Dashnaktsutyun - Armenian Revolutionary Federation

[Siggie]

Re: Dashnaktsutyun - Armenian Revolutionary Federation

That makes sense. I was lacking some context; thanks!

[Federate]

Re: Dashnaktsutyun - Armenian Revolutionary Federation

Excellent. ARF also met with Palestinian Fatah party a few months ago.
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ARF Bureau Member Meets Israeli Political Leaders

Hagop Der Khachadourian (second right) with Ze'ev Elkin flanked by delegation members

TEL AVIV—Armenian Revolutionary Federation Bureau member Hagop Der-Khachadourian led a delegation in Tel Aviv to meet with representatives of parties that are members of Socialist International.

The ARF delegation met first with Ghaleb Majadleh, Labor party member. The discussions centered on the upcoming parliamentary debate for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the Knesset, the role and intentions of Turkey in the region, and Israeli-Armenian relations. Majadleh, the first Arab minister in an Israerli government, emphasized his sympathy with the Armenian Cause and agreed that meetings between the representatives of both parties are important and should be frequent.

The ARF delegation met in the afternoon with the chairman of the Meretz party, Chaim Auron, at the party’s headquarters. Auron showed a profound knowledge of the Armenian Cause, and appreciation for the contribution of Armenians to Jerusalem, Israel, Palestine and the Middle East. He also acknowledged the significant role of the ARF in international organizations like the SI. He mentioned that these appreciations were not his alone but his party’s as well. The meeting concluded with a discussion of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The same evening a brief meeting took place at Hebrew University with Ze’ev Elkin of the ruling Israeli coalition. Elkin was a speaker at the Armenian Genocide Conference at the University, organized by the Honorary Consul of Armenia. He publicly declared that the Israeli Foreign Ministry should change course and support the resolution. The main topic of discussion after the conference between the ARF delegation and Elikin was the process for the Armenian Genocide resolution in the Knesset and its committees.

http://asbarez.com/95976/arf-bureau-member-meets-israeli-political-leaders/

[Mos]

Re: Dashnaktsutyun - Armenian Revolutionary Federation

^^^ It looks like they are pushing the Knesset to recognise the Genocide. Let's see where this goes...

[Artsakh]

Re: Dashnaktsutyun - Armenian Revolutionary Federation

[Federate]

Re: Dashnaktsutyun - Armenian Revolutionary Federation

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 YEREVAN 000510

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/20/2019
TAGS: PBTS PGOV PREL AJ AM
SUBJECT: DASHNAKS AT ODDS WITH MG APPROACH TO N-K SETTLEMENT

YEREVAN 00000510 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: AMB Marie L. Yovanovitch, reasons 1.4 (b,d).

-------
SUMMARY
-------

¶1. (C) Leaders of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation -
Dashnaktsutiun (Dashnaks) told EUR DAS Matthew Bryza that
they oppose the Minsk Group's approach to resolve the
Nagorno-Karabakh (N-K) conflict. The Dashnak leaders said
that the settlement should come in a package deal, not step
by step, and that no settlement would be acceptable to N-K's
population that did not recognize the current borders of the
"Nagorno Karabakh Republic." They stated that to resolve the
conflict the key was for Azerbaijan to rule out the
possibility of war. The leaders also warned that President
Sargsian will be removed from power if he makes concessions
unacceptable to N-K's population. DAS Bryza responded that
the MG approach was exactly geared to rule out war as an
option, and to transform the nature of the conflict along the
lines of the Cyprus issue, where war is ruled out while the
conflicting sides tackle the core political issues.
Achieving this goal would require compromise on both sides.
END SUMMARY.

-------------------------------------------
PACKAGE DEAL WITH CONCESSIONS BY BOTH SIDES
-------------------------------------------

¶2. (C) On July 8, EUR DAS and Minsk Group Co-Chair for the
United States Matthew Bryza met in Yerevan with Dashnak
leaders Hrant Margarian, Giro Manoyan, Vahan Hovhannisian,
and Armen Rustamian, to elicit their views on the N-K
settlement process. Margarian is representative of the
Dashnaks' worldwide Bureau and the leader of the Dashnaks.
Rustamian is representative of the Dashnaks' Supreme Body in
Armenia, along with Hovhannisian, who also heads the
Dashnaks' faction in Armenia's parliament. Manoyan is also a
member of the worldwide Bureau and heads its "Armenian Cause
and Political Affairs" office. Ambassador Yovanovitch
accompanied DAS Bryza to the meeting.

