Armenian-Turkish Relations

[Federate]

Re: Armenian-Turkish Relations

Sevres Treaty as an Armenian Precondition to Talks with Turkey?
[ 2009/04/18 | 14:40 ] politics
Shushan Stepanyan

At a press conference held earlier today Turkish studies specialist Raffi Kurtoushyan stated, “Turkish politicians and reporters are always talking about three preconditions, of which only two are discussed in Armenia. And these are misleading.”

Mr. Kurtoushyan noted that besides the issue of the 1915 Genocide and Karabakh, the third precondition of Turkey is that Armenia sign off on the 1921 Treaty of Kars.

The major aim of Turkey, which isn’t mentioned in Armenia, is the signing of the Kars Treaty. Turkey can ask - how can I open the border if you, without signing the treaty, do not formally recognize me? If Armenia were to take such a step it would mean that we’ve formally given up on Kars and Surmalu in eastern Armenia and all of western Armenia.”

Mr. Kurtoushyan noted that Turkey mad the same ploy regarding Cyprus. “We just can’t sit and state that we don’t want any preconditions. Armenia has to respond with such a set of preconditions that Turkey will back down from claiming theirs.”

The Turkish specialist proposed that Armenia demand the exclusion of the Karabakh issue from the agenda and that, “If they are pointing to the genocide issue as a precondition, we must come back with the issue of the Etchmiadzin diocesan properties and those that belonged to the Cilician Catholicosate. What’s become of these holdings? They want to open up the archives? Great, but we should request that they open up their property registers to see what’s happened to the properties once belonging to Armenians.”

Mr. Kurtoushyan suggested that if Turkey puts forth the Kars Treaty as a precondition to normalized relations then, “we must put on the table the Sevres and Lausanne treaties. If they want a committee of historians, fine. But we should demand a committee to look at these treaties as well. Let’s discuss the entire range of issues and come to some overall declaration.

http://hetq.am/en/politics/turkey-3/

[Federate]

Re: Armenian-Turkish Relations

Interesting and rare piece from Turkey on why the country might be interested in opening the Armenia border after all.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Lifeline for Kars just across the border

KARS - If trade is life, one could easily say the province of Kars in the northeast of the country is slowly losing its will to survive. While Turkey shut its border with Armenia as reparations to that country, the declining living standards, bankrupt economy and migration has left the people of Kars thinking they are the ones being punished.

Since the closure of the border with Armenia in 1993, an act of solidarity with Azerbaijan, the city’s economic development was arrested just when it was so close to taking off. The collapse of the Soviet Union had opened many opportunities for the city that borders both Armenia and Georgia, that it believed it was destined to be the gateway to the Caucasus and to Central Asia beyond.
Whomever one talks to in the city, an overwhelming desire to see the border with Armenia reopened is often followed with a cautious, "but." Once the hospitable people of this city start opening up though, the "but" becomes less intense.

Locals want the border to be opened but their desire for the promised economic advantages are tempered by the possibility of them being accused of being "Armenian lackeys" because of the perception towards Armenians and nationalist pressure that has built up over the years.

Kars Kafkas University Department of Economics president, Professor Mehmet Dikkaya, said ethnic divisions also played a part in the way people addressed the issue. "There are four main ethnic groups in the province. There are Kurds, Azerbaijanis, Karapalpaks and Turks," he said, Karapalpaks being a Turkic group with close ethnic links to the Kazakhs of Central Asia.

"We can say that Azerbaijanis and Karakalpaks are against any border opening while Kurds and Turks welcome the move," Dikkaya said.

He said the province was in dire straits in terms of its economic situation. "Kars has no trade potential. Of the 80,000 who live in the city, half have green cards," he said. Green cards provide free healthcare for the poor.

The only sector that keeps more or less creeping along is the traditional sector of animal husbandry, he said, with the industry based on dairy products.

