Wednesday, May 25, 2022
No Result
View All Result
Asbarez.com
NEWSLETTER
ՀԱՅ
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports
No Result
View All Result
Asbarez.com
ՀԱՅ
No Result
View All Result

Clinton’s Version of the Turkey-Armenia Protocols Process

by Ara Khachatourian
June 11, 2014
in Armenia, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories
19
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

BY ARA KHACHATOURIAN

In reading Hillary Rodham Clinton’s book “Hard Choices,” which hit bookstores Tuesday, one is led to believe that she was the architect of the dangerous Turkey-Armenia Protocols, elevating the US’s role in the doomed process, to which both Armenia and Turkey have laid claim.

In her book, Clinton claims that Turkey’s “Zero Problems With Neighbors” policy was a window through which the US could negotiate a thaw in Turkey-Armenia relations, with hopes of opening the border and initiating diplomatic relations between the two countries.

She claimed that “Hard-liners in both countries were implacably opposed to compromise and put considerable pressure on each government not to make a deal,” without mentioning that her own American constituents were vocally opposed to this sham, which was concocted by her predecessors in the Bush Administration and behind which the Obama Administration rabidly threw its support.

Clinton also called the Armenian Genocide issue, the recognition of which she advocated during her failed presidential campaign, an “emotionally charged conflict” between Turkey and Armenia.

Did Clinton Throw Nalbandian Under the Bus?
Throughout the years, Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian has prided himself on building solid relationship with the US and has touted the close-knit relationship he developed with Clinton during the protocol process.

Yet the short reference to Armenia in her book, which also excludes any mention of her “personal visit” to Dzidzernagepert Genocide Memorial, Clinton weaves a different tale of what happened in Zurich on October 10, 2009 during the official signing of the Turkey-Armenia protocols.

It emerges, and has been mentioned several times by Armenian officials, that the contentious issue at the Zurich signing was the possibility that Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu would make remarks after the signing that would counter the spirit of the Protocols. Clinton asserts that it was due to her efforts that at the end—after a three-hour delay—the protocols were signed without statements by any of the parties.

“On October 9, I flew to Zurich to witness the accord signing alongside the Foreign Ministers of France, Russia, and Switzerland and the EU High Representative. The next afternoon I left my hotel and headed to the University of Zurich for the ceremony. But there was a problem. Nalbandian, the Armenian Minister, was balking. He was worried about what Davutoğlu planned to say at the signing and suddenly was refusing to leave the hotel. It seemed as if months of careful negotiations might fall apart. My motorcade turned around and raced back to Zurich’s Dolder Grand Hotel. While I waited in the car, Phil Gordon went upstairs along with the lead Swiss negotiator to find Nalbandian and take him tothe signing ceremony. But he wouldn’t budge. Phil came back downstairs to report and joined me in the car, which was now parked behind the hotel. I started working the phones. On one cell I dialed Nalbandian, and I got Davutoğlu on a second line. We went back and forth for an hour, trying to bridge the gap and coax Nalbandian out of his room. ‘This is too important, this has to be seen through, we have come too far,’ I told them,” Clinton recounts in her book.

“Finally I went upstairs to talk to Nalbandian in person. What if we simply canceled the speaking portionof the event? Sign the document, make no statements, and leave. Both sides agreed, and Nalbandian at last emerged. We walked downstairs, and he got in my sedan to drive to the university. It took another hour and a half of hand-holding and arm-twisting at the site to get them to actually walk onstage. We were three hours late, but at least we were there. We held the expedited signing ceremony, and then, with a huge sense of relief, everyone left as fast as they could. To date, neither country has ratified the protocols, and the process remains stalled; however, at a December 2013 conference, the Turkish and Armenian Foreign Ministers met for two hours to discuss how to move forward, and I still hope for a breakthrough,” explained Clinton in “Hard Choices.”

On Wednesday I asked Armenia’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Tigran Balayan during an online conversation about Clinton’s assertions and he pointed me to remarks Nalbandian made on April 26 of this year when he touched upon a claim made by Davutoglu that his intended remarks in Zurich were to be similar to the now infamous “condolence” speech made by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on April 23.

In his remarks this past April, Nalbandian, who was hosting a delegation of the Foreign Policy Society of Finland explained that “According to the reached agreement everyone who was to make a statement during the signing ceremony of Protocols in Zurich should have provided their texts of speeches beforehand. Turkey breached this arrangement. This is the reason why the signing ceremony was postponed so long until the Turkish side felt obliged to provide the statement text.”

