PROTOCOLS

[Yervant1]

Lying SOB Armenia did not do that for AG, it did it because you and your ilk put zillion conditions upon us and pretended as if you are doing something in front of the world.

Turkish MFA: Ankara committed to spirit of Armenian deal

Ankara will remain committed to protocols signed between Turkey and Armenia aiming to normalize bilateral relations, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tanju Bilgiç has said, after Yerevan recently decided to withdraw the 2008 protocols from the Armenian Parliament,Hurriyet Daily News reports.
Bilgiç told reporters that Yerevan has decided to withdraw the Protocol on Establishing of Diplomatic Relations and the Protocol on Developing Relations in order “to create a reason to accuse Turkey” ahead of the 100th anniversary of the massacres of Ottoman Armenians.
“Turkey disagrees with the attitude taken by the Armenian side,” he said, describing Yerevan’s step as “wrong and unfortunate.”
“Turkey will remain loyal to regional normalization process which is the fundamental goal of the protocols,” he said.

Source: Panorama.am

 

[Yervant1]

ARMENIA'S PRESIDENT MADE WELL-TIMED STEP - EXPERTS

21:30 * 17.02.15

Since gaining independence Armenia has been committed to its foreign
policy in terms of Armenia-Turkey rapprochement, with the exception
that the Armenian side has been gradually adopting a harder line on
its demands, Ruben Safrastyan, Director of the Institute of Oriental
Studies, Academy of Sciences of Armenia, told Tert.am.

"Armenia has always favored improvement of its relations with Turkey,
without any preconditions. Armenia is committed to its policy. This
principle remains in force, but new approaches have been shown, and
we are now discussing not only the problem of recognition, but that
of demands as well," Mr Safrastyan said.

He considers logical that Armenia has been pursuing a harder line
since 1999-2000. According to him, if Turkey had changed its policy,
Armenia would not have had to take such steps.

Most experts welcomed Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan's step.

However, they called it a belated step because the Armenian-Turkish
protocols have done their "dirty business" by raising Turkey's role.

Mr Safaryan disagrees with experts. According to him, Armenia's
president made a well-timed step.

"We have seen Turkey continues disregarding Armenia's 'no
preconditions' policy. On the other hand, Turkey has lately made
overtly impudent steps on the threshold of the Armenian Genocide
centennial. I mean their cheap trick involving the Battle of
Gallipoli. Under the circumstances such a step was to be expected
before April 24, but it was made even earlier, and I welcome it,"
Mr Safrastyan said.

The international community understands everything and has seen
Turkey has not changed its policy toward Armenia for years. So Turkish
propaganda may make use of this step to slander Armenia once again,
but it will not succeed.

Expert in Turkic studies Andranik Ispiryan told Tert.am that the
Armenians expected President Serzh Sargsyan to make that step.

"It was expected prior to April 24 because Turkey has not so far taken
any steps to Armenia-Turkey rapprochement. On the contrary, as the
Armenian Genocide centennial is nearing, Turkey has been following
a harder line in denying the Armenian Genocide, which has logically
led to the present situation," he said.

The withdrawal of the Armenian-Turkish protocols has not essentially
changed anything because the protocols had no legal force. However,
in terms of propaganda it created a situation for Turkey. It claims it
is extending its hand to Armenia, protocols were signed, but Armenia
does not respond.

"And Armenia's president is thus putting an end to this all," Mr
Ispiryan said.

As regards Turkey's response, he said that, regrettably, Turkish
society and mass media do not properly present Turkey's responsibility
for Armenia-Turkey rapprochement.

"What is the meaning of the headline 'Sargsyan has buried
Armenian-Turkey rapprochement process' by one of the Turkish media
outlets? That is, they are once again trying to accuse the Armenian
side, turning a blind eye to the fact that it was Turkey that, after
signing the protocols, placed them on the furthest back burner."

http://www.tert.am/en/news/2015/02/17/gen/1592829

[Yervant1]

ANKARA CALLS ARMENIANS 'INCOHERENT' FOR REJECTING PROTOCOLS

Tuesday, February 17th, 2015

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic

ANKARA--Turkey's Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic told reporters
Tuesday that Ankara remains committed to the protocols signed between
Turkey and Armenia purportedly aiming to normalize bilateral relations,
after Yerevan recently withdrew the 2008 protocols from parliament,
Hurriyet Daily News reports.

Bilgic told reporters yesterday that Yerevan has decided to withdraw
the Protocol on Establishing of Diplomatic Relations and the Protocol
on Developing Relations in order "to create a reason to accuse Turkey"
ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

The Armenian government, and a majority of Armenians around the world,
regarded the protocols as unfair and a diplomatic ploy by Turkey,
due to the myriad conditions and concessions it demands of Armenia.

Meanwhile, the Turkish parliament itself has not ratified either of
the agreements.

Bilgic, however, called Armenians "incoherent and insincere" because
of the move, adding that "Turkey will remain loyal to regional
normalization process which is the fundamental goal of the protocols."

On Feb. 16, Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian announced that he has
asked the country's parliamentary speaker to withdraw his signature
from the protocols.

Sarkisian said in a statement that Armenia would not ratify the
agreement because of the "preconditions" that Turkey is putting in
place before it ratifies its side of the deal.

The agreement aimed to restore diplomatic ties between the countries
as well as reopen the common border, which Turkey closed in 1993.

Turkey holds off weapons deal for April 24 Authorities said Turkey will
postpone the selection a winner for a controversial, multibillion
dollar contract for the construction of an anti-missile defense
system until after April 24, the Hurriyet Daily News reported,
quoting senior officials.

A senior diplomat confirmed that Ankara first wants to see the U.S.

and French positions on the Armenian Genocide before awarding
a sizeable contract "to a bidder potentially from one of these
countries."

"We have agreed with the government leaders not to rush to a decision
any time soon," one defense procurement official said. "A decision
before April 24 is out of the question."

