Turkish Forum

Tag: Turkey-Armenia

  • Turkey Protocols Sent To Armenian Parliament

    Turkey Protocols Sent To Armenian Parliament

    00B5333B D9A8 47BA 8691 0E2DB43F73FF w527 sArmenia — The parliament building in Yerevan.

    12.02.2010
    Tigran Avetisian, Karine Kalantarian

    President Serzh Sarkisian formally sent Armenia’s normalization agreements with Turkey to parliament for ratification on Friday after his government approved legal amendments making it easier for Yerevan to walk away from the deal.

    The government said in a statement on Thursday that the proposed amendments to an Armenian law on international treaties allow Yerevan “not to become a party” to a particular agreement before its entry into force.

    “We are now establishing that before the entry into force of an international treaty Armenia may stop participating in it,” Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharian was reported to say during a cabinet meeting. He said the president of the republic would be able to “terminate or suspend the process of signing” such a treaty.

    Sarkisian announced his intention to enact such amendments in December in response to Turkish leaders’ continuing statements making the ratification of the Turkish-Armenian “protocols” conditional on the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh. He made clear that Yerevan will annul the deal if Ankara fails to implement it within a “reasonable” time frame.

    Sarkisian reaffirmed the threat during a visit to London this week. “If, as many suspect, it is proven that Turkey’s goal is to protract, rather than to normalize relations, we will have to discontinue the process,” he warned.

    Sarkisian stressed at the same time that Armenia’s National Assembly, dominated by his loyalists, will promptly ratify the protocols in the event of their endorsement by the Turkish parliament.

    His press secretary, Samvel Farmanian, told RFE/RL’s Armenian service on Friday that the president has asked the assembly to start the ratification process. Foreign Minster Edward Nalbandian has been tasked with “presenting” them to Armenian lawmakers, Farmanian said.

    Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian described the dispatch of the protocols to the parliament as further proof of Yerevan’s “sincere desire to establish good relations with neighboring states.” He said it showed that “we are prepared for the ratification of those protocols.”

    “It is a signal to both our domestic public and the international community,” the premier declared at a panel discussion on Turkish-Armenian relations held in Yerevan on Friday.

    “But they will not be debated until Turkey’s parliament ratifies the protocols,” Galust Sahakian, the parliamentary leader of the governing Republican Party of Armenia (HHK), clarified in an interview with RFE/RL’s Armenian service.

    Sahakian also confirmed that the amendments drafted by the government allow Armenia to withdraw its signature from the protocols. “After all, reasonable timeframes must have an end-point, and if the Turkish side again tries to drag out the process … we will simply be obliged to withdraw our signature,” he said.

    “In my view, that reasonable time frame is already expiring,” added Sahakian. “We are just waiting for the glass to be filled to the brim.”

    Opposition lawmakers critical of the Turkish-Armenian agreements were less than satisfied with the draft amendments. Armen Rustamian, chairman of the parliament committee on foreign relations affiliated with the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), dismissed them as “cosmetic.”

    “These changes are mainly a political trick with which the authorities are trying to show Turkey that they have such an option and thereby to prod Turkey to ensure a quick protocol ratification,” said Artsvik Minasian, another Dashnaktsutyun lawmaker. He reaffirmed the nationalist party’s strong opposition to an unconditional Armenian ratification of the protocols, saying that would contradict a ruling handed by the Armenian Constitutional Court last month.

    The Turkish government likewise claims that the court ruling is at odds with key protocol clauses. It is particularly unhappy with the court’s conclusion that the protocols can not stop Armenia from advocating international recognition of the Armenian genocide.

    The Sarkisian administration has insisted all along that the court’s interpretation does not run counter to the letter and the spirit of the deal. U.S. officials have made similar statements.

    https://www.azatutyun.am/a/1956610.html
  • U.S. Envoy Argues For Turkish-Armenian Border Opening

    U.S. Envoy Argues For Turkish-Armenian Border Opening

    F14CA881 FEB4 48A5 81AB 26AD7D0E92F0 w527 sArmenia — Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian and U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch attend a panel discussion in Yerevan on February 12, 2010.

