Ambassador Kirakosian's Speech at Armenian Genocide Symposium

Dear Friends,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am delighted to speak at the Harvard University, and I want to thank the Armenian Students Association for organizing the event. It's an honor to be here on this occasion.

On April 24, we will commemorate the 87th anniversary of the events that marked the beginning of deportation and mass killings of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire. The year 1915 was the culmination of the Ottoman genocidal policy of ethnic cleansings and massacres of Armenians. The Armenian genocide was an unprecedented event in the human history, but, unfortunately, it was not the last genocide of the twentieth century.

Each commemoration of the Armenian genocide gives cause to much contemplation and soul-searching. Round - or jubilee - anniversaries are no different than others because of the enormity of the event and because the Genocide of 1915 has left permanent scars in the mind of our nation. Hundreds of thousands of Armenians found refuge in foreign lands creating strong, prosperous and vibrant communities. In the United States, there are more than one million Armenian-Americans, and everyone admires the vitality and strength of this community.

Yet, every commemoration is a milestone, one more year in the millennia-long history of our nation. More and more countries, regions, and cities recognize the Armenian Genocide. This is an important development since a greater acknowledgement of the Genocide by the community of nations will serve the purpose of preventing Genocide in the future, and will ultimately promote the understanding of the issue in Turkey proper.

As a nation, we Armenians crossed another important milestone twelve years ago, when Armenia regained its independence. That's perhaps the most important and lasting achievement of the Armenian people in twentieth century.

When Armenia reclaimed its independence in 1991, we the citizens of the new Republic resolved to build a free, prosperous, and strong Armenia that will never again allow a foreign oppressor to perpetrate Genocide against the Armenian people. The history of twelve years of independence and the Artsakh movement taught us an important lesson: an Armenian government and independent nation is capable of standing up for its own rights and stop aggression. We therefore believe that the national task of today is to spare no effort in order to build a stable and secure nation at peace with itself, and at peace with its neighbors, an inspiration for all the Armenians.

Modern-day Republic of Armenia is a strategically important country located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. One of the few young democracies in this region, Armenia looks back on more than 2,500 years of its history with pride and reflection.
Since independence in 1991, Armenia is laying a foundation for a modern, democratic government and a free market economy. A legal and regulatory framework for private sector development is steadily being put into place. In fact, more than 80% of the GDP is produced in the private sector. An increasing number of private businesses have already changed the economic landscape. The privatization of land is completed, and a land and real estate market is also developing fast. The tax legislation was simplified and overhauled in 2000. Political reforms are under way, and Armenia, with its highly educated and inexpensive labor force, maintains a liberal trade regime, and is on track to become a WTO member in the very near future. Armenia's achievements in creating an open and investor-friendly economy have been recognized in a joint study by The Wall Street Journal and the Heritage Foundation, issued last November. Armenia, ranks 45th on the list of 166 countries, and is the only CIS country to have a "mostly free" economy, according to this prominent report.

Far be it from us to paint a rosy picture of the Armenian economy. Armenia's economic problems are multiple, including poverty, emigration, underutilized labor force and production facilities. The core problem is that the re-orientation of the economy is far from over, despite the visible progress that has taken place. The Soviet Union left us with a legacy of dependence, with an economy that was well-developed in the context of the Soviet industrial structure and, by default, not adaptable to the international market. Most of the industries that we have inherited from the past are either obsolete or misplaced, and recognize it as a major problem facing our country today. The free market realities dictate that most investment, domestic and foreign, will be aimed at the sectors which are better suited to the demands of the international market.

And indeed, modern-technology based industries that absorbed most foreign investment in the last four-five years, and showed the most growth potential infrastructure are telecommunications, software engineering, electronics, hotels and tourism, medical diagnostics, food processing, diamond cutting and polishing, and construction and mining. These industries are also a major source of Armenian exports, which have grown in the last few years.

The correlation between foreign investment and international trade and growth in the above areas of the Armenian economy is obvious. As Armenia's economic progress picks up, it will be possible to stop and reverse the migration in Armenia. Therefore, the best way to assist Armenia's population is by making investments, and expanding commercial ties with Armenia. Without serious involvement by the Diaspora businessmen it will be difficult to achieve real economic progress in Armenia, and the Government is taking steps to make it easier for Armenians anywhere in the world to invest in Armenia and profit from those investments.

The other legacy that we have inherited is the whole mentality of the Soviet period, which is no less important in its repercussions than the economic problems we are facing. And truly this mentality and general outlook stand in the way of most of the reforms that we undertake in different areas of the economy, the judiciary, the whole democratization process and institution building. These are serious issues that most transition economies of the former Soviet Union have faced, as did the Eastern European countries.

Armenia remains committed to building democratic institutions and a civic society and to defending freedom of the press and other civic liberties. However, by no means would I tell you that Armenia is a full and mature democracy. Certainly not. We understand that the building democracy is not a matter of the days, months or years. It is a tradition, it has to be imbedded in our people's collective thinking. It also has to be in their mentality and outlook. Just as there is no alternative to economic reforms in Armenia, there is really no credible alternative to a democratic form of government. Our country possesses an educated and motivated population capable of governing itself.

Armenia has approached the country's complex geographic and political situation with a regional policy of "complementarity". Its main features include avoidance of close affiliation with any regional or global power blocs and simultaneous pursuit of cooperative relations with all neighbors and all economic, political, or military organizations. Independent foreign policy combined with active, friendly, and balanced relations with neighboring states, are the building blocs of "complementarity".

