Tag: Turkey-Armenia

U.S. Expects Quick Results From Turkish-Armenian Talks

Armenia — Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian meets U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in New York.

29.09.2009

Emil Danielyan

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pressed Armenia and Turkey to complete the normalization of bilateral relations within a “reasonable” period of time as she met with the two countries’ foreign ministers late on Monday.

The Turkish-Armenian dialogue was a key focus of her separate talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Armenia’s Eduard Nalbandian held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Clinton praised both governments for their “strong commitment” to pushing forward the process hailed by the international community and United States in particular. “I want to reiterate our very strong support for the normalization process that is going on between Armenia and Turkey, which we have long said should take place without preconditions and within a reasonable timeframe,” she said after meeting Nalbandian.

U.S. — Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (L) meets with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (R) during a bilateral meeting in New York, 28Sep2009

Clinton later delivered a similar message to Davutoglu, according to U.S. officials cited by Western news agencies. “When we say reasonable ‘time frame,’ we mean just that, that it’s not just the process that we want to see,” U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Philip Gordon was reported to tell journalists. “We welcome the process, but we also want to see a conclusion to the process and that’s what we’re underscoring when we say that.”

The U.S. officials’ message should have been heartening for official Yerevan which has long complained about Turkish linkage between the normalization of Turkish-Armenian ties and a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict acceptable to Azerbaijan. Armenian leaders fear that Ankara could still avoid implementing two fence-mending agreements with Yerevan if international efforts to settle the dispute yield no breakthrough in the coming months.

The agreements, which envisage the establishment of diplomatic relations and the reopening of the Turkish-Armenian border, are due to be signed by October 14. The documents need to be ratified by the parliaments of both countries before they can take effect.

According to the Armenian Foreign Ministry, Nalbandian thanked Clinton for Washington’s strong support for the ongoing Turkish-Armenian rapprochement that began shortly after President Serzh Sarkisian took office in April 2008. Clinton underscored that support when she telephoned Sarkisian to discuss the process on September 19. It was their second phone conversation in a month.

In Gordon’s words, Washington hopes that Sarkisian will accept Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s invitation to watch with him the return match of the two countries’ national football teams that will be played in the Turkish city of Bursa on October 14. “We think it would be a good thing if he attended it, reciprocating the attendance of the Turkish president of the match when it was in Armenia,” the diplomat said.

“This is a difficult process that faces some political opposition in both places and it’s hard for both governments,” added Gordon. “It shouldn’t wait for other things to get done, or be linked to other things. It should go ahead.”

Nalbandian sounded cautiously optimistic on that score in his speech at the General Assembly earlier on Friday. “The process of the normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations … promises to bear fruit despite all difficulties,” he said.

https://www.azatutyun.am/a/1839147.html

September 29, 2009
Opening of Turkish-Armenian borders now contradicts Azerbaijan’s national interests: FM

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov spoke with Trend News in an exclusive interview.

Trend News: How do you assess your visit to the U.S.? With whom were the meetings held, and what the main issues were discussed?

Elmar Mammadyarov: The UN General Assembly, which is in the focus of the world community and international organizations, provides good opportunities for the various meetings and discussions of bilateral relations. As part of my current visit to New York, besides the events as part of the UN General Assembly, I met with representatives of the United States, Austria, Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, Portugal, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Slovenia, Cuba, Switzerland, the European Commission, Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), and also took part in events by several organizations such as GUAM, BSEC and the OIC. At the meetings, I discussed the current bilateral relations with these countries, as well as prospects of cooperation.

During the visit, I had an opportunity to meet with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and twice with Foreign Minister of this country Ahmet Davutoglu. The meetings focused on the bilateral relations between the two countries in all fields, including the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Q: You were scheduled to meet with representatives of the OSCE Minsk Group so that to organize a meeting between the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Chisinau. How do you assess this meeting?

A: Right, I met with the representatives of the OSCE Minsk Group to discuss the current state of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as to prepare the forthcoming meeting between the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Q: In an interview with Vesti TV channel, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said that the refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh have a full legal right to return to their homes, but only after determining the status of Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan takes the opposite position – definition of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh is possible only after the repatriation of the refugees and internally displaced persons.