"How these countries observe the centennial of the events will be an
important input for our final decision," he said.

After Ankara selected a Chinese company in September 2013 to build
the air defense architecture and came under heavy pressure from its
Western allies for the decision, it also opened parallel negotiations
this summer with a European contender in the multibillion dollar
competition.

A defense industry source said he expected tough rivalry between
French and U.S. contenders in the second half of 2015. "Both of them
are surely aware that how their governments tackle the centennial
will be critical for success or failure," he said.

http://asbarez.com/131849/ankara-calls-armenians-incoherent-for-rejecting-protocols/

[Yervant1]

14:25 20/02/2015 » POLITICS

Vigen Kocharyan: Withdrawal of Armenian-Turkish protocols is due to Ankara’s stance

The Armenian President’s decision to withdraw the Armenian-Turkish protocols from parliament is due to Ankara’s stance, Vigen Kocharyan, head of the Department of European and International Law at Yerevan State University, told a news conference on Friday.
“The withdrawal of the Armenian-Turkish protocols is conditioned not by their content or by change in Armenian side’s position on their content, but by the stance of Ankara that speaks the language of preconditions,” he said.
As regards Turkey’s proposal to form a commission of historians, Kocharyan said that the issue of Armenian Genocide is not subject to discussion and a commission could only be created for studying the issue of compensation.

Source: Panorama.am

[Yervant1]

Our leaders are brain dead, what a timing instead of unity we get this nonsense.

LET TWO THUGS SETTLE THEIR DIFFERENCES

 

Garbis Korajian, Vancouver, 14 February 2015

 

The apparent declaration of war between President Serzh Sargsyan

and the head of the strongest criminal organization, Gagik Tsarukyan

(Dodi Gago) has nothing to do with their concern for the people of

Armenia, democracy, or for that matter the well being of the country.

 

Tsarukyan Mansion

 

In the last 20 years these two thugs were closely associated in

robbing the Armenian people so as to enrich themselves. As a result,

they have amassed billions of dollars in stolen wealth and guaranteed

an extremely comfortable lifestyle to their clans while the people

live in abject poverty and despair.

 

The core reason of their fight is their self-aggrandizing project. Now

that they have robbed the country of its last dram, they are

skirmishing so as to rob from each other. As the common saying goes,

"Thieves never fight among themselves when they rob; they only fight

when it's time to divide the booty."

 

As is often the case with law enforcers, when two thugs fight, the

police stay on the sideline. This is what the Armenian people or

the political parties have to do. Let these two thugs settle their

differences alone, without outside interference. At the end, the

winner will take it all and rule the country for some time to come

as a dictator. However, the winner's demise will follow as justice

eventually prevails in Armenia.

 

Out of this ugly and dirty war, Armenians will be able to elect decent

leaders who will care and work for the betterment of the people.

 

Finally, Armenia will emerge as a free and democratic country,

something it has been denied since independence. This is the best

gift Armenia can receive on the year of our Genocide Centennial.

 

http://www.keghart.com/Korajian-Thugs

[Yervant1]

Historian about recall of protocols. "The Turkish side can go for
provocations."

February 21 2015


Aravot.am asked the Head of the Department of the Armenian Cause and
History of the Armenian Genocide, Institute of History at the Armenian
National Academy of Sciences Armen Marukyan about how he assesses, as
a historian, the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan's decision to
recall the Armenia-Turkey protocols. "This move is logical and
completely fits in the spirit and letter of the Pan-Armenian
Declaration, because there was already some discrepancy between the
Declaration and the Protocols, because whenever we refer to Woodrow
Wilson's arbiter decision and the Treaty of Sevres, and we knew what
territories and boundaries were included in this document, it is
obvious that the covert reference here towards the Treaty of Kars,
i.e. the existing border document, reaffirms this provision of the
countries, somewhat opposes to it, and it is no more logical to
continue the process of overcoming the consequences of the Armenian
genocide, given these protocols at the legislative body," said the
historian.

In his words, this is the first move that needs to be reinforced by
the second move, also by recall of the signature. "Unless the
signature of the Republic of Armenia is underneath this document, it
is not ruled out that the Turkish side can go for provocations and
ratify the protocols after we remove it from the agenda to show to the
international community, look, how more law-abiding country I am than
the neighboring Armenia, while everyone knows that the Turkish side
was the one to violate it. Hence, after the recall, all possible
Turkish provocations will become null and void. These are the correct
and sequential moves by which the Republic of Armenia and all
Armenians should move ahead to the centennial of the Armenian
Genocide," opines Head of the Department of the Armenian Cause and
History of the Armenian Genocide, Institute of History at the Armenian
National Academy of Sciences Armen Marukyan.


Gohar HAKOBYAN
Read more at: http://en.aravot.am/2015/02/21/168946/

[Yervant1]

TURKISH PARLIAMENT SPEAKER URGES TURKS ABROAD TO BE UNITED LIKE ARMENIANS

15:51, 25 Feb 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Turks living abroad should be more like the Armenian diaspora when
it comes to standing up for their home country, a senior Turkish
politician has said.

The speaker of the Turkish parliament, Cemil Cicek, told Turkish
people living in Canada that they need a more "organized" association.

Cicek was speaking in the Canadian capital Wednesday.

"There is a need to organize a lobby, to reveal a reaction if need
be and to convey opinions to others," Cicek told a meeting of Turkish
community representatives in Ottawa.

Cicek cited Armenians as an example of how a small number of people
did much more than the many Turkish citizens living abroad.

"A group of 200 Armenians apply to the parliament of the country they
live in and ask for a motion on the allegations that Turks committed
genocide, whereas 50,000 Turkish citizens fail to make a 500-signature
petition," he said.