¶3. (C) In a warm and friendly exchange, the Dashnak leaders
said they opposed the step-by-step phased approach by the
Minsk Group to resolving the conflict, where Karabakhi
Armenians are expected to yield all of the seven occupied
territories over five years in exchange for a promised future
vote for self-determination. Hrant Margarian said Armenians
could only accept a package deal that entailed equal and
simultaneous concessions by both Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Armen Rustamian stated that Armenians and Karabakhi Armenians
"shed blood to secure our safety," and would never tolerate
concessions that amounted to return of territories for "a
promise on a piece of paper."

--------------------------------------------- -
"NKR" BORDERS, NOT SOVIET, SHOULD BE THE BASIS
--------------------------------------------- -

¶4. (C) Margarian said the current basis of the negotiations,
predicated on the acknowledgment of the borders of
Nagorno-Karabakh delineated by Joseph Stalin, is wrong, and
that the real borders should be those making up the
current-day "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic." (COMMENT: Margarian
was intentionally vague on what he meant by the borders of
the "NKR," although it appeared he was implying the
Soviet-era borders of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast
-- inside the Azerbaijan SSR -- as well as the adjoining two
territories of Kelbajar and Lachin which provide the "NKR"
with a stronger militarily defensible position. END
COMMENT.) Margarian noted his presence in N-K during the war
years, and his many trips to the enclave since, and said
Karabakh Armenians will never accept "the Soviet borders."
Margarian said if the goal of the settlement is long-term
peace and stability for Armenia, Azerbaijan, and N-K, it will
only happen if "all three countries" feel secure, otherwise
instability will reign. Margarian stated that "we are not
expansionists, but the borders of any country are based on
historical right, on the principles of security and economic
feasibility, and we have to identify N-K's borders on these
principles." Margarian declared that ex-President Levon
Ter-Petrossian, and his successors Robert Kocharian and Serzh
Sargsian, had been wrong to acknowledge the Soviet-era
borders of N-K, and that the Karabakhi Armenians should not
have to pay for these mistakes.

--------------------------------
ONLY SOLUTION IS TO RULE OUT WAR
--------------------------------

¶5. (C) Margarian said negotiations to resolve the conflict
would be "doomed" as long as "Azerbaijan has hopes to

YEREVAN 00000510 002.2 OF 002


accomplish a solution through war." He stated that the
"international community has to create a situation that would
exclude that possibility." Vahan Hovhannisian noted that
Azerbaijan always talks about "the consequences of war"
instead of addressing the reasons war erupted in N-K in the
first place. As long as those reasons are sustained, said
Hovhannisian in referencing Azerbaijan's bellicose rhetoric
and refusal to assess the origins of the conflict, "war
cannot be ruled out." Hovhannisian urged the international
community to be "completely intolerant" of Azerbaijan's
militaristic statements.

--------------------------------------------- --
SARGSIAN "WILL GO HOME" IF HE MAKES CONCESSIONS
--------------------------------------------- --

¶6. (C) Margarian warned that President Sargsian "will go
home" and be replaced by a new president if he makes
concessions on N-K that are unacceptable to
Karabakhi-Armenians. Margarian said "that is the reality --
we cannot yield our right to life" to any politician.
Margarian said the Dashnaks have been silent on the point of
concessions because "even with all of the concessions Armenia
has agreed to so far, we believed Azerbaijan would not accept
a resolution anyway." Margarian noted that if a "miracle"
happens, however (and Azerbaijan agrees to resolving the
conflict based on Armenia's concessions), "our people won't
accept it."

--------------------------------------------- -
DAS BRYZA SAYS IT'S TIME TO TRANSFORM CONFLICT
--------------------------------------------- -

¶7. (C) DAS Bryza disagreed with the Dashnak leaders that
Azerbaijan was not making any concessions, and said the Minsk
Group strategy was precisely aimed at creating a situation
where war would not be an option. He said President Aliyev's
June 4 interview on Russian television contained rare public
admissions that Azerbaijan accepted the need to discuss a new
legal status for N-K (though N-K,s final status would be
deferred to the future) and preserving a land corridor
between N-K and Armenia. Bryza also said that when
Azerbaijan agrees to the Basic Principles formulated by the
Minsk Group, it would amount to Baku's leaders declaring the
use of force as inadmissible, as the non-use of force is a
core element of the Basic Principles. Bryza then described
the security measures that the two sides to the conflict and
the international community would take to address N-K's
security concerns, including demilitarization of the occupied
territories and international peacekeepers.