A: We have repeatedly expressed our stance on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Armenian troops must withdraw from the occupied lands of Azerbaijan. It is necessary to create favorable conditions for repatriation of internally displaced persons to the lands liberated from the occupation, including to Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as to restore communications. Only after this, the issue of status can be considered.

Q: The new U.S. administration has made some changes to regional policy in the South Caucasus and the Middle East. In which manner could it impact strategic relations between Azerbaijan and the United States, as well as the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict?

A: As part of my visit to New York, I met with U.S. Secretary of State. This was the second meeting with Hillary Clinton this year. Friendly and constructive talks focused on the Azerbaijan-U.S. relations in all directions, and the strategic partnership between the two countries was welcomed.

The resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has become one of key issues of the discussions. Mrs. Clinton re-emphasized the inadmissibility of preserving the status quo in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, noting the importance of resolving this conflict to ensure peace and security throughout the region and reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to the speedy settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Q: The world’s leading countries, especially the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries, are showing great interest in the reopening of the Armenian-Turkish border. What do you think, how can opening of the border impact resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict?

A: We have an unambiguous attitude on this issue. Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 after the occupation of Kalbajar by Armenian troops. The Azerbaijani lands have not been liberated so far. Opening of the border under such circumstances is contrary to the national interests of Azerbaijan. The senior Turkish officials have repeatedly made clear that these two issues are inter-related and the border with Armenia will not open until the liberation of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

Q: The U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group has been replaced. Can one expect any new initiatives by Robert Bradtke?

A: As I have already noted, in New York I met with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs. At this meeting, I met with the American Co-Chair, Robert Bradtke. He also took part in my meeting with U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.

As I said, at the meeting, the Secretary of State reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to the speedy resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and noted the inadmissibility of preserving the status quo and the importance of the conflict resolution for peace and stability throughout the region. I believe that Bradtke’s diplomatic experience will contribute to the resolution of the conflict.

Q: During your speech at Columbia University, you spoke about the significance and an important role that Azerbaijan has in the region, as well as the U.S.-Azerbaijan strategic relations. How do you assess the current state of relations between the two countries?

A: There is a strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and the U.S. The U.S.-Azerbaijan cooperation, covering many fields, successfully developed both bilaterally and multilaterally.
Q: Does Azerbaijan have a target to join NATO? If not, why is the defense system being created in accordance with the standards of the alliance?

As the country which shares the European and Euro-Atlantic values, Azerbaijan has become one of the first states joining the NATO Partnership for Peace Program. Currently, we are developing cooperation with NATO through the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council.

Cooperation with this organization is also continuing under the Individual Partnership Action Plan. This cooperation has contributed greatly to raising the level of training of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, law enforcement, border guards, the agencies, involved in preventing and eliminating consequences of emergency situations.

http://www.today.az/news/politics/56003.html

September 29, 2009
Turkish-Armenian Diplomatic Ties In The Offing?

A Turkish boy walks along railroad tracks disused since the closure of the Turkish-Armenian border. The new agreement foresees the border reopening.

September 29, 2009

By Antoine Blua

Turkey and Armenia won international applause on August 31, when they agreed on diplomatic protocols aimed at establishing diplomatic ties and reopening their border after almost a century of hostility.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on September 27 said the two countries’ foreign ministers — Armenia’s Eduard Nalbandian and Ahmet Davutoglu of Turkey — will sign the protocols on October 10 in Switzerland.

Richard Giragosian, director of the Armenian Center for National and International Studies, a Yerevan-based think tank, tells RFE/RL there is reason to believe the agreement will proceed as planned.

“We’ve seen a wave of protests and some demonstrations in the Armenian capital, but we’ve also seen some opposition within Turkey itself,” Giragosian said. “The interesting thing is [that] in many ways, the opposition to the normalization has actually been less than expected by many — including by the governments of both sides — which gives ground to some optimism that the protocols will in fact be signed.”

That prospect is being seen by many as an opportunity that could help end hostilities stemming from the World War I mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks.

But even if the protocols were signed, the parliaments of both Armenia and Turkey would have to ratify them before they could take effect. That stands as a significant hurdle, considering the intense positions that have prevented a normalization of relations between the two states.

