Expert: no document can guarantee stability of Armenian-Turkish relations

YEREVAN, June 28. /ARKA/. No document can guarantee stability of Armenian-Turkish relations, considers specialist in Turkic philology Artak Shakaryan.

“Today Turkey does not attack Armenia and it is not a good will of Ankara. It is the result of relatively calm inter-political situation in Armenia and presence of Russian military bases in the country”, he said in the press-conference on Tuesday.

As an example he mentioned the current tense relations of Turkey and Syria. “Strained relations between Turkey and Syria proves that no document can stop Turkey if Ankara considers expansion of its borders or influence possible. But once Turkey and Syria had close interrelations”, said Shakaryan.

Today, the issue of Armenian-Turkish protocols is not a priority issue in Turkey and if there is no pressure from USA, Ankara will return to these protocols as late as possible – maybe in 2014 on the threshold of 100 years of the Genocide of Armenian in Ottoman Empire.

There are no diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey. The border between two countries was closed since 1993 by the official initiative of Ankara. Complicated relations between both countries are due to a number of circumstances, particularly by the support of Ankara to Azerbaijani position in Karabakh conflict and acute reaction of Turkey on the process of international recognition of Armenian Genocide in 1915 in Ottoman Empire.

Process of normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations started by the initiative of the President of Armenian Serzh Sargsyan in autumn 2008. Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and Turkey Edward Nalbandyan and Ahmed Davutoghlu signed “Protocol on establishment of diplomatic relations” and “Protocol on the development of mutual relations” on October 10, 2009. These documents should be ratified by the parliaments of both countries. However, on April 22, 2010 Sargsyan signed a decree on the termination of ratification process of protocols announcing that Turkey is not ready to continue the started process. Ratification process of protocols by the Turkish Parliament is in a frozen state.-0-

via Expert: no document can guarantee stability of Armenian-Turkish relations | 29/06/2011 11:04 | News agency ARKA – Armenian news.