment to Armenia’s efforts to achieve peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the foreign ministry press service reported.

In early April, the vice speaker of the parliament Eduard Sharmazanov announced resignation of Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan.

Sharmazanov said Sargsyan submitted resignation a month ago, however the President insisted that the PM should not leave the post unless the Constitutional Court rules on the controversial pension reform.

In a Facebook post, Sargsyan said it was a well-considered decision while Sharmazanov said personal issues were involved as well.

Tigran Sargsyan occupied the Prime Minister’s post from April 2008 to April 2013.

From 1998 to 2008 he served as the chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia.

Obama nominates Richard Mills for US Ambassador to Armenia

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July 11, 2014 | 12:28

President Barack Obama on Thursday nominated Richard M. Mills, Jr. as his pick to become the US Ambassador to Armenia, the White House announced, Asbarez reported.

218697If confirmed by the Senate, Mills will replace current ambassador John Heffern.

Mills is currently Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy Beirut, where he began his tour in 2012.

Earlier he worked in Malta, Paris, Dublin, Islamabad, Riyadh and London. In early 90s he also worked as a desk officer for the newly independent Armenia and Azerbaijan, followed by a tour as a political officer at the U.S. Consulate in St. Petersburg, Russia.

His foreign languages are French and Russian.

 

Conditions in Azerbaijan ‘Worst Ever,’ Says Former Ambassador

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BAKU—“I have been engaged in U.S. – Azerbaijani relations since 1992 and I haven’t seen a situation worse than the one that currently exists in Azerbaijan,” former U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Richard Kauzlarich (1994-1997) said when kauzlarich US Ambasadoranswering questions from the Azerbaijani news agency Turan.

Richard Kauzlarich expressed serious concerns about the political situation in Azerbaijan, pointing to new facts on persecutions of journalists and political activists. Meanwhile, dozens of American diplomats, congressmen and other officials are going to participate in a conference called “Vision for the Future” held in Washington on April 29-30. Some observers believe that this is a PR event sponsored by the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), Turan reports.

According to Kauzlarich, the American Co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, James Warlick, is being criticized in Azerbaijan, while U.S. Congressmen are accused of espionage. At the same time, the Azerbaijani authorities are financing an Azerbaijani-American conference to be held in Washington “to support the U.S.-Azerbaijan strategic partnership.”

Referring to the arrest of journalist Rauf Mirkadirov in Azerbaijan, Kauzlarich said the arrest of this prominent independent journalist after his forced deportation from Turkey, raised serious concerns among human rights groups all around the World.
Rauf Mirkadirov’s arrest for Kauzlarich “is the last link in the downstream actions of Aliyev’s regime aimed to suppress political dissidence, freedom of media and any attempts to engage in positive contacts between Armenians and Azerbaijanis.”

“The regime is not afraid of Russia or Iran but of its own citizens … [The Azerbaijani authorities] even prohibit hotels to host events organized by NGOs that criticize the regime. This is all further proof that the regime doesn’t care about foreign reactions to the growing suppression of the Azerbaijani people,” Kauzlarich emphasized.

As Turan notes, it is expected that at the upcoming U.S –Azerbaijani conference, six key U.S. Senators and the Deputy Assistant of the Secretary of State for Energy Diplomacy will make speeches at the special session on “Eurasian Energy Corridor.” At the same time, 20 other congressmen will discuss the U.S.-Azerbaijani strategic partnership in the Caspian region.

U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Richard Morningstar and the deputy assistant of the Secretary of Defense Evelyn Farkas, along with several American scholars and an Azerbaijani member of parliament will make speeches at a panel discussion titled, “Azerbaijan, A Reliable Friend at the Most Important Global Crossroads.” None of those discussions are dedicated to the political situation in Azerbaijan.

Recently, the embassy of Azerbaijan has hired former member of Massachusetts’ House of Representatives Bill Delahunt to work on the organization of strategy and relations with the legislators, on relations with the U.S. government, communication with U.S. officials, and, perhaps, also with the American mass media, Turan reports.

Rauf Mirkadirov, a columnist for the Azerbaijani newspaper “Zerkalo,” was arrested on April 18 in Ankara on charges of expiration of documents. On April 19, Mirkadirov was deported to Azerbaijan, where he was immediately arrested and put in custody by the MNS on suspicion of treason. On April 21, the court in Baku sanctioned his arrest for three months. Mirkadirov is accused of cooperating with special services of Armenia; specifically he is accused of transferring state secrets, including information about the deployment of Azerbaijani armed forces to Armenia during 2008-2009.