Category: Main Issues

American Armenians troubled by Ambassador Designate Yovanovitch’s answers

American Armenians troubled by Ambassador Designate Yovanovitch’s answers

11.07.2008 14:36 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Senator Barack Obama has received written responses to the four written questions he submitted to U.S. Ambassador Designate Marie Yovanovitch as part of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s ongoing review of her nomination to serve as the next U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) told PanARMENIAN.Net

“We remain troubled by Ambassador Yovanovitch’s evasive answers, her outright non-responses, and her refusal, in her replies to Senator Obama and other Senators, to offer anything approaching a reasonable or factually supportable explanation of the reasons behind Administration’s misguided policy on the Armenian Genocide,” said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA.

“This being said, it appears as though Ambassador Yovanovitch and her colleagues have learned from the disastrous Hoagland experience and are coming to understand that the U.S. Senate will not accept – and the Armenian American community will never allow – an Ambassador to
Armenia who denies the Armenian Genocide.”

Ambassador Yovanovitch appeared as a witness before the Committee on June 19th. During this appearance, she faced a series of pointed questions from Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) regarding the Bush Administration’s policy to mischaracterize the Armenian Genocide. Afterwards, as many as eight Senators, including Senator Menendez, submitted a series of written inquiries to the nominee.

“We compromise our standing as a nation when we require that our Foreign Service officers either lie or conceal the truth in the conduct of our foreign affairs. This exercise of euphemisms and evasion in relation to the Armenian Genocide, which everyone knows is the result of Turkish government pressure, undermines our credibility,” added Hamparian. “Our diplomats should be sent abroad with a clear message: speak the truth and America will stand with you.”

President Bush nominated Amb. Marie L. Yovanovitch in March of this year to serve as America’s next Ambassador to Armenia. The ANCA has spoken to Committee members about the value of carefully questioning Amb. Yovanovitch on the many issues she will face as the U.S. envoy in Yerevan, among them the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, Turkey and Azerbaijan’s ongoing blockades of Armenia, and the need for a balanced U.S. role in helping forge a democratic and peaceful resolution to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

“The U.S. government – and certainly I – acknowledges and mourns the mass killings, ethnic cleansing, and forced deportations that devastated over one and a half million Armenians at the end of the Ottoman Empire. The United States recognizes these events as one of the greatest tragedies of the 20th century, the “Medz Yeghern” or Great Calamity, as many Armenians refer to it. That is why every April the President honors the victims and expresses American solidarity with the Armenian people on Remembrance Day.

The Administration understands that many Americans and many Armenians believe that the events of the past that I have referred to should be called “genocide.” It has been President Bush’s policy, as well as that of previous presidents of both parties, not to use that term. The President’s focus is on encouraging Turkish citizens to reconcile with their past and with the Armenians. He seeks to support the painstaking progress achieved to date. President Bush believes that the best way to honor the victims is to remember the past, so it is never repeated, and to look to the future to promote understanding and reconciliation between the peoples and governments of Armenia and Turkey. A key part of that effort is to end Armenia’s isolation in the region by encouraging normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey and the opening of their land border. The Armenian government has requested that we facilitate this process. It will not be easy nor will it likely be quick, but there are some hopeful signs,” Ambassador-Designate Yovanovitch said in her testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on June 19.

President Bush’s previous nominee as U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, Richard Hoagland, was subject to two legislative holds by Sen. Menendez and was ultimately withdrawn by the Administration, following the nominee’s statements denying the Armenian Genocide.

The ANCA led the Armenian American community campaign opposing Hoagland’s nomination, stating that a genocide denier could not serve as a credible and effective U.S. spokesperson in Armenia.

July 12, 2008
Help Needed for a research – proof of document

If you have any information about the original copies please contact Turkish Forum

Attention: below documents are for general information only. The exact sources of these excerpts are not located yet!

[These excerpts reaffirms Chapter 21 of my book “The Genocide of Truth” in particular pages 433 > 435]

(Translated from FRENCH text or translation into English)

(Page 225) “HAYASTAN” No.2 – German paper in Armenian Language – (Text in Armenian speaks of definite German Victory)

(Label on the face of the newspaper in French)

February 1945 – The newspaper of the Armenian volunteers always announces final victory (to the left above: their badge decorated of one symbol resembling the swastika)! There are not more than very few copies of these Nazi Armenian newspapers, the most copies have been destroyed by the Armenians. Here is a copy of “Hayastan” which succeeded, survival!

(Page 226) “HAYASTAN” German paper in Armenian Language, No. 1(125)    Year 1945

Translation and summary of the Armenian newspaper ” Hayastan ”
The newspaper has three pages

First page

An address to the officers and the soldiers of Armenian volunteers units:

<Good wishes for the New Year, accompanied with the assurance of a certain victory and an absolute liberation of the country.>

A. Mouradian

Second page

Best wishes of General Sarkisjan addressed to Armenian volunteers.

