PUBLIC DISCUSSIONS ON ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS IMPORTANT
armradio.am
01.09.2009 15:38
"We have tried to normalize our relations with the neighbor country
with dignity as it befits the civilized world of the 21st century,"
President Serzh Sargsyan declared in his speech at the annual meeting
of the representatives of the central apparatus of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and the heads of Armenia's diplomatic representations.
Serzh Sargsyan reminded that the Republic of Armenia and the
Republic of Turkey have agreed to start their internal political
consultations on the two protocols - the "Protocol on the establishment
of diplomatic relations" and the "Protocol on the development of
bilateral relations." The two documents reflect the summary of the
agreements reached so far.
According to the President the protocols made public on the eve
reflect three core realities.
1. "I have stated on different occasions that our talks with Turkey
and the agreements reached include no precondition connected with
the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh issue.
2. As we were assuring, the historical issues between Armenia and
Turkey will be discussed in the format of one of the sub-commissions
of the intergovernmental commission, not a commission of historians.
3. For the first time in the history of independent Armenia the
signing of important international documents wil l be preceded by
public discussions. These will provide an opportunity to listen to
all opinions and approaches."
The President noted that he attaches importance to the activeness of
the diplomats on the issue.
"You should be active during those public discussions both in Armenia
and the Diaspora. You have to outline and clarify the provisions of
the protocols.
I expect active discussions in the Diaspora Armenian communities and
international research centers," Serzh Sargsyan stated.
Who Will Blink First; Armenia or Turkey?
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
After months of rampant rumors and news leaks, the Foreign Ministries
of Armenia and Turkey, with Switzerland as mediator, issued a joint
statement on August 31, making public the text of two protocols
intended to regulate their problematic relationship.
In a previous joint statement released on April 22, Armenian and
Turkish officials stated that they had agreed to a `roadmap' which was
to normalize their relations `within a reasonable timeframe.' At the
time, the two sides had indicated their agreement in principle by
`initialing' the two protocols, the text of which was not published
until August 31. This lengthy delay was due to Turkey backing down from
the `roadmap' under pressure from Azerbaijan. Pres. Aliyev had insisted
that Turkey keep its border with Armenia closed until the Karabagh
(Artsakh) conflict is resolved.
During the ensuing months, in the absence of any progress in
Armenian-Turkish relations, there was widespread speculation on whether
Pres. Serzh Sargsyan would agree to travel to Turkey on October 14, to
attend the World Cup qualifying soccer match between the national teams
of the two countries. The Armenian President attempted to pressure
Turkey to keep its end of the bargain in the declared `roadmap,' by
announcing that he would go to Turkey only if the border were open, or
on the threshold of being opened.
The American government was also pressuring Turkey to move forward with
the envisaged agreement with Armenia. In recent days, Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton telephoned both Pres. Sargsyan and Turkish
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, to help overcome any remaining
stumbling blocks. Since Pres. Obama had broken his campaign promise by
not using the term `Armenian Genocide' in his April 24 statement, under
the pretext that doing so would undermine the on-going `delicate'
negotiations between Armenia and Turkey, the United States sought some
progress in these two countries' relations, as a face saving measure
for the American President.
As a result, Armenia and Turkey disclosed for the first time on August
31 the actual text of the two protocols and announced that they `have
agreed to start their internal political consultations' on the
`Protocol on the establishment of diplomatic relations' and the
`Protocol on the development of relations.' These consultations are to
be completed within six weeks, after which the two states will sign and
submit these Protocols to their respective Parliaments for ratification.
The first Protocol commits the two sides to open their common border
and to establish diplomatic relations. It also requires Armenia and
Turkey to recognize `the existing border between the two countries as
defined by the relevant treaties of international law.' This is an
important requirement for Ankara as it seeks to put an end to Armenian
claims to `historic Armenian lands,' now part of the territory of the
Republic of Turkey. On the other hand, many Armenians would reject this
provision, as they want to leave the door open for future claims on the
usurped territories, including Mount Ararat.
The second Protocol contains the most controversial element of both
documents. It states that Armenia and Turkey `agree to implement a
dialogue on the historical dimension with the aim to restore mutual
confidence between the two nations, including an impartial scientific
examination of the historical records and archives to define existing
problems and formulate recommendations.' An `intergovernmental
bilateral commission' would first be established, comprised of several
sub-commissions, one of which would deal with `historical' issues. A
`Timetable' attached to the second Protocol further specifies that
Armenian, Turkish as well as Swiss and other international experts
shall take part' in the deliberations of `the sub-commission on the
historical dimension.'