"Its organized industrial zone is dormant. If the border is opened, Kars will become a center on a trade route and its production sector will pick up. The province shares 325 kilometers of border with Armenia and has two border gates. Average annual loss of trade in $700 million since 1993. If the border opens, Turkish exports will increase by $400 million. If only 20 percent of this passes through Kars, this region will be a paradise," said Dikkaya. He said Turkish goods were widely consumed in Armenia. "According to a recent study of ours, Armenia purchases $100 million worth of Turkish goods a year and all of it go via Georgia and Iran. We have also learned that there is no disapproval of Turkish goods there," he said.

Petition
The former mayor of the city, Naif Alibeyoğlu, who lost in the March 29 local elections after switching allegiances from the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, to the opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, said he had collected a petition for the opening of the border during his term in office. "I collected 50,000 signatures in a city with a population of 80,000. The economic life of Kars has been suspended since 1993. As a municipality, we can’t even collect taxes from the locals."

He said opening the border was the first step after which all bilateral problems between Armenia and Turkey would be resolved with subsequent steps. The prejudice Armenians feel toward Turks dies once they visit Kars, he said. "They told us they thought we were monsters. My granfather’s grandfather was killed by Armenians. There is no reason to keep bitter memories alive. Dialogue solves everything. Let’s open the border and start trading.

The real trade embargo is on Kars, not Armenia, says Kars Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Ali Güvensoy, noting that airplanes from Armenia frequently land in Istanbul, Antalya and other regions.

"Turkish goods reach Armenia via Iran and Georgia and are sold more expensively. If there is an embargo, it is on Kars," he said. In explaining the industrial decline of the province, Güvensoy said the foundations of 44 factories were laid but only 23 were completed. "Nowadays, only 18 of them are operational and all 18 are focused on dairy products. There are a meat plant and a cement factory but after they were privatized, many workers were laid off. They will soon privatize the sugar factory," he said.

The region’s economy is now centered on public servants, said Güvensoy, and added that most locals had begun to pack up and leave in order to make a living elsewhere.

Still, he said, peace had to be established before the border was opened, adding, "We want access to Armenia but we need to make sacrifices and Armenia needs to withdraw from Nagorna-Karabakh."

Güvensoy gave the neighboring province of Iğdır and its border gate Nahchivan as an example to what trade could accomplish. "Trade there is booming. If the border is opened, ours will too."

Zeki Yağcı, a xxxelry salesman for the last decade, wants the border to be opened. "Opening the border will attract investment and create opportunities for local businessmen. There is no commerce to speak of in our city. Iğdır used to be a district of Kars. Now it is a separate province and ahead of us. Why? Because there is cross-border trade there," he said.

Businessman Özfer Koçal said the local economy thrived when the border with Armenia was open before 1993. "Closed borders help no one. If there is an embargo on Armenia, it should encompass everyone. There are flights to Yerevan from everywhere. There is trade from Trabzon and Hopa. This embargo is a way of punishing Kars," he said. Koçal also admitted that a certain environment was needed before the border could be opened. "Nagorno-Karabakh, genocide claims and demand for land. If Armenia forgoes these, the doors should be opened," he said.

Shoe-shiner Hasan Perinçek sees the economic collapse first hand everyday, he said. "We definitely want the border to open. Here, the state is nowhere to be seen. Animal husbandry is the only way people earn a living. Let Armenia and Azerbaijan settle their own differences. The city is constantly shrinking because of all the economic hardship. The city will soon be empty. There are ’for sale’ signs everywhere. It seems like the city itself is for sale," he said.

Calls for caution
Shopkeeper Seyhan Karadeniz also wants the border to open. "There is no economy here. Winters are long and living is hard. If the border is opened, business will boom," he said. The fact that Armenians could go to Istanbul by plane while they couldn’t cross the border to Kars was a shame.

However, he also said the border could not be opened before the Nagorno-Karabakh issue was resolved.

Ahmet Sarar, who has been involved in textiles for the past 40 years, said the city was bankrupt but also noted that the historical animosity between Turks and Armenians could prove uncomfortable if the border was opened. "I have my doubts. If the border is opened, the rich there will purchase land here and their demands will increase. If the Armenians over here behaved, those across the border won’t," he said.