    12.02.2010
    Tigran Avetisian

    Armenia would draw substantial economic benefits from the possible opening of its border with Turkey and most Armenians seem to realize that, the U.S. ambassador in Yerevan, Marie Yovanovitch said on Friday.

    Reiterating Washington’s strong support for the Turkish-Armenian normalization, Yovanovitch said Armenia’s heavy dependence on Georgian transit routes carries an “enormous risk” that was highlighted during Georgia’s August 2008 war with Russia. The resulting disruption of vital cargo supplies to the landlocked country underlined the importance of having an open border with Turkey, she said.

    “The benefits [of border opening], I think, are clear to Armenia,” Yovanovitch told a panel discussion in Yerevan on Turkish-Armenian cross-border commerce. “An end to geographic and economic isolation; expanded export opportunities, especially for the depressed communities near the border; opening of the new transport routes that would reduce transport costs; easier access to Armenia for Turkish goods; increased competition and choice for Armenian consumers, a higher quality of Armenian products … and new export routes for Armenian products.”

    Armenian exporters would also gain access to the large Turkish market, continued the diplomat. “In addition, with Turkey and the European Union linked by a customs union agreement for trade purposes, an open border with Turkey would put Armenia on a border of Western Europe,” she said.

    Yovanovitch also spoke of significant political and economic benefits of border opening for Turkey. “Turkish companies would have new export markets in Armenia, and by establishing operations here they could take advantage of favorable export tariffs to Russia and other CIS countries at the same time as they create employment for Armenians,” she argued.

    The remarks reflect the view of not only the U.S. government but also the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank and other lending institutions. Senior IMF and the World Bank officials believe that a positive impact of border opening on Armenia’s recession-hit economy would be felt as early as this year.

    Some Armenian political groups claim that cross-border commerce with Turkey would actually damage the domestic economy. They say it would flood the domestic market with cheap Turkish consumer goods and thereby hurt many Armenian manufacturers.

    Yovanovitch found such concerns legitimate but said the Armenian government can minimize possible “short-term shocks” resulting from the normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations. “Opening the border between Armenia and Turkey will require adjustments,” she said. “But I’m confident that the long-term benefits to both countries and the region far outweigh any short-term economic impacts.”

    Yovanovitch also stood by her view that most Armenians support rapprochement with Turkey. “In meeting with people all around Armenia and all segments of the society, my experience has been that while some may have reservations about the protocols or about specific economic consequences or some other issues, they are in general overwhelmingly in favor of restoring relations between the two countries and opening the border,” she said. “Nobody forgets the past, but most are also focused on the future.”

    “They are concerned about their own prospects, about Armenia’s development and they understand that an open border would ease Armenia’s isolation, create economic opportunity and benefit Armenia’s children,” added the envoy.

    https://www.azatutyun.am/a/1956612.html
  • Turkey ‘Committed’ To Deal With Armenia

    Turkey ‘Committed’ To Deal With Armenia

    62A4AF8C 22F4 47B5 8BD0 5250034E4B7F w527 sKyrgyzstan — Turkish President Abdullah Gul addresses the Parliament in Bishkek, 28May2009

    11.02.2010

    President Abdullah Gul on Thursday assured his Armenian counterpart, Serzh Sarkisian, that Turkey remains committed to the agreements to normalize relations with Armenia but did not specify whether it will unconditionally ratify them anytime soon.

    In a letter to Gul sent on Tuesday, Sarkisian warned that failure to implement the Turkish-Armenian “protocols” signed in October could roll back the “historic” rapprochement between the two nations. “A situation when words are not supported by deeds gives rise to mistrust and skepticism, providing ample opportunities to counteract for those, who oppose the process,” he said in a clear reference to ratification conditions set by Ankara.

    “I welcome the thoughts conveyed to us in your message,” Gul responded to the Armenian leader in a message posted on his website. He said Sarkisian “should have no doubt” about the Turkish government’s determination to promote “mutual understanding and trust among our two neighboring peoples.”

    “I also agree with you that responsible governance necessitates both standing behind words and supporting words with deeds,” wrote Gul. “Hence, we will continue to work for taking our normalization process forward based upon the understanding reached between our two countries.”