Cicek said divisions among Turkish associations were the reason for
this lack of action and called for unity.

http://www.armradio.am/en/2015/02/25/turkish-parliament-speaker-urges-turks-abroad-to-be-united-like-armenians/

[Yervant1]

TURKISH POLICY OF DENIAL SETS DANGEROUS PRECEDENT FOR E RECURRENCE OF NEW GENOCIDES- PRESIDENT SARGSYAN SAYS

YEREVAN, March 18. / ARKA /. Addressing an international media forum
in the Armenian capital entitled 'At the Foot of Mount Ararat,'
dedicated to the centenary of the Armenian Genocide, President
Serzh Sargsyan said Armenia, Armenians all over the world and the
international community will remember and commemorate the Armenian
Genocide committed in the Ottoman Empire one century ago.

'The genocide took lives of one and a half million Armenians,
hundreds of thousands of people became refugees or were forcefully
converted into other religion. Each Armenian from any corner of
the world continues to feel the consequences of the Mets Yeghern
psychologically, culturally, linguistically and politically.

We wish we could have also commemorated the Centennial of the Armenian
Genocide together with the Turkish people, thereby heralding a new
haven of the rapprochement of the two nations and normalization of
their relations. This was the goal pursued by the protocols between
Armenia and Turkey signed back in 2009 and of my invitation to the
President Erdogan of Turkey to join us on April 24 in honoring the
memory of the Armenian Genocide victims. Unfortunately, once more we
encountered denial, one that acquired a particular manifestation this
year,' he said.

'I believe you are well aware that this year Turkish authorities
decided to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli
on the very day of April 24. The only motive for that was the
simple-minded goal to distract the attention of the international
community from the events dedicated to the Centennial of the Armenian
Genocide. By the way, in this context your Norwegian colleague BÃ¥rd
Larsen published in February an article titled "Useless Diplomacy,"
in which he very aptly put that "this would be tantamount to Germany
celebrating heroic victories of Wehrmacht in the Eastern Front during
World War II."

I regret that the Turkish authorities instead of availing themselves
of this Centennial to confront their own history and reconcile,
put themselves in an awkward position by obviously distorting the
well-known chronology the Battle of Gallipoli, and thereby embellishing
their policy of denial with new manifestations.

The Turkish policy of denial pursued not only vindicates the crime
committed by the Ottoman authorities - the dispossession of Armenians
- but also sets a dangerous precedent for the recurrence of new
genocides. The Holocaust, the Rwandan and Cambodian genocides, the
ethnic cleansing and destruction of cultural heritage carried out by
the Islamic State in recent years have all been striking examples of
this. Their efforts to avoid responsibility or consign the Armenian
Genocide to oblivion can be characterized as continuation of the
crime and encouragement of new genocides.

Nevertheless, I must note that larger and larger segments of the
Turkish intelligentsia and progressive youth are demonstrating courage
to confront their historical past, desiring to live a dignified life
and relieving themselves of such a heavy burden of sin.

It is a matter of plain fact that the policy pursued by the current
Turkish government rules out the possibility of bringing the
famous Protocols into life at which official Ankara looked from the
perspective of the absurd preconditions perpetually set forth by it.

For that very reason I decided to recall them from our parliament.

Thus, the process did not reach its logical conclusion, and everybody
knows which party is to blame for its failure. This does not mean that
we are closing the window for rapprochement with Turkey. Nevertheless,
we are not going to get involved in a process, which may fall victim
to the third country's unconstructive whims and, most importantly,
without hope of restoring mutual trust.

Initially, we thought that the policy "Zero Problems with Neighbors"
proclaimed by the Turkish authorities enshrined Turkey's sincere
intentions to normalize relations with neighboring countries, including
Armenia. I do not want to comment on the nature of current relations
between Turkey and other states, but as the subsequent developments
demonstrated, Turkey had to face the reality of "Zero Neighbor and
Numerous Problems." In fact, Turkey's real intention was not to
have zero problems with neighbors, but to impose its own perception
of those relations on the neighbors, which was nothing else than a
manifestation of Neo-Ottoman policy.

The State Commission for coordination of the events for commemoration
of the Armenian Genocide Centenary was established. Its members
encompassed heads of all the largest Armenian institutions. The
Commission adopted All-Armenian Declaration, which determined the
united will of the Armenian people; by that Armenia and the Armenian
people reiterated their commitment to continuing the international
struggle for the prevention of genocides, restoration of the rights
and establishment of historical justice for the nations subjected
to genocide.

In that perspective, the Armenian Genocide Centennial events are not
solely of all-Armenian nature; they are a unique appeal to prevent
any encroachment upon universal values. For that very reason I have
invited the leaders and high-level officials of various countries to
visit Armenia on April 24 and, thus, send a powerful message of the
inadmissibility of the crime of genocide to the world.' -0-

http://arka.am/en/news/politics/turkish_policy_of_denial_sets_dangerous_precedent_for_e_recurrence_of_new_genocides_president_sargsy/#sthash.sfsBAsYm.dpuf

[Yervant1]

Armenia's Sargsyan slams Erdogan's absence at Genocide centennial

22:48, 21 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan


In an interview with FRANCE 24, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's decision to change this
year's Gallipoli commemoration to coincide with Armenia's marking of
the 100th anniversary of the genocide was a "cynical act".

On April 24, Armenia is set to commemorate the centennial of the
Armenian genocide, which saw the deportation and deaths of up to 1.5
million Armenians during World War I.

"Our intention was to commemorate the centennial together with the
Turkish people," explained Sargsyan, noting that it was the reason his
government invited the Turkish leader to attend the commemorations.

Instead, Erdogan chose the same day to invite his Armenian counterpart
to the centennial of the Gallipoli campaign, which marked a major
World War I victory for the Ottoman forces against Allied troops,
mostly from Australian and New Zealand. The date of their landing --
known as "Anzac Day" -- is marked on April 25 every year.

Turkey has long denied the mass deportation and killings of Armenian
subjects of the Ottoman empire constituted genocide, claiming instead
that they were the consequences of inter-ethnic violence inflamed
during wartime.

Erdogan's decision to change the date of the Gallipoli ceremonies to
coincide with the Armenian centennial commemoration has drawn a sharp
rebuke from Sargsyan.

