Month: September 2009

COMPROMISE WITH TURKEY HAS CERTAIN BOUNDARIES NOT TO BE CROSSED BY ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
01.09.2009 16:15 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Compromise with Turkey has certain boundaries
not to be crossed by Armenia, Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, Armenia’s
representative in Council of Europe, said in a speech delivered
at French University. "It’s hard to estimate the unexpectedness
of yesterday’s statement on normalizing Armenian-Turkish ties, but
statements on such processes between Yerevan and Ankara were made
many times," Armenian expert noted. According to him, Armenia focuses
on three issues while considering neighborhood with Turkey. "The
first factor is a third party’s, i.e. Baku’s participation in the
process, which is unacceptable for us. The second is the linkage
between Armenian-Turkish process and Karabakh settlement, and the
third concerns our past, i.e. history. It turns out that we need
to develop ties with Turkey, without being sensitive to historical
issues," Zohrab Mnatsakanyan noted, adding that none of above three
factors was reflected in yesterday’s statement.

At the current stage of public discussions, it’s very important for
both countries to properly assess the situation, the expert said.

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Karine Abalyan
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E-mail: [email protected]
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September 1, 2009

___________________________________

THE REV. FR. TATEOS ABDALIAN HONORED ON THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS
ORDINATION

On Sunday, August 23, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of
the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), presided over the celebration of
the 25th anniversary of the Rev. Fr. Tateos Abdalian’s ordination to the
priesthood.

The event took place at Holy Trinity Armenian Church in Cambridge, Mass.,
where Fr. Abdalian was ordained in June 1984.

Fr. Abdalian celebrated the Divine Liturgy and was presented with a
Pontifical Encyclical congratulating him on his 25 years of service to the
Armenian Church.

"The feeling of love that Der Tateos brings to his ministry has grown
stronger with each passing year," the Primate said. "We have all felt, and
benefited from, his love. And today, as we observe this milestone in his
ministry, it is our chance to let Der Hayr know just how much we love him,
in return."

Following services, 150 people gathered for a reception in Fr. Abdalian’s
honor.

"It was wonderful and humbling," said Fr. Abdalian. "It was a family affair
and that’s what I wanted."

The celebration was organized by a committee from the Holy Trinity parish
led by its pastor, the Rev. Fr. Vasken Kouzouian. Also serving on the
committee were members of the St. James parish of Watertown-where Fr.
Abdalian was born and raised.

"The beautiful part was that the funds that were collected [during the
event] will benefit young people at the mission parishes, to send them on
scholarships to St. Nersess summer conferences. Two historical parishes came
together, and then the mission parishes directly benefited from it," Fr.
Kouzouian said.

He added that the day was preceded by acolyte ordinations held on Saturday
evening. "It was an overall beautiful picture," Fr. Kouzouian said.

Fr. Abdalian enrolled at St. Nersess and St. Vladimir’s seminaries in 1977
after working in the bank sector and as the administrative director of St.
James Armenian Church of Watertown, Mass. He continued his studies at the
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and at the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Seminary
in Boston, Mass.

He says that serving the Armenian people and helping them become closer to
God is what drew him to the priesthood.

"My reflections on the past have always centered on the people I had been
entrusted to minister, for as a priest, ministry is nothing unless it is
connected with people," Fr. Abdalian said.

When Fr. Abdalian was ordained in 1984, Fr. Kouzouian’s father, the Rev. Fr.
Mampre Kouzouian, served as the sponsor.

Fr. Abdalian says his ordination is particularly memorable because his
father, who was under hospice care at the time, was able to witness this
milestone in his son’s life.

"When I ask myself, ‘What inspired Der Tateos to dedicate his life to the
ministry of God’s flock?’" Archbishop Barsamian said, "the answer is clear:
It is a feeling of love, which issues from a pure heart, a good conscience,
and deep faith in the presence of Christ in his life."

Following his ordination, Fr. Abdalian was assigned to serve as the pastor
of the St. John the Baptist Church in Greenfield, Wis., where he worked with
the community to build a new sanctuary for the church.

After the 1988 earthquake in Armenia, Fr. Abdalian worked with the office of
the Wisconsin National Guard to organize relief efforts.

Fr. Abdalian has also served as pastor of the St. Peter Armenian Church in
Watervliet, N.Y., and the St. George Armenian Church in Hartford, Conn.

