Ukraine says it controls situation in east
12:47,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. Ukraine says its security and defense forces are fully controlling the situation in the country’s east.
“Our special services are analyzing the situation at the line of contact in Donbas, in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the border regions of Ukraine,” the Ukrainian presidency said in a statement, adding that intelligence data is being studied and information exchange is carried out with partners.
“Ukraine is also regularly receiving updated intelligence on the activities of the Russian forces. The situation in the country’s east is entirely controlled by the Ukrainian security and defense forces,” the statements said.
Armenia wants substantive discussions on opening Turkey border
PanARMENIAN.Net – Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan hopes that substantive discussions will begin on the opening of the Armenia-Turkey border.
“The first meeting of the special representatives of Armenia and Turkey was of informative nature. I hope that this time substantive discussions will start between the two special representatives, discussions aimed at opening the Armenia-Turkey border and establishing diplomatic relations,” Mirzoyan told lawmakers on Wednesday, February 9.
“I’d like to repeat once again that the signals, messages and hints coming from Ankara are mostly positive, and our expectations are the same,” he said.
The envoys held their first meeting on January 14 Moscow, Russia, in what the Armenian Foreign Ministry described “a positive and constructive atmosphere”. The next meeting of the special representatives in the normalization process will take place on February 24 in Vienna.
Old Khndzoresk Cave Village: Armenia’s Abandoned City of Caves
In 2016, Armenia was included in National Geographic ‘s list of ten places that deserve more travelers. First on the list was Armenia, and amongst the locations they recommended travelers visit was the Old Khndzoresk cave village. Once home to thousands of residents, this was at one point the largest village in eastern Armenia, created by building homes within the volcanic rock and caves of the steep Khor Dzor gorge. Today these abandoned homes are fascinating to explore.
While it may seem strange, no one is quite sure when the Old Khndzoresk cave village in Armenia was founded. Nevertheless, the first written record to mention it dates back to the 13th century. Archaeological evidence points to the caves having been inhabited for at least 1,000 years.
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In 1730, villagers from the Old Khndzoresk cave village murdered the famed Armenian military commander Mkhitar Sparapet, who played an important role in Armenia’s struggle for liberation against the Ottomans. Legend has it that they were afraid that the Ottomans would attack the village if they were to discover him hiding there. Visitors can still visit his stone tomb which is located to the south of the cave village.
Left: Old Khndzoresk cave village. (Vahagn Grigoryan / CC BY-SA 4.0 )
Right: View of the Old Khndzoresk cave village during the winter. (Vahagn Grigoryan / CC BY-SA 4.0 )
Some of the cave dwellings have been carved out of the volcanic rock, while other houses have been built into naturally formed caves. In a census from the 1900s, there were as many as 1,800 homes in the Old Khndzoresk cave village, housing more than 8,000 people. The houses were built one on top of another, and each residence had several rooms.
The houses were connected by tunnels and locals claim that people would use ropes and ladders to travel up and down the different levels of habitation. The village also included churches, schools, leather workshops, dyeworks and stores. There was also a sacred fountain known as the nine children, due to a local legend about nine children orphaned when their mother was killed in battle.
A lonely table remains in one of the caves within the Old Khndzoresk cave village. ( StockAleksey / Adobe Stock)
It was only in the 1950s, 1958 to be precise, that residents moved from the ancient caves to a newer village built above, appropriately named New Khndzoresk. This move turned the once bustling village into a ghost town . There appear, however, to be different explanations for why the cave dwellings were deserted.
“Some say an earthquake in the 1930s devastated the village and left the cave dwellings unsafe, leading to a gradual departure,” explains Smithsonian Magazine . “Others suggest the residents were forced to move by Soviet leaders, who deemed the caves uncivilized and wanted to source the rock as building material.” Nowadays the two villages, New Khndzoresk and Old Khndzoresk, are connected by a 160 meter (525 ft) cable bridge which was built in 2012.
