Armenian Political News

RFE/RL Report
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Obama Meets Erdogan Amid More Turkish-Armenian Diplomacy
14.04.2010
Emil Danielyan

A flurry of high-level diplomatic activity aimed at salvaging the
Turkish-Armenian normalization agreements continued in Washington on
Tuesday, with President Barack Obama reportedly pressing Turkish Prime
Minister to honor the U.S.-brokered deal. (UPDATED)


U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held separate talks, also on
the margins of the nuclear security summit hosted by Obama, with
Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu. The latter also met with his Armenian counterpart, Edward
Nalbandian, in what both sides described as a follow-up to Monday's
talks between Sarkisian and Erdogan.

The intensive negotiations seem to have failed to bring the two sides
closer to normalizing bilateral relations in accordance with the
Turkish-Armenian `protocols' signed in October. Ankara makes their
implementation conditional on a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict acceptable to Azerbaijan.

Erdogan reaffirmed this linkage after talks with Obama. The official
Turkish Anatolia news agency quoted him as telling journalists that
Turkey will not open its border with Armenia as long as the Karabakh
dispute remains unresolved. He also dismissed Armenian arguments that
neither protocol makes any reference to Karabakh peace.

Nalbandian insisted that this stance runs counter to the letter and
spirit of the protocols. `If Turkey has changed its position, then we
must draw appropriate conclusions on whether there are partners on the
[Turkish] side with whom we can continue the process,' he told
Armenian journalists in Washington.

Sarkisian and other Armenian leaders have repeatedly threatened to
walk away from the protocols if the Turks fail to ratify them `within
a reasonable time frame.' Sarkisian said before departing to the
U.S. capital that Yerevan has all but decided what to do next in the
stalled normalization process. `We will submit our decision to the
public some time later, when we become fully convinced that it is the
right one,' he said.

In Nalbandian's words, the Washington negotiations `have borne out our
conclusions regarding the Turkish-Armenian reconciliation process.'
Sarkisian will publicize them at the `right time,' he said without
elaborating.

The White House issued no statements on Obama's 45-minute conversation
with Erdogan. The Turkish daily `Milliyet' reported on Wednesday that
the U.S. president told Erdogan that `the process with Armenia should
be accelerated' and that Ankara should take relevant steps `as soon as
possible.'

According to another leading Turkish daily, `Hurriyet,' Obama also
assured him that the U.S., Russian and French mediators co-chairing
the OSCE Minsk Group will step up their efforts to broker a solution
to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.


U.S. - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets with Armenian
President Serzh Sarkisian on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security
Summit, Washington DC, 13Apr,2010
Obama similarly urged Ankara and Yerevan to `make every' effort to
have the protocols ratified by their parliaments when he met Sarkisian
in Washington on Monday. According to Sarkisian's office, Clinton
reiterated this call during her meeting with the Armenian president
held the next day.

Sarkisian and other Armenian leaders have repeatedly praised
Washington for favoring a quick and unconditional ratification of the
protocols.

Davutoglu and Nalbandian discussed the matter during a working lunch
hosted by Clinton for fellow foreign ministers attending the
Washington summit. `Their conversation was focused on the continuation
of yesterday's discussions of Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian and
Turkish Prime-Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan,' the Armenian Foreign
Ministry said in a statement. It gave no further details.

U.S. State Department spokesman Philip Crowley spoke of a `critical
time' in the stalled normalization process as he commented on
Clinton's talks with Davutoglu to the official Turkish Anatolia news
agency. Crowley was quoted as calling the talks `very positive.' He
did not elaborate.

U.S. pressure on Turkey over the Turkish-Armenian protocols is thought
to have increased since the March 4 decision by a U.S. congressional
committee to approve a resolution describing the 1915 Armenian
massacres in the Ottoman Empire as genocide. Ankara has scrambled to
prevent the resolution's passage by the full House of Representatives
and hopes that Obama will not honor his campaign pledge to recognize
the Armenian genocide.

Speaking to CNN after the meeting with Obama, Erdogan expressed
confidence that the U.S. president will not use the word `genocide' in
his upcoming April 24 statement on the 95th anniversary of the start
of the mass killings and deportations.

Sarkisian, meanwhile, met on Tuesday with one of the key sponsors of
the latest genocide resolution, congressman Adam Schiff. Sarkisian's
office said he thanked the California Democrat for his long-running
efforts at U.S. recognition of the Armenian genocide.


READOUT OF THE PRESIDENT'S BILATERAL MEETING WITH
PRESIDENT SERZH SARGSIAN OF ARMENIA
White House Documents and Publications
April 12, 2010

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 12, 2010

President Obama met with Armenian President Sargsian on the margins
of the Nuclear Security Summit earlier today.