While in Hartford, Fr. Abdalian was an on-call chaplain at Hartford Hospital
and a member of the hospital’s Pastor Services Advisory Committee. He was
also police chaplain with the Hartford Police Department and a member of the
department’s Crisis Intervention Team.

His other involvement with the police force includes the establishment of
the police chaplain program at the Cheltenham Police Department, as well as
membership of their SWAT Intervention Team and the International Conference
of Police Chaplains.

In 1999, Fr. Abdalian became pastor of the Sts. Sahag and Mesrob Armenian
Church in Providence, R.I., and later served as pastor at the Holy Trinity
Armenian Church in Cheltenham, Pa.

Currently, Fr. Abdalian is the director of Mission Parishes at the Eastern
Diocese, where he oversees about 15 mission parish communities. He visits
each parish on a regular basis to celebrate the Divine Liturgy and organizes
programming for parishioners. He also produces a weekly electronic
publication for mission parishes titled "e-Tsayn."

In addition, Fr. Abdalian is involved in ecumenical activities. In 2006, he
spoke at a gathering in Washington, D.C., organized to raise awareness of
the genocide in Darfur. He is a member of the Oriental Orthodox/Roman
Catholic Dialogue and the Standing Committee of Oriental Orthodox Churches
in America.

Fr. Abdalian said his family has been very supportive during his years of
service to the Armenian Church. He is married to Yeretzgin Margaret
Meranian. They have a son, David, and a daughter, Alicia, and two
grandchildren.

Reflecting on his ministry, Fr. Abdalian said, "I could ask: was I able to
bring someone closer to God; strengthen a faith; have one see the value and
joy of life measured by a word of thanks, a smile of appreciation, a humble
gesture? This is what a pastor has to do, and I certainly hope that in some
measure I’ve been able to do this."

###

Photos attached.

Photo 1: The Rev. Fr. Vasken Kouzouian reads the Pontifical Encyclical
presented to the Rev. Fr. Tateos Abdalian by the Primate, on the occasion of
the 25th anniversary of Fr. Abdalian’s ordination.

Photo 2: Archbishop Khajag Barsamian presents the Rev. Fr. Tateos Abdalian
with the Pontifical Encyclical, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of
Fr. Abdalian’s ordination.

ARMENIA, TURKEY MOVE TO RESTORE DIPLOMATIC TIES

France 24
y-move-restore-diplomatic-ties-massacres-genocide- ottoman-empire-war
Sept 1 2009

Armenia and Turkey have announced an agreed plan towards establishing
diplomatic relations and re-opening the border after almost a century
of distrust and resentment rooted in massacres of Armenians during
the First World War.

AFP – Armenia and Turkey said Monday they had agreed on a plan to
establish diplomatic ties and re-open their border, seeking to end
decades of distrust and resentment on both sides.

The two countries have no diplomatic relations, a closed frontier and
a long history of hostility rooted in massacres of Armenians under
the Ottoman Turks during World War I.

Ankara and Yerevan said they would hold six weeks of domestic
consultations before signing two protocols on establishing diplomatic
ties and developing bilateral relations.

"The political consultations will be completed within six weeks,
following which the two protocols will be signed and submitted to
the respective parliaments for ratification," the countries’ foreign
ministries said in a joint statement with mediator Switzerland.

According to copies of the protocols released by the Armenian foreign
ministry, the two countries have agreed to re-open their common border
"within two months" of the deal taking effect.

The agreement also calls for the creation of a joint commission
to examine the "historical dimension" of their disagreements,
"including an impartial scientific examination of the historical
records and archives."

The two countries said in April that they had agreed to a road map
for normalising diplomatic ties after years of enmity.

Turkey has long refused to establish diplomatic links with Armenia
over Yerevan’s efforts to have World War I-era massacres of Armenians
by Ottoman Turks recognised as genocide — a label Turkey strongly
rejects.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kin were systematically killed
between 1915 and 1917 as the Ottoman Empire, Turkey’s predecessor,
was falling apart.

Turkey categorically rejects the genocide label and says between
300,000 and 500,000 Armenians and at least as many Turks died in civil
strife when Armenians took up arms in eastern Anatolia and sided with
invading Russian troops.

