Armenia:Turkey Protocols - news‏

RFE/RL Report

Sarkisian Explains Turkey Moves To Armenian Parties

Armenia -- President Serzh Sarkisian and leaders of 52 Armenian
parties meet to discuss Turkish-Armenian agreements on September 17,
2009.
17.09.2009
Irina Hovannisian

President Serzh Sarkisian acknowledged that his conciliatory policy
toward Turkey is fraught with pitfalls for Armenia on Thursday as he
discussed it with leaders of more than 50 Armenian parties mostly
loyal to his administration.

The five-hour meeting, held behind the closed doors and boycotted by
the country's most outspoken opposition forces, was part of `internal
political consultations' which the Armenian and Turkish governments
have pledged to hold before signing fence-mending agreements next month.

`I too see risks, I too have concerns,' Sarkisian said in his opening
remarks publicized by the presidential press service. He nonetheless
defended Armenia's dramatic rapprochement with Turkey that began
shortly after he took office in April last year.


Armenia -- President Serzh Sarkisian briefs Armenian party leaders on
his recent agreements with Turkety on September 18, 2009.
`Let us judge together,' continued Sarkisian. `Are we sacrificing our
convictions and our belief in truth with these documents, or we are
paving the way for driving them home instead of confining ourselves
to secluded purity? Let us understand that together.'

The president referred to two draft protocols envisaging the
establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey and
the reopening of their border. Local opposition groups, notably the
Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), strongly object
to some of their key provisions such as formal recognition of
Armenia's existing border with Turkey.

Dashnaktsutyun was represented at the meeting by one of its top
leaders, Armen Rustamian. He said he reiterated the nationalist
party's concerns and pressed Sarkisian to clarify whether the
protocols can be altered before their signing by the two governments.

`It emerged that major changes in them could be made only during the
[parliamentary] ratification phase,' Rustamian told RFE/RL. `This
means that if there are really important and serious views [voiced on
the subject,] the negotiating party must take them into consideration
but will be free to decide whether or not to back them ... This is
simply unacceptable to us.'

Rustamian added that the Dashnaktsutyun concerns were echoed by other
party leaders and seemed to have influenced Sarkisian's thinking. `I
think that as a result of the discussions, some changes occurred in
the president's attitudes,' he said. `Thank God, there were also
other political forces that had the same concerns and expressed them
in one way or another.'

According to Aram Karapetian, the leader of the opposition Nor
Zhamanakner party who also attended the meeting, most participants
agreed that the protocols are `flawed.' He said they were also
worried that the planned formation of a Turkish-Armenian commission
of historians would thwart greater international recognition of the
Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire. `Serzh Sarkisian looked a
different person after the meeting,' claimed Karapetian.

`He had the same concerns which others had,' said Vazgen Manukian,
the veteran leader of the National Democratic Union, a once
influential party loyal to Armenia's current leadership. But, he
said, Sarkisian at the same time made a convincing case for the
continuation of the Turkish-Armenian dialogue.

`When you lock yourself in a room, you won't have any concerns,'
Manukian told RFE/RL. `But when you get out, walk the streets and
start talking to others, there will always be problems. That's what
makes life interesting.'

Meanwhile, the opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) and
Zharangutyun party defended their decision to boycott what they see
as a meaningless discussion. HAK spokesman Arman Musinian also said
that the opposition alliance led by former President Levon Ter-
Petrosian will not cooperate with the authorities on any issue until
the latter release all of the opposition members arrested following
the February 2008 presidential election.

For his part, Zharangutyun leader Armen Martirosian insisted on the
party's demands for a national referendum on the Turkish-Armenian
agreements. `Besides, the foreign minister said in the National
Assembly yesterday that nothing will be changed in the finalized
protocols,' said Martirosian. `So what are we supposed to discuss?'


Signing Of Turkish-Armenian Deal `Set For October 13'
Armenia -- Turkish President Gul (C) with Armenian Foreign Minister
Eduard Nalbandian (L) after Gul's arrival in Yerevan on 06sep2008
17.09.2009

Official Ankara and Yerevan have pointedly declined to refute media
reports that the signing of landmark agreements on the normalization
of Turkish-Armenian relations has been scheduled for October 13.

Citing unnamed Turkish diplomats, the `Milliyet' daily reported on
Thursday that the foreign ministers of the two neighboring states
will sign the two protocols the day before the return match of
Armenia's and Turkey's national football teams. Turkish President
Abdullah Gul and his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisian are
expected to attend the World Cup qualification game to be played in
the Turkish city of Bursa.

Commenting on the `Milliyet' report, Turkish Foreign Ministry
spokesman Burak Ozugergin was quoted by AFP news agency as saying,
`We have a month.... I think the signing will be sometime around this
time.'

The Foreign Ministry in Yerevan also did not deny the information.
`We will inform the public about all actions stemming from the
Turkish-Armenian protocols, including the signing dates, in due
time,' the ministry spokesman, Tigran Balayan, told RFE/RL.

Another Armenian diplomatic source said earlier this week that the
deal is unlikely to be signed during Sarkisian's visit to Turkey. The
source said the signing ceremony will most probably take place in a
third country.

The protocols envisage the normalization of diplomatic relations
between Armenia and Turkey and reopening of their open. In a joint
statement issued on August 31, the Armenian and Turkish foreign
ministries said they will be signed within the next six weeks. The
documents have to be ratified by the parliaments of both countries in
order to take effect.

DISCUSSION OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH PROTOCOLS TO LAST

UNTIL OCTOBER 13
PanARMENIAN.Net
17.09.2009 16:48 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Within coming weeks discussions of the
Armenian-Turkish protocols will start, and I will take part in them,
so we have decided to launch consultations from the meeting with
leaders of political parties of the country," Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan said in Yerevan today, opening the meeting with party
leaders. According to him, current consultations will lay the basis
for further debate on the Armenian-Turkish relations.

