Nalbandian Says Turkish Denial a ‘Sinking Ship’

April 18, 2015 By administrator

Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian

YEREVAN—“Turkey finds itself more and more isolated on the sinking ship of denialism,” Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service (Asatutyun.am) on Tuesday while commenting on Turkey’s reaction to the European Parliament’s resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

“It has been clear for a long time that the policy of denial has no perspectives. By recalling ambassadors, by harshly criticizing those states, organizations, which pay tribute to the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims of the Armenian Genocide, and which are raising their voices against denial for prevention of new crimes against humanity, Turkish authorities find themselves more and more isolated on the sinking boat of denialism,” Nalbandian said.

“Turkey attempts to put pressures, I would say to blackmail international structures, numerous countries. But hardly they can succeed in this regard, maybe with the exception of those countries, where human rights and fundamental freedoms are not respected, where democracy is on shaky ground,” he continued.

The Armenian foreign minister also commented sardonically on Ankara’s decision not to recall its ambassadors from EU member states. “What is the meaning of recalling ambassadors? We remember very well that after each recall they were obliged to send them back. It is the Parliament representing 28 European countries that adopted a resolution yesterday. It is good that Ankara at least realized not to recall their ambassadors from 28 countries. Otherwise that would create a serious unemployment problem for Turkish Ambassadors,” he said.

“The reaction of Turkish authorities is similar to a zugzwang in a chess game, where each of the following steps further worsens a player’s position.

“As the European Parliament resolution states: ‘without truth there can be no reconciliation,’ and I would add that this includes reconciliation with the international community, as well.”

Armenian FM comments on Turkey’s response to Pope Francis’ Genocide statement

April 14, 2015 By administrator

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian commented on Turkey’s recalling its ambassador to the Vatican in protest over Pope Francis using the word “genocide” to describe the mass killing of 1.5 million Armenian Christians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire, CNN reports.

“We are in a situation in which Turkey speaks a different language from the rest of the international community and it seems that it doesn’t understand that it is speaking a different language,” Nalbandian told Italian News Agency Adnkronos.

“During these past days there have been several international organizations that adopt resolutions or issue statements that recognize the Armenian Genocide and that appeal to Turkey to make this step,” he added.

“The pope’s statement is this context of universal value. When Turkey is able to understand this, it will be able to understand what the International community and big personalities (or better translations ‘leaders’) are saying.”

Tunisian FM accuses Turkish AK Party gov’t of abetting terrorism

April 3, 2015 By administrator

Tunisian Foreign Minister Taieb Baccouche, (Photo: Reuters)

Tunisian Foreign Minister Taieb Baccouche has accused Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government of indirectly helping terrorism in Libya by allowing foreign fighters to cross into Iraq and Syria to join terrorist groups via Turkish territory.

Speaking to journalists on Thursday, Baccouche said, “We have asked our ambassador in Turkey to draw the attention of the Turkish authorities to the fact that we do not want a Muslim nation such as Turkey to help directly or indirectly terrorism in Libya by facilitating the movements of terrorists,” according to AFP.

Turkey has been facing heavy criticism from Western countries for allegedly turning a blind eye to foreign fighters crossing into Syria and Iraq. Turkey denies those claims and says that to stop the flow of fighters, it needs more intelligence sharing and cooperation, especially with European countries.

Baccouche’s accusation came just two weeks after a terrorist cell loyal to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on tourists at Tunisia’s Bardo National Museum. The Tunisian foreign minister said that Turkey was a “passage point” for fighters who wanted to cross into Syria and for those who travel to Libya and then infiltrate across the porous border into Tunisia. Tunisia has said that the two gunmen who killed 22 foreign tourists and a police officer at the Bardo on March 18 had been trained in the use of weapons in Libya, where ISIL has gained a foothold recently.

About 3,000 of Tunisians are fighting for terrorist groups in Syria, Iraq and Libya, according to Tunisia.

Last month, Libya’s internationally recognized prime minister, Abdullah al-Thani, also criticized Turkey in an interview with the Asharq al-Awsat daily, saying that “what is coming from Turkey has a negative impact on the security and stability of Libya.”