    “We have to be aware that concluding this historic process will require honoring our commitments in their entirety as well as displaying adequate political courage and vision,” he said, implying that Yerevan itself has yet to fully comply with the two protocols.

    Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other Turkish officials have indicated in recent weeks that the Turkish parliament will not ratify the protocols unless Yerevan addresses their concerns about a ruling handed down by the Armenian Constitutional Court last month. While upholding the legality of the agreements, the court made clear that they can not hinder Yerevan’s pursuit of broader international recognition of the Armenian genocide.

    Turkish leaders say this interpretation is at odds with key protocols provisions, a claim strongly denied by the Armenian leadership. The latter has accused the Turks of seeking more “artificial excuses” to avoid normalizing Turkish-Armenian relations.

    Gul’s letter contained no specific demands to Yerevan. The Turkish president said instead that he will “remain personally engaged in this process hoping to see it reach a satisfactory conclusion for both of our countries.”

    https://www.azatutyun.am/a/1955273.html
  • Sarkisian To Send Turkish-Armenian Accord To Parliament

    Sarkisian To Send Turkish-Armenian Accord To Parliament

    FA35E90C B8D0 468B A589 9885C9E6D326 w527 sUK — Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian delivers a speech in Chatham House, London, 10Feb2010

    10.02.2010
    Lusine Grigorian in London, Irina Hovannisian

    President Serzh Sarkisian said on Wednesday that he has decided to formally submit Armenia’s normalization agreements with Turkey to the Armenian parliament for ratification despite what he called Turkish efforts to distort their essence. (UPDATED)

    Speaking during a visit to London, Sarkisian also reaffirmed his threats to annul the two “protocols” if Ankara drags its feet over their ratification. “If, as many suspect, it is proven that Turkey’s goal is to protract, rather than to normalize relations, we will have to discontinue the process,” he warned in a speech at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, a renowned London think-tank also known as Chatham House.

    “After the meeting here at Chatham House I intend to instruct my staff to send these documents to Armenia’s National Assembly for starting the ratification process,” Sarkisian said. “I reiterate that as the political leader of the [Armenian] parliamentary majority, I exclude a failure by Armenia’s parliament to ratify the protocols in case of their ratification by Turkey without preconditions in accordance with our understandings,” he said.

    Turkey’s leaders claim that Armenia itself set such preconditions with its Constitutional Court’s interpretation of the protocols’ implications contained in a recent ruling. They have singled out the court’s conclusion that the deal can not stop Yerevan from seeking greater international recognition of the Armenian genocide.

    “It’s only the Turks that are trying to find something in it,” Sarkisian scoffed during a question-and-asnwer session that followed his speech. “Nobody else, no other involved party, sees anything strange in that decision.”

    Like other Armenian officials, Sarkisian suggested that Ankara is simply looking for an excuse to avoid normalizing relations with Yerevan before a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. “Would the Turks have been happy if our Constitutional Court had ruled that these protocols do not conform to Armenia’s constitution?” he said. “Maybe they would have been happy, seeing as they are trying to use every opportunity to torpedo the process.”

    “I can’t understand why the Turks … attach so much importance to the Constitutional Court’s decision. It’s an integral part of our domestic decision-making process,” added the Armenian leader.

    Ankara says Armenia’s highest court essentially prejudged the findings of an inter-governmental “subcommission” of history experts which the Armenian and Turkish governments plan to set up. Its establishment is one of the key provisions of the protocols.

    “Did we say in those protocols that the Republic of Armenia calls into question the genocide?” countered Sarkisian. “Did we ever say during the negotiations that we are going to hamper the process of international recognition of the genocide? If the Turks think we did, it’s not our fault.”

    In Yerevan, meanwhile, senior representatives of Sarkisian’s Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) reiterated that the National Assembly will not vote on the protocols before their endorsement by the Turkish parliament. Asked by RFE/RL’s Armenian service when the Sarkisian-controlled assembly might start debating them, Eduard Sharmazanov, the chief HHK spokesman, said: “Everything depends on the Turkish side.”

    Razmik Zohrabian, a deputy chairman of the HHK, said the Turks have until the April 24 anniversary of the genocide to ratify the protocols or face their annulment by Armenia. “April is a deadline for the United States as well because Congress may recognize the Armenian genocide. That would be big blow to Turkey,” he said, predicting that Ankara will have to drop its preconditions by that time.

