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Armenian Prime Minister calls for dialogue with opposition protesters

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Photo illustration by gagrule.net

Photo illustration by gagrule.net

YEREVAN (Reuters) – Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sarksyan, appointed this month after 10 years as president, called for immediate dialogue on Saturday with opposition protesters who accuse him of clinging to power and demand he step down.

Sarksyan’s call coincided with a ninth consecutive day of rallies by tens of thousands of opposition supporters demonstrating against his appointment.

“I’m deeply concerned by political developments in the country and call on MP Nikol Pashinyan to start a political dialogue in order to avoid irreversible losses,” Sarksyan said in a statement. “It should be done immediately.”

Pashinyan, an opposition MP and the leader of the protests, said it was “too late to talk to the government.”

“I’m calling on Serzh Sarksyan to accept our demand,” he told journalists.

Parliament voted on Tuesday to allow Sarksyan, who served as president of the small ex-Soviet republic from 2008 until this month, to become premier, in a job switch his opponents say show he wants to continue to wield power.

Under a revised constitution approved by a referendum in 2015, the prime minister now has the most power in Armenia, while the presidency has become largely ceremonial.

Sarksyan’s ally, Armen Sarkissian, was sworn in as president last week after being elected by parliament in March.

Opposition activists marched through the capital Yerevan on Saturday, waving national flags and chanting: “Make a stand, say no to Serzh.”

They blocked several streets in the center and staged sit-ins. Police had detained about 200 activists on Friday.

The Defense Ministry called on demonstrators to unblock streets around the ministry and to stop preventing movement of cars with the ministry’s number plates.

“Any such attempt will be strictly prevented,” the ministry said in a statement.

Armenia seceded from the Soviet Union in 1991 but remains dependent on Russia for aid and investment. Many Armenians accuse the government of corruption and mishandling an economy that has struggled to overcome the legacy of central planning.

Garo Paylan: We must open the path to dialogue on 1915 in Turkey

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Garo Paylan, the Turkish-Armenian lawmaker (People’s Democratic Party) who is in Yerevan this week as part of the Sixth Armenia-Diaspora Conference, on Friday reiterated his firm belief that Turkey will never bring itself to confronting its past unless it chooses the path towards building democracy.

“The Turkish parliament bans the use of ‘genocide’. But the word doesn’t matter at all given that we suffered the Great Massacres. What matters is to find the way towards building a dialogue with Turkey to speak openly of what happened in 1915. A crime of genocide which goes unpunished will regrettably continue also in future,” he told reporters.

Paylan said that despite the continuing policy of denial, the Armenians in Turkey keep insisting on their demand for laying the foundations of democracy in the country.

“My grandmother with whom I lived in the same house until I was ten, died without seeing justice. My father, who was looking for justice, also died. So two generations left us, and now we see the third and fourth generations struggle for justice. My belief is that only a democratic country can recognize the Genocide,” he said when asked to comment on the concerns that those are an attempt to delay the Genocide recognition for more centuries to come.

“We have many democratic friends in Turkey, also among members of [President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan’s [Justice and Democracy] Party, but they are voiceless now against the nationalists’ rising demands,” he added.

First ever Aurora dialogue to provide platform for humanitarian discussion

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f57162178db83a_57162178db871.thumbOn Saturday, April 23, 100 LIVES and the Aurora Prize will host the Aurora Dialogues – a series of insightful discussions between leading humanitarians, academics, philanthropists and media experts on some of today’s most pressing global challenges.
Through a series of keynote speeches, panel discussions and Q&A sessions, the Aurora Dialogues will encourage conversations that explore the importance of learning from the past, acting in the present, and fostering a better future. Discussion topics will include the state of humanitarian issues, the global refugee crisis, the role of women in the humanitarian community and the role of media in bringing humanitarian crises to the world’s attention, among others.
The Aurora Dialogues will allow the distinguished humanitarian guests who will be in Armenia for the events marking the presentation of the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity to exchange knowledge and views on the best ways to address these challenges. In keeping with the spirit of the Aurora Prize, the Aurora Dialogues will shine a light on the people who are working hard to address today’s atrocities in a real and substantial manner.
Discussions will be made available via live stream in English, French, Russian and Armenian.
100 LIVES Co-Founder and Aurora Prize Selection Committee Member Vartan Gregorian will open the Aurora Dialogues, welcoming guests and outlining the importance of the discussions.
The four primary Aurora Dialogues panel discussions will focus on:

• The Global State of Humanitarian Issues: The session will open with the findings of a specially commissioned survey, The Humanitarian Index. Conducted in six markets, the Humanitarian Index will reveal public attitudes towards humanitarian issues, priorities and accountability. The panel will then discuss topics informed by the research, including global perceptions on the refugee crisis, the responsibility to protect, support needs in the short- and medium-term, and long-term strategies for combatting humanitarian issues. Panel participants will analyze where global humanitarian “hot spots” are, and discuss what can be done to bring effective assistance to these areas.