The head of Kars’ Association for Supporting Contemporary Living, or ÇYDD, Vedat Akçaöz, who is also a journalist, said during his visit to Armenia he had realized that the prejudices there could be ended easily.

"There, the elderly welcomed me and my associates as ’Kardaş’ [brother]. Unfortunately, the young are very prejudicial. A dialogue needs to be established as soon as possible," he said.

"There is serious trade between Trabzon and Armenia. What kind of embargo is this? And furthermore, what is important for us is the regional Turkic republics beyond Armenia. We don’t want to be the end of a one-way street. We want to be the gateway to the east," he said.

The opening of the border was just one part of a complicated matter, noted Akçaöz, adding that the public needed to be ready for what took place.

"If an Armenian comes here and something untoward happened, everything could get even worse. There is that kind of potential here which should not be ignored. We cannot ignore Azerbaijan, the Nagorno-Bkarabakh issue and Armenia’s demands. If the border is opened before these problems are resolved, there will be chaos," he said.

http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/domestic/11467104.asp?scr=1

[Anoush]

Re: Armenian-Turkish Relations

Interesting and rare piece from Turkey on why the country might be interested in opening the Armenia border after all.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Lifeline for Kars just across the border

KARS - If trade is life, one could easily say the province of Kars in the northeast of the country is slowly losing its will to survive. While Turkey shut its border with Armenia as reparations to that country, the declining living standards, bankrupt economy and migration has left the people of Kars thinking they are the ones being punished.

Since the closure of the border with Armenia in 1993, an act of solidarity with Azerbaijan, the city’s economic development was arrested just when it was so close to taking off. The collapse of the Soviet Union had opened many opportunities for the city that borders both Armenia and Georgia, that it believed it was destined to be the gateway to the Caucasus and to Central Asia beyond.
Whomever one talks to in the city, an overwhelming desire to see the border with Armenia reopened is often followed with a cautious, "but." Once the hospitable people of this city start opening up though, the "but" becomes less intense.

Locals want the border to be opened but their desire for the promised economic advantages are tempered by the possibility of them being accused of being "Armenian lackeys" because of the perception towards Armenians and nationalist pressure that has built up over the years.

Kars Kafkas University Department of Economics president, Professor Mehmet Dikkaya, said ethnic divisions also played a part in the way people addressed the issue. "There are four main ethnic groups in the province. There are Kurds, Azerbaijanis, Karapalpaks and Turks," he said, Karapalpaks being a Turkic group with close ethnic links to the Kazakhs of Central Asia.

"We can say that Azerbaijanis and Karakalpaks are against any border opening while Kurds and Turks welcome the move," Dikkaya said.

He said the province was in dire straits in terms of its economic situation. "Kars has no trade potential. Of the 80,000 who live in the city, half have green cards," he said. Green cards provide free healthcare for the poor.

The only sector that keeps more or less creeping along is the traditional sector of animal husbandry, he said, with the industry based on dairy products.

"Its organized industrial zone is dormant. If the border is opened, Kars will become a center on a trade route and its production sector will pick up. The province shares 325 kilometers of border with Armenia and has two border gates. Average annual loss of trade in $700 million since 1993. If the border opens, Turkish exports will increase by $400 million. If only 20 percent of this passes through Kars, this region will be a paradise," said Dikkaya. He said Turkish goods were widely consumed in Armenia. "According to a recent study of ours, Armenia purchases $100 million worth of Turkish goods a year and all of it go via Georgia and Iran. We have also learned that there is no disapproval of Turkish goods there," he said.

Petition
The former mayor of the city, Naif Alibeyoğlu, who lost in the March 29 local elections after switching allegiances from the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, to the opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, said he had collected a petition for the opening of the border during his term in office. "I collected 50,000 signatures in a city with a population of 80,000. The economic life of Kars has been suspended since 1993. As a municipality, we can’t even collect taxes from the locals."

He said opening the border was the first step after which all bilateral problems between Armenia and Turkey would be resolved with subsequent steps. The prejudice Armenians feel toward Turks dies once they visit Kars, he said. "They told us they thought we were monsters. My granfather’s grandfather was killed by Armenians. There is no reason to keep bitter memories alive. Dialogue solves everything. Let’s open the border and start trading.

