Category: Asia and Pacific

Yerevan Slams Turkish ‘Preconditions’

By Emil Danielyan

Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian accused Turkey of jeopardizing the normalization of its strained relations with Armenia before flying to Istanbul late Monday for potentially decisive talks with Turkish officials.

The official purpose of Nalbandian’s two-day trip is to participate in the UN-sponsored Alliance of Civilizations summit. He is expected to meet his Turkish counterpart, Ali Babacan, for further talks aimed at ending long-running tensions between the two neighboring states.

Ankara and Yerevan are reportedly close to reaching an agreement on a gradual establishment of diplomatic relations and reopening of the Turkish-Armenian border. Some Turkish newspapers have said the deal could be announced during or shortly after Nalbandian’s upcoming visit.

However, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that this can not happen before a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict acceptable to Azerbaijan. “As long as the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is not resolved, it is not possible for us to reach a healthy solution concerning Armenia,” he told a news conference in London, according to Reuters.

In a written statement issued on Sunday, Nalbandian said that the unresolved Karabakh conflict has not been on the agenda of the ongoing Turkish-Armenian negotiations, implying that Ankara stopped using it as a precondition when it embarked on the unprecedented dialogue with Yerevan last year. “I believe that the statements, which put forth preconditions for the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations, may be regarded as an attempt to impede the progress reached in the negotiations,” he said in an apparent references to Erdogan’s remarks.

The remarks followed Azerbaijan’s stark warnings to Turkey not to normalize ties with Armenia before a Karabakh settlement. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev reportedly cancelled his scheduled participation in the Istanbul forum in protest against such prospect.

In his statement, Nalbandian also said that Ankara must not use its rapprochement with Yerevan for preventing greater international recognition as genocide of the World War One-era massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. “It has been said many times, and I want to stress it again, that the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations can never question the reality of Armenian Genocide,” he said.

According to “Hurriyet Daily News,” Nalbandian was originally due to arrive in Istanbul on Sunday night. “Nalbandian’s delay in traveling to Istanbul was also taken as discontent over Erdogan’s statements,” said the English-language paper.

April 6, 2009
Obama Stands By Armenian Genocide Recognition

By Emil Danielyan

U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday stood by his earlier statements describing the mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as genocide and said they should not hamper the normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations.

Making his first official visit to Ankara, Obama also said that he is “very encouraged” by Armenia’s and Turkey’s ongoing efforts to normalize bilateral ties.

“Well, my views are on the record and I have not changed those views,” Obama was reported to tell a joint news conference with Turkish President Abdullah Gul.

“I want to focus not on my views right now, but on the views of the Turkish and Armenian people. If they can move forward and deal with a difficult and tragic history, then I think the entire world should encourage that,” he said.

Obama made the same point when he addressed the Turkish parliament later in the day. “I know there are strong views in this chamber about the terrible events of 1915, and while there has been a good deal of commentary about my views, it is really about how the Turkish and Armenian people deal with the past,” he said. “And the best way forward for the Turkish and Armenian people is a process that works through the past in a way that is honest, open, and constructive.”

During his election campaign Obama repeatedly referred to the 1915-1918 slaughter of more than one million Ottoman Armenians as genocide and pledged reaffirm such declarations once in office. “The Armenian genocide is not an allegation, a personal opinion or a point of view, but rather a widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical evidence,” he said in a January 2008 statement on his campaign website. “America deserves a leader who speaks truthfully about the Armenian genocide and responds forcefully to all genocides. I intend to be that president.”

Obama is under strong pressure from the influential Armenian community in the United States to honor this pledge in his statement due on April 24, the Armenian Remembrance Day. He has also been warned by Ankara that the use of the word genocide would seriously harm U.S.-Turkish relations and undermine Turkish-Armenian reconciliation.

While not backtracking on his campaign statements, the U.S. president was on Monday careful not to publicly reiterate his affirmation of what many historians consider the first genocide of the 20th century. According to Western news agencies, he argued that the highly sensitive issue is on the agenda of the ongoing Turkish-Armenian dialogue.

“What I have been very encouraged by is that … there is a series of negotiations, a process between Armenia and Turkey to resolve a whole host of long-standing issues, including this one,” Obama told journalists. “I’m not interested in the United States in any way tilting these negotiations.”

Standing alongside Obama, Gul denounced Armenian efforts at genocide recognition and renewed Ankara’s calls for a joint Turkish-Armenian academic study of the 1915 events. “It is not a political but an historic issue,” he said. “That’s why we should let historians discuss the matter.”