Acording to the president, very important and positive phase,
i.e. public and political discussions of the Protocols have started
in the Armenian society since signing the agreement on normalization
of Armenian-Turkish relations.

"In those days I have carefully examined all the proposals and
views, including negative ones. I also have heard the concerns of
the society. I also see the risks and have some concerns in regard
to protocols.

However, we must understand how we run the risk and what we will get
and what we intend to do.

Inviting the Turkey's President to Armenia, I intended to start talks
on the possibility to normalize relations and to make clear that people
suffered from Genocide, has the strength and will to give a helping
hand first and ready to follow the generally accepted international
standards, " Serzh Sargsyan said.

Serzh Sargsyan mentioned that the current phase is a phase of
discussion and ratification of the Protocols, which presented in
the public as the defeat of the Armenian foreign policy. He offered
to discuss what these protocols can give to Armenia and what can
Armenia lose.

" I do not think that the establishment of diplomatic relations with
Turkey and opening of the border are the program-maximum or program-
minimum.

I consider this process as providing a minimum platform to begin
a dialogue with the Turks. We have a lot of problems with Turkey,
which must be addressed: economic, political and historical. I think
that we are on the way of so problems.

If we closed any door to solve the problem, you have to say about
it. We need to understand all the gaps to be addressed together. If
we really want to normalize relations with Turkey, let's understand
what everyone will do and what we must all do in this direction,
" Serzh Sargsyan said, adding that no political force has declared
that it is against normalization of relations with Turkey so far.

The meeting between the president and leaders of political parties
lasted about five hours behind closed doors. 64 political forces were
invited , only 52 came.

NO NEED TO HOLD REFERENDUM ON ARMENIAN-TURKISH

PROTOCOLS
PanARMENIAN.Net
16.09.2009 23:44 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said that as
long as discussions are being held in various formats, it's premature
to speak of a referendum on the Armenian-Turkish protocols.

"The President will discuss the issue with Armenian political forces
on September 17," he said.

TANER AKCAM: TURKISH POLICY OF DENIAL IS A STRATEGY OF BUYING TIME
Ruzan Khachatryan
"Radiolur"
16.09.2009 18:48

There are two separate problems between Turkey and Armenia. You could
define the first as the normalization of relations and the second
as the problem of reconciliation as a result of what occurred in
history. These two problems should be dealt with entirely separately,
and normalization of relations should be achieved immediately,
without any precondition," Taner Akcam, who holds the chair in
Armenian Genocide Studies at Clark University, said in an interview
with daily Taraf.

"The establishment of diplomatic relations should follow the opening
of the borders. Azerbaijan should be made to understand that its
objections are unjustified and that the normalization of relations
between Turkey and Armenia is in its own interest also," he said.

As for turning the discussion to the problems related to history,
Taner Akcam notes the late Hrant Dink would say, "The real problem
is the normalization of relations and the opening of borders. Without
that, you can't solve any problem."

The interview was reproduced by the Armenian Reporter today with
Professor Akcam's permission.

Professor Akcam does not believe that either Armenia or international
circles will accept the formation of a commission based upon the
recommendation of the Turkish government to "research the claims of
Agenocide." "This idea is based on some false presumptions. First
of all is a presumption that operates from an idea that there is an
unknown out there, and that if historians were to get together and
publish what they knew, this unknown would disappear. In fact, this
is not the case, either for the Armenians or for the international
academic world. What we have before us is Turkey's policy of denial.

According to the professor, the subject bears a close resemblance to
the Kurdish issue. "For 90 years, Turkey claimed that there were no
Kurds, and that these people were really Turks who happened to live
in the mountains. Telling Kurds today, "Let's form a commission and
study the problem scientifically, and if the commission determines
that Kurds do exist, we'll move forward from there," makes about as
much sense as saying, "We will accept the decision of a commission
formed for the purpose of making a decision on the events of 1915."

"Secondly, this belief rests on a false presumption that if the
commission were formed and a conclusion were reached, everyone would
agree and accept that conclusion. Neither Armenians nor the interested
academic world expects or needs this," he said.

If the job of examining the archives is given to a future commission
or commissions, isn't there a danger that finding a solution to the
problem gets postponed even further?

"This is in fact a ve ry possible risk. The now 90-year-long Turkish
policy of denial is in reality, a strategy of buying time. This
strategy is what is behind pouring millions of dollars into Washington
lobbyists. Every time the question is on the agenda, what's been said
is, "Let's get past this headache one more time. We'll pay any price
now and think about it later." If Turkey tries to link the resolution
of the problem to research conclusions of the commission or commissions
to be formed, then it falls right into this "buying time" playbook,"

Accoridng to the professor, the enlightenment of Turkish society is
a priority; to help people who have been spoon-fed lies for over 90
years learn the truth. "Society's lack of information and the need
to address that is a priority. In order to do that, you need candid
and free discourse on the subject. I have my doubts that this can
be achieved without rescinding Article 301 of the Turkish Criminal
Code. There are intellectuals among us who are still being prosecuted
and punished for using the word "genocide." Before you start forming
commissions, you need to remove the obstacles that prevent an honest
and open discourse."

"Of course you can form commissions. Those commissions could be
bestowed with the duty of creating the kind of atmosphere that
will lay the groundwork for a positive reception, by each country's
public opinion, to a resolution. The most fundamental=2 0problem is
the creation of trust. The commissions should really be formed not
to come to a conclusion about history but to create trust between
the two countries. Starting with the parliaments of each respective
country, commissions that would oversee various organizations should
be formed on the civil society level, and these commissions should
endeavor to promote mutual understanding and growing trust between
these societies," Taner Akcam said.

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