These two Protocols are bound to raise serious concerns and could cause
major political turmoil within Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Armenia.
Pres. Aliyev would most probably once again go on a rampage against
Turkey, as he did during the announcement of the first `roadmap' on
April 22. Given Azerbaijan's valuable energy resources and their
transit through Turkey, Ankara's leaders can ill-afford to ignore
Aliyev's temper tantrums!
There could also be turmoil within Turkey as both the political
opposition and elements of the `deep state' may organize massive
demonstrations and denounce Pres. Gul and Prime Minister Erdogan for
being unpatriotic and favoring relations with Armenia over `brotherly'
Azerbaijan. Such accusations could chip away just enough votes from the
ruling majority in the Turkish Parliament to reject the ratifica
tion of the Protocols.
Ratification is also not a foregone conclusion in Armenia. For more
than a year, many Armenians both in Armenia and the Diaspora have
vigorously complained to the government about the wisdom of negotiating
such an agreement. They objected to the plan to establish a
sub-commission on `historical' issues, which by its very nature would
cast doubt on the veracity of the Armenian Genocide. In addition, many
Armenians do not accept `the existing border' with Turkey, in order not
to preclude future Armenian territorial claims. The apprehension
created by this document could lead to large demonstrations both inside
and outside of Armenia and cause serious political dissension,
jeopardizing Armenia's stability and security.
Given the pressure brought to bear on the Armenian government by
Russia, the United States, and Europe, it will not be easy for Yerevan
to back down from going forward with this agreement. Nevertheless, all
is not lost. It is wholly possible that as a result of a sharp
confrontation between Azerbaijan and Turkey on this issue, compounded
by domestic opposition to the Gul/Erdogan regime, the Turkish
government may quietly urge its parliamentary majority not to ratify
these Protocols. To maintain the heat on Turkey and force it to blink
first, Armenia should not sign any agreement with Azerbaijan over
Artsakh for the time being. It is also possible that the outcry by
Armenians worldwide against these Protocols would convince the Armenian
government not to go through with this agreement and urge its majority
in Parliament to vote against it.
Unfortunately, the repeated warnings to the Armenian authorities by
this writer and others at the start of these negotiations went
unheeded. It would have been much easier back then to make appropriate
policy adjustments and take corrective measures. Should Armenia back
down from this agreement first, it may bring upon itself the wrath of
the major powers. Nevertheless, at this critical juncture, the Armenian
government's preeminent concern should be safeguarding the country's
national interest rather than earning brownie points from foreign
powers!
ARMENIAN PRESIDENT UPBEAT OVER AGREEMENT WITH TURKEY
RIA Novosti
18:3401/09/2009
YEREVAN, September 1 (RIA Novosti) - Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
said on Tuesday the agreement with Turkey to establish diplomatic
relations could boost bilateral ties.
Turkey and Armenia reached agreement on Monday to start "internal
political consultations" on re-establishing diplomatic relations and
opening their borders. The negotiations were mediated by Switzerland.
"The signing of the protocols has brought Armenia closer to the
possibility of settling bilateral ties with Turkey," Sargsyan said
at the opening of an annual meeting of the country's diplomatic corps.
"We have made an attempt to settle relations with our neighbor in
a decent way, as befits the civilized 21st century. I think the
protocols do provide such a possibility," the Armenian president said.
Turkey and Armenia have for the past two years held talks behind closed
doors mediated by Switzerland to normalize bilateral relations. The
two countries agreed to a "roadmap" to normalize their relations
under Swiss mediation this April.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul first visited Yerevan, the capital
of Armenia, last September to watch a football match between the two
countries in their qualifying group for the 2010 World Cup.
Sargsyan, who is expected to travel to Turkey on October 14 to
attend the return match, previously said he would go if the border
has reopened or Turkey has lifted its economic blockade of landlocked
Armenia.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu urged on Tuesday a settlement
be found as soon as possible in the long-running conflict between
Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorny Karabakh, a mountainous region
in Azerbaijan with a largely Armenian population.
RF FOREIGN MINISTRY HAS POSITIVE ATTITUDE TO ARMENIAN-TURKISH
RAPPROCHEMENT
/PanARMENIAN.Net/
02.09.2009 14:09 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "RF Foreign Ministry has positively accepted Armenia
and Turkey's willingness to start internal coordination process with
the purpose of signing Protocols on 'Establishing Diplomatic Ties'
and 'Developing Bilateral Relations' ", RA MFA Press and Information
Department says in a release.