For his part, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated on Friday that his nation will never admit to the “so-called genocide.” “For Turkey, it is impossible to accept a thing that does not exist,” Erdogan told a news conference in London.

Obama’s statements in Ankara prompted different reactions from the two main Armenian-American lobby organizations. Aram Hamparian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), said Obama “missed a valuable opportunity to honor his public pledge to recognize the Armenian Genocide.” “We expect that the President will, during Genocide Prevention Month this April, stand by his word,” Hamparian said in a statement.

“For the first time, a U.S. President has delivered a direct message to Turkish officials in their own country that he stands behind his steadfast support and strong record of affirmation of the Armenian Genocide,” read a separate statement by Bryan Ardouny of the Armenian Assembly of America. “On April 24, the Assembly looks forward to President Obama’s statement reaffirming the Armenian Genocide.”

April 6, 2009
Opening of borders is against Azerbaijan’s interests

[ 03 Apr 2009 17:23 ]
Baku. Lachin Sultanova –APA. “Principally, every country has a sovereign right to determine its relationship with any other country, but in this situation, the issue directly concerns Azerbaijan”, said press officer of Azerbaijan Ministry of Foreign Affairs Elkhan Polukhov, commenting reports on Turkey’s intention to open borders with Armenia, APA reports.

He said Turkish government closed the borders with Armenia in 1993. “The government of Turkey decided in 1993 to close borders with Armenia because of Armenia’s territorial claims against Turkey, occupation of Azerbaijani territories, ethnic cleansing against Azerbaijani people in the occupied territories. The Republic of Azerbaijan appreciated the Turkey’s decision as an act of support and a sign of solidarity with the Azerbaijani people. Azerbaijan always supported the Turkey’s fair demands against Armenia. Turkey’s decision to close borders with Armenia has a principal character because it was a clear message of intolerance to Armenia for its actions. This decision considers political and economic measures to force Armenia to review its policy against Azerbaijan and Turkey and to make well-considered steps in the region”. Polukhov said Armenia was always refusing the constructive proposals of its neighbors. “Armenia is always refusing constructive proposals toward settlement of the conflict and other problems as well, considers the hostile activity possible, and notwithstanding it demands the countries, which are targets of Armenia’s hostile activity, to open borders and to establish economic cooperation. Under the present conditions, reviewing of policy toward Armenia, including changing of decision on closing the borders within the context of non-progress in the settlement of Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, would have negative impact on the Armenian-Azerbaijani talks over the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict. “Armenia will accept the opening of borders as an act of encouraging of its occupier policy against Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan considers that the opening of Turkish-Armenian borders out of the context of settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict is contrary to the national interests of Azerbaijan. This action will have negative impact on the situation in both strategic and tactic plans and will intensify tensions in the region”.

April 4, 2009
Azerbaijanis protest opening of Turkey-Armenia border

Baku. Elbrus Seyfullayev, Elnur Mammadli-APA. “The opening of borders between Turkey and Armenia is contrary not only to the interests of Azerbaijan, but also to the interests of Turkey. Nobody in Azerbaijan believes that Turkey can take such step”, Malahat Ibrahimgizi from ruling New Azerbaijan Part (YAP) told APA. According to her, opening of borders between Turkey and Armenia has become a subject of discussions after Adulla Gul’s visit to Yerevan to watch the football match. She noted that Azerbaijan was seriously and justly concerned over this issue: “20 percent of Azerbaijan’s territories are under the occupation. It means that Armenians have occupied not only the territory of Azerbaijan, but also the international law.”

Non-party deputy Ganira Pashayeva told APA that she was against the opening of borders between Turkey and Armenia before the liberation of Azerbaijani lands from the occupation. “Opening of borders is unacceptable before the solution to Nagorno Karabagh problem”. To her, Turkish Prime Minister has today refuted the information on opening of borders between Turkey and Armenia: “I would like to hope that this refutation would continue till the liberation of Azerbaijan’s lands from occupation”.

Head of Azerbaijan-Turkey Interparliamentary Friendship Group Nizami Jafarov told APA that the opening of borders between Turkey and Armenia was not convincing. According to the MP, if such case happens the Government of Azerbaijan will protest this issue: “If the borders are opened before the solution to the Nagorno Karabagh conflict the result will not be satisfactory. Turkey has already taken certain steps in this direction, but Armenia has done nothing instead”.

