Armenian, Assyrian and Hellenic Genocide News

Armenian Dashanks say genocide issue to lead to change of borders with Turkey
by Noyan Tapan, 1 Feb 2001
Posted: Tuesday, February 13, 2001 02:00 am CST

[FBIS Translated Text] Armenian Dashanks say genocide issue to lead to change of borders with Turkey

Text of report by Armenian news agency Noyan Tapan

Yerevan, 1 February: At a meeting held on 1 February at the national press club, a member of the ARFD [Armenian Revolutionary Federation -Dashnaktsutyun] in the Socialist International, Mario Nalbandyan, said that "consistency on the issue of Ay Data (Armenian question) definitely means that the issue of changing Armenian-Turkish borders will arise in the process of the problem developing".

He said that ways of getting compensation from Turkey over the genocide "should be clarified". He noted that "on their own initiative, over 10,000 Armenians of the USA have appealed to US courts demanding compensation for the moral and financial damage resulting from the genocide and US courts have started to deal with the issues". As for state policy, he said that "the opportunities and limits for claims by the state must first be studied".

Noting that the process of international recognition of the genocide of Armenians was, above all, conditioned by the struggle of the Armenian people, "their mature and united policy", Mario Nalbandyan at the same time said that "fortunately we were also successful in making use of the conditions created during Turkey's possible admission to the European Union. However this does not mean that if we had not been consistent in achieving the goals of Ay Data, these recognitions would have happened anyway."

Pointing out that over the past three or four years, "the centre of the Armenian question has moved to Europe", Nalbandyan said that the ARFD would open an Ay Data central European office in the near future, which "must help develop the motherland's foreign policy activity in mainly economic and propoganda issues, and to speak as an unofficial representative of the motherland".

He said that foreign policy has always been the ARFD's most important field of activity. He noted that meetings with high-ranking officials from Greece, Cyprus and Iran were very important. Nalbandyan said that these meetings were directed at strengthening Armenia's relations with "our friends, countries which, to some degree, share common strategic interests with us".

As for Turkey, he believes that the ARFD supports "the continuation of dialogue" with Turkey, but for the moment - no more than that.

Financial Times (London)
February 7, 2001

ANKARA and PARIS -- Alcatel, the French telecommunications group, has been dropped from a Turkish mobile telephone tender in a growing boycott sparked by the French parliament's endorsement of Armenian genocide claims.

Turk Telekom, the state-owned utility, cited sanctions against France as the reason why it had not invited Alcatel to bid in a renewed tender to supply infrastructure for its planned cellular operation. A previous tender, in which Alcatel had been a bidder, was cancelled because of a change in specifications.

A French parliamentary resolution saying the Ottoman Empire committed genocide against its Armenian community 85 years ago has provoked an outcry in Turkey, which rejects the accusation. The government headed by Bulent Ecevit, prime minister, has not announced a formal boycott in retaliation, but French companies and joint ventures in Turkey have faced growing sanctions.

The armed forces, which are not tied to any party, together with four of the ministries controlled by the National Action party, the most nationalistic coalition partner, have respectively barred French bidders from defence contracts, grain tenders, and a Dollars 1.1bn highway contract. Osman Durmus, the health minister, has even threatened to ban French medicine.

Enis Oksuz, the communications minister, denied that the cancellation of the tender in which Alcatel had been a bidder was politically motivated. He added it was up to Telekom to decide which companies could take part in the renewed tender.

Some analysts said it was possible the minister was simply trying to distance himself from a move that is unlikely to please business and financial circles.

Leading Turkish businessmen have deplored economic sanctions against France at a time when Turkey is trying to restore the confidence of international markets following a severe financial crisis late last year.

In its latest effort to help rebuild Turkey's credibility, the IMF on Monday approved the latest Dollars 1.4bn tranche of a Dollars 10bn Turkish rescue package.

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