ARMENIA URGES ANNULMENT OF PROTOCOLS IF TURKEY INSISTS ON KARABAKH
Cansu Camlibel
Hurriyet Daily News
Dec 18 2009
Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian.
The historic protocols signed by Turkey and Armenia to establish
diplomatic links and open their sealed border risk becoming null
and void if Turkey insists on making the Nagorno-Karabakh issue a
precondition, Armenia has said.
"We very much hope the Turkish Parliament will not take a step that
would mean a miscarriage of the agreements. If this happens, our
parliament would [essentially declare] the protocols to be null and
void. We would be back to square one," Armenian Prime Minister Tigran
Sarkisian told the daily Hurriyet in an interview in Yerevan last week.
In a move to normalize relations, the two countries signed two
important documents in October but these have not yet been ratified
by the two countries’ parliaments.
Following strong reaction from Azerbaijan, whose territory has been
partially occupied by Armenian forces, the Turkish government announced
that it would not move forward with the protocols unless Armenia and
Azerbaijan make progress in negotiations for the settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh problem. Armenia says the process should be free
of preconditions.
"Our position has not changed. Judging from Prime Minister [Recep
Tayyip] Erdogan’s statements, it seems that the Turkish position has
shifted, which means that the Turkish Parliament may propose certain
preconditions," Sarkisian said.
"If Turkey comes up with preconditions, Armenia would be free to
do so as well itself," he said, citing genocide recognition and not
entering any negotiations until borders are opened as examples. He
also emphasized that the Turks were originally responsible for closing
the border.
One of the most fundamental problems between the two countries is the
1915 incidents that caused the deaths of many Armenian citizens of
the Ottoman Empire. Terming it "genocide," Armenia and the Armenian
diaspora have worked hard for the events to be recognized as such by
third countries.
Turkey, on the other hand, admits the killings but says it had nothing
to do with the crime of genocide. If the protocols enter into force,
the two countries will set up an independent commission to explore
the incidents.
If the process fails because of Turkey’s preconditions, Sarkisian
said, "Turkey will have to explain to [international powers] why it
has broken its own agreement. Turkey’s credibility will be at stake.
It would be questionable to sit down with Turkey again."
He continued: "We are not playing any games with Turkey, we are
committed to an open and transparent foreign policy, we do not make
different statements to others and we do not see an alternative to
this process."
Process should not be stalled artificially
When asked about the deadline for the ratification of the protocols,
Sarkisian refrained from giving an exact timeframe but urged "Turkey
not to stall the process artificially."
"[Our] clear deadline is the Turkish legislation. We are closely
following this process. If we observe that the Turkish Parliament is
not stalling the process, we will make our own conclusions," he said.
The Turkish government has already submitted the protocols to its
Parliament for broad discussions in the relevant sub-commissions.
Armenia, however, must first get the approval of its Constitutional
Court before proceeding with parliamentary ratification.
Karabakh deal depends on Baku
On the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Sarkisian said the pace of the
negotiations depended on Baku. Criticizing the Azerbaijani leadership
for making "war calls," Sarkisian said, "We have to be ready for war
as history taught us."
"The best way to prevent war is to be ready for it. If there is any
time that Azerbaijanis feel that we are not ready for war, nothing
will stop them from breaking the peace, which is why we are not
afraid. What would we lose other than our chains?" he said.
Arguing that Turkey could not play a role on the solution of the
Karabakh issue because it cannot be neutral, Sarkisian also drew
attention to the risks of linking Turkish-Armenian rapprochement with
the Karabakh process.
"The first is that it will not contribute in any way to the resolution
of the Karabakh issue, on the contrary, it will impede it since Turkey
is not neutral. Secondly it will impede with the development of our
relations, which is neither in Turkey’s nor our interest," he said.
"The third dimension is that Erdogan was pretty tough this time [in
Washington]. The impression is that he might have wanted to create
an equilibrium between the acknowledgements of no preconditions in
the protocols," Sarkisian said.
‘We must overcome our complex’
Sarkisian emphasized that the alleged genocide is an essential point
for Armenians and the government, but said Armenian people should
overcome their complex toward the Turkish people.
"I have even stated that in our parliament. The attitude of our
people toward Turks and Turkey needs to change, however difficult that
may be. Our foreign policy should not be anti-Turkish. It should be
pro-Armenian. We need to be able to change the attitude of our nation,"
he said.
Sarkisian said one of the most important tools in developing ties
between the two countries is public acknowledgement.
"In my opinion, the eventual recognition of the genocide will
help Turkish society break through. This is the road to becoming a
full-fledged member of the European Union. Its psychological complex
must be overcome," Sarkisian said.
"The Germans succeeded in overcoming their complex, helping their
society to unprecedented social and economic development," he said.