"Unfortunately, once again we find ourselves facing a negationist
approach and I'm sorry to use this expression, but it is a
particularly cynical act. The Battle of Gallipoli did not start of
April 24 [1915], nor did it end on April 24, it's self-evident. This
is a way of injuring, of wounding the Armenian people and at the same
time, it is intended to set obstacles on the path to centennial
commemorations [of the Armenian genocide]," said Sargsyan.

The April 24 ceremonies will be attended by a number of world leaders,
including French President François Hollande and Russian President
Vladimir Putin.

http://www.france24.com/en/f24-interview/20150321-armenian-president-sargsyan-turkey-erdogan-genocide-centennial/
http://www.armradio.am/en/2015/03/21/armenias-sargsyan-slams-erdogans-absence-at-genocide-centennial/

[Yervant1]

RECONCILIATION TURKISH STYLE

Editorial 3-28 March 2015

By Edmond Y. Azadian

The aftermath of World War I and the formation of the Turkish Republic
in 1923 on the ruins of the collapsed Ottoman Empire left behind a
huge baggage of political, social and ethnic problems which were kept
under wraps from the world at large through bloodshed and terror by
successive Turkish administrations.

Ever since the digital era began undermining authoritarian rules around
the globe and at the same time Turkey's desire to join the European
Union increased, those problems gradually bobbed to the surface,
forcing Turkish leaders to deal with them in an awkward fashion.

The bloody legacy of the Armenian Genocide, Kurdish aspirations
for autonomy and independence were erased and rewritten in the fake
history manufactured by Ataturk to endow his country with a new image.

A country aspiring to join the civilized family of nations could no
longer sweep that legacy of problems under the rug.

Two Turkish leaders have emerged very much reminiscent of Miguel
de Cervantes' immortal characters of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza,
the first one blundering the issues and the latter putting the pieces
together. Indeed, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ahmet Davutoglu, president
and prime minister, respectively, have been engaged in politics to
replicate Cervantes' heroes, and many governments and statesmen around
the world take them seriously because of Turkey's strategic position,
both geopolitically and in world affairs.

Armenians and Kurds are at the receiving end of this charade to prove
their cases and to make their voices heard around the world.

As Turkey has set into motion its well-oiled PR machine to fight the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide, it has also enlisted the support
of the captive local Armenian community to serve its political ends.

While Mr. Erdogan plays the bully, trying to intimidate Armenians and
Kurds around the world, Mr. Davutoglu has been assigned to the more
delicate responsibility of complementing his master's initiatives
using kid gloves.

As if it were not enough for Mr. Erdogan to stage the Gallipoli
fiasco, inviting more derision, he reiterated his hallmark denial by
challenging Armenians in a recent Istanbul speech to come up with
more documentary evidence: "How many documents do you have? Bring
your documents and we will task the historians, political scientists,
even archeologists and lawyers."

After the verdicts of the 1919 military tribunals in Istanbul,
after the proclamation of 120 respected genocide scholars headed by
Elie Wiesel in a 2000 edition of the New York Times, Mr. Erdogan's
knowledge of history is lagging a full century behind.

Armenians did not need to counter this outrageous statement. Instead,
Turkey's Today's Zaman newspaper wrote in response to this challenge:
"This position is backed by many Western historians specializing
in research of crimes against humanity. ... A historical record on
the Armenian Genocide is unambiguous and documented by overwhelming
evidence," the US-based International Association of Genocide Scholars
said in a 2007 letter to members of the US Congress. "It is proven by
Foreign Office records of the United States, Frances, Great Britain,
Germany and Austria-Hungary, as well as by the records of the Ottoman
Courts-Martial of 1918-1920, and by decades of scholarship."

While Armenia's President Serge Sargisian characterized the Gallipoli
centennial and invitation to Armenians to attend as a "cynical ploy,"
another question begs for an answer. The argument for inviting
Armenians to Gallipoli is that Armenian soldiers drafted into the
Ottoman army fought side-by-side with the Turks. But the irony is that
even the families of those soldiers, who put their lives in harm's
way for the defense of the Ottoman homeland, found their families
slaughtered as well. While the gist of Turkish justification for the
genocide is that Armenians sympathized with Russia and "betrayed"
the Ottoman government, the fact that even the families of Armenian
soldiers fighting in Gallipoli were not spared proves unequivocally
that the intent of the Young Turks was to exterminate all Armenians,
thus disproving their thesis that alleged treachery was the cause of
the genocide that did not happen.

To complement Mr. Erdogan's challenges, Mr. Davutoglu invited the
leaders of various minority groups to Ankara on February 11, to assign
them a delicate task. Indeed, consultations in a community council,
called VADIP*, have revealed that Mr. Davutoglu was incensed by a
letter in the New York Times, signed by Fetullah Gulen, stating that
the Turkish government continues to oppress the minorities. "I wished
that those very same minorities would produce a document refuting
those allegations," the prime minister reportedly said. After that
request, Mr. Davutoglu has politely stated that "this request will
not be construed as an imposition by anyone."

The council has also discussed Turkish-Armenian reconciliation on
terms very dear to the heart of Mr. Bedros Sirinoglu, the head of
the Armenian community; Armenians must seek amends from the Turks
for their "crimes" and Turks have to reciprocate, thus they can reach
reconciliation (halalashmak).

Of course, for the captive Armenian community, Mr. Davutoglu's wishes
are not only an "imposition," but they are in fact a blackmail attempt
in disguise. Therefore, the group has commissioned Mr. Markar Yessayan,
a contributor to Yeni Shafak newspaper, to come up with two articles,
one rebutting the New York Times, the other one defining the delicate
position of the Armenian community on the occasion of the Genocide
centennial. Mr. Sirinoglu has forwarded the articles to the president's
office in Ankara, certainly for approval.

