France24
'Normal' ties with Turkey viewed with scepticism by residents of the
Armenian capital
There is a 1-minute video with this by
Shona Bhattacharyya, FRANCE 24's special correspondent at the memorial
to the victims of the 1915 genocide in Yerevan, Armenia. © FRANCE 24
Feb. 4, 2022
 Special envoys from Turkey and Armenia will hold a second round of
talks in Vienna later this month to normalise ties after decades of
animosity. The day after direct flights re-started between Yerevan and
İstanbul, FRANCE 24's Turkey correspondents Shona Bhattacharyya and
Ludovic de Foucaud traveled to the Armenian capital to find out what
residents there think of the thawing of relations.
Shoppers and vendors who would agree to speak on camera are few and
far between. Many are angry that Armenia's prime minister Nikol
Pashinyan accepted Turkey's invitation to talk without first
recognising what Armenia calls the 1915 genocide.
As Haïg, one Yerevan resident said, "Opening the borders is mostly for
encouraging economic development. But building a more fraternal
relationship, no, that's out of the question. An Armenian proverb
says, 'If your enemy becomes your friend, you should still keep a
stick in your hand.'"
As part of the former Soviet empire, Armenia's economy is still
largely dependent on Russia. Half of its citizens live in poverty,
according to the World Bank.
Dikran Altun, a Turkish Armenian, and founder of a now bankrupt
airline, is cautiously optimistic about the possibility of stronger
ties. "One of the ways to give more proper life to the people is to
have some connections with Turkey. It's one of the ways; it's not the
only way but [up] until now we had no connections and people are
living like this..." he said.
Overlooking the city is a memorial to the victims of the events of
1915. Although the Armenian government is in favour of stronger ties
with Turkey, starting with trade, on the street the most important
ingredient for normalisation remains elusive: trust.
And without trust, reconciliation is highly unlikely.