< Congratulations and courage, to the volunteers who for many years, were forced to live far from the country, and those who are dear to them! However, everything depends on volunteers; happiness, as well as the freedom of motherland. It is the trust put in the bellicose ardor and weapons, which will bring freedom and will make possible to celebrate in the liberated country once again.>

Armenian wishes to all volunteers!

< The New Year will be placed under the signature of the battle, reinforced for the release of fatherland. Our volunteers cannot, receive like other friends, letters or parcels from their relatives who stayed at the home. Our parents and our friends in Soviet Union do not have celebration party; they are plunged in a state of distress, they hope and with beating hearts that we come back as liberators. Here, in Germany, the children have the bright eyes of joy in front of presents and decorated Christmas trees. Our children, in the country, have nothing similar. They are hungry and cold and ask their parents when the liberators will arrive. It is because of them that our primordial duty is to implement everything for the freedom of fatherland. They shout revenge for the injustice, which was made towards them, and towards their parents by Bolchevistes and it is our duty to avenge them. The old year is about to end, and a new begins. Something will happen once again! Bolchévisme also comes near to its end, and something else will replace it. You, the Armenian volunteers must be the torchbearers of this new order; it is necessary that you must be victorious.

Full of confidence, we enter the New Year. Victory will belong to us! Long live Armenia! Long live Armenian people! > Saharuni

(Page 241) (Photograp)

” DRO ” (Drastamat Kanajan), was born in 1884 in Igdir (which today is the favorable place of departure to the ascent of Ararat). Already at the age of 19 years he joined the party of Dashnaks and fought against Tatars in Sanzegur. He assasinated prince Nacashidsé and the General Alichanov and he ran away to the Ottoman Empire.

After 6 years in security in Turkish banishment, he returns back to the Empire of Tsar, immediately after the start of war in 1914, to fight Turks there. In 1918 he is the leader of the Armenian troops, which attack the neighboring country.

Only 90 kilometers before Tblisi, the Giorgians could push back, the completely unjustified war and the Armenian attack. For the first time, the worldwide opinion was absolutely misinformed by news of massacres, acquainted with the true character of Armenian nationalism. At the end of 1920 Dro became the “Minister of the Defense” of Vratsian’s Armenian government! Together with Hovannes Terterian he signed the capitulation of his motherland in Bolsheviks, and was dictator of the military sovereignty for few weeks.

Stalin was received in Moscow; some time before Dro would have obviously saved the life of the Giorgian Dshugashvili (Stalin).

After a brief stay in Romania, he joined the Nazis and fought as commander of group of soldiers of an Armenian unit on the Crimea and in Caucasus and soon he became the leader of the Armenian Information Service.

He was so-called, the best informed perso about the third Reich.

In April, 1945 Americans arrested him, but they soon released him, because American Dashnaks of Boston had intervened in his favor. After a stay in Lebanon and many trips, he died in Boston in 1956.

Because of his eventful and completely immoral life, which was exclusively orientated in an exaggerated and irrational nationalism, in which he submitted everything without having ever made sacrifices himself, “Dro” can be classified as one of the most tragic faces of wrong valuation which has ever existed in the bloody history of the Armenian people.

A typical case of Armenian political madness: Hitler, Himmler and Henjakistes…

This was not all of H.

Political fanatics of all colors, camps of the political ghosts of Armenians joined the “crusade” of the Nazis against their ancient Soviet confederates, with whom they had just shared in brothers Poland and Baltic countries, to die so for absurd phantasm to give rise by Hitlerian help to a National Socialist Great Armenia under the shade of the Great Germany.

The peak of the absurdity of this alliance was reached when in December 1942, General Armenian Dro (Drastamat Kanajan), who was considered to be the Armenian hero par excellence, and the writer Garo Kevorkian visited to the “leader of the Reich ”

Mr. Heinrich Himmler and presented him a book of the pastor Lepsius: “The walk to death of the Armenian people “.

It is obvious to think that this upset neither “Dro” nor Himmler, because they were themselves sending people in death!

Himmler having given orders to kill millions, “Dro” nevertheless to thousands, appearing a priori on the list of death of Russians, and about 30.000 Armenians, who followed on the appeal of Mr ” Dro ” and affected to the Nazis!

But Dro, had practice and experience to kill without scruples and Himmler was so impressed by him as after a talk of one hour and a half in prisoners’ camp east of Berlin, that he made him drive in his own car, so that “Dro” could choose his men there.

He visited Armenian units in the oriental front several times, to impress them by his eloquence.

As he knew the Soviet situation particularly well, he was soon taken for the most important German spy, in Soviet matters.

