CoE D.SG+Armenian Ambassador to EuroFora: EU Accession to ECHR during CoE chair by Genocide victims?

*Strasbourg/CoE/24-25-27 of April 2013/Angelo Marcopolo/- Hopes that the obviously strong Symbolism of a possible EU Accession to the PanEuropean Convention on Human Rights during CoE's chair by the People who was Victim of the 1st Genocide in Modern History, Armenia, might be realized, appeared legitimate after relevant statements to "EuroFora" by CoE's Deputy Secretary General, the experienced Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni, and the forthcoming CoE Committee of Ministers Chairman-in-office, new Armenian Ambassador Armen Papikyan, both speaking shortly after a landmark Debate and Vote in CoE's Parliamentary Assembly's plenary on how to Monitor Turkey's obligations vis-a-vis the Organization of Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law, which adopted a Report by French MEP Josette Durieu explicitly reminding the "Armenian Genocide", that a Declaration officially tabled at the CoE and put into circulation the day of its 98th Annivetrsary; "calls upon all CoE Assembly's Members to take steps for the Recognition of the Genocide perpetrated against Armenians and other Christians in the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the 20th Century, which will strongly contribute to an eventual similar act of recognition by the Turkish authorities of this odious Crime against Humanity".
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Ambassador Papikyan, speaking to "EuroFora" just after a Public Demonstration for the commemoration of the 98th Anniversary of the Genocide at Strasbourg's "Place de la Republique", to which "EuroFora" was invited, together with various French Local and/or Religious Officials of the Alsace Region by the representatives of the Armenian Community here, cpeaking about the forthcoming rotating Chairmanship of CoE's Committee of Ministers by Armenia, between May and November 2013, while carefully keeping most Priorities of Erevan's Presidency "to be anounced by the Foreign Minister",  Edward Nalbandian, "on May", nevertheless, stressed from the outset that his country's Presidency would certainly work diligently in order to try to reach concrete Results in the Historic EU Accession to the PanEuropean Convention of Human Rights, already foreseen by the Lisbon Treaty since 2010, but only recently (2013)marking a breakthrough in delicate EU - CoE Negotiations, under the concliuding Andora's Chairmanship of CoE's Minissters :  

- Thus, among others, we also hope that EU's Court of Justice, located at nearby Luxembourg, will soon publish its crucial Conclusions on how to make such a move (which will submit, every EU Decision to the control also of the ECHR in Strasbourg, for the 1st time in History), the Armenian Ambassador told us in particular.

+ Speaking later on Thursday at the CoE to "EuroFora", jjust after a meeting with the Prime Minister of Andora, Antoni Marti, who currently chairs the PanEuropean Organization, the experienced Deputy Secfretary General of the CoE, Mrs Gabriella Battaini - Dragoni, confirmed, with a smile, that, indeed, there is a Hope for Decisive Results, if not a final Conclusion, on EU's Accession to the ECHR, to be realized during the forthcoming CoE's Presidency by Armenia : At any case, Armenia has already coordinated all its Priorities in cooperation also with the following CoE Presidency by (EU Member) Austria, on various key issues, going f. ex. from Education up to EU's Accession to the ECHR, Battaini-Dragoni observed in this regard, without excluding nothing, but pointing at a better efficiency through a collective work by successive CoE Presidencies closely cooperating between them, in common efforts apparently due to yield results sooner or later.

But, at the same time, both CoE's Deputy Secretary General, and the Armenian Ambassador,  inevitably spoke also to "EuroFora" about the important PanEuropean Ministerial Conference that CoE organizes this week at Helsinki, in Finland, on the "Quality of Education", mainly to Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law, where the transmission of such Values, includes also of the Memory of grave Crimes against Humanity as Genocides, etc., (that, f.ex., the European Center for deported Resistants" against Nazism, located near Strasbourg at a former Concentration Camp abused by the NAZI durig the 2nd World War, notoriously tries to reveal and remind particularly at SchoolChildren throughout all European Countries), pointing also at a forthoming Armenian-Austrian CoE's Presidencies' cooperation on such naturally interelated issues as Human Rights' protection and Memory of grave Crimes, etc., during the next 6 or 12 Months (May 2013-May 2014), i.e. practically until the next Elections of EU Parliament, which would normally have to debate and vote on any possible Agreement between EU and CoE for the Accession to the ECHR.

