Armenian, Azerbaijani FMs discuss ways of furthering Karabakh talks, agree to meet in September

July 12, 2017 By administrator

The Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan Edward Nalbandian and Elmar Mammadyarov held a meeting in Brussels upon the initiative of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group Igor Popov (Russia), Stephane Visconti (France) and Richard Hoagland (the US). The meeting was also attended by Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk.

‘The parties conntinued discussions on the creating conditions conducive to furthering the negotiation process on the settlement of the Karabakh conflict,” the Armenian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Minister Nalbandian emphasized the need to stabilize the situation along the line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh. He pointed to the need to implement the agreements reached at the Vienna and St. Petersburg summits.

“The Co-Chairs asked the Ministers to convey to the Presidents their proposal on organizing a Summit in the course of this year,” the statement added.

An agreement was reached to convene the next meeting between the Foreign Ministers in September in New York in the margins of the General Assembly of the United Nations.

Armenian Ambassador to US: Armenia and US discuss meeting at level of presidents

June 28, 2017 By administrator

Diplomats of the US and Armenia are discussing the meeting at the level of presidents, Armenian Ambassador to the United States Grigor Hovhannissian told Sputnik.

“Now, we, the diplomats, should organize that meeting, especially now, when Armenia is going through the process of becoming a parliamentary republic,” Hovhannissian said.

“First, we should organize a meeting at the level of foreign ministers to prepare an agenda, and then we will be preparing a meeting of the Presidents.

Of course, I would like that. But everything will depend on the agenda and on how the ministers agree on,” the ambassador said, adding that the date for foreign minister’s meeting is still unknown.

Meeting of Armenian leader and European Council president starts in Brussels

February 27, 2017 By administrator

The meeting between President of the European Council Donald Tusk and President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan has started in Brussels.

President Serzh Sargsyan is on a working visit to the Belgian capital city where he will hold meetings with the heads of all EU organizations as well as with European People’s Party (EPP) President Joseph Daul, and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

Armenian MP’s question at NATO Parliamentary Assembly session makes Turkish FM angry

November 20, 2016 By administrator

armenian-mp-nato During the 62nd annual NATO Parliamentary Assembly session held in Istanbul, the question of the Armenian MP Koryun Nahapetyan made Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu angry. According to Turkish Hürriyet, Koryun Nahapetyan turned to Çavuşoğlu, noting that Turkey supports the Islamic State terrorist group.

In his question, Nahapetyan specifically told Çavuşoğlu: “Turkey is pretending that it is fighting against terrorists, but it is actually killing the Kurds, supporting the Islamic State group. It is obvious that any intervention by Ankara in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will only harm it because of Turkey’s one-sided position and its tendency to support Azerbaijan by all means. The events provoked by Azerbaijan on the Contact Line on April 2-5 and the provocative announcements made by Turkey are a vivid indication of this. Currently, Turkey has allocated its troops in three neighboring states without the agreement of the given countries’ governments in each case. My question is: How does Turkey see the further development of relations with its neighbors?”

In response to the question given by the Armenian MP, the Turkish FM said that they are for the territorial integrity of Iraq and Syria. He accused the Armenian side of being unjust, saying: “We may have different views: You are from Armenia and I am a Turk. But it is first of all necessary to be just, especially if you are a politician. At the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) I have seen for many years that our Armenian partners have unfortunately never been just. How can you say that we support IS?”

Çavuşoğlu also noted that Turkey has arrested and killed great number of IS fighters, also helping the European countries in this issue.

Azeri leader ready for Karabakh meeting with Armenia President

October 22, 2016 By administrator

meeting Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has expressed readiness to meet with his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan for discussing the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement, the U.S. Co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group said Saturday, October 22.

“I talked to President Aliyev in person,” RIA Novosti cited James Warlick as saying.

“He said he is committed to a peaceful settlement of the conflict and that he is ready to meet with Armenia’s leader Serzh Sargsyan for further negotiations. We have certain ideas to consider along with the organization of the next meeting of the Presidents on Karabakh.”

Sargsyan and Aliyev met on June 20 in Saint Petersburg to address the conflict, with Russian President Vladimir Putin mediating the talks. The Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents confirmed their commitment to the implementation of agreements reached at a Vienna-hosted meeting on May 16. To that end, they agreed to increase the number of international observers in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict zone. Also, they expressed satisfaction that the ceasefire was now holding. Prior to that, a meeting between both leaders was organized on May 16 in Vienna, with top diplomats from the MG co-chairing countries hosting the summit.

Armenia President meets with his Tajik counterpart

October 13, 2016 By administrator

armenia-tachigistan YEREVAN. – President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan met with the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon on Thursday. The latter has arrived in Armenia to attend the session of the Collective Security Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) to be held in Yerevan Friday.