    Failure to do that, Zohrabian told RFE/RL’s Armenian service, would lead Yerevan to declare the normalization process dead. “If the protocols are not ratified until then we will not have big expectations anymore,” he said.

    Speaking at Chatham House, Sarkisian again rejected the Turkish linkage between protocol ratification and the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, saying it is only undermining the two processes.

    “I, however, believe that the rapid normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations can set an example of a proactive problem-solving attitude that will positively stimulate and set an example the resolution of the Karabakh conflict,” he said. “I would like to take one step further and inform you that I am going to invite [Azerbaijani] President Aliyev to the potential opening ceremony of the Armenian-Turkish border.”

    The Karabakh conflict was another major theme of the hour-long speech, with Sarkisian accusing Azerbaijan of provoking an “extremely dangerous” arms race in the region and condemning Aliyev’s regular threats to resolve the dispute by force. He also ruled any out peaceful settlement that would result in Karabakh’s return under Azerbaijani rule.

    “Azerbaijan has exhausted the resources of trust in terms of autonomous status for minorities within its boundaries,” he said. “It was not and is not capable of providing guarantees of even internal security to such autonomies.”

    Sarkisian did not comment on chances for the signing of an Armenian-Azerbaijani framework agreement on Karabakh drafted by the American, French and Russian mediators. The latter have expressed hope that the conflicting parties will overcome their remaining differences this year.

    https://www.azatutyun.am/a/1954101.html
  • Sargsyan Urges Gül to ‘Make a Big Step Forward’

    Sargsyan Urges Gül to ‘Make a Big Step Forward’

    Tuesday, 09 February 2010

    Tert.am — RA President Serzh Sargsyan sent a formal letter to his Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gül. The letter reads as follows:

    “Your Excellency,

    “Travelling over Turkey’s air territory, I am sending my greetings to you and people of neighbouring Turkey.

    “Our initiative to normalize Armenian-Turkish relations is at the centre of the international community’s attention. This period is, in fact, a historical one, and not only we, but also the whole world understands that. The efforts made by regional powers for the improvement of bilateral relations go beyond any appreciation. I am sure that it would be hard to see progress without their intervention.

    “At the same time, I believe that despite the extent friendly states are interested in a positive outcome for the [normalization] process, they will not be able to do what our two nations can do.

    “Mr. President,

    “I think you will agree that the main role of breaking stereotypes that Armenian and Turkish people have toward each other and establishing an atmosphere of mutual trust is reserved for authorities. It was only due to faith in our work, and being resolute and principled that we can achieve results.

    “Otherwise, when talk and actions contradict each other, it brings about distrust and skepticism, opening up a wide [playing] field for those who are against this process. We should comprehend that time, in this case, does not contribute to the process but rather deprives it of meaning.

    “If we have, up till now, succeeded in bringing our bilateral contact to such a level where the vision of building normal relations between our countries becomes more visible and tangible, then today it is high time to be decisive, [and] to make a big step forward, passing on a stable and secure region for generations to come.

    “Your Excellency, please accept my deepest respects.”

  • “Oh, what a tangled web we weave,

    “Oh, what a tangled web we weave,

    When first we practice to deceive!”

    [sassoun@pacbell.net]

    Publisher, The California Courier

    sassounian31

    The title of this article, taken from Walter Scott’s epic poem, the Marmion, aptly describes the web of deceit weaved by Turkey’s leaders in seeking to create the false impression of wanting to normalize relations with Armenia.

    Under the guise of opening the border and establishing diplomatic relations with Armenia, Turkish officials actually intended to: 1) extract concessions from Armenia – returning Karabagh (Artsakh) to Azerbaijan, forming a historical commission to review the facts of the Genocide, and blocking territorial demands from Turkey; 2) prevent the acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide by third countries, particularly the United States; and 3) generate a positive image in order to facilitate Turkey’s entry into the European Union.

    If Turkey was sincere in its expressed desire to open the border with Armenia, it could have done so just as easily and quickly as it did when closing it in 1993. There was no need for lengthy negotiations, convoluted protocols, and parliamentary ratification. Furthermore, rather than demanding concessions, Turks should have offered inducements to Armenia for agreeing to open the border, because with closed borders, Turkey cannot join the EU.