Chairman of United Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (BAXCP), Deputy Gudrat Hasanguliyev told APA if Turkish community did not protest this issue AKP administration would open the borders with Armenia: “They are seriously preparing for this. If different parties, communities, intellectuals and media of Turkey do demonstrate their strict positions in this issue, the Turkish government will realize their intentions. Turkey established economic relations with Armenia and even there are flights between the two countries, the only issue was to make these ties formal”. Hasanguliyev stated that it was a right step that Azerbaijani President refused to attend the “Alliance of Civilizations” project meeting in Turkey.

Head of Musavat Party Isa Gambar noted that he did not believe in the opening of borders between Turkey and Armenia: “There is huge and global process today. And there are many players and factors in this process. And each player of this process has its own interests while making decisions. And of course Azerbaijan also has its own interests and the most important interest is to make Armenia refrain from its aggressive policy. At the same time, strategic and friendly relations should further be developed with Turkey”.

Chairman of Azerbaijan Popular Front Party Ali Karimli noted that Azerbaijan was seriously and justly concerned over the opening of borders between Turkey and Armenia. The Government of Azerbaijan should speak openly in this issue. Today I’ve heard about the first steps in this respect. There should be consecutive policy and the talks should be conducted with Turkish government.

April 4, 2009
Azerbaijan Warns Turkey

https://www.azatutyun.am/a/1602796.html

By Emil Danielyan

Turkey will act against the national interests of Azerbaijan if it normalizes relations with Armenia before a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said on Thursday.

“If the [Turkish-Armenian] border is opened before Armenian troops’ withdrawal from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, that will run counter to Azerbaijan’s national interests,” Mammadyarov told journalists during a visit to Georgia.

“We have brought this opinion to the notice of the Turkish leadership,” he said in remarks broadcast by the Azerbaijani ANS television and monitored by BBC. “To tell the truth, the Turkish leadership accepts that and says that the [Karabakh peace] talks should continue and that Armenia’s troops should withdraw from the occupied territories. Only on this condition can the border be opened.”

The warning followed Turkish and Western media reports that Armenia and Turkey are poised to announce an agreement that commits them to gradually establishing full diplomatic relations and reopening their border. Ankara shut down the frontier in 1993, at the height of the war in Karabakh, out of solidarity with Turkic Azerbaijan. A Karabakh settlement acceptable to Baku has been a key Turkish precondition for normalizing relations with Armenia.

The two neighboring nations embarked on a dramatic rapprochement last summer amid indications that Ankara is ready to stop linking Turkish-Armenian ties to Karabakh. The apparent policy change has prompted serious concern from Azerbaijani politicians and pundits. They believe that an open border with Turkey would ease Armenia’s regional isolation and encourage it to maintain the Karabakh status quo.

“Hurriyet Daily News” claimed on Thursday that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev has threatened to halt gas supplies to Turkey if Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government cuts a ground-breaking deal with the Armenians. The paper claimed that Aliev made the threat at a meeting with unspecified “third parties” in Baku. It gave no further details.

Aliev was expected to discuss the matter with the visiting U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza. “Mr. Bryza travels to Azerbaijan Thursday to discuss how a Turkish-Armenian agreement could help revive efforts for a settlement on Nagorno-Karabakh,” reported “The Wall Street Journal.” The paper cited an unnamed senior Turkish official as saying that Washington is trying to facilitate such an agreement.

According to “The Wall Street Journal” and the Turkish press, Ankara and Yerevan are close to signing a “roadmap” to normalizing bilateral times and setting up inter-governmental commissions dealing with various issues of mutual interest. One of these commissions would reportedly study the 1915 mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire.

The idea of such a study was floated by Erdogan in 2005 and rejected by then Armenian President Robert Kocharian, who considered it a Turkish ploy designed to scuttle worldwide recognition of the massacres as genocide. Kocharian’s successor, Serzh Sarkisian, has indicated that he does not object to the Turkish proposal in principle.

Press reports have said that the Turkish-Armenian deal could be unveiled during or shortly after U.S. President Barack Obama’s April 6-7 visit to Turkey. Turkish leaders hope that will discourage Obama from honoring his election campaign pledge to recognize the Armenian genocide. They have warned that such a declaration would set back the Turkish-Armenian dialogue.

Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian dismissed the Turkish warnings during an early March visit to Paris. Diplomatic sources say Nalbandian may again meet his Turkish counterpart, Ali Babacan, early next week on the sidelines of a UN-sponsored international conference in Istanbul. For his part, Babacan is expected to visit Yerevan on April 16 to attend a high-level meeting of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization.

(Photolur photo: Elmar Mammdyarov.)

April 2, 2009
Are Turkey And Armenia About To Normalize Relations?