    Indeed, as even French Interior Minister, Manuel Valls, had previouslt told "EuroFora", during one of his earlier visits to Strasbourg on the occasion of the Inauguration of a Memorial, together with the Ambassador of Israel, for those who had Risked their Freedom and often even Lives in order to Help Jewish and other People persecuted by the NAZI during the 2nd World War, (an Idea initially supported also by former French President Chirac, as well as former EU Parliament's President and Minister, currently Academician, Mrs Simone Veil), - "by Keeping Memory alive, we try to Prevent New Horrible Crimes in the Future :  That's why we are doing that, not just for Remembrance alone"...
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-  This is particularly true, as the above mentioned Declaration at the CoE stresses, concerning "Recognition of Genocides (which)  is an act that contributes to the Respect for Human Dignity and the Prevention of Crimes against Humanity", (a notorious Example a Contrario, being that of the NAZI Holocaust against Jews and other People, which followed shortly after the Turkish Genocide against Armenians went initially unpunished, with some among the worst Criminals and/or Istingators reportedly becoming even Ministers and other various Top Officials in the "Young Turks" subsequent Putsch and even inside Attaturk's first Governments). In this regard, the Declaration put in circulation by the CoE observes the Fact that, already, "the Armenian Genocide by the Ottoman Empire has been documented, recognised, and affirmed in the form of media and eyewitness reports, laws, resolutions, and statements by the United Nations, the European Parliament and Parliaments of the CoE member States, including Sweden, Lithuania (forthcoming EU Chair), Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Switzerland, France, Italy, Belgium, Greece, Cyprus, the Russian Federation,  as well as the US House of Representatives and 43 USA States, Chile, Argentina (new Pope Francis' motherland), Venezuela, Canada, Uruguay and Lebanon"', (etc).

Drafted by mainstream Armenian ChristianDemocrat/EPP MEP Mrs Zaruhi Postanyan, who informed "EuroFora" herself  on that Text, the Official Document put into circulatoin by the  CoE on the Day of the 98th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide (Wednesday, April 24, 2013), already started to be Signed by many Mainstream MEPs from all Political Groups and various CoE Member Countries, such as, f.ex.:  CoE Assembly's vice-President and Head of the Polish Delegation, vice-Chairman of the ChristianDemocrat/EPP Group of MEPs, Andrzej Halicki ; Head of the French Delegation, and vice-President of CoE's Assembly and of the Socialist Group, René Rouquet ; vice-President of the European Left Group, and vice-Chairman of CoE Assembly's Equality and Non-Discrimination Committee, Danish MEP Nikolaj Villumsen ; vice-President of the Socialist Group, Hungarian MEP Vilmos Szabo ;  President of CoE Assembly's External Relations Committee (in charge of linksf.ex. with the EU, OSCE, UNO, etc), Serbian MEP Milos Aligrudic (EDG Group); vie-President of CoE Assembly's Monitoring Committee, Dutch ChristianDemocrat/EPP MEP PieterOmtzigt ; President of CoE Assembly's Education, Youth and Sport Committee, Brittish Socialist MEP Michael Connarty ; former Foreign Minister, and current Head of the Greec Delegation to CoE's Assembly, Dora Bakoyanni, of the Governing ChristianDemocrat/EPP party ;  vice-President of CoE Assembly's Monitoring Committee and Head of the Armenian Delegation, member of EPP Group's Bureau, Davit Harutyunyan ; Chairman of the Dutch Delegation to COE Assembly, and vice-President of its Culture, Science and Media Committee, ChristianDemocrat/EPP MEP Hans Franken ; Spanish Senator Alejandro Munoz-Alonso, of the Governing ChristianDemocrat/EPP party;  Hungarian MEP of the Governing ChristianDemocrat/EPP party,  Ferenc Kalmar ; Italian ChristianDemocrat/EPP MEP Renato Farine ; mainstream German MEP of the Left party, Endrej Hunko ;  Finnish EPP MEP Mrs Anne(Mari Virolainen ;   Croatian SocialDemocrat MEP Ivan Racan ;  Armenian EPP MEPs  Naira Karapetyan and Harpine Hovhannisyan  ;  Ukranian MEPs Serhiy Sobolev (EPP) and Oleksandr Shevchenko (Independent) ; (etc).

