ARMENIAN-TURKISH PROTOCOLS AND ILLEGITIMATE ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES SLOW DOWN INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
YEREVAN, April 24. / ARKA /. Armenian-Turkish protocols and
illegitimate Armenian authorities are two factors slowing down
the process of international recognition of the Armenian Genocide,
Aram Manukian, a senior member of the recently established Armenian
National Congress party, said today.
Speaking to reporters he said the process of international recognition
of the Armenian genocide slowed down after Armenia and Turkey signed
protocols to normalize their relations, which called also for
establishment of a commission of historians that was to rule out
whether massacres of Armenians by Turkish government during World
War I constituted genocide.
The process of normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey
was initiated by Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan in the autumn of
2008. On October 10, 2009 Armenian and Turkish foreign ministers
signed in Zurich, Switzerland, protocols on the establishment of
diplomatic relations and normalization of bilateral relations, which
were to be ratified by the parliaments of the two countries. However,
in 2010 April Serzh Sargsyan suspended the process of ratification
of the Armenian-Turkish protocols by Armenian parliament saying that
Turkey was not ready to continue the process.
The second reason, according to Aram Manukian, is that for a long
time Armenia did not have legitimate authorities.
"For a long time, Armenia has not had a president enjoying the
confidence of his country fellows. When the authorities do not have
the trust of the people, they do not enjoy the confidence of the
international community either. A country, which has no elected
president enjoying the confidence of people cannot raise serious,
historical questions before the world community," he said.
Manukyan said the first president of Armenia, Levon Ter-Petrosyan,
was unable together with his party members and supporters to visit
the Genocide Memorial by reason of sickness, but his wife and other
members of his family paid tribute to the Genocide victims.
The Armenian Genocide was the first genocide of the twentieth century.
Turkey has been denying it for decades. The Armenian genocide was
recognized by tens of countries. The first was Uruguay that did so
in 1965. Other nations are Russia, France, Italy, Germany, Holland,
Belgium, Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Greece,
Cyprus, Lebanon, Canada, Venezuela, Argentina, 42 U.S. states. The
Armenian Genocide was recognized by the Vatican, the European
Parliament, the World Council of Churches and other international
organizations. -0-
From: Baghdasarian
YEREVAN, April 24. / ARKA /. Armenian-Turkish protocols and
illegitimate Armenian authorities are two factors slowing down
the process of international recognition of the Armenian Genocide,
Aram Manukian, a senior member of the recently established Armenian
National Congress party, said today.
Speaking to reporters he said the process of international recognition
of the Armenian genocide slowed down after Armenia and Turkey signed
protocols to normalize their relations, which called also for
establishment of a commission of historians that was to rule out
whether massacres of Armenians by Turkish government during World
War I constituted genocide.
The process of normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey
was initiated by Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan in the autumn of
2008. On October 10, 2009 Armenian and Turkish foreign ministers
signed in Zurich, Switzerland, protocols on the establishment of
diplomatic relations and normalization of bilateral relations, which
were to be ratified by the parliaments of the two countries. However,
in 2010 April Serzh Sargsyan suspended the process of ratification
of the Armenian-Turkish protocols by Armenian parliament saying that
Turkey was not ready to continue the process.
The second reason, according to Aram Manukian, is that for a long
time Armenia did not have legitimate authorities.
"For a long time, Armenia has not had a president enjoying the
confidence of his country fellows. When the authorities do not have
the trust of the people, they do not enjoy the confidence of the
international community either. A country, which has no elected
president enjoying the confidence of people cannot raise serious,
historical questions before the world community," he said.
Manukyan said the first president of Armenia, Levon Ter-Petrosyan,
was unable together with his party members and supporters to visit
the Genocide Memorial by reason of sickness, but his wife and other
members of his family paid tribute to the Genocide victims.
The Armenian Genocide was the first genocide of the twentieth century.
Turkey has been denying it for decades. The Armenian genocide was
recognized by tens of countries. The first was Uruguay that did so
in 1965. Other nations are Russia, France, Italy, Germany, Holland,
Belgium, Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Greece,
Cyprus, Lebanon, Canada, Venezuela, Argentina, 42 U.S. states. The
Armenian Genocide was recognized by the Vatican, the European
Parliament, the World Council of Churches and other international
organizations. -0-
From: Baghdasarian