The real trade embargo is on Kars, not Armenia, says Kars Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Ali Güvensoy, noting that airplanes from Armenia frequently land in Istanbul, Antalya and other regions.

"Turkish goods reach Armenia via Iran and Georgia and are sold more expensively. If there is an embargo, it is on Kars," he said. In explaining the industrial decline of the province, Güvensoy said the foundations of 44 factories were laid but only 23 were completed. "Nowadays, only 18 of them are operational and all 18 are focused on dairy products. There are a meat plant and a cement factory but after they were privatized, many workers were laid off. They will soon privatize the sugar factory," he said.

The region’s economy is now centered on public servants, said Güvensoy, and added that most locals had begun to pack up and leave in order to make a living elsewhere.

Still, he said, peace had to be established before the border was opened, adding, "We want access to Armenia but we need to make sacrifices and Armenia needs to withdraw from Nagorna-Karabakh."

Güvensoy gave the neighboring province of Iğdır and its border gate Nahchivan as an example to what trade could accomplish. "Trade there is booming. If the border is opened, ours will too."

Zeki Yağcı, a xxxelry salesman for the last decade, wants the border to be opened. "Opening the border will attract investment and create opportunities for local businessmen. There is no commerce to speak of in our city. Iğdır used to be a district of Kars. Now it is a separate province and ahead of us. Why? Because there is cross-border trade there," he said.

Businessman Özfer Koçal said the local economy thrived when the border with Armenia was open before 1993. "Closed borders help no one. If there is an embargo on Armenia, it should encompass everyone. There are flights to Yerevan from everywhere. There is trade from Trabzon and Hopa. This embargo is a way of punishing Kars," he said. Koçal also admitted that a certain environment was needed before the border could be opened. "Nagorno-Karabakh, genocide claims and demand for land. If Armenia forgoes these, the doors should be opened," he said.

Shoe-shiner Hasan Perinçek sees the economic collapse first hand everyday, he said. "We definitely want the border to open. Here, the state is nowhere to be seen. Animal husbandry is the only way people earn a living. Let Armenia and Azerbaijan settle their own differences. The city is constantly shrinking because of all the economic hardship. The city will soon be empty. There are ’for sale’ signs everywhere. It seems like the city itself is for sale," he said.

Calls for caution
Shopkeeper Seyhan Karadeniz also wants the border to open. "There is no economy here. Winters are long and living is hard. If the border is opened, business will boom," he said. The fact that Armenians could go to Istanbul by plane while they couldn’t cross the border to Kars was a shame.

However, he also said the border could not be opened before the Nagorno-Karabakh issue was resolved.

Ahmet Sarar, who has been involved in textiles for the past 40 years, said the city was bankrupt but also noted that the historical animosity between Turks and Armenians could prove uncomfortable if the border was opened. "I have my doubts. If the border is opened, the rich there will purchase land here and their demands will increase. If the Armenians over here behaved, those across the border won’t," he said.

The head of Kars’ Association for Supporting Contemporary Living, or ÇYDD, Vedat Akçaöz, who is also a journalist, said during his visit to Armenia he had realized that the prejudices there could be ended easily.

"There, the elderly welcomed me and my associates as ’Kardaş’ [brother]. Unfortunately, the young are very prejudicial. A dialogue needs to be established as soon as possible," he said.

"There is serious trade between Trabzon and Armenia. What kind of embargo is this? And furthermore, what is important for us is the regional Turkic republics beyond Armenia. We don’t want to be the end of a one-way street. We want to be the gateway to the east," he said.

The opening of the border was just one part of a complicated matter, noted Akçaöz, adding that the public needed to be ready for what took place.