Turkey also closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity with
ally Azerbaijan over Yerevan’s backing of ethnic Armenian separatists
in the breakaway Nagorny Karabakh region.

Rare talks between the two neighbours gathered steam last September
when Turkish President Abdullah Gul paid a landmark visit to Yerevan
to watch a World Cup qualifying football match between the countries’
national teams. It was the first such visit by a Turkish leader.

Gul invited Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian to attend a rematch
in Turkey in October. Sarkisian said in July that he would not attend
unless Ankara took "real steps" at mending ties.

Washington has backed the reconciliation effort, with President Barack
Obama calling on Armenia and Turkey to build on fence-mending efforts
during a visit to Turkey earlier this year.

Late Monday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s office issued a
statement saying France encourages Turkey and Armenia to "redouble
their efforts so they can quickly sign an accord… which will be an
historic event and contribute to stability in the region."

But Azerbaijan has demanded that any final deal be linked with the
withdrawal of Armenian forces from Nagorny Karabakh, which broke from
Baku’s control during a war in the early 1990s.

Officials there have hinted that energy-rich Azerbaijan would consider
cutting gas supplies to Turkey if Ankara ignored the Karabakh issue
in its talks with Armenia.

The plan could also face domestic opposition in both countries, where
the issue of the Ottoman-era massacres continues to raise strong
emotions. One of Armenia’s most influential political parties, the
Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), left the country’s
governing coalition in April in protest over the talks with Ankara.

NEW DISCOUNTS ON THE DAY OF KNOWLEDGE

Aysor
Aug 31 2009
Armenia

On the occasion of the new educational year the "South Caucasian
railway" CJSC announces 50% discount for the students traveling by
Yerevan – Armavir – Yerevan direction.

Armavir – Yerevan – Armavir electrical train launched on July 10 for
the first time. According to the timetable in that region the clock
electric train is functioning which is moving from the main station
of Yerevan 4 times in a day at 6:10, 11:30, 15:30 and 19:00, and from
Armavir to Yerevan at 8:12, 13:42, 18:02 and 22:02. The ticket price
is 300 drams. It’s taking 52 minutes from one point to another.

According to Head of the SCR Directorate of Passenger Transportation
Samvel Ghalechyan "This is the special feast gift of SCR the aim of
which is to promote the educational and social system’s development of
the Republic. This practice is used in the whole world, and we are not
an exception.", reported the public relations department of the SCR.

PUTTING SEATBELTS WILL SOON BE USUAL

Aysor
Aug 31 2009
Armenia

The drivers of the means of passenger transportations should also put
seatbelts. Simply for years it was not obliged and they have taken it
out. Now some time is given till the first of October for acquiring
seatbelts and tying them, said today the head of the traffic police
Margar Ohanyan.

According to him it is impossible to stop the means of passenger
transportation in one day and to make record.

"Our first duty is to provide the passengers with transportation,
for this reason some time was given for the minibuses not to be
stopped every now and then", – Ohanyan said.

He also tried to disappoint all those "who have set around the table
and decided not to tie up the seatbelts".

"Everybody is going to tie up. All of us will do that. Sooner they do
that, sooner they forget about that complex. There will not be a single
person who will not use it", – the head of the traffic police assured.

Putting the seatbelts is one of the stages of the traffic police’s
strategies. Ohanyan is sure that putting the safety belts too will
become a usual thing as he thinks that the word "safety belt" by
itself prompts us that it is for their own safety.

"There is no way to go back, we all tie them up. It’s a question of
time only. We will force them as sanctions will be used", – Margar
Ohanyan mentioned.

"Don’t think that we will punish once in the day the drivers who do
not put the safety belts", – mentioned the head of the traffic police
M. Ohanyan.

ARMENIA, TURKEY TO RE-OPEN BORDER

ABC Online
01/2672903.htm?section=justin
Sept 1 2009
Australia

Armenia and Turkey have agreed on a plan to establish diplomatic
ties and re-open their border, seeking to end decades of distrust
and resentment on both sides.

The two countries have no diplomatic relations, a closed frontier and
a long history of hostility rooted in massacres of Armenians under
the Ottoman Turks during World War I.

The two countries said they would hold six weeks of domestic
consultations before signing two protocols on establishing diplomatic
ties and developing bilateral relations.