Turkey insists that its approach to Libya is no different from that of the United Nations, which only recognizes the al-Thani government. But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s special envoy to Libya, Emrullah İşler, met with Omar al-Hasi — Libya’s self-declared prime minister — in al-Hasi’s first publicly known diplomatic meeting with a foreign representative last year in October, puzzling the international community. Turkey says it supports a more representative, national government in Libya that includes all segments of the society based on dialogue.

Turkey FM complains about Armenia, threatens U.S. over Genocide

March 13, 2015 By administrator

Mevlut Cavusoglu Photo by PanARMENIAN

Armenia is the cause of problems in the South Caucasus, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was quoted March 13 by the Turkish Anadolu news agency as saying, Trend reports.

As he noted, despite Turkey’s repeatedly holding out the hand of friendship to the Armenians, the country’s authorities keep rejecting the offer.

“So far, Armenia did noting to bring about the Karabakh conflict settlement. Seeing as Yerevan has problems with all neighboring countries, Armenia must reconsider its foreign policy,” Cavusoglu said.

Cavusoglu also said that Ankara hopes for an unchanged position of the US authorities in relation to the Armenian Genocide, otherwise relations between Washington and Ankara may deteriorate.

According to Cavusoglu, on April 24 the U.S. President Barack Obama will repeat his usual statement, without using the word ‘genocide.’

In late February, Turkish Foreign Minister reiterated conditions Ankara set forth for normalization of ties with Armenia.

As Mevlut Cavusoglu stated in an interview with Sabah, the Karabakh conflict settlement is essential to establish peace in the South Caucasus.

“To normalize ties with Ankara, Yerevan must cede Karabakh territories,” he said, accusing Armenia of taking no steps towards solving the Karabakh issue.

AZE.az: Глава МИД Турции: Армения – центр всех проблем на Южном Кавказе

Trend. Armenia – cause of problems in South Caucasus, Turkish FM says

OSCE Armenian Foreign Minister: Azerbaijan-threat to regional and int’l stability

December 5, 2014 By administrator

Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian issued a statement at the 21st Meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Basel.

Dwelling on the Armenian Genocide issue, the official noted, “The first Genocide of the 20th century, the centennial of which will be commemorated next year, was perpetrated in the Ottoman Empire against the Armenian nation, under the cover of the First World War. It stands as a witness to what extent humanity can degrade in the absence of international system of protection of human rights and security.

The direct consequence of the tragic history of the 20th century was the aspiration to create a new common security space, free of wars, dividing lines, closed borders and spheres of influence, where the dignity of individual and fundamental freedoms are fully respected. Those ideas were later on reflected in the UN Charter, the Helsinki Final Act and the main documents of the international law, empowering the people to promote and protect their rights and to freely pursue their own future. The exercise of these rights gave birth to many present day states through the right of peoples to self-determination.

It is based on these understanding that Armenia, along with other participating states, has contributed to the efforts to launch Helsinki + 40 process. We believe that in the year of 40th anniversary of the conclusion of the Helsinki Final Act the reaffirmation of our adherence to its principles will give a new impetus to the OSCE and its endeavors.”

Commenting on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement, Nalbandian noted, “this year marks the 20th anniversary of the cease-fire agreement, reached by Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan and Armenia. Azerbaijan did everything to undermine the ceasefire regime, despite the calls of the international community to reinforce the cease-fire agreement of May 1994 and fully implement cease-fire consolidation agreement of February 1995. Military actions of the Azrebaijani side along the line of contact and on the Armenia Azerbaijani border, resulted in a significant loss of live and drastically raised tensions on the ground.

During last years our diplomacy, together with the three Co-chair countries of the OSCE Minsk Group, the only internationally agreed mediation format, has spared no efforts to achieve a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh problem. Despite the intensive efforts of the three Co-Chair countries during the last 6 years: about 20 summits, several dozens of meetings on ministerial level, visits of the three Co-Chairs to the region, it has been impossible to reach a breakthrough in the conflict resolution, because the Azerbaijani side rejected one after another all proposals presented by the mediators.