The Armenian President welcomed his counterpart, stressing that Armenia is interested in developing its friendly and brotherly ties with Tajikistan.

Sargsyan noted that although the current level of Armenian-Tajik relations corresponds neither to the high-level political relations between the states nor to the friendship between Armenian and Tajik peoples, there is dynamics for developing the interstate ties, which needs to be mutually and consistently deepened and strengthened. The Armenian President also stressed that Armenia is looking forward to the official visit of Emomali Rahmon, in the framework of which new and various arrangements on cooperation will be made.

President of Tajikistan thanked his Armenian counterpart for the warm welcome. Mr Rahmon noted that this has been his second visit to Armenia: he arrived in Armenia a day before the CSTO Collective Security session to have another opportunity to meet with his Armenian partner and friend, exchange views and discuss the prospects for all the directions of the Armenian-Tajik bilateral cooperation.

Emomali Rahmon also stressed that there is a lot to discuss both in terms of CSTO and development of bilateral cooperation.

Switzerland A conference in the city of Caux meets Armenian Kurds and Turks

September 4, 2016 By administrator

armenian-kurd-turk-meeting In the city of Caux in Switzerland, participants of Armenian, Kurdish and Turkish discussed the Armenian Genocide, their common past, the present situation and the ways of reconciliation. As part of the conference “A fair governance for human security”, people from Armenia, Turkey, Lebanon, Spain and the Netherlands discussed the historical problems between the Armenian people, Turkish and Kurdish and solving ways of these problems today.

From July 12 to 18, participants of Armenian, Kurdish and Turkish gathered in the city of Caux, Switzerland, and discussed the Armenian Genocide, their common past, the current situation and paths to reconciliation. Every summer, “Initiative of Change” [Initiative for Change] is organizing a series of conferences with 8 sessions. Hundreds of people around the world share their experiences and discuss what should be done to create a better future. The common point of the participants is the fact that each of them has been affected by past or present conflicts. Together the participants discussed the common past that had affected their life spent far they were able to hear the stories of the “other” recounted live.

Speaking during the session ‘A fair governance for human security’, groups of Turkish-Armenian-Kurdish dialogue drew attention of participants from other countries. Armenians, Kurds and Turks from Armenia, Turkey, Lebanon, Spain and the Netherlands attended the sessions.

All Armenians in Lebanon are the grandchildren of survivors of the Genocide. The stories collected ancient family are themed so Kurdish Armenian cities become today. As part of this dialogue project, they told stories of their families relating to emigration and genocide. The grandchildren of the survivors, who were Mount Moussa, Zeitun and Urfa, who had started a new life in Lebanon – Nejteh, Christine and Nora – went to Mount Moussa where their ancestors had fought for their lives during 50 days.

“Where is my real home? “

Nejteh says he never thought it would be so much affected by this journey: “I knew Zeitoun that what I was told. We first went to Mersin, then Ardiyaman to attend a sunrise on Mount Nemrut. Zeitoun as we approached, we saw high mountains. Although I do not believe in this stuff, I felt that my earth started talking to me and welcome me. It’s a feeling that surprises you. Where is my real home? Is Bourj Hammoud or Armenia? Or the land of my ancestors? I did not go to Armenia, but I wonder if I feel the same way I felt in Zeitoun if I was in Armenia. Zeitoun is an inaccessible city, surrounded by mountains. I felt very moved when I thought my family lived here. There was a bridge. My parents fleeing the Genocide have they crossed this bridge? Have they drank the water from this fountain? What were the houses that belonged to them? It’s that kind of thoughts that came to me. This place is now called Suleymanh is not a very developed city.

villageges

Villagers are as welcoming as in other villages. They are hospitable. We have started a dialogue with villagers: I know a few words in Turkish. I told him I was from Lebanon and that I was Armenian. He said: “Welcome to the land of your ancestors.” So I took him in my arms and I cried like a little child. The village children took my hand and accompanied me to the fountain to wash my face. Ironically, I felt a little intimidated. All the villagers know that Armenians lived here. At one time. Some said: “They are just gone one day” and others said, “It is something happened and they left.” Others believe that the Germans and the English have driven a wedge between Armenians and Turks, and that’s why the Armenians are gone; strange explanation. How could they know the truth? They believe what they are told …

“I cried like a baby”

Taking the Turks in high esteem and confidence in the process of normalization between Armenians, Turks and Kurds despite a turbulent past,

Christine told us his trip to Mount Mousa: “My family is from the village of Bitlas in Mount Moussa region. She fled in the 1915 genocide before returning to the village. In 1939, the family had to flee again. My grandmother told me stories of our family. Ascent Mont Moussa, I felt a sense of belonging to this place. There was something special. We went to Vakifli the only Armenian village surviving today. There was a mass at the church. After all the suffering of the past, these people still live and pray here. I burst into tears when I entered the church; I cried like a child. Most villagers know that their house had once belonged to the Armenians. In the village of Yogunoluk we saw they had built a mosque where there was formerly a church. They converted the church into a mosque without demolishing it. I think they have to continue to use it as a holy place. I wondered if they had any Armenians here. When I asked, they said in the village lived a person named Hagop. I found it. He lives there with his wife’s son. He told me that his father fled to Egypt at the time of the Genocide and then had returned to Bitias. His father risked his life by returning there but he managed to survive. I hope that next year we will again visit the village, I want to see Hagop.