Precisely for his level of incomparable information, it is unpardonable that he forced his Armenian compatriots literally until the last minute in the battle that was a hopeless since a long time, and had no glory. While he was released already after a short time by American occupying force, thanks to his very good relations in United States and died very esteemed, even loved immoderately by his compatriots and after several world tours, in Boston, where the mighty party of Dashnaks still are in command.

Armenian commitment for the national socialist Germany probably had the purpose to delimit Jews in a very clear manner from the Armenians in territories dominated by the Nazis, though many ignorant, among of those who shared… (Rest is unreadable)

(Thanks to Mr. Taner Ertunc for providing photos and French version, translated by A.B. into English)                  Sukru S. Aya

July 10, 2008
We Are Ready to Talk to Turkey; SERZH SARGSYAN president of Armenia.

We Are Ready to Talk to Turkey
By SERZH SARGSYAN

Mr. Sargsyan is president of Armenia.
FROM TODAY’S WALL STREET JOURNAL EUROPE
July 9, 2008

YEREVAN, Armenia

The problems of newly independent nations attempting to build a
novel, democratic way of life did not end with the break-up of the
Soviet Union. Armenia, a small country strategically located between
Turkey, Russia, Iran and the energy-rich Caspian region, is a case
in point. Postindependence Armenia’s potential for peaceful
development has not been realized as best it could.

During the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Turkey closed its border with
Armenia as an expression of ethnic solidarity with Turkic
Azerbaijan. The regrettable result is that for almost 15 years, the
geopolitically vital border between Armenia and Turkey has become a
barrier to diplomatic and economic cooperation. It is closed not
only to Armenians and Turks who might want to visit their
neighboring countries, but to trade, transport and energy flows from
East to West.

Strategic projects such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and
the projected Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad bypass Armenia, while the
existing railway between Turkey and Armenia remains shut. And the
Armenian people are not the only ones who have suffered from these
restrictions and detours. All countries in the region, and the
broader community of European nations, pay a high cost for these
unnatural barriers to commerce, progress and international
cooperation.

The time has come for a fresh effort to break this deadlock, a
situation that helps no one and hurts many. As president of Armenia,
I take this opportunity to propose a fresh start – a new phase of
dialogue with the government and people of Turkey, with the goal of
normalizing relations and opening our common border.

After my election in February, my Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gül,
was one of the first heads of state to congratulate me. Turkey’s
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested that the doors are
open to new dialogue in this new period.

There is no real alternative to the establishment of normal
relations between our countries. It is my hope that both of our
governments can pass through the threshold of this new open door.
Establishing normal political relations would enable us to create a
commission to comprehensively discuss all of the complex issues
affecting Armenia and Turkey. We cannot expect tangible progress
without such structured relations. Only through them can we create
an effective dialogue touching upon even the most contentious
historical issues.

Already, on a more personal scale, many Armenians and Turks have
found ways to get around the closed border. They take advantage of
regular charter flights from Yerevan to Istanbul and Antalya. There
are numerous bus and taxi routes through Georgia, and container
trucks even make the long detour, enabling some trade between our
two countries.

And just as the people of China and the United States shared
enthusiasm for ping pong before their governments fully normalized
relations, the people of Armenia and Turkey are united in their love
for football – which prompts me to extend the following invitation.

On Sept. 6 a World Cup qualifier match between the Armenian and
Turkish national football teams will take place in Yerevan. I hereby
invite President Gül to visit Armenia to enjoy the match together
with me in the stadium. Thus we will announce a new symbolic start
in our relations. Whatever our differences, there are certain
cultural, humanitarian and sports links that our peoples share, even
with a closed border. This is why I sincerely believe that the
ordinary people of Armenia and Turkey will welcome such a gesture
and will cheer the day that our borders open.

There may be possible political obstacles on both sides along the
way. However, we must have the courage and the foresight to act now.
Armenia and Turkey need not and should not be permanent rivals. A
more prosperous, mutually beneficial future for Armenia and Turkey,
and the opening up of a historic East-West corridor for Europe, the
Caspian region and the rest of the world, are goals that we can and
must achieve.

Mr. Sargsyan is president of Armenia.

July 10, 2008
Dashnaks Warn Sarkisian Over So-called Armenian Genocide Study

Dashnaks Warn Sarkisian Over Armenian Genocide Study

By Emil Danielyan
Tuesday 8, July 2008

In a clear warning to President Serzh Sarkisian, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) on Tuesday reaffirmed its strong opposition to the idea of Turkish and Armenian historians jointly determining whether the mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire constituted a genocide.

The idea was floated by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a 2005 letter to then President Robert Kocharian. Kocharian rejected it, saying that this and other issues of mutual concern should be tackled by the two governments, rather than a Turkish-Armenian commission of historians.

