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ANCA: GUL SHOULD ATTEND ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MEMORIAL IN YEREVAN
PanARMENIAN.Net
05.09.2008 14:34 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA),
expressed hopes and reservations regarding Turkey's President Abdullah
Gul's impending visit to Armenia, at the invitation by Armenian
President Serzh Sargsyan, to watch the September 6th Turkey vs. Armenia
soccer match in Armenia's capital, Yerevan, ANCA told PanARMENIAN.Net.
"We are, as you can imagine, watching this matter with vigilance,
mindful of the risks that Armenia is taking for peace, hopeful that
Yerevan's diplomatic initiative will bear fruit, yet cautious regarding
the realistic prospects for progress given Ankara's long-standing
and deeply troubling track record of antagonism toward Armenia,"
explained ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian, in a September 4th letter to
House and Senate Members.
Asserting that this visit cannot, by itself, substitute for real
progress in improved Armenia-Turkey relations, Hachikian remained
hopeful "that Armenia's pro-active diplomacy, if matched with real
movement by Turkey, can serve as a first, cautious step toward a true
reconciliation based on truth and justice."
To that end, Hachikian outlined some immediate and long-term steps
President Gul could take to demonstrate his sincerity in accepting
President Sargsyan's invitation, including showing the "willingness
to walk the mile from Armenia's national soccer stadium to the
Tsitsernakaberd, Armenian Genocide Memorial, a tradition long honored
by foreign dignitaries visiting Yerevan."
In the days and weeks following President Gul's departure from Armenia,
Hachikian urged:
* Lifting domestic restrictions on the study, discussion, and
recognition of the Armenian Genocide, and abandoning opposition to
international recognition and commemoration of this crime against
humanity - including by the White House and the U.S. Congress.
* Lifting its blockade of Armenia, allowing free Armenian access to
its traditional transportation routes, ending its opposition to the
incorporation of Armenia in regional and international initiatives
impacting the Southern Caucasus, and removing restrictions on Armenian
stewardship of cultural and religious heritage sites within Turkey.
* Publicly and in practice adopting a truly neutral position as a
member of the OSCE Minsk Group charged with mediating a peaceful
resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, ending military support
for Azerbaijan's armed forces, and openly calling on all parties to
reject any non-peaceful resolution to this conflict.
* Lifting all restrictions on the collective rights of the Armenian
community in Turkey.
* Accepting Armenia's offer to negotiate the establishment of normal
diplomatic relations without any preconditions, and agreeing to resolve
all outstanding bilateral issues in a peaceful, non-violent manner."
PanARMENIAN.Net
05.09.2008 14:34 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA),
expressed hopes and reservations regarding Turkey's President Abdullah
Gul's impending visit to Armenia, at the invitation by Armenian
President Serzh Sargsyan, to watch the September 6th Turkey vs. Armenia
soccer match in Armenia's capital, Yerevan, ANCA told PanARMENIAN.Net.
"We are, as you can imagine, watching this matter with vigilance,
mindful of the risks that Armenia is taking for peace, hopeful that
Yerevan's diplomatic initiative will bear fruit, yet cautious regarding
the realistic prospects for progress given Ankara's long-standing
and deeply troubling track record of antagonism toward Armenia,"
explained ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian, in a September 4th letter to
House and Senate Members.
Asserting that this visit cannot, by itself, substitute for real
progress in improved Armenia-Turkey relations, Hachikian remained
hopeful "that Armenia's pro-active diplomacy, if matched with real
movement by Turkey, can serve as a first, cautious step toward a true
reconciliation based on truth and justice."
To that end, Hachikian outlined some immediate and long-term steps
President Gul could take to demonstrate his sincerity in accepting
President Sargsyan's invitation, including showing the "willingness
to walk the mile from Armenia's national soccer stadium to the
Tsitsernakaberd, Armenian Genocide Memorial, a tradition long honored
by foreign dignitaries visiting Yerevan."
In the days and weeks following President Gul's departure from Armenia,
Hachikian urged:
* Lifting domestic restrictions on the study, discussion, and
recognition of the Armenian Genocide, and abandoning opposition to
international recognition and commemoration of this crime against
humanity - including by the White House and the U.S. Congress.
* Lifting its blockade of Armenia, allowing free Armenian access to
its traditional transportation routes, ending its opposition to the
incorporation of Armenia in regional and international initiatives
impacting the Southern Caucasus, and removing restrictions on Armenian
stewardship of cultural and religious heritage sites within Turkey.
* Publicly and in practice adopting a truly neutral position as a
member of the OSCE Minsk Group charged with mediating a peaceful
resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, ending military support
for Azerbaijan's armed forces, and openly calling on all parties to
reject any non-peaceful resolution to this conflict.
* Lifting all restrictions on the collective rights of the Armenian
community in Turkey.
* Accepting Armenia's offer to negotiate the establishment of normal
diplomatic relations without any preconditions, and agreeing to resolve
all outstanding bilateral issues in a peaceful, non-violent manner."