Danger of death

Christine does not like talking unpleasant experiences she had during a visit to Mount Moussa. Nora said she was really scared during the trip. She watched the Turkish and Kurdish participants as she spoke; it was obvious she was reluctant to tell him. As it was stressed, she began to talk about what happened to him. At some point of the journey, she found herself in a conversation with a person of the place in a hotel. Another Armenian Lebanese sought help from Christine to talk to this man. Christine began to translate. “They were all nationalists. I did not want to translate some things they said to me, because I feared that a fight broke out. Then they talked about history. As they were about to separate, Hagop [not that of Bitias] said “yes, home of my ancestors is here and we will ensure that they return some day.” I translated this sentence and the other was furious and threatened us with death. We returned to our rooms to avoid a scandal. A few minutes later, we heard gun shots. This man was back in the hotel with the intention of killing us. Even though I knew he would not do it, I was afraid. “

emigration stories

Artak comes from Spain. Artak’s ancestors were of Bitlis, Mush and Kars and they started a life in Spain. Having heard that his friends had told of their journey to Mount Moussa, he said he had never been to Mount Moussa before and that he did not feel ready for such a thing, “I think I could not stand it. “

During the conference, the focus was on the question of emigration. The stories of Kurdish and Turkish participants in the dialogue are also stories of emigration. Bedel is a Kurd from Midyat, farmhouse he lives in Holland. His family had to go to Midyat because of oppression and settle in Istanbul. They later emigrated to the Netherlands because of the political oppression they suffered in Istanbul. Tayfun comes also from the Netherlands, but his family is Ankara. He said his family has strong prejudices against the Kurdish and Armenian peoples. His main thesis regarding the Armenian Genocide, but he says he started with his own denial. When he wrote his thesis: “I started reading about the genocide. at some point, I felt that I could not deny. “ Tayfun has also noted that his family does not like his ideas. The conditions of the encounter between Tayfun Bedel and are interesting. These two people living outside Turkey today tried to tear down the wall between Kurds and Turks with the group of Kurdish-Turkish dialogue they created the Netherlands. Following this session, we realized that every people has different complaints he must overcome and that this is not as easy as you think. And the steps are still many before you arrive …

Caux Palace yesterday a hotel, conference center today

The conference I attended was held at the Caux Palace. Built in 1900-1902, it was the largest and most luxurious hotel in Switzerland at the time. Facing the Alps and Lake Geneva, the hotel went through a crisis due to the First World War. The hotel was closed at the beginning of World War II. He was re-opened by government decision in 1944 in order to keep the POWs fleeing Italy. In December, he hosted Jewish refugees from Hungary.

A group of people who believe that reconciliation in a Europe coins will be created through dialogue, looking for a place to organize conferences that bring together divided peoples. During this research, Caux Palace went on sale and they made the acquisition through the contribution of over 100 people. Subsequently, hundreds of volunteers took part in the renovation of the interior. Opened in 1946, the conference center maintains this tradition of volunteerism. The first Caux reconciliation event took place in 1946- 1950 between French and Germans. In recent years, it became a meeting place for African leaders and representatives of the former colonial countries. India, Japan, the USA, Lebanon, Cambodia, Somalia and South Africa were part of Caux. A delegation of Sud6tyrol visited the place. In recent years, countries like Iraq, Syria, Palestine and Israel have been in Caux search dialog countries; Armenia and Turkey are also parties in this research. In the conferences in Caux every year, hundreds of people share their story. In 2015, 1421 people attended lectures, 55% were women …

Vardouhi Balyan

July 26, 2016

weekly AGOS

Translation Gilbert Béguian

Sunday, September 4, 2016,
Stéphane © armenews.com

Erdogan in Russia for begging Putin “Turkish economy in total claps”

August 9, 2016 By administrator

erdogan went begging Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has arrived in Russia on a visit aimed to rebuild ties. Erdogan is seeking to overcome a long history of dispute with Moscow and forge new alliances after the July 15 coup attempt.

Shortly after touching down in St. Petersburg on Tuesday, Turkish President Erdogan said his country was entering a “very different period” in relations with Russia, and that solidarity between the two nations would help resolve regional problems.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was “glad” to be seeing Erdogan again.

“Your visit today, despite a very difficult situation regarding domestic politics, indicates that we all want to restart dialogue and restore relations between Russia and Turkey,” Putin said after the two leaders shook hands.

