WE MANAGED TO HEAR ALL POSSIBLE APPROACHES IN DIASPORA: SERZH SARGSYAN
Tert.am
18:06 08.10.09
Armenian President and Chair of National Security Council Serzh
Sargsyan convened an expanded session of the National Security Council
today. Besides the council members, His Holiness Catholicos of All
Armenians Karekin II , Leader of Prosperous Armenia Party Gagik
Tsarukyan, Chair of Public Council of the Republic of Armenia Vazgen
Manukyan, and Minister of Diaspora Hranoush Hakobyan were present at
the session.
According to the release circulated by Armenian president's press
service, opening the session, Serzh Sargsyan remarked on his visits
to the Diaspora Armenian communities and said: "From the beginning,
we realized that it would be impossible to ensure such a level of
representation that would satisfy everyone. However, I think, we
managed to ensure such a circle of invitees that allowed us to ensure
a wide range of viewpoints and approaches. Since the purpose of my
visits was not to analyze the entire Diaspora's collective opinion
in terms of numbers, we didn't place importance to the proportional
representation of each opinion's supporters that were in the hall. It
was more important for us to hear all the possible approaches and
to get all the possible consultation in this matter, and I think we
managed to do that."
"I had an opportunity to reconfirm our approach that we don't
consider the Protocols to be read as documents that hinder Armenia's
negotiation positions in the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh. Moreover,
I reconfirmed our approach to the terms of the possible settlement:
determination of their own legal status by the Nagorno-Karabkah people
by free expression of their will without any limitations. I find it
important that that was once again reconfirmed by US President Barack
Obama, with whom I had a telephone conversation while I was in Los
Angeles. In this matter it is understandable both the concerns of our
compatriots and the statements periodically made by the Turkish leade
ur small region can influence one another. But the point is that we
are not ready and will never make one-sided concessions in the issue
of Nagorno-Karabakh, irrespective of what we'll be offered in exchange.
"Next among the main concerns is the supposed possible retreat
in the cause of Genocide recognition and condemnation. I think it
is obvious that no Armenian can not raise the reasons for being a
nation that is spread all over the world and is deprived of our own
vital territory. We have a responsibility in the issue of Genocide
recognition and condemnation, and we will carry out that duty to
the end.
"It was painful for me that, riding the emotional wave, some of our
sisters and brothers lost the ideological basis of their actions. If,
for all of us, the just claim is to raise the importance of the
recognition of the fact of Genocide in Armenia-Turkish relations,
then it was directed to that [aim], as an intention, to start
my pan-Armenian tour by honouring the Genocide victims at the
Komitas Memorial in Paris. I expected that our unity and position
in this matter should be shown not by provocation of 100 people
but by thousands of demonstrators. I also heard words of support
and encouragement in the Diaspora. I don't want to refer to them
separately, since the whole responsibility of signing the Protocols
is on us, as a state and as state officials, and we are not preparing
to place the responsibility on others. My purpose wasn't at all,
after returning from the pan-Armenian tour, to state that the whole
Diaspora is for signing the Armenian-Turkish Protocols," the president
particularly stated.
Tert.am
18:06 08.10.09
Armenian President and Chair of National Security Council Serzh
Sargsyan convened an expanded session of the National Security Council
today. Besides the council members, His Holiness Catholicos of All
Armenians Karekin II , Leader of Prosperous Armenia Party Gagik
Tsarukyan, Chair of Public Council of the Republic of Armenia Vazgen
Manukyan, and Minister of Diaspora Hranoush Hakobyan were present at
the session.
According to the release circulated by Armenian president's press
service, opening the session, Serzh Sargsyan remarked on his visits
to the Diaspora Armenian communities and said: "From the beginning,
we realized that it would be impossible to ensure such a level of
representation that would satisfy everyone. However, I think, we
managed to ensure such a circle of invitees that allowed us to ensure
a wide range of viewpoints and approaches. Since the purpose of my
visits was not to analyze the entire Diaspora's collective opinion
in terms of numbers, we didn't place importance to the proportional
representation of each opinion's supporters that were in the hall. It
was more important for us to hear all the possible approaches and
to get all the possible consultation in this matter, and I think we
managed to do that."
"I had an opportunity to reconfirm our approach that we don't
consider the Protocols to be read as documents that hinder Armenia's
negotiation positions in the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh. Moreover,
I reconfirmed our approach to the terms of the possible settlement:
determination of their own legal status by the Nagorno-Karabkah people
by free expression of their will without any limitations. I find it
important that that was once again reconfirmed by US President Barack
Obama, with whom I had a telephone conversation while I was in Los
Angeles. In this matter it is understandable both the concerns of our
compatriots and the statements periodically made by the Turkish leade
ur small region can influence one another. But the point is that we
are not ready and will never make one-sided concessions in the issue
of Nagorno-Karabakh, irrespective of what we'll be offered in exchange.
"Next among the main concerns is the supposed possible retreat
in the cause of Genocide recognition and condemnation. I think it
is obvious that no Armenian can not raise the reasons for being a
nation that is spread all over the world and is deprived of our own
vital territory. We have a responsibility in the issue of Genocide
recognition and condemnation, and we will carry out that duty to
the end.
"It was painful for me that, riding the emotional wave, some of our
sisters and brothers lost the ideological basis of their actions. If,
for all of us, the just claim is to raise the importance of the
recognition of the fact of Genocide in Armenia-Turkish relations,
then it was directed to that [aim], as an intention, to start
my pan-Armenian tour by honouring the Genocide victims at the
Komitas Memorial in Paris. I expected that our unity and position
in this matter should be shown not by provocation of 100 people
but by thousands of demonstrators. I also heard words of support
and encouragement in the Diaspora. I don't want to refer to them
separately, since the whole responsibility of signing the Protocols
is on us, as a state and as state officials, and we are not preparing
to place the responsibility on others. My purpose wasn't at all,
after returning from the pan-Armenian tour, to state that the whole
Diaspora is for signing the Armenian-Turkish Protocols," the president
particularly stated.