"Armenia and Turkey are our friends. We perceive current rapprochement
as a normal process expected for a long time. We'll be happy if
current consultations between two states result in a substantive
arrangement. As shown by preliminary analysis of draft protocols,
elements and implementation time-limits, Ankara and Yerevan are serious
and determined about studying the issues under consideration. Let's
note that none of steps envisaged by those documents can be interpreted
as harmful to a third party," says the statement.
Russian Foreign Ministry finds that the recent serious and mutual
efforts undertaken by Armenian and Turkish leaderships create real
chances for changing current situation and starting constructive
cooperation after a long period of freezing.
"We hope that improvement of ties between two neighbors will liven
up trade-economic relations and positively affect social-economic
situation in both states, especially in times of global financial
recession. Russian official representatives constantly called on
Armenian and Turkish partners to resolve existing conflicts within
such pragmatic logic. It is also important to proceed further
with Armenian-Turkish rapprochement process. That will objectively
contribute to improving situation in the region and strengthening
peace and security," says the release of Russian Foreign Ministry.
AN ACHIEVEMENT OF ARMENIAN DIPLOMACY
Shakeh Avoyan
"Radiolur"
01.09.2009 18:18
This is an achievement of our diplomacy, Turkologist Ruben Safrastyan
said, commenting on the agreement between Armenia and Turkey to start
internal political consultations on the two protocols - the "Protocol
on the establishment of diplomatic relations" and the "Protocol on
the development of bilateral relations." However, he refrains from
calling it victory, because there can be no victories in diplomacy,
there are agreements that can be profitable or not for us.
According to the Director of the Oriental Studies Institute, the
documents are of great importance to Armenia. Why are they positive
and why are they important? Ruben Safrastyan emphasized two main
points. "First, the most important achievement is that the Turkish
diplomacy actually refused from its longstanding policy of linking
the normalization of relations to the Karabakh issue. The documents
make no reference to the Karabakh issue. The second important issue
is that they includes no reference to preventing Armenia's efforts
targeted at the recognition of the Armenian Genocide."
"Our diplomacy should keep to this style. In that case we'll manage
to develop our relations with Turkey without preconditions," Ruben
Safrastyan said.
PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA: WE MUST LOOK FORWARD
BUT WE HAVE NO RIGHT TO FORGET OUR PAST
ArmInfo
2009-08-31 11:25:00
ArmInfo. We do not consider recognition of Genocide as precondition
to establishment of relations with Turkey, President of Armenia Serzh
Sargsyan says in an interview with BBC.
Asked if Armenia is ready for concessions in the issue of the
events of 1915 and their recognition by Turkey as Genocide, the
president said: "It is very important, indeed. It is important for
our nation, for Turkey and for the world. It is important to restore
historical justice. It is important for our nations to establish
normal relations. And after all it is important to prevent that in
future. Nevertheless, we do not consider recognition of the genocide
as a precondition to establishment of relations." In response to the
specifying question if a compromise is possible, S. Sargsyan said: "No.
It must not be considered as compromise. It is not the very case
for speaking of a compromise. We say the following: yes, there was
genocide and irrespective of whether Turkey recognizes that or not,
this fact is recognized by all the genocide specialists in the world
and by many-many countries. In the present condition, we do not
consider it as a precondition to establishing relations with Turks. "
In response to the following comparison that driving a car one must
follow the traffic not forgetting about the side mirror, S. Sargsyan
said: "Yes. I understand what this means. This means that we must
look forward but we have no right to forget our past."
ARMENIAN-TURKISH RECONCILIATION PRESSURED FROM OUTSIDE
PanARMENIAN.Net
31.08.2009 13:42 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "In the case of the Armenian-Turkish relations the
external pressure is felt, especially on Turkey, because it was the
first to unilaterally close the border, while Armenia has always
advocated the opening of the border without any preconditions,"
Ruben Melkonyan , turkologist and lecturer of Turkic Chair at the
Yerevan State University, told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.
According to him, being a very experienced in diplomacy Turkey is
still successfully maneuvering in the international arena, and it
manages to neutralize the external pressure.
In respect to opening the border, Mr. Melkonyan said that not only
the mood of Armenia's public must be taken into account, but also the
interests of Diaspora. "In this context, the position of Diaspora is
more rigid than that of the public of Armenia, which has a logical
explanation. The Armenian community, on the contrary, has a very
superficial understanding of Turkey, the Turkish public and the pluses
and minuses of an open border as a whole," Mr. Melkonyan added.
