Armenia freezes ratification of landmark normalization agreement with Turkey
By APThursday, April 22, 2010
Armenian freezes Turkey pact ratification
YEREVAN, Armenia — Armenia is freezing its ratification of an agreement to normalize ties with Turkey and reopen their shared border, the Armenian president said Thursday — dealing a setback to efforts to end the countries’ long-standing enmity.
Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 to protest the Armenia-backed war by separatists in the Nagorno-Karabakh region; the region is an enclave within Azerbaijan but under the control of Armenian and ethnic Armenian forces.
The border closure exacerbated tensions already high over the issue of whether the killing of up to 1.5 million Armenians during the final days of the Ottoman Empire amounted to genocide.
Neither Turkey nor Armenia have ratified the October agreement to restore diplomatic ties. Armenia’s governing coalition accuses Turkey of dragging its feet by demanding the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute be settled first.
President Serge Sarkisian said Thursday he was not abandoning the normalization process, but instead would “suspend the procedure of ratifying the protocols.”
“We shall consider moving forward when we are convinced that there is a proper environment in Turkey and there is leadership in Ankara ready to re-engage in the normalization process,” he said in a televised address.
In Turkey, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Armenia was free to decide how it wanted to proceed. “I have expressed our loyalty to the protocols on numerous occasions,” he said. “We will press ahead with the process on the principle that treaties are binding.”
Mediation efforts by Russia, France, the United States and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute have made little visible progress.
The United States urged both sides to continue to work toward reconciliation.
“President Sarkisian’s announcement makes clear that Armenia has not ended the process but has suspended it until the Turkish side is ready to move forward. We applaud President Sarkisian’s decision to continue to work towards a vision of peace, stability, and reconciliation,” Assistant Secretary of State Phil Gordon said in a written statement.
“We continue to urge both sides to keep the door open to pursuing efforts at reconciliation and normalization,” he said.
Tags: Armenia, Eastern Europe, Europe, Middle East, North America, Turkey, United States, Western Europe, Yerevan
|
April 22, 2010: 3:59 pm
“The supply is endless, the wealth from all its treasures!” (Bible, Nahum 2:9) “4 The chariots storm through the streets, rushing back and forth through the squares. They look like flaming torches; they dart about like lightning.” (Bible, Nahum 2:4) There was a General in the U.S. Military who became Governor of New Mexico from 1878-1881. He wrote the book Ben Hur. It was the best selling novel until 1936. It was made into a movie in 1959. In the Movie Ben Hur. Ben Hur grew up with Messala. Messala grew up and became a Roman Centurion. Ben Hur grew up to be a Prince of Juda. Then they Clashed. They put each other in various prisons and finally had a chariot race. Both Got Hurt. Then when they watched the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and Heard him say Father Forgive them for they know not what they do. They both became Christian and dropped there swards, and stopped fighting. There was a man named Saul of Tarsus who who did much worse than what Messalla did to Ben Hur and much worse than what Ben Hur did to Messala to the Christians. But Jesus made him a Christian. And Jesus made him The Apostle Paul who wrote most of the New Testament Gospel. “28There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Bible, New Testament, Galatians 3:28-29) “The Dispensationalist teaching of prophecy takes Jesus from the center of all prophecy and replaces our blessed Lord with the state of Israel. In Luke 24:44, Jesus says, “All things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Dispensationalists, in effect, have recast this section of God’s Word to say, “All things written about the state of Israel in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Furthermore as Luther points out, Israel, even in the old Testament, has always referred to those who believed and followed God, not to a particular race of people or to a certain geographical area. The Psalms regularly refer to Israel. When the Psalmist is referring to Israel, he is pointing to those whom God has promised to bless. In there false understanding of scripture, the dispensationalists have misled millions to believe that the Psalms are referring to God blessing the state of Israel, when in fact, the Psalms refer to a blessing God wants to give to all who are worshiping him. In other words, the dispensationalist theology twists and redirects God’s promises of blessings from children who are his through Baptism to those they believe are his through geography. Among themselves Dispensationalists would agree that the leading schools teaching their interpretation of the Scriptures would be Moody Bible institute in Chicago Illinois, and Dallas theological Seminary in Texas. One of the founders of Fuller Theological Seminary was also a major promoter of Dispensationalism.” (Good News Magazine Prophecy Issue 35, Concordia Mission Society, P.O. box 8555 St Louis MO 63126) “24These things may be taken figuratively, for the women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. 25Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. 26But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother.” (Bible, New Testament, Galatians 4:24-26) “9I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.” (Bible, New Testament, Revelation 3:9) Jesus lived in all sorts of holes. The grave is one of them. “He forgave us all our sins, 14having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.” (Bible, New Testament, Colossians 2:13-14) Saul of Tarsus was a member of the Synagogue of Satan. He calls himself the “chief of sinners” But God made him The Apostle Paul who wrote most of the Gospel in the New Testament. “15For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?” (Bible, New Testament,Romans 11:15) “4Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. 5However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.” (Bible, New Testament, Romans 4:4-5) So we gain the Spirit of God not by observing the law. (New Testament, Galatians, 3) “16″For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (Bible, New Testament, John 3:16) Men readily believe what they want to believe. (Caesar) Saint Augustine said that if you want to believe you believe. You have right standing before God. |
annodomini77