The President commended President Sargsian for his courageous efforts
to achieve normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey and
encouraged him to fulfill the promise of normalization for the benefit
of the Armenian people. President Obama also urged that both Armenia
and Turkey make every effort to advance the normalization process
and achieve legislative ratification of the protocols of normalization.

President Obama also expressed his support for Armenian democracy.


ERDOGAN POINTS TO INDIRECT MENTION OF AZERBAIJAN IN
ARMENIA-TURKEY PROTOCOLS
Tert.am
13:11 14.04.10

The Armenia-Turkey border will not open until Armenia and Azerbaijan
reach an agreement over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Turkish
HaberTurk quotes Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as saying.

"There is a very important point next to the expression 'without
pre-conditions' in the text of the Protocols signed in Zurich:
to establish regional peace. And can Azerbaijan be ignored in the
context of the thesis of 'regional peace'? Azerbaijan is part of that
regional peace. For that reason it is necessary that the conflict
between Armenia and Azerbaijan be resolved, that an agreement be
reached between the sides ... First of all, why was the Armenia-Turkey
border closed. That is to say why was it closed in 1993? The border was
closed due to the event that broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

And for the border to be opened now we certainly think it is necessary
that an agreement be reached over this issue so that to pave the way
for the establishment of peace. The US, France and Russia make active
efforts for the purpose, and I suppose that with God's will they will
reach the desirable results," said Erdogan.

Turkish Prime Minister also expressed hope that the Turkish parliament
might quicken the ratification of the Protocols, should there be any
progress in the Armenian-Turkish normalization.

NO TIMETABLE FOR RATIFICATION OF ARMENIA-TURKEY
PROTOCOLS: ERDOGAN
Tert.am
13:19 14.04.10

There is no timetable for the ratification of Armenia-Turkey Protocols,
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told journalists asked
whether or not there is a timetable, according to Turkish HaberTurk.

"No, there is no timetable. Currently, we have submitted the Protocols
to the parliament. Armenia too submitted those documents to the
parliament after the ruling of the Constitutional court"

Turkish Prime Minister also expressed hope that the Turkish parliament
might quicken the ratification of the Protocols, should there be any
progress in the Armenian-Turkish normalization.


RFE/RL Report
Azerbaijan Blasts U.S. Over Karabakh, Turkey
15.04.2010

A top Azerbaijani official on Thursday accused the United States of
increasingly siding with Armenia in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and
denounced U.S. support for the normalization of Turkish-Armenian
relations.


Reports from Baku said Ali Hasanov, the head of the political
department of the Azerbaijani presidential administration, also
praised Ankara for linking the implementation of the Turkish-Armenian
normalization agreements with a Karabakh settlement. `The position of
Turkey, which is a strategic ally of Azerbaijan, fully satisfies
Baku,' he said.

`We are not happy with the activity of the United States in the
process of settling the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan,'
Hasanov told journalists in Baku, according to AFP news agency.

`Unfortunately, some institutions and parties in the United States,
under the influence of the Armenian lobby, are losing their neutrality
and openly supporting Armenia,' he said. `We think this is not in
accord with the mission of the United States, especially the American
mission as co-chair of the Minsk Group.'

The U.S. is one of three co-chairs, along with France and Russia, of
the so-called Minsk Group, which is trying to negotiate a resolution
to the longstanding conflict. Hasanov claimed that U.S. pressure on
Turkey over the agreements with Armenia comprises its impartiality in
the Karabakh peace process.

The criticism came the day after Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
again stated that Baku has accepted the co-chairs' recently amended
peace plan on Karabakh `with minor exceptions.' He said the Armenian
side is unwilling to go along with the proposed settlement and is now
stalling for time.

The mediators have assured Baku that they will `try to convince it to
accept that proposal,' Aliyev said, according to Azerbaijani
media. `If they don't accept this proposal, then I think [further]
negotiations will become meaningless,' he warned.

Yuri Merzlyakov, the Minsk Group's outgoing Russian co-chair, said
late last month that Yerevan disagrees with some points of what the
mediating troika calls `an updated version' of the basic principles of
Karabakh peace originally put forward in 2007. He downplayed the
unspecified objections, saying that they do not bode ill for the
success of the protracted negotiating process.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian earlier dismissed the
Azerbaijani statements as misleading. He claimed that the Azerbaijani
`exceptions' outweigh provisions acceptable to Baku.