In the mean time, the locum tenens of the Patriarchate, Archbishop
Aram Atesian, has already exceeded the government's expectations
regarding the delicate issues facing the Armenian community. He has
ordered eight Armenian churches to perform requiem services for the
"Martyrs of Canakkale (Gallipoli)" and he has personally conducted
the service at St. Stepannos Church in Yesilkoy. On the other hand,
he has refused to join Armenian Churches worldwide, which will toll
their bells 100 times on April 23 at 19:15 p.m., marking the beginning
of the centennial.

Thus, holding the Armenian community hostage in Turkey, denying the
Genocide and thumbing his nose at the world community, Mr. Erdogan
believes that he will succeed in signing the protocols and bringing
reconciliation between the Armenians and Turks.

He has been playing the same game with the Kurdish minority, which
account for 20 percent of Turkey's population.

Three years ago, the Ankara government began negotiating with Abdullah
Ocalan, the jailed Kurdish leader of the powerful PKK party. Recently,
Mr. Erdogan failed to deliver on his 10-point peace framework and the
negotiations began to stall. In view of the upcoming parliamentary
elections, where Mr. Erdogan needs the Kurdish votes to win an
absolute majority and consolidate his presidential powers, he has
once again enlisted the support of Mr. Ocalan, who recently issued the
following statement: "I call on the PKK to convene a congress to end
the 40-year-long armed struggle against the Republic of Turkey and to
determine political and social strategies and tactics in accordance
with the spirit of a new era."

After extracting that kind of conciliatory statement from the Kurdish
leader, Mr. Erdogan had the nerve to say that there had never been a
Kurdish problem in Turkey. "What are you talking about, brother?" he
asked rhetorically, "what Kurdish problem?" during a ceremony in
Balikeser.

After the murder of 40,000 Kurds and the imposed scorched-earth
policy resulting in the destruction of 2,000 Kurdish villages, the
prime minister is announcing that "there has never been a Kurdish
problem in Turkey." It is very much like asking Armenians to produce a
"single" document proving that the Genocide was perpetrated.

This time around, the deputy prime minister has rushed to his rescue.

As reported in the New York Times, "On Saturday, following Mr.

Ocalan's statement, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc reiterated
the government's commitment to the peace process and dismissed Mr.

Erdogan's remarks as 'emotional.'"

It is a disgrace that Armenians have to deal with this kind of
duplicitous political games while the unburied remains of our martyrs
still call for justice 100 years later.

Is this reconciliation Turkish style?

(*Editor's note: VADIP is a community council comprising the
representatives of charitable organizations (Vakif), hospitals and
churches. Along with Armenians, Greeks and Jews have the VADIP to
deal with government agencies.)

[Yervant1]

Armenian president reveals conditions for opening Armenian-Turkish border

16:20 • 17.11.16

http://www.groong.com/news/attachments/msg589203/pngFKpZ7Ud5hT.png

The Armenian-Turkish border could only be opened with mutual consent of Armenia and Turkey, without any preconditions, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

“I may be citing an unpopular example. But any wedding requires consent of both sides. In this case, we cannot say the issue has been settled fifty percent. Nothing depends on us in this respect,” Mr Sargsyan said.

Armenia has long since been ready for improving relations.


“Until 2009, even our friends used to tell us we suffered from a ‘genocide complex’ and did not want any relations with Turkey as long as they refuse to admit the Armenian Genocide. But we did that step, did not we? Can you understand my circumstances when I travelled round the world and had meetings with representatives of the Armenian Diaspora? In Paris, New York, Los Angeles, Beirut thousands of Armenians took to the streets against Armenia’s president and demanded that the protocols not be signed,” President Serzh Sargsyan said.

“The result is that they do not honor their commitments they themselves signed. What else can be done? To bow to the wishes and say: ‘Yes, let’s allow Azerbaijan establish control of the security zone’, and Turkey will open the borders. And then? A conflict may break out in three months, in a year, in a half year, and they will close the border again. It does not depend on us, does it?” Mr Sargsyan said.

Back in 2008, Armenia offered Turkey to announce a negotiating process and in 2009 the sides signed two protocols.

“And in Zurich, in the presence of the foreign ministers of three UN permanent member-states, the two protocols were signed. Regrettably, later developments showed Turkey was not prepared to ratify the protocols or establish relations with Armenia without preconditions,” Armenia’s president said.

“And they began setting preconditions: ‘Armenia must persuade Nagorno-Karabakh to cede at least one ‘occupied region’ (as they labeled the regions) to Azerbaijan. That is, part of the security zone. And then Turkey would be ready to establish relations and open the borders. Since we agreed and the two protocols clearly indicated that we were supposed to establish relations without any preconditions, our answer was: ‘Sorry, but we should have talked about it before we signed [the protocols] that is, during the negotiations.’ And we have not since had any relations with Turkey. If we meet at international forums somewhere, we just greet one another. That’s all.”

http://www.tert.am/en/news/2016/11/17/turkey/2195493

[Yervant1]

Panorama, Armenia

Oct 9 2017

Politics 19:20 09/10/2017Armenia

Turkey-Armenia Protocols were sold to Azerbaijan at a very high price – orientalist

The Turkey-Armenia Protocols were sold to Azerbaijan at a very high price, with Turkey gaining significant tangible and intangible benefits, a former Armenian ambassador to Syria said Monday.

Speaking at a news conference in capital city Yerevan, orientalist David Hovhannisyan said Turkey followed a clearly laid out plan when signing the protocols and gained a lot as a result.

“Please note that this process is currently frozen, which enables to turn Armenian-Turkish relations into non Armenian-Turkish relations: Turkish-American., Turkish-Russian, Turkish-European [relations],” the former diplomat said.

Mr. Hovhannisyan believes normalization in the Turkish and Armenian relations is possible only in case the leaders of the two states reach a principled decision.

“Only after the decisions, will other countries be able to offer their intervention: the decisions of Armenia and Turkey are the primary,” he noted.

https://www.panorama.am/en/news/2017/10/09/Turkey-Armenia-Protocols-orientalist/1847157

[Yervant1]

Which part of "no preconditions" Turkey doesn't understand?