"The political consultations will be completed within six weeks,
following which the two protocols will be signed and submitted to
the respective parliaments for ratification," the countries’ foreign
ministries said in a joint statement with mediator Switzerland.

According to copies of the protocols released by the Armenian foreign
ministry, the two countries have agreed to re-open their common border
"within two months" of the deal taking effect.

The agreement also calls for the creation of a joint commission
to examine the "historical dimension" of their disagreements,
"including an impartial scientific examination of the historical
records and archives".

The two countries said in April that they had agreed to a road map
for normalising diplomatic ties after years of enmity.

Turkey has long refused to establish diplomatic links with Armenia over
Yerevan’s efforts to have World War I-era massacres of Armenians by
Ottoman Turks recognised as genocide – a label Turkey strongly rejects.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kin were systematically killed
between 1915 and 1917 as the Ottoman Empire, Turkey’s predecessor,
was falling apart.

Turkey categorically rejects the genocide label and says between
300,000 and 500,000 Armenians and at least as many Turks died in civil
strife when Armenians took up arms in eastern Anatolia and sided with
invading Russian troops.

ARMENIA, TURKEY MOVE TOWARD DIPLOMATIC TIES
By Hasmik Lazarian

Reuters
Aug 31 2009
UK

YEREVAN (Reuters) – Armenia and Turkey moved closer to establishing
diplomatic ties and reopening their border on Monday, saying they
would sign accords within six weeks under a plan to end a century
of hostility.

The neighbors have no diplomatic ties, a closed border and a history
of animosity stemming from the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman
Turks during World War One.

Both sides said they would hold domestic consultations before
signing two protocols on the establishment of diplomatic relations
and development of bilateral relations.

"The political consultations will be completed within six weeks,
following which the two Protocols will be signed and submitted to
the respective Parliaments for the ratification on each side," the
foreign ministries of Armenia and Turkey said in a statement issued
jointly with Switzerland as mediator.

"Both sides will make their best efforts for the timely progression
of the ratification in line with their constitutional and legal
procedures."

Turkey rejects Armenian claims the World War One killings, a defining
element of Armenian national identity, amounted to genocide, and says
many people were killed on both sides of the conflict.

According to copies of the protocols seen by Reuters, the border —
closed by Turkey in 1993 — will reopen within two months of the
protocol on the development of relations entering into force.

The plan to normalize ties was announced in April, but Monday’s
statement marked the first real progress.

The U.S. State Department welcomed the joint statement, saying
normalization should take place without preconditions and within a
reasonable timeframe.

"We urge Armenia and Turkey to proceed expeditiously," State
Department spokesman Ian Kelly said in a statement. "We remain ready
to work closely with both governments in support of normalization, a
historic process that will contribute to peace, security and stability
throughout the region."

Anticipation has been growing ahead of a planned visit by Armenian
President Serzh Sarksyan to Turkey on October 14, when he is due
to attend the return leg of a World Cup qualifying football match
between the two countries.

RISKS ANGERING AZERBAIJAN

Sarksyan has said he will not travel to the game, the first leg of
which Turkish President Abdullah Gul watched last year in Yerevan,
unless the border has reopened or there are clear signs it is about
to open.

Turkey closed the frontier in 1993 in solidarity with Muslim ally
Azerbaijan, which was fighting Armenian-backed separatists in the
breakaway mountain region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

But since announcing the road map, Turkish government officials —
faced with a backlash from Azerbaijan — have said the border will
not reopen until Armenia makes concessions on Nagorno-Karabakh.

Reopening the border and establishing ties with Armenia would improve
Turkey’s clout in the region and aid its bid to join the European
Union. It would also give landlocked Armenia, reeling from the global
financial crisis, access to Turkish and European markets.

But it risks angering Azerbaijan, an oil and gas supplier to the West
and Europe’s key for gas supplies for the planned Nabucco pipeline. The
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains unresolved, with Azeri and ethnic
Armenian forces facing off over a tense frontline 15 years since
agreeing a ceasefire.

Under the protocol on bilateral relations, Turkey and Armenia agree
to "implement a dialogue on the historical dimension with the aim to
restore mutual confidence between the two nations."

(Additional reporting by Zerin Elci in Istanbul, and JoAnne Allen in
Washington; writing by Matt Robinson; editing by Ralph Boulton)

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKEY, ARMENIA AGREE TO FORM TIES

Wall Street Journal
7.html
Aug 31 2009
NY

Armenia and Turkey agreed on final talks to establish diplomatic
ties, overcoming a seemingly intractable rift marked by massacres of
Armenians under Ottoman rule.