Sarkisian said late last month that Yerevan will not oppose the creation of such a commission if Turkey unconditionally establishes diplomatic relations and opens its land border with Armenia. Armenia’s leading opposition groups were quick to condemn the apparent policy change, saying that by accepting Ankara’s proposal in principle Sarkisian called into question the very fact of what many historians regard as the first genocide of the 20th century.

The opposition concerns were echoed by Dashnaktsutyun, which is represented in Sarkisian’s coalition government and is known for its hard line on Armenia’s relations with Turkey. The party demanded and received an explanation from the presidential administration. According to a top party spokesman, Sarkisian has clarified that he believes the would-be commission should not determine whether or not a genocide occurred in 1915-1918 and should instead research “various details of the genocide.”

Despite these assurances, the issue was on the agenda of the first session of Dashnaktsutyun’s recently elected governing Bureau held from July 3-8. “The Bureau is adamant that the fact of the Armenian genocide is not a subject of discussion, and no high-ranking official representing Armenia may have a different approach,” it said in a statement. “Universal recognition of the genocide is vital for the existence, security and future of our people and statehood.”

(Photolur photo: Dashnaktsutyun leaders pictured during a recent party congress.)

July 8, 2008
After meetings in Turkey, Foxman says fallout over ‘genocide’ flap is ‘behind us’

JPost.com » International » Article

Jul 7, 2008 23:04 | Updated Jul 7, 2008 23:11

After meetings in Turkey, Foxman says fallout over ‘genocide’ flap is ‘behind us’

By HERB KEINON

The controversy and fallout over the Anti-Defamation League’s statement last year that Turkish actions toward Armenians during World War I was “tantamount to genocide” is “behind us,” ADL National Director Abe Foxman said Monday in Jerusalem, where he arrived from Ankara and a series of meetings with Turkey’s leadership.

Abe Foxman, national director of the Anti Defamation League.
Photo: Ariel Jerozolimski

Last August, Foxman – who was in a dispute in the Boston area over the ADL’s position on the Turkey-Armenia issue – infuriated Turkish leaders by issuing the following statement: “We have never negated but have always described the painful events of 1915-1918 perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire against the Armenians as massacres and atrocities. On reflection, we have come to share the view of Henry Morgenthau, Sr. (the US ambassador to the Ottoman Empire at the time) that the consequences of those actions were indeed tantamount to genocide.

If the word ‘genocide’ had existed then, they would have called it genocide…

“Having said that, we continue to firmly believe that a congressional resolution on such matters is a counterproductive diversion and will not foster reconciliation between Turks and Armenians and may put at risk the Turkish Jewish community and the important multilateral relationship between Turkey, Israel and the United States.”

The Turks viewed this as a reversal of the organized Jewish community’s position on the issue, and warned that Turkish-Israeli ties could be harmed if the American Jewish organizations did not work – as they had done in the past – to ensure that the US Congress did not pass a resolution characterizing the massacre of Armenians during World War I as genocide.

The legislation was eventually removed from the table after US President George W. Bush, and numerous former secretaries of state and defense, wrote letters saying that passing the legislation would harm American interests.

“They were angry,” Foxman said of the Turkish response to the ADL’s statement last year. “But I think today there is an understanding of where we were, and that we were opposed to Congressional legislation, and that we stood very firm that that was not the way to resolve the issue, and that there is nothing cataclysmic about using the ‘genocide’ word.”

Foxman, who met with President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan and other key government figures, said his message was that the Turks should be “proactive” and try to help today’s Armenia as part of an effort to resolve the historic affair.

“In the conversations I had with all of them I said there is a need to be proactive, that they need to deal with live Armenians, and strengthen the relationship between Turkey and Armenia, and by strengthening the relations today – frontier issues, opening borders – it will place the historical issue in the background and be much easier to deal with,” Foxman said.

By the same token, Foxman said that the Armenian community in the US should understand that pressure to use “certain words they want us to use is not going to help one Armenian.”

Rather, Foxman said, one of the ways the American Jewish community can help the Armenians it to “help convince the Turkish government to normalize relations” with Armenia.

July 8, 2008
No agreement on Sargsyan-Gul meeting in Astana

04.07.2008 16:39 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On July 5, Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan is departing for Astana on a working visit to attend informal summit of CIS leaders.

“The President will also take part in festivities dedicated to 10th birthday of the Kazakh capital. No agreement on meetings with other heads of state has been achieved yet,” President’s Spokesman Samvel Farmanyan told PanARMENIAN.Net.

Turkey’s Abdullah Gul will also arrive in Astana. Turkish media reports say Mr Gul’s is not scheduled to meet with the RA leader.

July 6, 2008