Public Radio of Armenia

Dec 14 2017

Turkey says committed to Armenia protocols, links ratification to Karabakh settlement

21:23, 14 Dec 2017

http://www.armradio.am/en/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Turkey-foreign-ministry-620x300.jpg

Turkey has said it is still committed to the protocols signed with Armenia in 2009, which have not yet been ratified by either side, “despite Yerevan’s negative stance” in proceeding with the normalization of bilateral ties and the establishment of diplomatic relations.

“Despite Armenia’s negative stance on the Protocols, Turkey is committed to the primary clauses of the Protocols. These Protocols are still on the agenda of the Turkish Grand National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Commission. For their ratification it is essential that a favorable political atmosphere and peace in the South Caucasus is secured,” read a written statement issued by the Foreign Ministry on Dec. 14.

The statement came after Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said Turkey is responsible for the delay in the ratification of the protocols signed between Turkey and Armenia on Oct. 10, 2009, vowing that the Armenian government would annul the said protocols.

“These claims do not reflect the truth and aim to mislead world public opinion,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in response, suggesting that Ankara had made efforts to normalize relations with Armenia “on several levels” after Armenia proclaimed its independence in 1991.

“Turkey’s primary target pertaining to the Protocols process is to realize the normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia so comprehensive peace and stability in the South Caucasus is provided,” read the statement.

“In this vein, it is necessary that progress is achieved in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, based on Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and in light of the relevant resolutions of the U.N. Security Council,” it added.

The Foreign Ministry statement also responded to Nalbandian’s remarks on the Armenian Genocide.

“Mr. Nalbandian’s claims on genocide in his speech do not reflect the truth either. As ascertained by the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights, the 1915 events are a matter of legitimate debate within the framework of freedom of _expression_,” it said.

http://www.armradio.am/en/2017/12/14/turkey-says-committed-to-armenia-protocols-links-ratification-to-karabakh-settlement/

 

 

[Yervant1]

Panorama, Armenia

Jan 24 2018

It would be insulting for Armenian people to make unilateral concessions to establish relations with Turkey – President Sargsyan

It would be insulting for the Armenian people to make unilateral concessions to establish relations with Turkey, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan said at the PACE winter session on Wednesday commenting on the question over the Armenian-Turkish relations.

“We do not understand well the demand of the Turkish side to do something. In 2008, after I got elected, I initiated the publicizing of the Armenian-Turkish relations, as a result of which a meeting was held between the Armenian and Turkish presidents,” he said.

The president reminded that Armenia and Turkey signed two documents on establishment of relations between the two countries in Zurich, Switzerland in 2009 at the presence of the foreign ministers of permanent members of the UN Security Council.

“Those documents clearly stated that these relations are to be established without any preconditions, but unfortunately the Turkish side has continued to come up with preconditions. In the international experience we have not come across similar examples, all terms are negotiated before signing a document. Nine years down the road we keep hearing from the Turkish side about allegedly taking a step. While the document very clearly states that the relations are to be established after which all the existing wrinkles between the two countries should be discussed,” Mr Sargsyan said.

Serzh Sargsyan stressed Armenia can never accept any preconditions.

“Turkey is a powerful state indeed, it has enormous potential, but this does not mean Turkey should speak from the position of power or in the language of preconditions. We do not accept such a stance,” he stressed.

The president observed that there are more powerful states with larger population than Turkey, adding if they spoke from the position of power with Turkey, the latter would never accept such an attitude.

“It would be insulting for our people to make unilateral concessions to establish relations [with Turkey,” he stressed.

Serzh Sargsyan once again announced that the Armenia-Turkey Protocols will be voided by Armenia before spring, urging Turkey to abandon its policies.

“I believe it would be appropriate and correct for the Turkish side to give up such a position and its support for Azerbaijan to maintain the fragile stability in the region. I want to remind that during the hostilities in April 2016 Turkey was the only state to publically voice support for Azerbaijan’s military actions,” he said.

https://www.panorama.am/en/news/2018/01/24/Armenia-relations-Turkey-Sargsyan/1894935

[Yervant1]

Reuters

March 1 2018

Armenia scraps deal with Turkey designed to normalise relations

By Hasmik Mkrtchyan

Sponsored

YEREVAN, March 1 (Reuters) - Armenia has scrapped a peace agreement it signed with Turkey in 2009 in a failed attempt to normalise relations between the two countries, the Armenian president’s press service said on Thursday.

Armenia and Turkey signed the landmark peace accord to restore ties and open their shared border after a century of hostility stemming from the World War One mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman forces.

The deal needed parliamentary approval in both countries, but was never ratified, and the Armenian and Turkish governments have since accused each other of trying to change the deal.

“As a result of discussions, President (Serzh) Sarksyan signed a decree and a national security council approved a procedure of annulling protocols which have been signed on October 10, 2009,” the press service said in a statement.

The press service quoted Sarksyan as saying that Armenia did everything “not to leave the burden of the settlement of relations between Armenia and Turkey on the shoulders of future generations.”

“But Ankara ... did not even make a single step towards ratification and implementation of protocols, but also left no doubt that it was not intending to do it,” Sarksyan said.

He added that Armenia was ready to cooperate with Turkey in the future, if “there would be the same willingness from the Turkish side.”

There was no immediate reaction from Turkey.

Armenia suspended its ratification following Turkish demands that it first reach terms over a breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region, a condition Turkey set to appease its ally Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan feared it would lose leverage in negotiations to win back Nagorno-Karabakh, which it lost to Armenian-backed forces in the bloodiest of the ethnic conflicts which followed the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.

Armenian President Sarksyan also faced vehement opposition from nationalists at home and the powerful Armenian diaspora abroad.