When asked about the possible economic consequences of the open
borders, he stressed, that since the Armenian economy has a very
large agrarian industry, Armenia might not compete with Turkey,
having more developed agricultural production
LEADER OF HERITAGE PARTY PARLIAMENTARY FACTION:
THE TURKISH PARTY HAS MANAGED TO PUT THEIR
PRE-CONDITIONS FORWARD
ArmInfo
2009-09-01 14:55:00
ArmInfo. Nevertheless the Turkish party has managed to put their
pre-conditions forward for normalization of relations with Armenia,
the leader of the Heritage party parliamentary faction, Armen
Martirosyan, told ArmInfo correspondent when commenting on signing
of the two protocols between Armenia and Turkey: "Protocol on the
establishment of diplomatic relations" and "Protocol on development
of bilateral relations".
'Armenian authorities could not protect its national and state
interests.
But the leadership of Turkey managed to gain the situation when 2
pre-conditions put forward by Turkey were accepted by the Armenian
party: recognition of the state borders of Turkey and agreement to
create the joint commission of historians to study the fact of the
Armenian genocide', - Martirosyan said and added he wonders why 6
weeks timeframe was fixed for establishment of diplomatic relations. 'I
think this is directly connected with the Karabakh conflict settlement
process, i.e. the Turkish party thinks there will be certain progress
over that period of time, naturally not in favor of Armenia', -
he said and added that only Turkey won as a result of all this process.
To recall, Armenia and Turkey have agreed to complete political
consultations within six weeks, following which the two Protocols:
the "Protocol on the establishment of diplomatic relations" and the
"Protocol on the development of bilateral relations" - which have been
initiated in the course of their efforts under Swiss mediation, will be
signed and submitted to the respective Parliaments for the ratification
on each side. The parties have agreed to set up an impartial group
to study the archived documents to define the existing problems and
develop recommendations.
VLADIMIR KARAPETIAN: DRAFT ARMENIAN-TURKISH PROTOCOLS
CONTAIN DANGEROUS PRECONDITIONS
Noyan Tapan
Sep 1, 2009
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, NOYAN TAPAN. The draft Armenian-Turkish
protocols, which envisage normalization of bilateral relations,
contain preconditions undesirable for the Armenian side. Vladimir
Karapetian, Armenian National Congress Foreign Relations Executive,
stated this. In his words, "the Armenian authorities have accepted
the precondition put forward by the Turkish side on creation of an
Armenian-Turkish subcommission of historians, which can greatly hinder
the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide."
According to the protocol on development of bilateral relations, in
addition to the others, an intergovernmental commission not engaged
in the historic plane should be created. Its function is "fulfillment
of a dialogue aimed at mutual confidence between the two peoples."
V. Karapetian reminded that as far back as in 2005 Turkish Prime
Minister Erdogan proposed creating a bilateral commission of historians
to study the facts of the Genocide. However the Armenian authorities
of that time declined that proposal.
According to V. Karapetian, it is also alarming that these two
protocols after being signed should be submitted for ratification by
the parliaments.
In his words, it is not a procedure accepted in international
practice. It will give the Turkish side a possibility to constantly
delay protocols' coming in force and to find new preconditions for
that process: for instance, to link normalization of Armenian-Turkish
relations with the Nagorno Karabakh settlement.
Do Not Ratify!
By Dikran Abrahamian BA, MD, Ontario,
1 September 2009
Here we are, almost a year following the start of the “football diplomacy”
and we are reaping the “gifts”. Finally, the wrapping of the package is
opened and we have a glimpse of what are in it.
As highlighted elsewhere by others, a “Commission of historians” and de jure
recognition of the present borders between Turkey and Armenia are in the works.
They are no more secrets. The spinners and the critics will have a field day. Alas!
Are we supposed to be shocked or surprised? Not at all!
Granted, Keghart had no means of being cognizant of the details of the negotiations.
However, following the trend established since the infamous February 2008 elections,
the subsequent March tragedy, the unrelenting stubbornness of the present authorities,
it was clear that the government did not represent the will of the majority of its people.
To save its neck, eventually it had to succumb to foreign pressures to establish some
form of legitimacy. Unfortunately, that is what we witness today.
It is hard to imagine how the authorities will be able to manage to convince the people
in Armenia and the Diaspora of the wisdom of this action. The only way will be to ram
it down the throat of the parliament. Will they take the risk with all its future ramifications
of further alienation?