"If an Armenian comes here and something untoward happened, everything could get even worse. There is that kind of potential here which should not be ignored. We cannot ignore Azerbaijan, the Nagorno-Bkarabakh issue and Armenia’s demands. If the border is opened before these problems are resolved, there will be chaos," he said.

http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/d...7104.asp?scr=1

Yeah yeah they want want want. Our young men of arms fought and thousands and thousands of our braves died for Karabagh/Artsax lands and WON; but so easily and lavishly we should give it right back to the azeribaboons, so the turks could benefit from us. Sure sure... and we mustn't talk about Genocide recognition or demanding our lands back from millenia. Let those guys from Kars go fly a kyte (btw; Gars, Igdir and Ardahan was ours to begin with).

[Pazooki]

Re: Armenian-Turkish Relations

Fly a kite LOL!!!

[Federate]

Re: Armenian-Turkish Relations

Dashnak Leader Blasts Armenia’s ‘Failed’ Policy On Turkey

22.04.2009
Emil Danielyan, Ruben Meloyan

The top leader of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) harshly criticized on Wednesday President Serzh Sarkisian’s policy toward Turkey, saying that it has only harmed Armenia and earned Ankara a role in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. (UPDATED)

The extraordinary statement by Hrant Markarian, the de facto head of Dashnaktsutyun’s worldwide governing Bureau, could further strain relations between Sarkisian and the influential nationalist party represented in his coalition government. It already threatened last week to quit the government if the upcoming municipal elections in Yerevan are marred by serious fraud.

“The Armenian side must acknowledge that it has been defeated in this stage of Turkish-Armenian fence-mending negotiations,” Markarian said, dismissing Sarkisian’s recent assurances that Armenia will “emerge stronger” from the year-long dialogue even if Turkey refuses to unconditionally normalize relations with it.

“One year ago we were saying that Armenia stands for normalizing relations with Turkey without preconditions while Turkey sets preconditions. We presented ourselves to the world as a peace-loving nation, whereas Turkey was seen as a crude and inexplicable state,” Markarian said. The situation has since changed dramatically, he added in a speech during a public seminar on Turkish-Armenian relations.

The event underscored Dashnaktsutyun’s growing unease over the unprecedented Turkish-Armenian rapprochement that began shortly after Sarkisian took office in April last year. The Bureau urged Yerevan in December to exercise caution in this process, saying that the Turks are exploiting it to scuttle greater international recognition of the Armenian genocide.

Dashnaktsutyun, which also has branches in all major Armenian communities abroad, has traditionally favored a harder line on Turkey. Its leader’s open criticism of Sarkisian followed growing indications that Ankara is again linking the establishment of diplomatic relations with Yerevan and reopening of the Turkish-Armenian border with a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Markarian claimed that the Armenian side itself allowed the Turkish government to renew that linkage. “One year ago, Turkey did not have a moral right to even express views on the Karabakh issue as it wasn’t considered a party [to the conflict,]” he said. “Today it is being presented as a party. It is already becoming clear why the Karabakh issue should be solved also for normalizing Turkish-Armenian relations.”

Sarkisian and Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian insisted earlier this month that Karabakh has not been on the agenda of the Turkish-Armenian dialogue. They also ruled out any Turkish mediation of Armenian-Azerbaijani peace talks.

Markarian also expressed concern at reports that a tentative agreement reached by the two governments earlier this year envisages the creation of a joint commission to study the 1915-1918 mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as well as Armenia’s explicit recognition of its current border with Turkey. “If there were some agreements on forming some commission of historians … and if there was any intention on Karabakh and the recognition of Turkey’s territorial integrity and the existing border, we must abandon all of that,” he said.

Dashnaktsutyun repeatedly warned Sarkisian last year against agreeing to the creation of such a commission which was proposed by the Turkish side in 2005 and rejected by then President Robert Kocharian. The warnings came after Sarkisian indicated that he does not object to the proposal in principle. Many in Armenia and especially its Diaspora view it as a Turkish ploy designed to deter more countries, notably the United States, from recognizing the Armenian massacres as genocide.

Meanwhile, a senior U.S. official insisted on Wednesday that Turkey’s leadership remains committed to normalizing ties with Armenia and that the two sides are still “working very hard” to achieve that objective. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza held what he described as “very fruitful” talks in Ankara over the weekend.