A main issue of dispute is that Yerevan wants the massacre by Ottoman Turks recognized as genocide, which Turkey strongly rejects.

Armenia scholars say 1.5 million Armenians died at the hands of the Ottoman Turks from 1915-23 in a campaign aimed at eliminating the Armenian population in the Ottoman Empire.

Ankara says that up to 600,000 Armenians died during World War I and during deportations out of eastern Anatolia. But it says the deaths were in the context of an Armenian uprising, as Armenians sided with invading Russian troops at the time.

Regional Disputes

Turkey recognized the state of Armenia after its independence in 1991, but failed to establish formal diplomatic relations.

In 1993, Turkey closed its border with its neighbor in solidarity with its Turkic ally Azerbaijan over Yerevan’s support to ethnic Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The enclave falls within Azerbaijan’s borders, but has been controlled by ethnic Armenians since they won a three-year war against Azerbaijan in 1994.

Eduard Sharmazanov, a spokesman for the ruling Republican Party of Armenia, told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that deputies will start debating the protocols on October 1.

“This is a very complicated process,” Sharmazanov said. “It will show whether we take the right way or the wrong one. I think we are going the right way. And after that, we’ll start the process of ratification. I don’t expect it to be done at once.”

Armenian critics to the deal, including the Zharangutyun (Heritage) and Dashnaktsutyun (Armenian Revolutionary Federation) opposition parties, say it would mean the recognition of the two countries’ borders and includes elements that call into question Yerevan’s stance on the genocide issue.

But analyst Giragosian says a difficult passage “or even much of a debate” is not expected at the Armenian parliament, given the overwhelming majority of pro-government deputies.

The real challenge, others suggest, might come from Turkey, where the government faces accusations of making concessions that damage the country’s interests and of selling out Azerbaijan.

“The protocol establishing diplomatic relations has a higher chance of being endorsed by the parliament,” said Barcin Yinanc, a commentator for the “Turkish Daily News.” “But as for the protocol that foresees the opening of the border, I think that the chances are very dim, unless there is improvement toward a solution to Nagorno-Karabakh.”

On September 26, Azerbaijan’s officials news agencies quoted the chairman of the Turkish parliament, Mehmet Ali Shahin, as saying the accords on normalizing ties with Armenia will not be ratified as long as the Armenia-Azerbaijan dispute remains unresolved. He reportedly made the comment during talks with President Ilham Aliyev in Baku.

Giragosian says both the Armenian and Turkish government have done “far too little” to prepare their societies to for a normalization of relation. And in the case of Armenia, he says, there may be a backlash.

“Opening borders, establishing diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey is pretty much a shared goal of a large majority of the population of Armenia,” Giragosian said. “The problem is the process of this diplomatic negotiation. There’s overwhelming secrecy, there’s a lack of information that is encouraging only disinformation. And there is also a disconnection or disengagement where the ordinary Armenian citizen and even civil society feel unengaged in this process.”

Armenia’s President Serzh Sarkisian embarks on a world tour October 1 that will take him to France, Lebanon, Russia, and the United States to explain the benefits of the accord to the Armenian diaspora.

RFE/RL’s Armenian and Azeri Services contributed to this report.

https://www.rferl.org/a/Turkish_Armenian_Diplomatic_Ties_In_The_Offing/1839395.html

September 29, 2009
Turkey will never betray Azerbaijan: Turkish PM

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke with Trend News in an exclusive interview.

Trend News: According to the western media reports, Turkey is getting prepared to rebuild diplomatic ties and open borders with Armenia. There is an opinion that if this happens, an important for Baku factor in negotiations over Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will disappear. Does Turkey take this into consideration?

Recep Tayyip Erdogan: Azerbaijan’s interests are always important for Turkey. We will never betray Azerbaijan. As a head of Turkish government I would like to speak particularly on one issue. In order to rebuild relations with Armenia we expressed our will. The normalization talks between Turkey and Armenia have entered a sensitive phase. The protocols guiding the establishment and development of relations between our countries will be sent to the Turkish Parliament next month for ratification.

We have reached an important stage with the step we have taken with Switzerland’s mediation and I believe we can send the initialed document to Parliament if we do not face any prejudice and if steps are not taken by thinking just about the internal politics.