The more the international community, through the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs appeals to the sides of the conflict to prepare populations for peace and not war, the more we hear from Azerbaijan, including at the top level, increasing bellicose warmongering, anti-Armenian hate-speech, glorification of murderers of Armenians and persecution of those journalists, civil society activists, representatives of intelligentsia, who pursue confidence building and reconciliation projects, presenting them as “Armenian spies”. The more the international community is calling on the sides to withdraw snipers from the line of contact, the more sniper shootings, provocative incidents, subversive acts are coming from the Azerbaijani side, resulting in numerous casualties.

The more oil revenues are enriching the Azerbaijani budget, the more weaponry and armament are purchased by Baku. In 2015 Azerbaijan’s military budget will reach 4,8 bln USD, almost 30 times increase in a decade since Ilham Aliyev inherited the power from his father. The absolutely disproportionate military spending and acquisition of excess armaments by Azerbaijan poses a serious threat to regional and international stability and security.

The recent shooting down by the Azerbaijani armed forces of the helicopter of the Nagorno Karabakh Defense Army during a training flight, which took the lives of three young servicemen, is Baku’s latest criminal provocation. The Azerbaijani army for almost ten days continuously kept the area of the helicopter shooting under intensive fire, hindering rescue teams, the OSCE, International Committee of the Red Cross representatives to approach that site and evacuate the bodies of killed crew members, which became another gross violation of international humanitarian law by Azerbaijan.

Baku continues to oppose itself to the international community, which was once again demonstrated by its reaction to the statement of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs on the helicopter shooting. Azerbaijan is clearly losing the sense of reality and day by day is deepening the gap between itself and the civilized world.

To achieve a durable peace, stability and security in the region, Armenia will continue to invest its utmost efforts towards the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict exclusively through peaceful means.”

The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan

The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan broke out as result of the ethnic cleansing launched by the Azeri authorities in the final years of the Soviet Union. The Karabakh War was fought from 1991 (when the Nagorno Karabakh Republic was proclaimed) to 1994 (when a ceasefire was sealed by Armenia, NKR and Azerbaijan). Most of Nagorno Karabakh and a security zone consisting of 7 regions are now under control of NKR defense army. Armenia and Azerbaijan are holding peace talks mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group up till now.

The Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres, and deportations involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the Genocide survivors.

Present-day Turkey denies the fact of the Armenian Genocide, justifying the atrocities as “deportation to secure Armenians”. Only a few Turkish intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and scholar Taner Akcam, speak openly about the necessity to recognize this crime against humanity.

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, the Italian Chamber of Deputies, majority of U.S. states, parliaments of Greece, Cyprus, Argentina, Belgium and Wales, National Council of Switzerland, Chamber of Commons of Canada, Polish Sejm, Vatican, European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.

Turkey will never recognize Armenian Genocide – Turkey’s FM

November 6, 2014 By administrator

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has stated that it is impossible for his country to recognize the Armenian Genocide.

Speaking at the Turkish parliament, Cavusoglu provided information on the developments in some topics, Gercekgundem website of Turkey reported.

He reflected on the European Court of Human Rights hearing on the case: Dogu Perincek vs. Switzerland, and stressed that they are closely monitoring the respective developments.

And with respect to the events that occurred in 1915, Mevlut Cavusoglu claimed that it is impossible for Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide, which is attributed to their forebears and the Turkish nation.

“We stress this every time,” Turkey’s FM stated.

Georgian Foreign Minister Resigns

November 5, 2014 By administrator

By RFE/RL’s Georgian Service
Georgian Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze has resigned a day after Defense Minister Irakli Alasania was dismissed, revealing growing rifts in the ruling coalition two years after it rose to power.

Panjikidze announced her resignation on November 5 and said she was quitting the Georgian Dream coalition as well as Democratic Georgia, a party founded by former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili and now chaired by Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili.