“I had some very fruitful discussions in Turkey where it became clear to me how serious Turkey is about normalizing relations with Armenia,” Bryza told RFE/RL in Yerevan. “It’s a very complex mix of issues in Turkey. There are strong opinions in Turkey as in Armenia about whether or not to go forward, whether or not other issues need to be involved.”

“What I can say is that I sense that the top leaders in Turkey really are committed to opening a completely new historical and positive phase in relations with Armenia in pursuit of a common Anatolian home,” he said.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly stated this month that the 16-year Turkish economic blockade of Armenia will not be lifted without a Karabakh settlement that would satisfy Azerbaijan.

http://www.armenialiberty.org/content/article/1613711.html

[Federate]

Re: Armenian-Turkish Relations

Sos Sargsyan - “The Turks have always been our enemy”
[ 2009/04/22 | 15:28 ] politics
Shushan Stepanyan

At an ARF sponsored roundtable discussion of Armenian-Turkish relations noted actor Sos Sargsyan commented that the Turks have historically been the enemy of the Armenian people and that they continue to be.

“They have only one issue confronting them - to erase Armenians from the map,” Mr. Sargsyan commented, adding that, “Gul comes to Armenia and we greet him like he’s our long lost uncle or something.”
The actor described the present negotiations as a diplomatic game. “600,000 copies of a DVD are being distributed in Turkish schools portraying Armenians as committing acts of violence against the Turkish people. Twelve million Turkish school children have watched this anti-Armenian film. What kind of game are they playing at. We need to ask Mr. Gul why he is distributing this film and what kind of Turkish citizens he is preparing for the future. Armenians shouldn’t be playing politics. If we Armenians lose sight of our history then we have no future. We’ve played the diplomatic game for too long. We’re all over the map - Russia, Europe, the West, the East. We don’t have the gift of playing this game and we don’t need to.”

Sos Sargsyan asked what Armenia would gain from the opening of the Turksih border. He stated that he didn’t agree with President Sargsyan’s opinion that Armenian businesmen would benefit. “The opening of the border will signify the beginning of the end for us,” proclaimed the actor.

Mr. Sargsyan referred to a quote made by Sultan Abdul Hamid in which the Ottoman leader, known as the “Bloody Sultan”, said that however strong the weapons of the enemy, the weapon of the Turks will be the cushy pillow.

“It’s an amazingly true statement that describes them to a tee. Yes, they always resorted to using a soft pillow. I deeply believe that today the Turks have been able to deceive the world once again by saying - ‘Look, we are friends, etc. So don’t utter the genocide word’. I, for one, am convinced that Obama will not utter the word genocide,” stated Mr. Sargsyan.

ARF member Artzvik Minasyan noted that the matter of reconstituing the fatherland was absent from any documents today. “I am a descendant of that generation of Genocide survivors. I am a descendant of that generation that possessed a large fatherland. Naturally, I come to the table with demands.”

http://hetq.am/en/politics/soos-sargsyan/

[Muhaha]

Re: Armenian-Turkish Relations

The statement in bold is what I was writing and while I was writing, I was also browsing the news and I came across a piece that I think pretty much says Turkey is now apart of the Artsakh process and so I decided to post the two together since the news and my post are pretty much related. I guess I was wrong about Sargsyan being right about Armenia being stronger now.

In the end, I think Sargsyan's right when he says "Armenia comes out stronger", because he can easily say to the International Community or whoever "Hey, we tried, we're the good guys". This is assuming, of course, that he is telling the truth when he says Artsakh hasn't been apart of the Turkish-Armenian talks, there would be no words to explain the sickening nature of something like that, and would render the idea of Armenia coming out stronger void.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is the news I came across:

Turkey says accord reached with Armenia on roadmap

By SELCAN HACAOGLU

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A foreign ministry statement says Turkey and Armenia have made solid progress toward reconciliation and reached agreement on a roadmap to normalize ties.

The statement issued late Wednesday says the two countries have reached a framework agreement that satisfies both sides.