The unresolved nature of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict continues to affect the regional stability in the Caucasus. There has been no progress since the presidential summits in Paris and Key-West, FL, because Azerbaijan retreated from the principles of the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict that were agreed to in Paris last March. Moreover, the statements of President Aliyev, his Defense Minister, other members of the government, and the opposition parties indicate that Azerbaijan prefers to settle the Nagorno Karabakh conflict by use of force, a goal they fell so short of in 1992-1994. The irresponsible statements by the Azerbaijani politicians have had the effect of igniting war hysteria and contribute to the idea of inevitability of the resumption of hostilities in this conflict.

The ceasefire regime on Artaskh-Azerbaijan line of conflict is based on the goodwill of all parties, and the war propaganda in Azerbaijan will undermine the confidence in its ability to abide by the ceasefire regime. So, we hope that Azerbaijan will realize that the resumption of hostilities will not be of benefit to any party to the conflict.

Armenia remains committed to a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group process. Armenia is satisfied with the efforts of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group to resolve the conflict. The format of negotiations has been amended recently, and both presidents appointed personal representatives to the Minsk Group, who will be closer involved in the negotiations process. The Presidential representatives will meet in Prague next month, and we hope that the OSCE Minsk Group will be able to reinvigorate the conflict settlement process.

Another impediment to the regional stability in the Caucasus is Turkey's continued refusal to establish diplomatic relations with Armenia. The Genocide is a difficult issue that affects the development of a bilateral relationship between Armenia and Turkey, which will be a major factor securing stability and regional cooperation in the Caucasus. Armenia is ready to continue interstate dialogue with the Republic of Turkey and establish diplomatic relations, without any preconditions. Historic justice, reconciliation, and peaceful coexistence are not ephemeral concepts but essential parameters in the rapprochement between the Armenian and Turkish peoples. The twenty-first century has begun, and we hope that the vision of a better future and new thinking will gain hold in our societies.

The September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States and the U.S.-led military campaign against the international terrorist networks in Afghanistan have substantially changed the geopolitics of the region, indeed, of the whole world. Armenia has assisted the military campaign by providing its airspace, refueling and landing rights to U.S. military aircraft. We are closely monitoring other developments in our region as well. The United States has recently announced that it is sending a group of Special Forces personnel to Georgia for military training purposes. U.S.-Iranian relations are frozen. Although Armenia maintains a strategic partnership with Russia in the military and security areas, we are also interested in closer cooperation with the U.S. and NATO, to complement the existing military cooperation with Russia and to keep up with developments in the region. As Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian and Defense Minister Serge Sargsian said after a recent hearing at the Armenian parliament on the regional developments, Armenia cannot stand aside from the regional developments and must remain engaged to ensure that Armenia's national interests are given due consideration.

As you know, Section 907 was waived by the President in the wake of the September 11 events. We understand that the realities of the post-September 11 world required a greater flexibility for the U.S. Administration. This also paved the way for increased U.S.-Armenian military cooperation. The United States will provide $4.3 million to Armenia this year for these purposes. The direction and content of U.S.-Armenian military cooperation was discussed during U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's visit to Armenia last November, and, more extensively, during Armenian Defense Minister Serge Sargsian's week-long visit to the United States last month. Minister Sargsian had a number of successful meetings with Secretary Rumsfeld, senior Pentagon, State Department, and NSC officials, while expert groups from the Armenian and American military establishments met to discuss specific cooperative projects. Armenian Armed Forces is interested in upgrading its communications, officer training, and strengthening the peacekeeping capability.

The U.S.-Armenian military cooperation is only a part of the larger bilateral agenda between our countries. The Armenian-American bilateral relations continue to move forward, and they are based on the firm foundation of reciprocal understanding and mutual respect, for the sake of prosperous, stable and secure future of Armenia.
U.S.-Armenia political and economic relations are excellent. A number of important events took place in 2001, including the New York Business Forum, the Armenian Expo in Los Angeles, and US-Armenia Task Force on Economic Reform and Cooperation continued to hold regular meetings. These initiatives serve the goal of implementation of economic reforms in Armenia, promotion of investments, boosting the flow and volume of exports from Armenia, energy and infrastructure sectors, and are indicative of the growing trade and commercial ties between two countries. Armenia's exports to the U.S. grew by nearly 40% in 2001.

The role of the Armenian-American community in establishing and maintaining friendly ties between Armenia and the United States is essential. The Diaspora is the personal link between the two countries, and every Armenian community in the U.S. is, in effect, a small embassy of Armenia. We appreciate the steadfast support of this community, and we expect the Armenian Diaspora to be an active participant in Armenia's commercial, social, scientific, educational, and cultural life

What is clear to me is that, despite the many problems and different perceptions that exist between the Republic and the Diaspora, our people have two major aspirations: first, making Armenia a strong, prosperous, and democratic country, and, second, preserve the Armenian identity and culture outside the Homeland, in the Diaspora. This dual objective will help strengthen both the Diaspora and the Republic, and will contribute to eventual forging of a single cultural identity. The Second Armenia-Diaspora Conference, which will be held in Yerevan on May 27-28 will address these issues, and develop working mechanisms promoting greater interaction between two segments of our people.

The Armenian people have lived with the reality of genocide for 87 years, and the memories of a lost ancestral home and of so many victims have inspired generation after generation of Armenians, before their dreams of a newly independent homeland materialized. We are confident in our determination to build a strong and prosperous Armenia, which, I believe, will be the best memorial to the martyrs of the Genocide.

Thank you.