But especially I would like to explain that: Our efforts are not against our brother Azerbaijan. We will not agree on anything what is against the interest of Azerbaijan. We can approach the agreement but it definitely depends on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.

Q: Media reports claim Turkey and Armenia will sign a landmark deal to establish diplomatic ties on October 10. Can you confirm that?

A: The foreign ministers will come together on October 10, or October 11 and sign the draft document. Foreign ministers Ahmet Davutoglu and Eduard Nalbandian will ink two protocols, the texts of which had been agreed earlier and internationally hailed as a major breakthrough.

Q: You met on Friday with US President Barack Obama, on the sidelines of the G 20 summit in Pittsburgh. According to some reports Nagorno-Karabakh was discussed at this meeting. Can you give any more details on that meeting?

A: We discussed problems in the Middle East and Turkey, as well as relations among Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia, with Mr. Obama stressing the importance of improved our ties for the region as a whole. I think it would be easier if the OSCE’s Minsk Group – tasked to find a solution to the dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh – took more active measures. The time already has come. The United States as the co-chair of MG must follow its duties. This problem must be solved. I told Mr. Obama that if it is solved that it will turn on the green lights for regional cooperation, including our relationship with Armenia. There was need for dialogue that would bring together regional countries, referring to Turkey’s proposal of a stability and cooperation platform in the Caucasus. Turkey aimed to make the region a basin of peace and wanted to solve Azerbaijan-Armenia, Turkey-Armenia and Russia-Georgia problems through this platform.

Q: As to regional cooperation, what are your estimations about Nabucco pipeline project, in which Turkey is also participating?
A: We already past part of the way for this project. Recently we signed a contract with a number of European countries. As part of my trip to New York I also met with the president of Turkmenistan. To realize this project all the participants should show particularly efforts.

http://www.today.az/news/politics/55962.html

September 28, 2009

Back to the Future: Armenian-Turkish Relations

We invite you to a public discussion on

Back to the Future
Armenian-Turkish Relations

Wedesday, September 30, at 3.30 pm
Golden Tulip Yerevan Rossini Restaurant

Participants:
Turkish and Armenian public intellectuals

Please confirm your attendance

by calling 500119

Dear Subscriber ,

The Armenia-Turkey protocols are quite understandably at the center of public discussion in Armenia. Not so surprisingly, they are also part of the international discourse, this week with both Turkish and Armenian leaders referring to them at the United Nations General Assembly Debate. Less natural is the fact that this international debate continues to link the Armenia-Turkey border issue to a resolution of the Karabakh conflict, which may, or more likely, may not augur well for the Armenian side, which is at the receiving end of the brunt of the pressure. It was with all this in mind that Civilitas hosted a forum earlier this week during which Mr. Vartan Oskanian, chairman of the board of the Civilitas Foundation, and former foreign minister, rejected the formulation of the protocols and the way in which the process is moving forward.

As you read his speech (in English) or watch the video (in Armenian), you will notice new additions to the Civilitas site. In our determination to broaden the scope of debate on our domestic and foreign, political and economic situation, we offer FACTS FOR THOUGHT — statistics and numbers which say volumes about Armenia and the region — and we invite your comments.

Finally, we invite you to participate, if you are in Yerevan, in the first Civilitas Armenia-Turkey Dialogue public forum, to take place on Wednesday, September 30. We believe this is an appropriate way to conclude the very interesting and successful exhibition of postcards documenting Armenian life in Turkey, 100 years ago. Turkish journalist, editor, publisher Osman Koker has been in Yerevan for two weeks, following the responses to the exhibition, offering tours to students and others wanting more detailed information about the life and traditions these postcards illustrate. A gallery of these postcards will be online soon.

We await your comments.

Salpi H. Ghazarian

Director

The Civilitas Foundation

One Northern Avenue, Suite 30,

Yerevan, Armenia
info@civilitasfoundation.org

Tel./Fax: (+374 10) 500 119

September 27, 2009

Armenians Lick Lips at Prospect of Turkish Trade

Economists predict huge boost for Armenian economy if ties between Yerevan and Ankara are normalised.