¶8. (C) DAS Bryza said that that with the necessary
compromises and security arrangements, the N-K conflict could
be transformed to a conflict along the lines of the Cyprus
issue, where there is no risk of war and the core (albeit
irritating) political issues can be negotiated instead of
fought over. DAS Bryza urged the Dashnak leaders to
appreciate the opportunity before Armenia, and the gains a
peace deal would confer, including N-K effectively becoming a
bona fide international entity until its final status is
determined at a future date. He also warned that the status
quo was an untenable option for both sides, and made the
resumption of hostilities inevitable. To secure
Azerbaijan,s pledge not to use force (and thereby surrender
what Baku perceives as its core negotiating leverage),
Armenia would need to offer something in return. This was
precisely what was occurring in the current round of Minsk
Group negotiations. Bryza added that the settlement foreseen
by the Basic Principles is indeed a package solution, as
advocated by Armenia, though implementation will occur in
stages.

¶9. (C) The Dashnaks listened intently and respectfully, often
smiling and laughing as they seemed to grasp the logic behind
the Minsk Group,s approach. They nevertheless convened a
conference a few days later in Stepanakert denouncing the
Minsk Group,s current effort to negotiate agreement of the
Basic Principles. The key question is whether the Dashnaks,
who command less than 10 percent of Armenia,s electorate,
can catalyze enough opposition to any Minsk Group settlement
at this time to damage President Sargsian politically.

¶10. (U) EUR DAS BRYZA has cleared this cable.
YOVANOVITCH

http://wikileaks.org/cable/2009/07/09YEREVAN510.html

[Haykakan]

Re: Dashnaktsutyun - Armenian Revolutionary Federation

Here is a quote from the Dashnak leader in Hayastan "I think that, being presidents of the Russian Federation,
neither Medvedev nor Putin can cause substantial change in Armenia's
domestic politics. After all, our aspiration is to elect our own
president by ourselves, and without intervention by others."

I sometimes wonder what some of these dashnaks are smoking because i don't think weed alone can alter perception of reality this much.

[Haykakan]

Re: Dashnaktsutyun - Armenian Revolutionary Federation

o look here is another gem
ARF IS FOR TOTAL AUTHORITY CHANGE

AZG DAILY
30-09-2011

ARF is for total authority change including Serzh Sargsyan, announced
ARF Bureau member, head of ARF fraction Vahan Hovhannisyan during
the press conference.

According to Yerkir news, he noted that for reaching to that change
one must know the value of his vote and that everything cannot be
changed by the magic wand.

"The social-economic situation that we have today does not contribute
to people's self-awakening. What are the ways? We will not tell you
now", said Vahan Hovhannisyan and added that they will talk about it
as soon as they start their campaign.

ARF member reminded only about "Vote is power" movement which has
but one purpose, and that is to contribute to honest elections.

It appears the dashnaks have the answers to armenias socioeconomic problems but they dont want to share it with us...o and vote is power kinda like it is in the usa where your vote means so much that nobody votes-o i know why nobody votes in the usa it because they are fully content there now and have no problems. I wish the dashnak party would one day have a "self awakening" and join the reality the rest of us live in.

[Haykakan]

Re: Dashnaktsutyun - Armenian Revolutionary Federation

RF IS NOT YOUR PARTY

The ARF leadership has, in fact, announced about conspiracy against
their party. Arrows point to Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan but it
is obvious that the party has assumed a defensive posture to the
whole world.

ARF members themselves do not deny existence of issues inside the
party. It would be strange not to discuss the reasons of failure after
unsuccessful elections, so there is nothing wrong that the party is
discussing change of leadership and style of work. On the contrary,
it is a sign of internal improvement.

The strange thing is that the arrows are pointed to Tigran Sargsyan.

This was done by Hrant Margaryan. In particular, when asked whether
they are going to achieve not only Tigran Sargsyan's but also Serzh
Sargsyan's resignation, Hrant Margaryan said that only people can
overthrow Serzh Sargsyan. We suppose that the issue is not the ARF's
relations with the government but Hrant Margaryan himself.

If so then why is it necessary to get the party which is a national
value involved in this game? The ARF is not Hrant Margaryan's or
someone else's party, it is the party of the Armenian people which
has done a lot of important things and which is associated with the
Armenian cause. This is the party the members of which are thousands
of bright, talented and broadminded people and they need to use their
energy on something significant.

The ARF will face great deeds in the next few years. In 2015 it may
even stop its existence if it fulfills its mission to achieve the
solution of the Armenian Cause. But in order to get to that, the
party needs to put everything aside and focus on the Armenian cause,
which is becoming more real.

A lot of people understand that significant events may happen in 2015.

Even the Turkish press is publishing articles expressing concerns
about split of the country. Barack Obama also understands this who
is waiting for 2015 to utter the important word, Serzh Sargsyan also
realizes this who has done everything to be the president in 2015,
and so does Hrant Margaryan who wants to remain in history. The
ARF members in the Diaspora also understand this who want to be
participants of historic events.

Naira Hayrumyan 12:20 15/07/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:

http://www.lragir.am/index/eng/0/country/view/30460