`Edward Nalbandian’s statement was weak.’
December 14 2013
Since 2009, Ahmet DavutoÄ=9Flu was the first Turkish official that had
arrived in Armenia, but he had to enter the hotel from the back door
due to the picket organized outdoors. Did we have expectations from
this visit? Or, maybe, they should talk about the borders, which was
not done, anyway, Turkish media made such publications. And, in this
case, who appeared in the advantageous condition: Armenia or Turkey,
the President of `Modus Vivendi’ Center, political scientist, Ara
Papyan, in the conversation with Aravot.am, answering our questions,
said, `I do not think that we had expectation, because it was not a
visit within the scope of Armenia-Turkey. The Turkish press wrote
what they wanted, but, essentially, they also had mentioned about the
prerequisites, with which we should establish relationship, the matter
is about yielding at least 2 districts of Karabakh. This was an
experimental ball that was thrown to see what the reaction would
be. And, if we view it from the perspective of advantageous, the
protocols are working in favor of Azerbaijan, and they are in
advantageous position, because it turns out that there is a process
between Armenia and Turkey, a dialogue, intention to find something in
common, which is speculated. But, in reality, there is nothing, but it
is speculated by the Turks, and pretty successfully.’ To the next
question whether the Foreign Affairs Minister’s statement on
Armenian-Turkish relations was not weak, because it was just said that
the relations should be normalized without preconditions, and the
attempts of the Turkish side to associate this process with other
issues, or to put forward preconditions, are in vein and
useless. Maybe we should be tougher, Mr. Papyan answered, `Absolutely
yes, by a number of reasons. First, prior to it, the Turkish side had
stated about the preconditions, and prescribe them in the Geneva
Protocols, the matter, here, is about the recognition of borders, and
the establishment of the sub-committee, and the third was the Karabakh
issue. Here, a situation is created, in which we are in the role of an
expectant and a requester, but, eventually, Turkey is preserving the
territory of the Republic of Armenia under occupation, and not vice
versa, therefore, we need to remind this, too. And the matter is about
the Foreign Affairs Minister of an occupant country, and I would like
to emphasize that the matter is about the territory of the Republic of
Armenia, and not about the historical Armenia, and whose Minister of
Foreign Affairs is Edward Nalbandian, in other words, 70% of it has
been occupied, and they say =80` without preconditions. It has been
already 20 years, we move without preconditions, and we haven’t made
any success, and they are dictating the preconditions. But, it is time
for us to put preconditions. And, the concern that if we dictate
preconditions, our relations would be deteriorated, it is not so,
because, one way or another, the relations were poor. When they had
been good to be worse today, and maybe when we had put forward
precondition, tough positions, today, we could have mitigated our
positions, by obtaining something for it, and not like this, when
Karabakh is becoming a subject of bargaining.’ In response to the
other question that mission the Black Sea Economic Cooperation
organization is the economic cooperation, and we had always pushed the
economic relations to the forefront, however, there is a question here
of what economic cooperation are we talking about with Turkey, when
one of the member states of the organization imposes a blockade over
the other member state of the organization, Ara Papyan notes, `This is
what we should have emphasized repeatedly that Turkey being a
initiating country of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, today, does
not implement the principles stipulated in the spirit and
document. Eventually, Azerbaijan can somehow be understood that it
wants to present that Armenia is an occupant, though, it is the
opposite, but Turkey is still not the aggrieved party, is it?
Unfortunately, this issue has ever been raised, and, in fact, the
Black Sea Economic Cooperation is missing in the organization. It’s
another issue that there is a bilateral Armenian-Turkish economic
trade, and to the point, pretty big, about 200 million, in which we
more import to Turkey than export.’ At the end, Ara Papyan added that
any organization, to which we member, we should pursue the objective
of use the organization to the benefit of Armenia, whereas, very
often, membership to such organizations, in our case, carry a formal
character.
Eva HAKOBYAN
Read more at:
From: A. Papazian
http://en.aravot.am/2013/12/14/162999/