“The leadership of Turkey are mistaken if they think that those documents can be held hostage forever and ratified only at the most opportune occasion from their very point of view,” Sarksyan said in a speech at the United Nation’s General Assembly last autumn. (Additional reporting and writing by Margarita Antidze; editing by Andrey Ostroukh and Elaine Hardcastle)

https://in.reuters.com/article/germany-cyber-russia/germany-says-its-government-computers-secure-after-isolated-hack-idINKCN1GC2HB

[Yervant1]

Warning to Armenia’s Leaders:

Don’t Fall in the Turkish Trap Again

By Harut Sassounian

Publisher, The California Courier

www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

Neither Armenia’s previous nor current leaders have had the adequate
experience to run a country.

This is true in both domestic and foreign policies. In order to
rectify this undesirable situation, some have suggested finding the
pertinent experts who would advise Armenia’s leaders. Regrettably, all
such efforts have failed for the simple reason that before the experts
could be helpful; the leaders have to be willing to listen to their
advice. My long experience in dealing with Armenia’s leaders has shown
that they think they know everything and have no need to learn from
anyone. This is one reason why the Republic of Armenia has been
mismanaged for 30 years. It is understandable that a leader does not
have to be knowledgeable about every issue. That is why he or she has
advisors. But when the advisors know even less than their leader, as
is the case in Armenia, the situation becomes hopeless.

I have written this lengthy introduction to make the point that in
addition to not knowing much and not listening to advice, Armenia’s
leaders refuse to learn from their past mistakes—which is the reason
why they repeat them.

One such example is the current discussion in Armenia and Turkey about
the possible opening of the Armenian-Turkish border, closed by Turkey
since 1993. Last week, Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ara Aivazyan told
the members of Parliament: “There is no longer a reason [for Turkey]
to close the border with Armenia. For long years, Turkey blockaded
Armenia’s border, demanding a change in the status quo of the Artsakh
conflict. The status quo has been changed through the use of force.”
The Foreign Minister assured the Parliament that currently no
activities have been initiated in that regard.

The Armenian Foreign Minister’s statement comes on the heels of recent
expressions by the President and Foreign Minister of Turkey of their
willingness to open the border with Armenia, should the latter meet
certain conditions. In the past, Turkey’s reason for closing the
border was Armenia’s refusal to free “Azerbaijan’s occupied
territories.” Therefore, one would think that now that Azerbaijan has
forcefully occupied most of these territories, the problem is solved
and Turkey will open the border. However, let us remember that Turkey
had two additional conditions to open Armenia’s border:

1) Armenia must abandon its pursuit of the international recognition
of the Armenian Genocide;

2) Armenia must recognize Turkey’s current borders and not make any
territorial demands.

We all recall that back in 2009 after Armenia and Turkey signed the
Protocols to open their mutual border, Turkey made the additional
demands from Armenia. When Armenia refused to accept these new
conditions, Turkey decided not to ratify the Armenia-Turkey Protocols,
after coming under intense pressure from Azerbaijan.

At the time, there was a major outcry from the Diaspora and many
within Armenia that the Protocols were not in Armenia’s interests.
Nevertheless, President Serzh Sargsyan persisted in his misguided
approach, until Turkey gave up on the Protocols, inadvertently saving
Armenia’s interests.

The other major harmful effect of the Protocols was that it undermined
the pledge that Pres. Barack Obama had made to acknowledge the
Armenian Genocide on April 24, 2009.

The Protocols were a clever Turkish ploy to derail the acknowledgment
of Armenian Genocide by the President of the United States. The
Turkish leaders, with the collaboration of Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton, repeatedly told Pres. Obama not issue a statement recognizing
the Armenian Genocide at a time when Armenia and Turkey were engaged
in serious negotiations on normalizing their relations. They succeeded
in convincing Pres. Obama that using the term Armenian Genocide would
disrupt these negotiations. As a result, instead of keeping his
campaign pledge to recognize the Armenian Genocide, Pres. Obama stated
on April 24, 2009: “I also strongly support the efforts by Turkey and
Armenia to normalize their bilateral relations. Under Swiss auspices,
the two governments have agreed on a framework and roadmap for
normalization. I commend this progress, and urge them to fulfill its
promise.”

It is true that Pres. Obama failed to keep his campaign promise, but
Armenia’s leaders are the ones who gave him the perfect excuse to hide
behind the charade of the Protocols. Consequently, Armenians lost both
the acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide by the President of the
United States and the opening of the border.

Regrettably, the same scenario is about to repeat again this year.
Pres. Joe Biden made a campaign promise to recognize the Armenian
Genocide. It should be much easier for him to take such a step now,
since both the House of Representatives (almost unanimously) and the
U.S. Senate (unanimously) acknowledged the Armenian Genocide in 2019.
While it is not certain that Pres. Biden will keep his promise, we
should not give him the excuse not to do so.

If the past is any indication, this is the exact ploy that Turkey is
plotting now. We know that the Biden Administration has a much harsher
position vis-à-vis Pres. Erdogan and Turkey. There are several
disputes between the United States and Turkey that will be difficult
to overcome. Knowing this well, Pres. Erdogan has started in recent
weeks to take steps to reconcile with Israel, Greece and Saudi Arabia
in order to ingratiate himself to Pres. Biden. Pres. Erdogan’s
suggestion to open the border with Armenia is a part of this overall
Turkish strategy.

In the aftermath of the disastrous Artsakh War, Armenia’s leaders
cannot afford to make more miscalculations. While most of Artsakh and
its surrounding territories are already lost, I hope the Armenian
Government does not make the mistake of providing an excuse for the
Biden Administration not to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide. Even
more importantly, Armenia’s leaders should not take the unthinkable
step of pledging not to pursue the international recognition of the
Armenian Genocide and acknowledge the current borders of Turkey. Such
an acceptance would damage Armenia’s interests forever. How could
Armenia agree to such Turkish suggestions in the aftermath of the
vicious role played by Turkey in the recent Artsakh War, which
resulted in the killing and maiming of thousands of Armenian soldiers
and the occupation of Armenian territories? The wounds are too fresh
to contemplate any attempt to normalize relations with Turkey.