“All the representatives of states participating in the signing ceremony considered the statement text of the Turkish side as unacceptable and suggested to hold the ceremony without any speeches and the Turkish Foreign Minister was obliged to accept that. That was the reason why the ceremony took place with nearly a three-hours delay. Moreover, right after the signing ceremony the participating Foreign Ministers made public comments, underlining that any statement made following the signing could not have an impact on the reached agreements enshrined in the Protocols. If the Turkish side considers that it could reanimate today what was rejected by all four and a half years ago, it is in vain and without perspectives,” explained Nalbandian, who added that he expressed the same sentiments to Davutoglu when he visited Yerevan in December.

“Nobody rejects her [Clinton’s] crucial role in the negotiations. She was really very effective in mediating the signing without statements,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Balayan told me on Wednesday.

Whatever the case, Clinton explicitly says that the aim of the protocols and other initiatives in the Caucasus was not necessarily to achieve peace but to advance US interests.

“The conflict in the Caucasus posed problems for our plans for piping Central Asian natural gas to European markets to lessen their dependence on Russian energy.”

Ara Khachatourian

Ara Khachatourian

Next Post

Boy Scouts of America Honor Armenian Scouts with Eagle Scout Badge

Comments 19

  1. Kevork says:
    8 years ago

    Well, Bill Clinton also made some “hard choices” with Monica – it doesn’t mean they were right.

    Reply
  2. James says:
    8 years ago

    Yet another fake Washington politician with more flowery words that ended up being backed up with a stick in the face for Armenians. When will “Hai Tad” experts learn?

    Reply
  3. Hratch says:
    8 years ago

    No worries, Mother Russia is on our side and will resolves all our outstanding issues in due course.

    Reply
    • Norin Radd says:
      8 years ago

      “Mother Russia” has a far better track record with Armenians then the US/EU combined, stop with your childish rants and jabs. The Germans helped kill your people in 1914, the British helped cover it up, and the US is now helping the Turks to help kill your people again.

      Reply
  4. Jack Kalpakian says:
    8 years ago

    Like every other US Sec. of State, Clinton made the mistake of assuming that Ankara is a rational actor when it comes to this issue.

    Reply
  5. Hagopian hagopian says:
    8 years ago

    “Emotionally charged conflict” is this how this (demok rat) ho views the Armenian Genocide.
    The hell with these democRats.

    Reply
  6. Alex Postallian says:
    8 years ago

    She violated the countrys integrity,by accepting bribes,from the jerky turks,to be their STOOGE.Thats why the jerks are laughing at us..with traitors like her…..

    Reply
  7. Vindicated Man says:
    8 years ago

    All she seems to care about is her career. She wants to achieve friendship at the expense of Armenia, then look like an angel among those who are not familiar with the real situation.

    Reply
  8. zarkim says:
    8 years ago

    With all due respect, Mrs Clinton and Mr Obama come from different backgrounds. They hardly know their own short history (Accurately), let alone, Armenian’s long one.
    French Government is the best judge. They were there and saved many Armenian lives (Ask Charles Aznavour). English would certainly know the real story, but do not count on these pirates to tell the truth (They did not get where they are by being truthful). Australians (Under British, English) were fighting the Turks at the same time in Gallipoli, but “LANDED ON THE WORNG BEACH, as they say” (English Officers made a mess and cost many Australian lives). So English Government was there too!

    Reply
  9. zarkim says:
    8 years ago

    Armenian Genocide.
    With all due respect, Mrs Clinton and Mr Obama come from different backgrounds. They hardly know their own short history (Accurately), let alone, Armenian’s long one.
    French Government is the best judge. They were there and saved many Armenian lives (Ask Charles Aznavour). English would certainly know the real story, but do not count on these pirates to tell the truth (They did not get where they are by being truthful). Australians (Under British, English) were fighting the Turks at the same time in Gallipoli, but “LANDED ON THE WORNG BEACH, as they say” (English Officers made a mess and cost many Australian lives). So English Government was there too!
    The aim of this protocols and other initiatives is not necessarily to achieve peace but to advance US interests. US need Turkey more!

    Reply
  10. GB says:
    8 years ago

    I am sure Hillary’s book edited by her comrade Davood Oghloo in Dolmabaghcheh Palace, with the help of Rajab and Abdul!

    Reply
  11. GeorgeMardig says:
    8 years ago

    God help Armenians if she becomes next president of US

    Reply
  12. Areg says:
    8 years ago

    It is again the oil issue. Who cares for Armenia as longest we get the oil. Shame on you Hillary Clinton and you wish to run for presidency. Your hopes are all vanished and gone.

