War of Words Over Karabakh in Yerevan
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FEBRUARY 24, 2018 Mirror-SpeTHE ARMENIAN ctator Volume LXXXVIII, NO. 31, Issue 4526 $ 2.00 NEWS The First English Language Armenian Weekly in the United States Since 1932 INBRIEF Turkey Summons Sargsyan Marks 30th Exile and Waiting Anniversary of Transformed into Film Dutch Chargé Karabakh Movement D’Affaires Over YEREVAN (Armenpress) — President of Armenia Through the Work of Serzh Sargsyan issued a message on Artsakh Genocide Motions Revival Day and the 30th anniversary of the Tamara Stepanyan Karabakh Movement, on February 20. In his speech, Sargsyan congratulated the peo- AMSTERDAM and ANKARA (Combined ples of Armenia and Karabakh. PARIS – Filmmaker Tamara Stepanyan is a true Sources) — Turkey summoned the Dutch “On February 20, 1988 the extraordinary sitting representative of the new generation of diasporan chargé d’affaires to Ankara on Saturday, of the regional council of Nagorno Karabakh adopt- Armenians. Born in Soviet Armenia, and speaking February 17, to express its unhappiness ed a decision which expressed the will of the Eastern Armenian with a pair of proposed bills that would see Artsakh people to free self-determination. Three and Russian, she the Netherlands recognize as genocide the decades ago all Armenians joined Artsakh’s fair By Aram Arkun moved with her fami- 1915 killing of as many as 1.5 million demand and fight. Today we celebrate the 30th Mirror-Spectator Staff ly to Beirut, Lebanon Armenians. anniversary of this historic turning event which when 11 years old The four Dutch governing parties have was declared by the Republic of Artsakh as the after the breakup of expressed support for two proposals in the Artsakh Revival Day.” the Soviet Union. She grew up and lived there for lower house of parliament by the conserv- “February 20, 1988 was the moment of unity, 20 years, learning Arabic, Western Armenian, and ative Christian Union party which are due determination and national awakening of the English. Then she moved to France and learned to be debated in Armenian people. Azerbaijan responded to the French. Naturally her experiences shaped her the upper house peaceful and legal steps of our people by massacres worldview and films. in the coming organized in Sumgait and other places. … We were Stepanyan said, “I think exile takes a lot from us, weeks. One recog- forced to wage war. The war initiators were confi- but at the same time it gives a lot. It is a richness. I nizes the deaths dent that they have a great advantage, by eliminat- think I am very rich for having lived all this pain of as genocide and a ing Armenians and depopulating Artsakh, they will living in exile.” She left her grandparents, school second calls for a close the Karabakh issue quickly and permanently. and friends in Armenia to adapt to a very different Dutch official to From the distance of three decades today we can environment. She went to an Armenian school attend the coun- confidently state that the Karabakh Movement called the Yeghishe Manougian College, in Dbayyeh try’s formal geno- saved hundreds of thousands of lives. The (Metn district) to the east of Beirut. cide remembrance MP Joël Voordewind Armenians of Artsakh, having the support of all see STEPANYAN, page 16 day on April 24. Armenians, managed to overcome this difficult A majority of experience with honor.” MPs backed a campaign by Christian He continued, “We unconditionally respect the Union MP Joël Voordewind. fundamental human rights because for the The bills risk further souring relations ‘The Last Inhabitant’ Armenian people freedom and human dignity are between Turkey and the Netherlands. absolute values. Long live the Republic of Armenia! The relationship between the Long live the Republic of Artsakh!” Netherlands and Turkey is already tense, Comes to New Jersey since the Netherlands refused Turkish ministers access to the country to cam- Macron, Trudeau to paign for a 2017 referendum that gave President Tayyip Erdogan more power. Participate at By Taleen Babayan Talks to repair relations between the Francophonie Summit Special to the Mirror-Spectator two countries have broken down and the Netherlands on February 5 officially YEREVAN (Armenpress) — The final list of par- recalled its ambassador to the country. ticipants of the La Francophonie Summit in FAIR LAWN, N.J. — The East Coast pre- Nearly a dozen other EU countries have Yerevan is not complete yet, Deputy Foreign miere of filmmaker Jivan Avetisyan’s “The passed similar resolutions to that pro- Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan told reporters on Last Inhabitant,” based on a true story set posed in the Netherlands. French lawmak- February 20. But, he added, “The participation of in a Nagorno-Karabakh village, was ers officially recognized the Armenian the leaders of two very important Francophone screened on Friday, February 16, at St. deaths as genocide in 2001. countries – France and Canada – is certain.” Leon Armenian Church. Director Jivan Avetisyan and Nareg Voordewind said the