BERMAN SLAMS EFFORT TO BLOCK HOUSE VOTE ON
RESOLUTION
Tert.am
14.04.10

Howard Berman, the chairman of the powerful House Foreign Affairs
Committee, denounced efforts by his colleagues in the Turkish Caucus
to question the historical truth of the Armenian Genocide, rejecting
the flawed national security and economic arguments put forth by these
legislators to block the adoption of the Armenian Genocide Resolution
(H.Res.252) by the full U.S. House of Representatives, reported the
Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

In a strongly worded response to a Congressional Turkish Caucus letter
urging Nancy Pelosi to block floor consideration of the measure,
Berman took "strong exception" to their references to the "so-called
Armenian Genocide Resolution," stating that the assertion, "flies
in the face of the overwhelming weight of unimpeachable historical
evidence and the virtually unanimous opinion of genocide scholars."

Berman also rejected the flawed national security arguments against
the Armenian Genocide Resolution, stating, "I believe that U.S.-Turkish
security relations are founded on mutual interests and that Turkey is
not about to discard the immense benefits it derives from bilateral
security relations for the sake of 'punishing' the U.S. for a
non-binding resolution, however much it may resent that resolution."

The chairman also disputed the effect of Congressional genocide
affirmation on Turkey-Armenia relations, arguing that the
Turkey-Armenia protocols "have been gathering dust in the Turkish
Parliament" due to Turkish preconditions on the process.

The chairman's letter coincides with bilateral meetings held between
President Barack Obama and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan,
and also between Sargsyan and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan. Both foreign leaders are in Washington this week as part of
a major multilateral nuclear summit.


ILHAM ALIYEV ADVISES MEDIATORS ON KARABAKH TO BETTER
LEARN HISTORY OF THE PAST TWENTY YEARS
ArmInfo
2010-04-15 11:21:00

ArmInfo. We entered in a very decisive stage of the solution to
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno Karabakh, President of
Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said at the cabinet meeting on April 14.

"We noted many times that the conflict could be solved only on the
basis of international law. Four resolutions adopted by UN Security
Council must be fulfilled, the occupation forces must be withdrawn
from all of the occupied lands and Azerbaijani citizens - refugees
and internally displaced persons must return to the occupied lands,
including Nagorno Karabakh. The status of Nagorno Karabakh can be
determined only after that and this status can be granted only within
the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan will never agree
with any status out of that. No one will recognize Nagorno Karabakh
as an independent subject upon our disagreement", Aliyev said. "After
return of our citizens to the occupied lands the temporary status
of Nagorno Karabakh can find its solution", said the President and
emphasized that the status could be only within the territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan. According to the Head of State, in very
beginning and throughout the negotiation process, the position of
Azerbaijan was that Nagorno Karabakh can receive the highest autonomous
status in the world", Aliyev emphasized. Having made a pass at Armenia
and blamed it for carrying out of "ethnic cleansings", Aliyev said:
"We never conducted ethnic cleansing operations and we never had such
intentions (Aliyev preferred not to remember the pogroms in Baku and
Sumgait - Ed.). The Azerbaijani president added that present Armenia
was established in the historic lands of Azerbaijan. Aliyev also said
that "Armenia is artificially prolonging the negotiations. Armenia is
not sincere in the negotiations and delaying the negotiations under
the different pretexts". Having praised the Azerbaijani diplomacy,
the president said that "very dangerous points and mechanisms,
which threatened Nagorno Karabakh to separate it from Azerbaijan,
have been removed from negotiations due to the Azerbaijani diplomacy".

"We already reached that line that both Armenian and Azerbaijani sides
must express their positions. We expressed our position. Azerbaijan
officially expressed it position in the negotiations with Armenian
president in Munich last November and in the last trilateral meeting in
Sochi with participation of Russian president Medvedev that it accepts
the proposals made on the basis of renewed Madrid principles and it
contains few unsettling points for Azerbaijan. Unfortunately Armenia
has not expressed its position so far and it has not expressed any
position in the past two months, and as we were informed, the issues
they added to this proposal will return us back to the beginning
of the process. It can not be accepted by us or by the OSCE Minsk
Group. We were promised that there will be very serious work with
Armenia to assure them to accept the new proposals. We are in this
stage", the Azerbaijani president said.

Of course, Aliyev did not specify who and how will "work" with
Armenia. The head of state mentioned that he had said they would not
hold negotiations for imitation. "We will hold the negotiations by the
time we have hope that they will produce results. If we see there is
no hope, the negotiations should be stopped and of course a new stage
will begin. It is still early to say what that stage will consist of.

Anyway, we are ready for any scenario. We are making our preparations
so that we can take steps in accordance with the situation", Aliyev
said and advised OSCE MG co-chairing countries to be very sensitive
and learn the history of the past twenty years in order to draw
rights conclusions.