Today we live in a society, which cannot imagine life without expressing views on social media. Probably it does have certain advantages. Nevertheless, many participants of active discussions have already forgotten or do not even know about the developments, which unfolded in Armenia 5, 10 or 15 years ago. 

To fill the gap Mediamax presents 5/10/15 project, which introduces developments in Armenia 5, 10 and 15 years ago.

•    15 YEARS AGO: OCTOBER 28 – NOVEMBER 3, 2004

“Armenia is a proof”

On 2 November NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said in the exclusive interview to Mediamax that “Armenia is a proof that a country can maintain a close relationship with Russia and be a very active Partner of NATO at the same time”.

Jaap de Hoop Scheffer

Photo: REUTERS

“Allies, Russia and the Caucasus states have all a strong interest in regional stability. All our countries face the same threats from terrorists who do not respect borders, from proliferation and from failed states. Our capacity to address these new threats will depend on our ability to bridge old dividing lines and avoid any sense of competition. The partnership between NATO and Russia is driven by this understanding. And because it has strong links with both Russia and the West, Armenia can not only benefit from this relation but also has a strong interest in supporting it,” he said.

•    10 YEARS AGO: OCTOBER 28 – NOVEMBER 3, 2009

“Slander and loss of human face”

On 28 October aide to former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan, Viktor Soghomonyan commented on the statement of oppositional Armenian National Congress (ANC) concerning the 10th anniversary of the terror attack on Armenian Parliament on October 27, 1999, which included accusations against Kocharyan.

"I regret to state that the authors of this statement have simply lost human face by trying to use the crime of October 27 to achieve their political goals,” said Soghomonyan.

“Their target is obvious and their lies and slander bear special impudence. This behavior is a grave insult to the blessed memory of the victims of the tragedy which took place 10 years ago. Most of the victims were Robert Kocharyan’s friends and associates,” added Viktor Soghomonyan.

In particular, the ANC statement read: “Robert Kocharyan not only hindered legal proceedings, but also provided full and open protection to the assassins, their assistants and other accomplices, turned preliminary and judicial investigation into an absolute farce, prevented real investigation of organizers of the terror attack and finally forced the case to close. The initial suspicions of many people that Kocharyan himself was behind the attack gradually grew into a final, total certainty in the society.”

“New opportunities”

On November 2, Special Representative of the European Union in the South Caucasus Peter Semneby said he was sure that “normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey opens new opportunities for Karabakh conflict settlement”.

Peter Semneby meets Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan

Photo: Photolure

“Armenian-Turkish normalization creates positive dynamics. In a situation, when the Armenian leadership is facing numerous problems simultaneously, this normalization opens opportunities for them to focus on further major and complex issues. I am sure that the Armenian leadership realizes that the status quo on Karabakh cannot continue endlessly. And it is necessary to establish correct conditions for the leadership to be able to take up the Karabakh issue,” he said.

“The conflict with Armenia in many respects limited Turkey’s opportunities in the South Caucasus. Concerning the Armenian-Turkish relations and the Karabakh conflict, these are two different issues, and there is no need to link them to each other. Otherwise, it is easy to get into a situation, when the opportunities for normalization of relations will disappear again. Nevertheless, it is obvious that development of the situation in one of the mentioned ways influences the general atmosphere. It is necessary to make them affect each other as positively as possible,” added Peter Semneby.

•    5 YEARS AGO: OCTOBER 28 – NOVEMBER 3, 2014

“Useful, honest and constructive”

On 29 October Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian described the meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents in Paris on October 27 as “useful, honest and constructive”.

Edward Nalbandyan and Elmar Mammadyarov

Photo: REUTERS

“The discussions were quite interesting. The presidents’ meeting presented an opportunity to touch upon a number of regional and international issues as well, which showed that Armenia and Azerbaijan can demonstrate similar approaches to some issues,” he said.

“You must have noticed there is a positive undertone in my assessments. It’s not accidental. When we say the talks were constructive, honest and useful, it does mean something. I think a small step was taken in Paris to bring the parties’ approaches together. Of course, it is a tough process. Critical progress can hardly be expected with one or a few meetings,” noted Nalbandian.

Ara Tadevosyan