Netherlands In a January 24 interview with L’Express, With original music by Serj Tankian, Hartounian should take a stand as the home of the President Serzh Sargsyan said that as a result of the film, which explores the friendship institutions of international law in The the summit “we will be able to present Armenia to between an Armenian and Azeri man who Hague. “We are acknowledging history,” the whole world. We will do our best for it to have deal with their own family problems dur- and was screened at the Venice he said. “That is not the same thing as great success. Take into consideration that almost ing the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, International Film Festival. casting aspersions as Turkey has done half of the world’s states will be in Yerevan, mainly won the Best Feature award at the Ara Araz, who organized the event towards the Netherlands.” at the level of heads of state and heads of govern- Scandinavian International Film Festival see SCREENING, page 10 see SUMMONS, page 5 ment,” the president said when asked what signifi- cance the summit will have for Armenia. The summit is scheduled to take place in October War of Words Over Karabakh in Yerevan. INSIDE MUNICH, Germany (RFE/RL) — “If there was no policy of over Nagorno-Karabakh. A minor kerfuffle broke out “If there was no policy of between Armenia’s president and ethnic cleansing of Armenia ethnic cleansing of Armenia an Azerbaijani diplomat during a against Azerbaijan, then panel discussion at a high-profile against Azerbaijan, then probably today, Armenia Tracing security conference in Germany on probably today, Armenia could have benefitted from February 17 as the two men trad- those projects,” said the ed accusations over Azerbaijan’s could have benefitted from diplomat, Sadi Jafarov, Stolen Art breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh those [energy] projects” invoking an accusation that region. Baku frequently levels at Page 13 The sharp words came during a Sadi Jafarov Yerevan. Munich Security Conference event First Secretary, Azerbaijani Embassy, Berlin Jafarov also denounced focusing on nations “in-between what he called the “occu- Russia and Europe” that featured pation” of Nagorno- INDEX Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, Moldovan Prime Karabakh by Armenia. As Jafarov packed both commentary Arts and Living . 13 Minister Pavel Filip, EU enlargement commissioner Johannes and questions into his turn at the mic, the host of the panel Armenia . 2,3 Hahn, and Russian lawmaker Konstantin Kosachyov. — Ian Bremmer, founder of the Eurasia Group political risk Community News. 6 When the panel moved to questions from the audience, a consultancy — intervened in an effort to let Sargsyan reply. Editorial . 18 first secretary at the Azerbaijani Embassy in Berlin suggest- “We don’t have time,” Bremmer said, though Jafarov man- International . .. 4,5 ed to Sargsyan that Armenia could have played a role in aged to finish his question. regional energy and transport projects if not for the standoff see BERLIN, page 5 2 S ATURDAY, F EBRUARY 2 4 , 2 0 1 8 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR ARMENIA News From Armenia Armenia, Russia Hail Armenian Military Delegation Departs for Soaring Bilateral Trade Moscow YEREVAN (Armenpress) — Major General Tiran YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — Prime products to the Russian is rapidly Russian investors should capitalize on Khachatryan, deputy Chief of Staff of the General Minister Karen Karapetyan and a visit- growing,” he said in his opening that. He also called for Russian invest- Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia, head of the ing Russian government member remarks publicized by Karapetyan’s ments in a free economic zone which tactical department of the general staff, departed to praised on Tuesday, Feburary 20, a fur- press office. was set up on the Armenian-Iranian Moscow last week, the defense ministry said. ther sizable increase in Russian- Russian-Armenian trade plummeted border in December. During the visit the Armenian delegation will par- Armenian trade which reached a new in 2015 following a sharp depreciation “We are ready to create comfortable ticipate in the negotiations on preparations for the high last year, according to official sta- of the Russian ruble which hit conditions for Russian capital in upcoming Search, Partnership and Indestructible tistics. Armenian exporters hard. But with the Armenia,” added the prime minister. Brotherhood military exercises within the framework Armenian government data show Russian currency subsequently rallying Karapetyan visited Moscow as of the February 19-22 Collective Security Treaty bilateral trade rising by just over 26 against the U.S. dollar and the euro, recently as on February 16-17. The Organization (CSTO) Combat Brotherhood 2018 tac- percent to $1.7 billion in 2017 on the Armenian exports to Russia soared by Armenian government said ahead of tical strategic joint drills. The delegation will also back of an almost 45 percent surge in 51.5 percent in 2016.