Turkey and Russia, which once described each other as strategic partners, have suffered disagreements, especially over their respective policies in the Syrian war, culminating in the infamous downing of a Russian fighter jet near the Syrian-Turkish border in late 2015. Erdogan, however, is hoping to leave the past behind, saying that the meeting in St. Petersburg would be a new beginning between him and his “friend Vladimir.”

“A new page will be opened in Russo-Turkish ties. This new page will include military, economic and cultural cooperation,” Erdogan told TASS ahead of the trip.

Russia has accepted Ankara’s expressions of regret over the downing of the warplane in the apparent hope of reconciliation while also reviving the relationship. Turkish officials have even detained the pilots of the Turkish planes that shot down the Russian jet on November 24, 2015, accusing them of being involved in the failed coup attempt.

In the long shadow of Turkey’s failed coup d’etat

The visit is Erdogan’s first foreign trip after the July 15 coup attempt, when a group of renegade Turkish military officers attempted to seize power leaving at least 230 people dead. Turkey has since blasted its Western allies for expressing concern over the scope of its ensuing crackdown on dissidents, complaining that the West has shown a lack of support for its democratically elected government. In contrast, Russia was quick to voice support to Erdogan after the failed coup without mentioning any concern about the crackdown.

A long history of disagreement

Russia reacted to the downing of its jet fighter with a ban on the sale of package tours to Turkey and an import embargo on Turkish agriculture, which Turkey countered by shelving a major Russian natural gas pipeline to Turkey. The bitter dispute even led Putin to declare that Erdogan had left modern Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk “turning in his grave.”

But relations between Turkey and Russia – two powers vying for influence in the region – have never been straightforward. Ties between the two nations can at best be described as a marriage of convenience.

Turkey’s predecessor state, the Ottoman Empire, and Russia’s precursor, the Russian Empire, have fought three centuries of war, culminating in an armistice with the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk at the end of World War I. Though the two powers didn’t exchange animosities during the Cold War they found themselves on opposing sides, with Turkey entering NATO and the Soviet Union forming the Warsaw Pact.

Armenian President Holds Security Meeting Amid Hostage Situation

July 17, 2016 By administrator

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan held a meeting on Sunday with the heads of law enforcement agencies amid the hostage situation in the country’s capital, the press service of the Armenian leader said.

YEREVAN (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, an armed group took six police officers hostage at a patrol police station in the capital’s district of Erebuni, killing one officer and injuring three. The hostage takers are demanding the release of Jirair Sefilian, an opposition politician and the founder of the New Armenia Public Salvation Front. Sefilian, who took part in the 1988-1994 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Azerbaijan, is accused of the illegal acquisition and possession of arms.

“The meeting participants reported to the President about the situation following an armed incident that took place this morning, and on the details of measures taken by the law enforcement agencies,” the press service said in a statement.

The press service added that “law enforcement officials are fully in control of the situation and are taking all the necessary measures to reach the solution.”

“They have six hostages, all of them are the members of the police. They [members of the group] are armed, and we have once again called on them to refrain from any provocations, crimes, murder and bloodshed,” deputy chief of the Armenian Police Hunan Poghosyan told reporters.

He added that the hostage takers’ demands have not change — they are demanding the release of Jirair Sefilian, an opposition politician and the founder of the New Armenia Public Salvation Front. Sefilian, who took part in the 1988-1994 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Azerbaijan, is accused of the illegal acquisition and possession of arms. According to Poghosyan, the police have refused to answer the demand.

Earlier, Armenian member of parliament Nikol Pashinyan told local media that seven police officers remained in the police building after one was allowed to leave due to health problems. The hostage takers told Pashinyan that they also demand the resignation of the country’s president Serzh Sargsyan.

Informed sources told Sputnik that the killed police officer has been identified as Col. Artur Vanoyan. Three more were injured, they have been identified as Col. Aram Ovannisyan, Lt. Col. Grach Hotegyan, Subaltern Gagik Mkrtchyan.

Nagorno-Karabakh, one of the topics discussed on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Warsaw

July 10, 2016 By administrator

nato meeting No meeting between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan has been under NATO Summit Saturday in Warsaw. But Nagorno-Karabakh it was mentioned several times. Friday, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan met with US Secretary of State John Kerry. Saturday it was the turn of French President Francois Hollande. Once again the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was discussed during the meeting Sargsyan-Holland. Regulations on the basis of the Vienna meetings agreements and St. Petersburg.

NATO is following closely and encourages the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh and supports the mission of the Minsk Group of the OSCE. The Warsaw Summit was an opportunity to see that both NATO and the Minsk Group of OSCE that Russia agreed to the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. This confirmation is likely to put offside the will of Azerbaijan to achieve his ends by force.

Krikor Amirzayan