So far, at every step of the way, they have demonstrated an extraordinary but pathological
audacity. They are incorrigible. Hence, with regret and sadness, along with frustration and
indignation, we state that they, in all likelihood, will not change course. They cannot, anyway.
They are signatories. There is no room to backtrack and make an about face.
Now the ball is in the parliament.
We ask, like a demand, from all the parliamentarians in Armenia not to ratify this unjust
agreement.
Forget about your personal gains. Leave aside what you have amassed by way of bribes
and promises. Dismiss your pockets.
Think for a moment what a calamitous event for Armenians worldwide you will be facing
by ratifying the agreement.
Consult with all those martyrs who throughout our tortured history sacrificed their lives to
keep a piece of land and our dignity.
Ask their advice!
(was the following article filed just before the announcement?)
Sarkisian Sees No `Turkish Desire' to Follow Arrangement
Armenia -- President Serzh Sarkisian, undated
31.08.2009
Hovannes Shoghikian
Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian has chided Turkey for not seeking
in earnest to keep to the arrangements on an unconditional
normalization of bilateral ties, again warning that he will not
accept Ankara's invitation to attend a soccer event later this year
unless the latter moves to reopen the border.
`We have arrangements, and I think it is only right that the parties
keep to them. Unfortunately, I have not yet seen any great desire or
aspiration [from Turkey] to keep to these arrangements,' Sarkisian
said in an interview with the BBC published on Monday.
The Armenian leader reiterated his earlier statements that he will
not travel to Turkey in October to watch the match of the two
countries' national soccer teams unless Ankara moves to reopen the
Turkish-Armenian border.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul extended a relevant invitation to
Sarkisian after paying a historic visit to Yerevan in September last
year, during which the two leaders jointly attended the first Armenia-
Turkey game. The so-called `soccer diplomacy' ushered in a Turkish-
Armenian rapprochement that left the two historical foes on the verge
of normalizing their strained relations earlier this year.
Sarkisian's remarks reflect the growing frustration of the Armenian
political leadership with Turkey's failure so far to unconditionally
establish diplomatic relations and reopen its border with Armenia.
Yerevan insists that the Turks drop their preconditions for
normalizing bilateral ties that apparently include Armenian
concessions to Azerbaijan in the settlement of the long-running
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and an end to the Armenian campaign for the
world governments to recognize World War I-era killings and
deportations of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey as genocide.
The fence-mending process between Yerevan and Ankara hailed by the
international community resulted in the signing of a `roadmap' to
normalizing bilateral ties in April. Yet, in recent months, Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other Turkish leaders have said
that the Turkish-Armenian border will remain closed as long as the
conflict with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region remains
unresolved.
The Turkish rhetoric has led some political circles in Armenia,
notably the nationalist Armenian Revolutionary Federation party, to
call for an end to negotiations with Turkey. Sarkisian has also been
urged not to go to Turkey unless Ankara gives a clear indication that
it is still ready to normalize relations without preconditions.
Some six weeks before the return match in Turkey, which is scheduled
for October 14, Sarkisian told the BBC: `I repeat what I've already
stated twice, i.e. I will go to Turkey to attend the soccer game if
our border is already open, or if we are close to that. That is, if
the Turks respect our arrangements, this will be one thing, if they
don't, this will be a different thing.'
`Our desire remains the same - to establish relations without any
preconditions,' added Sarkisian.
To the BBC's question whether Armenians were ready for concessions by
dropping their longstanding claims that the Ottoman-era massacres of
Armenians constituted genocide, Sarkisian said: `Of course, it is
very important, it is important for our people, important for Turkey
and the whole world. It is important that historical justice be
restored, it is important that our nations manage to establish normal
relations and, finally, it is important that such things should not
recur in the future. However, we do not view genocide recognition as
a precondition.'
The Armenian leader, however, stopped short of describing this stance
as a `compromise'.
`It is not the case when one can talk about a compromise. We say -
yes, there was genocide, and no matter whether Turkey today admits
that or not, this is a fact that is recognized by all specialists on
genocides in the world; it is recognized by many countries of the
world. But in current conditions, we do not view it as a precondition
for establishing relations with the Turks,' he said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WASHINGTON— Reacting to the Monday’s announcement of protocols for the establishment and development of relations between Armenia and Turkey, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said true reconciliation will occur when Turkey recognizes the Genocide. 