    Reply
  13. Lus says:
    8 years ago

    This woman is a monster, nothing less!

    Reply
  14. GeorgeMardig says:
    8 years ago

    She is full of BS

    Reply
  15. Vahe says:
    8 years ago

    I recall an Armenian American organization that endorsed Hillary AND Bill Clinton.

    Reply
  16. Ruby Minas says:
    8 years ago

    She was not the architect of the dangerous Turkey-Armenia Protocols because she did not do anything new to be called THE ARCHITECT! She just wanted to get some credit for herself at the end of her miserable failing political life by scrificing Armenia’s position.
    I never liked this woman, to me she has at least 5 or 6 faces and maybe more.
    Can Not be trusted!!!!

    Reply
  17. Nobody cares says:
    8 years ago

    Everybody: who is standing in the shadows to gain from this person’s election? That’s how you should be viewing this and every person who speaks to the Genocide! Then, make your comments. Can’t find anybody? Well, look harder!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended

Artsakh Parliament to Take Up Bill on ‘Occupied Territories’

Artsakh Parliament Baffled by European Leader’s ‘Distortion’ of Karabakh Settlement Process

20 hours ago
ANCA Colorado Endorses Colorado Governor Jared Polis for Reelection 

ANCA Colorado Endorses Colorado Governor Jared Polis for Reelection 

21 hours ago

Connect with us

  • About
  • Advertising
  • Subscribe
  • Contact

© 2021 Asbarez | All Rights Reserved | Powered By MSDN Solutions Inc.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports

© 2021 Asbarez | All Rights Reserved | Powered By MSDN Solutions Inc.

Accessibility

Accessibility modes

Epilepsy Safe Mode
Dampens color and removes blinks
This mode enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode
Improves website's visuals
This mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode
Helps to focus on specific content
This mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode
Reduces distractions and improve focus
This mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode
Allows using the site with your screen-reader
This mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.

Online Dictionary

    Readable Experience

    Content Scaling
    Default
    Text Magnifier
    Readable Font
    Dyslexia Friendly
    Highlight Titles
    Highlight Links
    Font Sizing
    Default
    Line Height
    Default
    Letter Spacing
    Default
    Left Aligned
    Center Aligned
    Right Aligned

    Visually Pleasing Experience

    Dark Contrast
    Light Contrast
    Monochrome
    High Contrast
    High Saturation
    Low Saturation
    Adjust Text Colors
    Adjust Title Colors
    Adjust Background Colors

    Easy Orientation

    Mute Sounds
    Hide Images
    Virtual Keyboard
    Reading Guide
    Stop Animations
    Reading Mask
    Highlight Hover
    Highlight Focus
    Big Dark Cursor
    Big Light Cursor
    Navigation Keys

    Asbarez.com Accessibility Statement

    Accessibility Statement

    • www.asbarez.com
    • May 25, 2022

    Compliance status

    We firmly believe that the internet should be available and accessible to anyone, and are committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of circumstance and ability.

    To fulfill this, we aim to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level. These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities. Complying with those guidelines helps us ensure that the website is accessible to all people: blind people, people with motor impairments, visual impairment, cognitive disabilities, and more.

    This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.

    Additionally, the website utilizes an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimizes its accessibility level constantly. This application remediates the website’s HTML, adapts Its functionality and behavior for screen-readers used by the blind users, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments.

    If you’ve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement, we’ll be happy to hear from you. You can reach out to the website’s operators by using the following email

    Screen-reader and keyboard navigation

    Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with screen-readers are able to read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters your site, they immediately receive a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements, alongside console screenshots of code examples:

    1. Screen-reader optimization: we run a background process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website. In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels; descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues (popups), and others. Additionally, the background process scans all of the website’s images and provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag for images that are not described. It will also extract texts that are embedded within the image, using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology. To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on as soon as they enter the website.

      These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA.

    2. Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML, and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally, keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus, available at any time by clicking Alt+1, or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, and not allow the focus drift outside of it.

      Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.

    Disability profiles supported in our website

    • Epilepsy Safe Mode: this profile enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
    • Visually Impaired Mode: this mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
    • Cognitive Disability Mode: this mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
    • ADHD Friendly Mode: this mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
    • Blindness Mode: this mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
    • Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.

    Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments

    1. Font adjustments – users, can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
    2. Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds, with over 7 different coloring options.
    3. Animations – epileptic users can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
    4. Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
    5. Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
    6. Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
    7. Additional functions – we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.

    Browser and assistive technology compatibility

    We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers), both for Windows and for MAC users.

    Notes, comments, and feedback

    Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs, there may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to