The neighboring countries will be setting up and developing relations
for the first time, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Burak Ozugergin
said. It is unclear if the talks will touch on the dispute over the
World War I-era killings. That issue is a major stumbling block to
Turkey’s aspirations to join the European Union and has strained ties
with the United States.

Historians estimate that, in the last days of the Ottoman Empire,
as many as 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks in what
is widely regarded as the first genocide of the 20th Century. Turkey
rejects claims that the World War I killings, a defining element
of Armenian national identity, amounted to genocide, and says many
people were killed on both sides of the conflict. It says Turks also
suffered losses in the hands of Armenian gangs.

Both sides said they will hold domestic consultations before
signing two protocols on the establishment of diplomatic relations
and development of bilateral relations. According to copies of the
protocols seen by Reuters, the border — closed by Turkey in 1993 —
will reopen within two months of enforcing the protocol on development
of relations.

The plan to normalize ties was announced in April, but Monday’s
statement marked the first real progress.

Turkey and Armenia also disagree about Armenian forces’ control
of the Arzerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Turkey is a close
ally of Azerbaijan and back Baku’s claims to the region, which has
a high number of ethnic Armenian residents but is located within
Azerbaijan’s borders.

Turkey was one of the first countries to recognize Armenia’s
independence in 1991, but the two countries never established
diplomatic relations and their joint border has been closed since
1993. Ties began to improve after a so-called soccer diplomacy campaign
last year, when Turkish President Abdullah Gul attended a World Cup
qualifier in Armenia. Armenia’s President Serge Sarkisian has said
he wants progress on reopening their shared border before he will
attend a World Cup qualifying match in Turkey on Oct. 14.

OPPOSITION, ESPECIALLY, ‘DASHNAKTSUTIUN’, ENHANCES PRESSURE ON ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT: DIRECTOR OF ARMENIAN CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

Trend News Agency
Sept 1 2009
Azerbaijan

Opposition, especially, the "Dashnaktsutiun" opposition party standing
against two major pillars of current Armenian foreign policy,
clearly enhances pressure on the Armenian government, Director,
Armenian Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS),
Richard Giragosian, said.

"Since the April decision by the leadership of the "Armenian
Revolutionary Federation" (ARF) party, or "Dashnaktsutiun" party, to
leave the pro-government ruling coalition, the Dashnaktsutiun party has
become very critical of two specific areas of Armenian foreign policy:
the Nagorno Karabagh issue and the diplomatic process of engagement
between Armenia and Turkey," Giragosian told Trend News via E-mail.

The Dashnaks intend to present their claim at the opposition meeting in
Yerevan on September 2. Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Armenian-Turkish
relations will be discussed there, Head of the Ay Data Central Office
and the ARF Political Affairs Bureau, Kiro Manoyan, ARKA agency said.

The "Dashnaktsutiun" Armenian party continues to insist on the
resignation of Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian.

The ARF said that events occurring around Armenia and Karabakh have
extremely dangerous tendencies in the context of national state
interests.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan
lost all of Nagorno-Karabakh except for Shusha and Khojali in December
1991. In 1992-93, Armenian armed forces occupied Shusha, Khojali and 7
districts surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed
a ceasefire in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia,
France, and the U.S. – are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Giragosian said that opposition, especially, the "Dashnaktsutiun"
standing against two major pillars of current Armenian foreign policy,
clearly enhances pressure on the Armenian government.

First, the Dashnaktsutiun has already exerted pressure that has limited
the policy options available to the Armenian authorities, which are
already under pressure from the country’s opposition. In fact the
authorities are already weakened by such pressure from the opposition,
demonstrated by both former President Levon Ter Petrosian’s political
activities form outside the political system and by former Foreign
Minister Raffi Hovannisian, as the founder of the only opposition
party within the parliament, the Heritage party. This means that
there are new limits on how far the Armenian government can go in
negotiating with either Turkey or Azerbaijan, Giragosian said.

"And, second, in the face of such renewed pressure, there is a new
attitude that may see any new "deals" or agreements with Turkey or
Azerbaijan as an "act of treason" potentially," expert said.