- "As a result", the Recognition of the Armenian Genocide by ALL CoE Member States, including Turkey itself, "will lead to the Normalisation of relations between Armenia and Turkey, and thus contribute to regional Peace, Security and Stability", the MEPs who signed this 2013 CoE Document stress in conclusion.
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+ Meanwhile, CoE's latest Report on Turkey, drafted by experienced French Socialist MEP Josette Durieu, that CoE's Parliamentary Assembly debated and voted on Tuesday this week in Strasbourg, oberves critically that " It should be pointed out that the historical issue of the “1915 events” (and the Recognition of the “Armenian Genocide”) remains a Major Obstacle in the reconciliation of Turkey with Armenia", while it's even " relations between Turkey and the United States .. again became Troubled in 2010 when the US Chamber of Representatives adopted a draft “Resolution on the Armenian Genocide”.

- As CoE's Rapporteur on Turkey's post-Monitoring checks, French MEP Josette Durieu stressed from the outset, - "If Turkey is to make more progress, it must confront its Past ..... I wish that Turkey will be able to ...to Utter the Words that we (CoE) are Waiting to hear because, beyond Armenia, Europe as a whole would find a fresh impetus towards reconciliation and peace", she concluded, applauded.

 - "A well-known Turkish-German writer, whom I know, is now Threatened to be thrown to Jail for Life, just for having spoken about the Armenian Genocide : Such worrying Facts should be condemned", denounced on Tuesday German MEP Hunko, on behalf of the Group of the Unified European Left.

=> "A country that has more Journalists in Prison than any other country in the CoE, that has Elected politicians in Detention, and that still struggles with the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, is Not ready to Escape the post-Monitoring procedure", strongly stressed experienced Dutch ChristianDemocrat MEP Omtzigt, succesfully asking CoE's Assembly to refuse a "Surprizing" Turkish MEPs' claim "for that (Monitoring) process to be Closed", which was, indeed, rejected  by a Large Majority of 122 Votes against, compared to only 57 for, and 10 Abstentions.

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- "VIOLENCE CONTINUES" !..
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+ Speaking later to CoE Assembly's Plenary at the occasion of another landmark Report on Violence against Religious Communities, the same Day of the 98th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, MEP Zaruhi Postanyan denounced that, in fact, "Violence Continues" by Turkey :

- "In 1912, according to official Turkish data, there were more than 2 000 functioning Armenian Churches and Monasteries in the Ottoman Empire. They have been illegally Appropriated by the Republic of Turkey, and today remain under the Ownership of the Turkish Government. They should be Returned to their Rightful Owners", MEP Postanyan stressed, wearing a special T-Shirt (See relevant "EuroFora"s PHOTO), which aims "to urge you, (CoE),  once again, to heed the requirements not only of Armenians, but of the Humane World community", as she said.

 - Moreover, "we (CoE) should ask the Question: what happened to the Armenians who built those Churches ?"; she wondered, also denouncing the additional fact that "One of the main aims of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire was to promote Islamisation, which Continues in Turkey Today", as she criticized, pointing at a Geographic area which was, for more than Thoousand of Years, the Headquarters of the 1st Christian Empire in History : that of Constantinople's Byzance (330 - 1.453), but hasn't  Today not even 1% of Christian Inhabitants : Less than aby other Country of the wider Middle-East area, where various other, Arab regimes have, on the contrary, more or less Tolerated and kept several Christian Communities since Ancient Times, (such as even Iraq, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, etc).