• Saving the World’s Refugees, Syria and Beyond: Gareth Evans, President Emeritus of the International Crisis Group and Aurora Prize Selection Committee Member, will give a keynote speech on his pioneering work with the Responsibility to Protect commitment and his contributions to conflict prevention and resolution. The distinguished panel will then discuss the root causes of forced migration, assess what can be learnt from history, and discuss the ways in which the humanitarian community can work in collaboration with institutions to address these issues.

• The Role of Women in the International Humanitarian Community: Led by Former U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor and Ambassador to the United Nations, Nancy Soderberg, the panel will bring together a group of exceptional women with diverse expertise in the international humanitarian community. The session will assess women’s contribution to humanitarian discourse and the roles they can play in acting as agents for social change.

• Shining a Light on the Crisis (The Role of Media in the International Community): Led by former ABC anchor Ted Koppel, the panel will discuss the important role of media in covering humanitarian crises, reporting ‘back home’, and bringing events to a wider audience. Participants will exchange views on the role played by media in raising awareness of humanitarian issues, shaping public opinion, highlighting the need for urgent response, and driving efforts to confront bad actors. Discussion will also look into the evolving media landscape, and the role of social media and the 24-hour news-cycle in the media’s ability to raise awareness of humanitarian crises.
Participants at the Aurora Dialogues include:
• Marguerite Barankitse, Founder, Maison Shalom; Aurora Prize Finalist

• Joyce Barnathan, President, International Center for Journalists

• Dr. Shirin Ebadi, Human Rights Lawyer and Iran’s first female judge; Nobel Laureate; Aurora Prize Selection Committee Member

• Enrique Eguren, President, Protection International

• Gareth Evans, President Emeritus, International Crisis Group; Aurora Prize Selection Committee Member

• Dr. Leymah Gbowee, Liberian peace activist and women’s right advocate; Nobel Laureate; Aurora Prize Selection Committee Member

• Syeda Ghulam Fatima, General Secretary, Bonded Labour Liberation Front; Aurora Prize Finalist

• David Ignatius, Author; Columnist, The Washington Post

• Hina Jilani, Former United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Human Rights

Defenders; Aurora Prize Selection Committee Member

• Ted Koppel, Former ABC anchor

• Dr. Josephine Kulea, Founder and Executive Director, Samburu Girls Foundation

• Steve Kurkjian, Author; former Washington Bureau Chief and Founder of Investigative Column Spotlight,

The Boston Globe

• Dr. Edward Luck, Arnold A. Saltzman Professor of Professional Practice in International and Public Affairs; Director, Specialization in International Conflict Resolution, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University

• Dr. Steven Luckert, Senior Program Curator, Levine Institute for Holocaust Education, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

• Aryeh Neier, President Emeritus, Open Society Foundation

• David Tolbert, President, International Center for Transitional Justice

• Dr. James Smith, CEO and Founder, Aegis Trust

• Nancy Soderberg, Former U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor and Ambassador to the United Nations

• Gillian Sorensen, Board Member, International Rescue Committee; Senior Advisor, United Nations Foundation
The Aurora Dialogues will be live streamed in English, French, Russian and Armenian. Link to live stream and updates from the Aurora Dialogues and the overall weekend will be posted on the 100 LIVES and Aurora Prize media center and Aurora Prize social media sites. Follow the Aurora Dialogues and featured events on Twitter by searching #AuroraPrize and #AuroraDialogues.

Maja Gojković: Intensive Armenia-Serbia dialogue is taking place

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armenia serbiatYEREVAN. – Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan on Tuesday met with President Maja Gojković of the National Assembly of Serbia, who is in Armenia on an official visit.

Press Office of the Government of Armenia informed Armenian News-NEWS.am that the PM noted that it is indispensable to exert persistent efforts to make Armenian-Serbian bilateral ties grow deeper. In addition, Abrahamyan underscored the role of parliamentary diplomacy in the development of these relations.

Gojković likewise noted that the bilateral ties need to be strengthened, and added that an intensive Armenia-Serbia discourse is taking place.

Subsequently, the interlocutors exchanged views on the prospects for the development of economic cooperation..