    Ever since April 22, 2009, when the first concrete step was taken by the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Turkey by issuing a roadmap for normalizing their relations, Turkish leaders continued to state that they won’t open the border with Armenia without first resolving the Artsakh conflict. Even after signing the Protocols on October 10, 2009 and submitting them to Parliament eleven days later, the Turkish government still insisted that the border would remain closed until Artsakh was returned to Azerbaijan.

    Since none of the major powers supported the precondition on Artsakh, Turkey’s leaders used the January 12, 2010 verdict of Armenia’s Constitutional Court as a new excuse for not ratifying the Protocols in the last four months. Even though the Court ruled that the obligations stipulated by the Protocols complied with the constitution, the Ankara leadership expressed dissatisfaction in order to cover up its intent not to ratify the Protocols. Turkey demanded that the Court “correct” its decision, just because it had blocked the unwarranted interpretations and preconditions of the Turkish side.

    Unable to convince Armenia to meet their demands, Turkish officials approached Russia, the United States, and Switzerland (the mediator on the Protocols) to apply pressure on Armenia “to correct” the Constitutional Court’s decision. Once again, the Turks were rebuffed.

    Last week, Turkey stumbled on a new excuse not to ratify the Protocols — the announcement by Cong. Howard Berman (Dem.-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, that his panel would take up the Armenian Genocide resolution on March 4.

    Even though the genocide resolution is unrelated to the Protocols, a few days before Cong. Berman’s announcement, Turkey’s new Ambassador to Washington, Namik Tan, warned the U.S. Congress against such a move and boldly predicted that such a resolution would not come up for a vote “this year or anytime in the future.” Amb. Tan’s warning clearly exposed Turkey’s hidden agenda to bury the acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide at every opportunity.

    Now that the genocide resolution is scheduled for a vote, what would the Turks do? They are caught in their own web of deceit! If they rush to ratify the Protocols in order to prevent the adoption of the resolution, they would antagonize their Azeri ally and create internal political turmoil. On the other hand, If they does not ratify the Protocols very soon, there is a high probability that the genocide resolution would receive congressional approval this year.

    Meanwhile, Washington is losing patience with Turkey’s repeated excuses for dragging its feet on the Protocols. In retaliation, the Obama administration could use the genocide resolution as a stick to prod Turkey into ratifying the Protocols. Moreover, Turkey cannot count on much political support from Israel or American-Jewish organizations in order to block the genocide resolution, due to the incessant insults hurled by Prime Minister Erdogan at Israeli leaders over the past year.

    By refusing to ratify the Protocols, Turkey has taken away from the Obama administration its excuse for not acknowledging the Armenian Genocide. Despite his repeated campaign promises, Pres. Obama refrained from using the term Armenian Genocide in his April 24, 2009 statement. He had unwisely adopted the duplicitous Turkish line that third countries should not acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, while Armenia and Turkey were trying to normalize their relations.

    It is noteworthy that when Philip Gordon, Assistant Secretary of State, was asked last week to comment on the likely impact of the Armenian Genocide resolution on the Protocols, he insisted that they be ratified without preconditions. Significantly, he did not use the occasion to express any opposition to the resolution.

    Any attempt by the administration to block the congressional resolution would be highly embarrassing for Pres. Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, since all three as Senators and presidential candidates had issued strong statements in support of acknowledging the Armenian Genocide.

    Since Obama administration officials have repeatedly stated that the Protocols have no preconditions, then there should be no reason for them to object to the adoption of the genocide resolution.

    It should be stated that in normal circumstances there would be no need for further action by the President or Congress on recognition of the Armenian Genocide which is already an acknowledged fact. In 1975 and 1984, the U.S. House of Representatives adopted resolutions recognizing the Genocide and Pres. Reagan acknowledged it in his Presidential Proclamation of 1981. However, in view of Turkey’s devious designs to roll back the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide, it is imperative that the United States government reaffirm its acknowledgment. This would also be an appropriate response to the deceptive Turkish tactics of using the Protocols to extract concessions, under the false pretense of opening the border with Armenia.