A senior government official, however, said opening the Turkish-Armenian border, closed in 1993, is "out of the question." He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to speak to media.

Turkey wants its talks with Armenia to advance in parallel with negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan over disputed territory controlled by Armenia. Turkey shut its shared border with Armenia in support of Azerbaijan.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hMIVhRL1IZsbsjcPwt34qFbwomhgD97NO2F81

[Gavur]

Re: Armenian-Turkish Relations

If that was true they'd definetly post details.Thats just misinformation,smokescreen

[ninetoyadome]

Re: Armenian-Turkish Relations

it actually is true, its being reported by a number of websites.
Armenia, Turkey Announce 'Roadmap'
According to Asbarez.com
YEREVAN--The Armenian Foreign Ministry late Wednesday released a joint announcement with the Foreign Ministries of Turkey and the Switzerland confirming media reports that Ankara and Yerevan had "agreed on a comprehensive framework for the normalization of their bilateral relations."

The statement said in part that Armenia and Turkey "have achieved tangible progress and mutual understanding" together with Switzerland as a mediator and "have agreed on a comprehensive framework for the normalization of their bilateral relations in a mutually satisfactory manner. In this context, a road-map has been identified."

The ARF Bureau urged President Serzh Sarkisian's administration in December to exercise caution in this process, saying that the Turks are exploiting it to scuttle greater international recognition of the Armenian genocide.

The announcement comes two days before April 24, the annual day of commemoration for the Armenian Genocide. President Barack Obama had pledged as a presidential candidate and Senator to recognize the Armenian Genocide as President.

The US State Department has issued a statement welcoming the announcement. "The United States welcomes the statement made by Armenia and Turkey on normalization of their bilateral relations, said a short statement by State Department Spokesman Robert Wood.

"It has long been and remains the position of the United States that normalization should take place without preconditions and within a reasonable timeframe," the statement said. "We urge Armenia and Turkey to proceed according to the agreed framework and roadmap. We look forward to working with both governments in support of normalization, and thus promote peace, security and stability in the whole region."

Earlier Wednesday Armenian Revolutionary Federation Bureau chairman Hrant Markarian urged Armenia to immediately pull out of the talks before it was too late, saying that Armenia had been defeated in the Turkish-Armenian dialogue process because of key concessions made by Yerevan.

“The Armenian side must acknowledge that it has been defeated in this stage of Turkish-Armenian fence-mending negotiations,” said Markarian who was speaking at a conference Wednesday dedicated to the Turkey-Armenia relations and organized by the ARF Supreme Council of Armenia.

Markarian expressed concern that a tentative agreement reached by the two governments earlier this year envisages the creation of a joint commission to study the veracity of the 1915-1923 genocide of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as well as Armenia's explicit recognition of its current border with Turkey.



Below is the text of the statement in its entirety:

JOINT STATEMENT OF THE MINISTRIES OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA, THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY AND THE SWISS FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

22 April 2009

Turkey and Armenia, together with Switzerland as mediator, have been working intensively with a view to normalizing their bilateral relations and developing them in a spirit of good-neighborliness, and mutual respect, and thus to promoting peace, security and stability in the whole region.

The two parties have achieved tangible progress and mutual understanding in this process and they have agreed on a comprehensive framework for the normalization of their bilateral relations in a mutually satisfactory manner. In this context, a road-map has been identified.

This agreed basis provides a positive prospect for the on-going process.

See the official Armenian Foreign Ministry statement: http://www.armeniaforeignministry.am...statement.html

See the official State Department Statement:

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2009/04/122065.htm

[Gavur]

Re: Armenian-Turkish Relations

Thanks Asparez is more reliable.I must study whats being said, but at the least the US is seem to be stressing 2 things 1)no preconditions(which is the Armenian position ) and 20reasonable time frame(whatever that means).
I don't want to jump on the Tashnak bandwagon on this just yet(even though they have lost faith in this reapprochment shortly after the Gul visit), its too early (maybe too late) to tell.Lets see what develops the next 24 hours, then we can better translate whats going on.
I still as always have faith in president Sarkisian's intellect and wisdom.