Also, they reflected on collaboration between the two countries’ delegations at international organizations.

In addition, they discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process.

At the end of the talk, Hovik Abrahamyan expressed a conviction that Maja Gojković’s visit to Armenia will give new impetus to the intensification of Armenian-Serbian cooperation.

France Hosts Talks Between Armenia and Azerbaijan

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By SYLVIE CORBET

WireAP_5dd41a58299545f9b8128352c3d1924e_16x9_992The leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia restarted a dialogue Monday during a three-way meeting in Paris with French president Francois Hollande, in an effort to ease tensions in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region of the southern Caucasus.

Armenian President Serge Sarkisian and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev agreed Monday to exchange information on the persons who disappeared during the six-year separatist war that ended in 1994. The process will be conducted under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross, according to a written statement released by the French presidency.

They also agreed to continue the dialogue at new meeting in September 2015 on the sidelines of the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York.

Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan but it and some surrounding territory have been under the control of Armenian soldiers and local Armenian forces since a 1994 cease-fire. Since then, there have been sporadic clashes, but last summer tensions rose sharply as 19 soldiers were killed in multiple confrontations.

Years of diplomatic efforts under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe have made little visible progress in resolving the dispute.

Earlier Monday, Hollande met separately with each leader.

During a one-to-one meeting with Aliyev, the French president evoked the situation of the prominent human right activist Leila Yunus, who is jailed in Azerbaijan. Yunus was arrested with her husband and charged with spying for Armenia last July.

Aliyev “has made commitments” on that matter, said a top French official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to speak publicly on the matter. He didn’t give details because of the sensitiveness of the issue.

Cyprus President says won’t return to ‘dialogue of the deaf’ with Turkey

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183721Cyprus President Anastasiades has sent a clear message that he would not yield to advice or suggestions to return to “a dialogue of the deaf”, referring to the UN-led negotiations with the Turkish Cypriot side, InCyprus reports.

Speaking on Sunday, Oct 19, Anastasiades said “I would have been unworthy of the people’s mandate if I had remained at the negotiating table under threat and new faits accomplis” which Ankara has created.

He said that regional developments “may have prevented some circles from taking more decisive measures against Turkey, even if they fully recognize that Nicosia’s decision to suspend its participation in the ongoing dialogue is justified.”

Turkey has issued a NAVTEX (Navigational Telex), a notice to mariners advising that it was reserving areas south of Cyprus, part of which extends into the Republic’s exclusive economic zone where foreign oil companies are drilling, for seismic surveys from Oct 20 to Dec 30.

Anastasiades at that time announced decision to suspend his participation in the UN-led negotiations which aim to reunify the island under a federal roof.

“The unacceptable provocation by Turkey, five days before the beginning of the substantive dialogue on the Cyprus problem, not only violates international law in a flagrant way but also proves wrong all those who believed in Turkey’s assurances about a substantial contribution to the solution of the problem,” he said, according to InCyprus.

As regards natural resources in Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), Anastasiades said that “some third parties from foreign countries advise us that it is possible, through various actions, for the natural wealth to be determined now with the participation of the Turkish Cypriots. I want to point out to them that nothing of the sort will ever be accepted. Such a thing will never be accepted.”

“What we have said and we repeat and we will keep saying because it is self-evident, is that the natural wealth belongs to the state and it is therefore also an incentive for Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots. Let there be at last a solution and through the solution the Turkish Cypriots will also of course benefit and will certainly also enjoy the benefits,” he noted.

Anastasiades said that “unfortunately, Turkey’s recent actions do not serve the purpose of confidence building measures or the creation of a constructive environment which would facilitate the process of the talks. To the contrary, they create mistrust and raise serious doubts within the Greek Cypriot community with regard to Ankara’s true intentions of Turkey.”

Adopting confidence building measures would be a tangible proof of the commitment of the leadership of both communities, and in particular of Turkey, for the support of the efforts by civil society to build understanding, trust and good will, acting in this way as a catalyst for the negotiating process, he said.

“I want to make clear that if there is a side that is interested in the earliest possible solution of the Cyprus problem, this is neither Turkey nor the Turkish Cypriot leadership that have hindered the solution for 40 years through their intransigence. It is neither Turkey nor the Turkish Cypriots who were forced to abandon their ancestral homes. It is the Greek Cypriots who are paying the price,” he added.

Anastasiades assured that he will never tire of working and reiterated “our desire for a solution to be found at the earliest possible, a solution that will address our expectations and will not ignore the rights of the Turkish Cypriots either.”