But the more significant factor is not the Dashnaktsutiun, but stems
from one crucial difference: this Armenian government is much more
unpopular and has much less political legitimacy than any previous
Armenian government. And that is the real pressure on Armenian foreign
policy, he said.

It is quite possible now that the Dashnaktsutiun will exert even
greater pressure on Armenian foreign policy within the Armenian
diaspora, especially on relations between Yerevan and Ankara.

"We may even see a sudden halt to Armenian attempts to negotiate
with Turkey, which not only reflects the political pressure from the
opposition, but that is also rooted in a growing level of frustration
and impatience in Armenia over what seems to be Turkey’s failure to
make good on earlier promises and expectations of opening the closed
Turkish-Armenian border and extending normal diplomatic relations,"
Giragosian said.

The upcoming 14 October football match, which Armenian President
Serzh Sarkisian is most likely to attend, may be the "last chance"
for Turkey to fulfill expectations for new relations with Armenia,
Giragosian said.

Armenia and Turkey try to normalize relations, which have been severed
since 1993.

‘Football diplomacy’ term appeared a year ago when Turkish President
Abdullah Gul arrived in Yerevan. Formal cause was a football match
between teams of both countries.

It gave cause to consider that the border between Turkey and
Armenia will be opened, and the countries will begin the process
of reconciliation. However, Yerevan has recently accused Ankara of
freezing the process.

A football match will be held in Turkey in mid-October. The Armenian
President Serzh Sargsyan is likely to attend the match.

Armenian-Turkish diplomatic ties have been severed and the their
borders have been closed since 1993 due to Armenia’s claims of an
alleged genocide, and the country’s occupation of 20 percent of
Azerbaijani lands, as well as its claims for Turkish Anatolia.

SERZH SARGSYAN’S INTERVIEW TO BBC RUSSIAN DEPARTMENT

Aysor
Aug 31 2009
Armenia

Recently the journalist of Russian BBC service Gebriel Geythouse was
in Yerevan and in the interview with the President of Armenia Serzh
Sargsyan asked whether the RA President will attend the return match
in Turkey.

BBC: Mr. Serzh Sargsyan will you attend the return match in Turkey?

Serzh Sargsyan: You know this question has two answers. The fist
answer is as follows. It’s not important whether I’ll visit Turkey
or not. I’d like to say that my visit to Turkey should not be
linked to the relations between the two countries. Do you understand
me? Imagine at least two options. Let’s assume that Armenia freezes
the negotiation process with Turkey and I leave for that country to
watch the football match. The second option is as follows: the two
countries continue negotiating, but I don’t attend the match. Which
is more important? This is my answer if you ask the question in the
context of our talks with Turkey.

BBC: What signals is Armenia expecting from Turkey in order to defreeze
the talks?

Serzh Sargsyan: I have already announced and say once again that I
shall leave for Turkey only in case of opening of the border or at
the threshold of the event. We have an agreement with Turkey. I think
it’s normal and correct for the parties to commit to the agreement
reached earlier. Unfortunately, so far I have not seen a great desire
and aspiration to implement those agreements. Our wish remains the
same – to establish relations without preconditions.

BBC: Is Armenia ready to make concessions as regards the events of
1915 and do you believe Turkey will call them genocide?

Serzh Sargsyan: "Of course, it’s very important for our people, for
Turkey and the whole world. It’s important that historical justice
be restored. It’s important for our nations to be able to establish
normal relations. At last, it’s important that it never reoccurs
in the future. But we do not see the recognition of genocide as a
precondition for the establishment of relations.

BBC: Do you mean to say that there is an opportunity of compromise?

Serzh Sargsyan: "It can’t be called a compromise. This is not the
case to speak about compromises. We say, yes, there was genocide,
and irrespective of the fact whether Turkey recognizes it or not,
there is a fact established by all genocide scholars in the world
and recognized by many countries of the world. However, today we do
not view it as a precondition for normalization of relations.

BBC: Anyway it disturbs your relations with Turkey. One of my
interlocutors made the following comparison; when you drive a car
you should control what’s going on the way behind you, that’s why you
time by time look back through the mirror. But what is important is
the way in front of you. Is this the situation reflected?

Serzh Sargsyan: That’s right. I understand what that person meant:
he wanted to say that we should look into future, but we do not have
the right to forget the past.