British Justice Minister Tells Erdogan the Armenian Genocide Bill Will Not Pass

British Justice Minister Jack Straw on Tuesday assured Turkey’s Prime Minister that Parliament would not pass a resolution recognizing the Ottoman-era killings of Armenians as genocide, CNNTürk reported.

“The chance of this becoming law is zero. I can assure everyone on this issue, Straw said.

After the Swedish parliament adopted an Armenian genocide resolution last week, many have turned their attention to the British Parliament, where a draft will be submitted to a House of Commons committee after a second reading on April 30.

If it is approved, an Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day will be established in the country.

“The English government and the opposition do not support this draft,” Straw said.  Read more... (155 words)

Steering clear of G-word?: Dashnaks Slam Obama Invitation as Pre-April 24 “Trap”

US President Barack Obama’s invitation sent to Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan to visit Washington DC in mid-April is considered by some politicians in Armenia to be another “trap” and another attempt for Obama to avoid using the word genocide in his speech on April 24 — the Armenian Genocide commemoration day. (Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also invited).

On March 12, on the initiative of the American side, a telephone conversation took place between US State Secretary Hillary Clinton and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, during which Clinton passed Obama’s invitation to Sargsyan to participate in the Global Nuclear Security Summit, Washington DC, on April 12-13.  Read more... (382 words)

Armenia Thanks Sweden For Genocide Recognition

Armenia’s leaders thanked Sweden’s parliament on Friday for adopting a resolution that recognizes the World War One-era mass killings and deportations of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as genocide.
President Serzh Sarkisian hailed the development at a meeting with Goran Lennmarker, the visiting chairman of the Swedish parliament’s foreign affairs committee. He said “recognition of and condemnation of crimes against humanity is the best way to avert such crimes.”

Speaking to RFE/RL earlier in the day, Lennmarker endorsed the resolution which was opposed by the Swedish parliament but passed by a 131-130 vote. He said he would have voted for the measure had he not been absent from Stockholm during Thursday’s vote.  Read more... (367 words)

Clinton Invites President of Armenia To Washington

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday invited President Serzh Sarkisian to visit Washington next month, in a telephone conversation that appears to have centered on Armenia’s stalled rapprochement with Turkey.
Sarkisian’s office said Clinton phoned the Armenian leader to invite him to an international summit on nuclear energy security that will take place in Washington in mid-April. It said she expressed hope that the two sides will use the occasion to “continue discussing issues on the bilateral, regional and international agenda.” It gave no further details.

The phone call came the day after Sarkisian suggested that Turkey will not unconditionally normalize relations with Armenia anytime soon and again threatened to annul the U.S.-brokered protocols signed by the two nations in October. Clinton similarly phoned Sarkisian in December just hours after he publicly voiced such a threat for the first time.  Read more... (392 words)

The Swedish Parliament Recognizes The Armenian Genocide

The massacre of Armenians and other ethnic groups in 1915 was a genocide. This the Swedish Parliament decided with least possible margin on Thursday evening.

By a vote of 131 to 130 the opposition’s reservations became victorious over the committee’s proposal. For this to be possible required four centre-right members to vote against their own parties. This was done by two members of the Liberal Peoples party, one from the Christian Democrats and one maverick MP who formerly belonged to the Moderates.

The government’s line was to not classify the massacre of, among others, Assyrians and Armenians as genocide as it should not be up to politicians to write history.

Source: A1Plus – Original Article

A New Documentary on The Armenian Genocide Screened in Berlin

On Wednesday, March 10, the Republican Cultural Foundation of Germany organized a screening of “Ash and Phoenix” documentary, dedicated to memory of the victims of Genocide of 1915, a spokesperson for Armenia’s Foreign Ministry said.

The film was shot in Armenia, Syria, and Turkey and was sponsored by the Republican Cultural Foundation of Germany. Its screening was held in Berlin’s Germany’s History Museum Cinema Hall and was attended by German and Armenian officials, including Armenia’s Ambassador to Germany Armen Martirosian, and representatives of the Armenian Community of Germany.

The screening was followed by speaking of film’s director Solakhan and Armenian Ambassador.

Source: Aysor - Original Article

Swedish Parliament To Vote on Armenian Genocide Motion

The Swedish parliament will vote today on a motion to recognize the 1915 Armenian genocide, The Local Swedish news portal informs.

The motion has the backed by members of five of the seven Swedish parliamentary parties including the Left Party, whose foreign policy spokesperson Hans Linde told The Local on Thursday that the time had come for Sweden to take a stand on the issue.

“Firstly, to hinder any repeat and to learn from history. Secondly, to encourage the development of democracy in Turkey – which includes dealing with their own history. Thirdly, to redress the wrongs committed against the victims and their descendants,” Linde said.  Read more... (381 words)