“As we see that not only our future activities but also achievements we have made so far are endangered, we decided to [resign],” Panjikidze, whose four deputies also quit, said at a news conference.
Garibashvili dismissed Panjikidze’s ally Alasania on November 4, hours after the defense chief called recent arrests and charges against military brass an “attack on Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic choice” — a reference to NATO and EU aspirations in Georgia — and said they were “obviously politically motivated.”

The state minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, Aleksi Petriashvili, who is a member of Alasania’s party, resigned on November 4 after Alasania’s dismissal.

WATCH: Georgian Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze announces her resignation from the government, following the firing of Defense Minister Irakli Alasania the previous day. She warns that Georgia’s pro-Western course is in danger.
The shakeup raises the prospect of new political instability in the Caucasus nation, a foe of Russia and a conduit for Western-bound energy supplies from the Caspian Sea, and could cause concern in the United States and the European Union.

U.S. Ambassador Richard Norland urged all parties in Georgia to work “towards stability, unity, demonstrated commitment to due process and the rule of law, and public confidence in democratic institutions,” and to “focus on future for the country that is firmly anchored in Euro-Atlantic institutions.”

Speaking to the media on November 5, Norland said that there were “legitimate” concerns the judicial system is being used in “a politicized way.”

Alasania, whose Free Democrats party is part of Georgian Dream, said after his dismissal that the country was in political crisis and urged efforts to avoid deepening the divisions.

He said that he “absolutely” did not see the coalition in its current configuration in the next parliamentary elections in 2016.

Billionaire tycoon Ivanishvili upended Georgian politics by leading Georgian Dream to victory over longtime President Mikheil Saakashvili’s ruling party in 2012 parliamentary elections.

He served as prime minister before handing the reins to Garibashvili in November 2013.

There have been signs of growing rivalry and discord, including a war of words between Garibashvili and President Giorgi Margvelashvili in September.
Alasania’s firing came after five current and former senior military officials were arrested late last month on suspicion of misspending more than $2.3 million in state funds and three army medical officers were charged with negligence that led to the food poisoning of hundreds of servicemen last year.

Speaking to Georgian journalists in Vienna on November 4, Margvelashvili said there was a “crisis” in the Georgian Dream coalition.

He said “political confrontation” posed a “threat to the efficient functioning” of Georgia’s state institutions and to closer integration with Western structures.

Alasania is married to a sister of Panjikidze.

Both had held their positions since Georgian Dream formed a government in October 2012 after defeating Saakashvili’s United National Movement.

Georgian Dream’s victory was fueled partly by accusations that Saakashvili had abandoned the rule of law, but the current government has faced similiar accusations.

The United States has repeatedly urged it to avoid using the justice system as a political lever.

Last week, U.S. State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki stressed “the importance of due process and rule of law and of conducting investigations with transparency to avoid even the perception that the judicial system is being used for political retribution.”

Panjikidze said that her four deputies — Davit Zalkaliani, Tamar Beruchashvili, Davit Jalagania, and Vladimer Gurgenidze — also resigned.

Acknowledge ‘Historical Responsibility,’ German Foreign Minister Advises Turkey, Armenia

October 24, 2014 By administrator

Germany’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier offers a moment of silence after laying a wreath at the Dzidzernagapert Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan

YEREVAN (Middle East Online)—Germany’s foreign minister on Thursday offered Berlin’s experience in post-war reconciliation to Armenia and Turkey to help them forge peace a century after the Armenian Genocide.

On a visit to Yerevan, Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Germany’s long road to partnership with France after two world wars could serve as an example following the 1915 slaughter and exile of Armenians during World War I.

“When it comes to the bloody history of the 20th century, in which Germany started two world wars, we should not present ourselves as the schoolmasters,” he told reporters after talks with his Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandian in Yerevan.

“But we can offer our experience.”

He noted that he had also told Turkish leaders earlier this year that Germany and France had worked hard to overcome the hatred of previous generations.

“After a difficult century, we have reconciled by not keeping silent about our historical responsibility” but by “working through the horrific things that happened,” he said.

“If our experience can be helpful, we are ready to offer it,” he said, citing youth exchange programs as one initiative that had helped to build bridges.

“But that must be decided here.”