By Hasmik Hambardzumian in Yerevan (CRS No. 512, 25-Sep-09)

Economists have welcomed the progress Yerevan and Ankara have made towards normalising relations, anticipating it will open up vast new markets for Armenian producers.

There is currently a near-total blockade on Armenian goods going to Turkey. In 2008, according to Armenia’s National Statistics Service, less than two million US dollars worth of Armenia products were exported to Turkey, whereas more than 250 million dollars of Turkish goods were imported.

Correcting this imbalance could prove revolutionary for Armenia, which currently depends on exporting most of its goods to Russia via Georgia, since its borders with both Turkey and Azerbaijan are closed.

“A significant growth in the economy is expected, with an increase in the volume of exports and a growth in investment, as well as an improvement in the population’s living conditions,” said Mark Lewis, the head of the International Monetary Fund’s mission in Yerevan.

Armenia and Turkey have lacked diplomatic relations since shortly after Yerevan gained independence from Moscow. Ankara, in a mark of support for its allies in Azerbaijan, who were fighting Armenian forces for control of the region of Nagorny Karabakh, cut ties in 1993 and has not restored them. Armenians still rule Karabakh, and the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace process is mired in difficulties.

Armenia and Turkey, however, have made significant progress since the two presidents met at a football match between their national sides a year ago.

They issued two protocols at the end of August, pledging to sign them after six weeks of public discussion. Appropriately, the six week discussion period, which should end with the border being opened, is due to end just before the return fixture.

The initial meeting also featured a deal between the Turkish UNIT company and High-Voltage Electric Networks of Armenia to sell 1.5 billion kilowatt/hours of Armenian electricity to Turkey. The size of the contract is a clear sign of the potential for cooperation.

Harutiun Khachatrian, an economic analyst from the Noyan Tapan agency, did not believe the official explanation for why no electricity has been sold so far. Officials say technical complications have prevented progress being made, but Khachatrian said its failure was linked to the progress of the peace talks.

“The fact that the project is not yet completed is obviously political,” he said. “You cannot even imagine how beneficial this cooperation will be for Armenia. Completely new possibilities will be opened, joint ventures will appear, products will be exported.”

Some economists have predicted, however, that the businessmen who currently dominate the Armenian market will object to the border with Turkey being opened, since it would let in a flood of competing products and services that could well undercut them on price.

Few of the so-called oligarchs Armenian have actually expressed a negative opinion of the peace process, with just Hrant Vardanian, president of the tobacco and confectionary company Grand Holding, being quoted in April as saying he looked on it “without particular enthusiasm”.

“The opening of the Turkish border means an end to monopolies. This is a significant step,” said Hrant Bagratian, a former prime minister and an economist by training.

Bagratian said some reluctance to open the border to competition from Turkish operators was natural, since Armenian businesses have faced little competition since independence.

He said Armenia just had to exploit its strengths, and trust its producers to become efficient enough to combat Turkish competitors.

“Whatever they do in Turkey, they won’t have the same harvest of tomatoes, apricots and grapes that we have and in this sense, I think the opening of the border won’t do much harm to our farmers. It’s possible that there will be a temporary shock, but within one or two years we will see that we have good chances for development,” he said.

Other businessmen agreed that Armenians should not be concerned, and should just rely on their country’s natural advantages. Besides the agricultural sector, the energy business, for example, is one where Armenia has a clear advantage, thanks to the Soviet legacy of decent infrastructure.

“With the correct implementation of international standards, there is no cause for concern, since in Armenia the industrial base, the infrastructure and the workforce are cheaper than in Turkey, where there are high salaries. It is necessary to occupy ourselves with increasing the productivity and efficiency of our production methods,” said Gurgen Arsenian, founder of the Arsoil company.

Hasmik Hambardzumian is a correspondent from www.panorama.am. IWPR country director Seda Muardyan contributed to this report.

September 26, 2009

Tag: Turkey-Armenia

U.S. Expects Quick Results From Turkish-Armenian Talks

Opening of Turkish-Armenian borders now contradicts Azerbaijan’s national interests: FM

Turkish-Armenian Diplomatic Ties In The Offing?

Turkey will never betray Azerbaijan: Turkish PM

Back to the Future: Armenian-Turkish Relations

Armenians Lick Lips at Prospect of Turkish Trade