In September, Turkish President Abdullah Gul (left) accepted Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian’s invitation to attend a soccer match between their countries.

April 02, 2009

There are increasing hints that Turkey and Armenia could soon announce a deal reopening their border — which has been closed since 1993 — and restoring diplomatic relations.

Regional analyst Richard Giragosian, director of the Yerevan-based Armenian Center for National and International Studies, discusses the possibilities of such a deal with RFE/RL correspondent Charles Recknagel.

RFE/RL: You are one of an increasing number of regional analysts who see a forthcoming accord between Ankara and Yerevan. Why is that?

Richard Giragosian: We see broader developments that have moved both parties, Armenia and Turkey, much closer to forging a historic agreement. These broader trends include not only Russian support for such an initiative but we also see [that] the upcoming visit of U.S. President [Barack] Obama to Turkey [on April 6-7], the recent visit of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Turkey, and several months of secret negotiations and diplomatic negotiations between the Armenians and Turks in Switzerland have paved the way for a historic breakthrough agreement.

RFE/RL: There are some additional variables to consider that might increase pressure to reach agreement, including Obama’s campaign promise to support a Congressional resolution that would recognize as genocide the killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in the period of World War I, and the upcoming Armenian Remembrance Day on April 24, which the White House traditionally marks with a statement. How soon do you think a Turkish-Armenian accord might be announced?

Giragosian: We see leaks of such a deal in the Turkish media and it seems both sides are now preparing their respective societies to brace for an announcement that possibly could come as early as April 16, when the Turkish foreign minister arrives in Armenia in the form of a meeting of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation organization.

However, I do not expect a breakthrough agreement to be unveiled during the April 16 meeting. It seems more likely that Turkey will decide to wait until after April 24 in order to exert maximum leverage over the Obama administration to refrain from recognizing the “Armenian Genocide” in his April 24 statement.

Thawing Relations

RFE/RL: If there is an announcement of an accord, what points might it include?

Giragosian: Several elements will be announced, starting with an agreement to open the long-closed border between Armenia and Turkey, followed by an agreement to move toward diplomatic relations, with the Turkish ambassador in Georgia most likely assuming the portfolio of representing Turkey in Armenia.

Third, we see an agreement as well to form a large, all-encompassing governmental commission to resolve several issues, most importantly including the “Armenian Genocide” issue. And fourthly, we do see signs of a possible Turkish unveiling of a new document or road map on Nagorno-Karabakh committing all sides to work within the OSCE Minsk Group mediation process and committing all sides to working hard to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which is the last frozen conflict in the region.

RFE/RL: How much opposition is there in Turkey and Armenia to an accord?

Giragosian: Once the agreement is announced publicly, this will invite confrontation with powerful vested interests. On the Turkish side, the vested interests which will oppose this will perhaps be a nationalist reaction against normalization. From the Armenian side, the Armenian government will have to deal with the Armenian diaspora, which has taken the lead role in terms of Armenian nationalism on this issue and the lead role in genocide-recognition efforts.

All Sides In Favor

RFE/RL: You are in Yerevan. What is motivating the Armenian government to pursue an accord at this time?

Giragosian: The timing is both ironic and inductive to normalization and an agreement, mainly because it is this Armenian government that is much less popular and much less legitimate than any previous Armenian government, making its desire for a foreign-policy success even more profound.

The Armenian government, embattled by a political internal stalemate, needs a foreign-policy success to distract international attention and divert it away from domestic shortcomings and also to endow it with a degree of legitimacy, which it lacks.

RFE/RL: And what about the Turkish side?

Giragosian: We also see, for the first time, that it is in Turkey’s national security interest to open the border, to stabilize the restive Kurdish regions of eastern Turkey, which, after the war in Iraq, is even a larger concern for Turkey.

RFE/RL: Finally, what is Russia’s position on a Turkish-Armenian accord? In the past, Moscow — which has strong ties with Yerevan — has been seen as against it. Has that changed?

Giragosian: The key difference here is that after the war in August [in South Ossetia between Russia and Georgia], the Russians are now supporting the process, unlike in the past, and in fact they are also looking to use open borders between Armenia and Turkey to their own economic benefit by virtue of their control over energy and telecommunications in Armenia, but also to further isolate and marginalize Georgia, which is in their strategic interest.

But despite the negative agenda I do think that, regardless of the motivations, that the end result is a net benefit for all sides.

https://www.rferl.org/a/Are_Turkey_And_Armenia_About_To_Normalize_Relations/1600894.html

April 2, 2009