Armenia’s inexperienced leaders can find themselves in an untenable
situation if Turkey decides unilaterally to open its border, while
Armenia refuses to do so; giving Turkey accolades and making Armenia
seem obstructionist in the eyes of the international community.
Armenia’s situation will be further complicated should Turkey open its
border, whereas the Armenian Government just banned the import of
Turkish products for six months or longer. Should the border open and
Armenia allow the import of Turkish products, the Armenian market
would be flooded with cheaper Turkish products, adversely affecting
local manufacturers. One possible solution would be for Armenia,
instead of outright banning Turkish imports, to place such an
exorbitant tariff on them, making them practically unsaleable in the
country. By avoiding the ban, Armenia would not look bad in the eyes
of the world, while generating much needed revenue for the Armenian
Government, should anyone import Turkish goods.

In the meantime, Armenia should put its own conditions on Turkey
before agreeing to open its border, such as Turkish recognition of the
Armenian Genocide and compensation for the Armenian losses. Such a
move would contradict the positions of both Pres. Serzh Sargsyan and
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan who have expressed their readiness to
have Armenia ratify the ill-fated Protocols and open the border with
Turkey, without any preconditions!

[Yervant1]

ARAB NEWS

March 31 2023

Turkiye, Armenia begin to lift physical and mental barriers

SINEM CENGIZ

For my two past visits to Armenia, I crossed into the country via the border of a third nation, Georgia, despite the fact that Armenia is one of Turkiye’s immediate neighbors. This was due to the fact that the border between the two countries was closed. While crossing the border, my Armenian colleague emphasized the importance of relations between the two nations and said that, even though there are land borders between countries, minds have no borders. He added: “Two nations can still be close, but before opening the closed border we have to open our mental borders.”

In 1993, during the first Nagorno-Karabakh war, Ankara closed the border and cut relations with Armenia out of support for Azerbaijan, Turkiye’s main ally in the Caucasus. The Turkish-Armenian border remained closed until the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that hit southern Turkiye and northern Syria last month.

The sole land border crossing linking the two countries opened for the first time in more than 30 years to allow Armenian aid and rescuers into the disaster zone. This exceptional opening of the border on Feb. 7 was symbolically very important because the two countries still do not have formal relations, although there is an ongoing normalization process. The same border crossing was also used in 1988, when a big earthquake hit Armenia and the Turkish Red Crescent Society moved aid to the affected areas. As part of the recent earthquake diplomacy, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan visited Turkiye to meet with the 27-member Armenian search and rescue team operating in Adiyaman.

However, Turkiye and Armenia now want to go beyond this disaster diplomacy and unlock the border between them permanently. Yerevan announced this week that Turkiye and Armenia plan to allow crossings between the two countries. Mirzoyan said the land border would open only for diplomats and citizens of third countries until the beginning of the tourist season. In early 2023, Turkiye lifted a ban on cargo flights between the two countries.

While both capitals agreed to open the land border, in the meantime there was “football diplomacy 2.0” taking place between Ankara and Yerevan. A UEFA Euro 2024 qualification match between the Armenian and Turkish national teams took place in Yerevan last Saturday. The Turkish sports minister went to Yerevan to attend the match, making him the first Turkish official to visit the Armenian capital in almost two decades.

The two countries want to go beyond disaster diplomacy and unlock the border between them permanently.

Sinem Cengiz

In 2008, ahead of Turkiye’s World Cup qualifier against Armenia, Turkish coach Fatih Terim said: “This is only a football game, it is not a war.” Indeed, it was just a football game, but not an ordinary one.

Back then, it was the first time the two neighboring countries, which have historical animosities toward each other, had come face to face. The Armenian and Turkish presidents visited each other’s capitals to watch the matches played between the two national teams. This move was later described as “football diplomacy,” which served as a bridge between Ankara and Yerevan at that time. This famous football diplomacy paved the way for the signing of the 2009 Zurich Protocols, which were aimed at improving diplomatic relations and reopening the border. However, those protocols were never ratified and they remained as one of the missed opportunities between the two countries.

On Saturday, Armenian football fans gathered at the Republican Stadium, years after the two countries first resorted to football diplomacy, to heal their historical bitterness. Citing security concerns, UEFA had banned Turkish fans from attending the qualifier in Yerevan. The Turkish national anthem was booed by the Armenian fans in the stadium right before the match kicked off. It was a saddening, yet significant, signal, showing that the society is still not ready for normalization, never mind reconciliation.

Normalization and reconciliation are two different processes, which are often confused. While normalization requires the opening of borders and establishment of diplomatic relations between states, reconciliation is a thorough process that requires the establishment of positive relations between two societies. This is tougher than just inking deals at the diplomatic table.

The current phase of normalization between the two countries began with the appointment of special envoys to carry out negotiations, not diplomatic envoys. This itself was a clear indication that normalization will take time. A sincere dialogue based on mutual trust and the necessary confidence-building measures will eventually accelerate the normalization phase, which will be followed by a reconciliation phase. Even if, one day, Turkiye and Armenia do establish diplomatic relations, the tougher task will be the reconciliation of the two nations. While Ankara and Yerevan gradually and reciprocally approach normalization, both leaderships need to pursue successful public diplomacy to consolidate their efforts.

Turkish-Armenian relations are considered to be a “history of missed opportunities.” Both sides should benefit from the ongoing positive climate that has been created, so that history will not repeat itself and the two neighbors can consign their record of missed opportunities to the dusty pages of history.

Although a challenging road lies ahead, a new era appears to be dawning. The change of heart of the two sides could be key to not only unlocking the closed land border, but also the closed mental borders between the two nations.

• Sinem Cengiz is a Turkish political analyst who specializes in Turkiye’s relations with the Middle East. Twitter: @SinemCngz
  

Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Arab News' point of view

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2279141