Nalbandian said Armenia was ready to reduce tensions with Turkey but insisted the ball was in Ankara’s court.

“Five years ago, on Armenia’s initiative, we started a process that led to the signature of the Zurich protocols — to make the normalization of our relations possible,” he said.

“But Turkey is not respecting these agreements.”

Steinmeier also visited the Dzidzernagapert Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan on Thursday to pay tribute to the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide.

Steinmeier was accompanied by Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Hayk Demoyan.

The German Foreign Minister laid a wreath at the memorial to the Armenian Genocide victims and paid tribute to their memory with a minute of silence.

Hayk Demoyan presented a copy of his most recent book titled “Armenian Genocide: Front Page Coverage in the World Press” and a stamp dedicated to Johannes Lepsius, a German missionary, orientalist, and humanist with a special interest in trying to prevent the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire.

Nalbandian on Thursday met with Steinmeier. Welcoming the guest, Nalbandian said with gratification that Armenian-German relations have been continuously developing in the last two decades, the press service of the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Armenia told Armenpress.

Expressing gratitude for the warm reception, Steinmeier noted that his country attaches importance to expansion of comprehensive cooperation with Armenia and he has arrived in Yerevan for that very purpose.

Austria FM visits Armenian Genocide Memorial

September 8, 2014 By administrator

YEREVAN. – On Monday morning, a delegation led by Sebastian Kurz, Austria’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Integration, paid a visit to the Armenian Genocide Memorial in capital city Yerevan, and paid tribute to the victims of genocide (PHOTOS).

At 2:30pm, the delegation led by Kurz, who is in Armenia on an official visit, will be at the Armenian Red Cross Society (ARCS), to get familiarized with the ARCS assistance program to Syrian Armenians, which is carried with support by the Austrian Development Agency, and the Austrian Red Cross.

Davutoglu Appoints Foreign Minister with Proven Anti-Armenian Track Record

August 29, 2014 By administrator

Turkey’s new foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu

ANKARA—Turkey’s newly appointed Prime Minister and former foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu announced a new cabinet on Thursday, which appears to be largely unchanged and strictly loyal to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the country’s decade-long leader recently voted to become President.

Most noteworthy among the appointments, Turkey’s new foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, the country’s former Europe Minister, whose most infamous deed was reintroducing a bogus subcommittee on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) during Turkey’s chairmanship of the Council of Europe in 2011.

The head of Armenia’s parliamentary delegation at the PACE, Davit Harutiunian, accused the Strasbourg-based assembly and its then-president Cavusoglu of anti-Armenian bias. “The assembly has disgraced itself with such an overtly biased approach,” he said.

The move was seen largely as a ploy by Turkey — Azerbaijan’s closest ally — to draft an “anti-Armenian” resolution on the Karabakh conflict, as another Armenian PACE delegate, Naira Zohrabian, explained.

A year after his boondoggle at the PACE, Cavusoglu set his sights on Armenia’s international partners who dared to take a moral stand on Turkey’s denial of the Armenian Genocide. Cavusoglu, who was at the time the leader of Erdogan’s ruling AK party, said in 2012 that French President Francois Hollande was “more dangerous that Sarkozy” when it came to the issue of criminalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide.

The remarks came when President Hollande reached out to the French-Armenian community and reiterated his campaign pledge to shepherd a law that would criminalize the Armenian Genocide.

Cavusoglu has also kept in line with Turkey’s thoroughly destabilizing foreign policy agenda regarding all of its neighbors. When the European Court of Human Rights ordered Turkey to pay a fine to Cyprus for its invasion of the country, Cavusoglu readily echoed Davutoglu’s objections and vows to ignore the ruling while representing Turkey in Europe.

But Cavusoglu is still somehow a figure seen as reassuring for the United States and the European Union. According to Agence France-Presse, many expect Cavusoglu to rebalance Turkish foreign policy which was condemned for over-ambition under Davutoglu. An unrealistic expectation if there ever was one.

Newly-appointed Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus put it succinctly when he admitted, “The focus of the government has not changed. It is just a partial modification.”