 - "For the past few Decades now, 24 April (Anniversary of the Genocide) has served as one of the Major Dates ... and not only for the Armenian people". It "began as a day for Requiems and Remembrance, gradually developing into a day of Righteous Indignation and for demanding Justice through the Recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Nevertheless,  (it) is a day ...dedicated to acknowledging the greatest of Loss : We were Dispossessed of our (Historic) Land", the Armenian MEP reminded.

=> - "Since Justice has not yet  been restored, and the CoE has a Monument only for the Holocaust", Postanyan launched a call "to Remember and Honour the Memory of the Victims of the Armenian Genocide, and of Other Nations, in the Ottoman Empire in 1915, by placing Flowers and Candles at the Monument to the (Jewish a.o.) Holocaust",  located in front of CoE's main entrance, "as a Monument that Remembers the Crime of Genocide" in general, as she proposed.
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+ Later that same Day, (Wednesday, April 24), during the Annual Public Anniversary Demonstration iN Strasbourg for the Memory of the 1st Genocide of the Modern era, at the central "Place de la Republique", the main organizer, experienced Pierre Zouloumian, President of the Association of Friendship between Strasbourg's Region Alsace and Armenia, stressed, indeed, the vital need to forge a close Solidarity between all Victims of all Genocides, without any Exclusion, as a matter of Principle, including not only the Armenian Genocide committed by the Ottoman-Turc regime, but also the Jewish Holocaust committed during the NAZI regime, as well as the Massacers of Ancestral Greek Populations at Smyrne (Aegean Sea) and at Pontos region (Black Sea), that against Kurdish People in Turkey, and even, more recently, at Rwanda (Africa), as an invited Representative of Tutsi Pëople reminded to the audience.
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 + Moving Poems read by a group of Young Armenian Children at a subsequent Religious Ceremony in Strasbourg's Sainte Madeleine Church on Wednesday pointed at the importance it has for Victims of particulary serious Human Rights Violations to Transmit their Culture and Memory through Generations, reminding also the fact that CoE's Assembly had just Voted on Tuesday, with an overwhelming Majority of 139 Votes for, against only 34, and 9 Abstentions, to adopt an Amendment on Turkey's post-Monitoring Resolution, which "acknowledges the importance of Minority Schools for the preservation of the Identity of the national Minorities", and expresses COE's "Regrets that the (current Turkish) Law of 2007 on Private Teaching Establishments does Not reflect (CoE's) Requirements", confirmed on 2010, and, therefore, "Urges Turkey to Adapt its Legislation so as to Allow Children from Non-Muslim Minorities (i.e. such as Armenian, Greek-Orthodox, Catholics and Protestants, Jews, Alevis, Assyrians, etc), but without Turkish Nationality, to be admitted to Minority Schools", putting an end to the currently precarious, "ad hoc" situations, by clearly "Enshring this Right in Law", as Armenian MEP Harutyunyan stressed.

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- The main thrust of most Armenian Community Representatives, and other invited Speakers from the French Local or Religious Authorities, Ambassadors, MEPs, etc.,  was to plead essentially for "Memory" and "Justice", as conditions for "Reconciliation" and necessary Guarantees of a Future without Risks for such Barbaric Crimes against Humanity to be repeated, in one way or another, but also to strongly Condemn recent Threats (often shocking and/or insulting Victims' Families or even threatening them with brutal violence, etc., as it was already seen earlier including in France) of  Turkish "Negationism", (that a recent Draft Law, initially adopted by the French National Assembly and Senate, had already outlawed, before being blocked by the Constitutional Court for Legal Technicalities, and postponed for later-on)...  

Timely, Grand Rabbi René Guttman, speaking to "EuroFora" just after the Synagogue event, confirmed the fact that in his 2013 Speech, he had chosern to denounce this year the Mass Murder of Innocent People, (by Bombing Islamic Terrorists who had arrived earlier from Chenchnya through Turkey), recently in Boston, at the USA, including even of a Young Jewish Child who was atrociously "killed just because he run to see his Father", as he noted.

(../..)