Suspension bridge which connects the Old Khndzoresk cave village with New Khndzoresk. ( Arty Om / Adobe Stock)
Located about 4 hours from Yerevan, Armenia’s capital city, and just 6 kilometers (3.73 mi) from the town of Goris in southeastern Armenia, is New Khndzoresk. From here its just a walk across a vaguely terrifying cable bridge to an entire abandoned world at the Old Khndzoresk cave village . Before crossing the bridge there is a lookout and a café (open from May to October). This is a great place for hiking and exploring for hours, moving in and out of the various caves and dwellings.
By Cecilia Bogaard
https://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-europe/old-khndzoresk-cave-village-0016405
French Prime Minister, Lawmakers Attend CCAF Event in France
French Prime Minister Jean Castex flanked by CCAF leaders and French officials
French Prime Minister Jean Castex was among several high-ranking officials and lawmakers who attended the annual dinner on Tuesday, organized by the Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations of France (CCAF) in Paris.
In addition to Castex, the President of France’s Senate, Gérard Larcher, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and several ministers, lawmakers and public figures joined the Armenian community at the annual event, which in the past has drawn among others, President Emmanuel Macron of France.
In his remarks, CCAF Co-chair Mourad Papazian, who is also a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Bureau, talked about the war in Artsakh, relations between France and Armenia, and actions that have to be taken for long lasting peace.
Co-founder and Chairman of the Aznavour Foundation, Nicolas Aznavour, and CEO of the Foundation, Kristina Aznavour, also attended the event.
Armenpress: Armenian economy shows signs of activation – Eurasian Expert Club
Armenian economy shows signs of activation – Eurasian Expert Club
20:59,
YEREVAN, 11 FEBRUARY, ARMENPRESS. The indescribable efforts made by Armenian businessmen last year have significantly contributed to the recovery of the Armenian economy following the huge economic depression of 2020, ARMENPRESS reports Coordinator of the Eurasian Expert Club, political analyst Aram Safaryan said at a press conference, presenting the results of the new research of the Eurasian Expert Club on the Armenian economy.
The Expert Club, with the help of its leading economists, has presented a new, the 7th study on the Armenia’s economy in the context of Armenia’s membership to the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU).
In particular, Doctor of Economics, Professor Tatul Manaseryan found out in his research that after a severe 8% decline in 2020, the Armenian economy is showing signs of recovery.
According to the coordinator of the Club Aram Safaryan, Manaseryan singles out 4 main factors that contributed to the 5.8% economic growth in 2021. The first of them is the efforts of the Armenian businessman.
“Armenian businessmen have made indescribable efforts to rectify the situation after the 8% economic downturn in 2020, to record growth, thus providing a huge moral and financial benefit to our country. That is why we would like to express our words of praise to the representatives of the Armenian business field, who mainly produce finished goods and export them abroad. This is really a bravery,”the coordinator of the Eurasian Expert Club stressed.
The second important factor was the ban on the import of goods from Turkey in 2021, which stimulated the development of local products to replace imports.
“That one year was enough for the local producers, who replaced the import, to breathe and try to stand on their own two feet. You also noticed a lot of small and large household goods in stores, which have started to be produced in Armenia when the Armenian consumer got the opportunity to buy local products instead of those imported from Turkey,” says Aram Safaryan.
The third factor contributing to economic growth, according to the economic study, is Armenia’s membership to the EEU, and the fourth was the removal of many restrictions initiated by the government, which were introduced in 2020 to fight the coronavirus.
Delicate balancing act for Turkey over Ukraine may end in disappointment
Ahval Feb 03 2022 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is visiting Kiev on Thursday for meetings with his Ukrainian counterpart. The talks are aimed at strengthening a military-industrial partnership opposed by Russia and back NATO offers to prevent a possible Russian invasion of the country. But Erdoğan's efforts to exert Turkey's influence and mediate a solution to the tensions may end in disappointment with possible repercussions for Turkey's regional standing, Le Monde’s Marie Jégo reported. An excerpt of the article follows below: Supporting Ukraine without irritating Russia is the balancing act that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is expected to undertake in Kiev on Thursday. His visit is a strong political signal to his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, at a time when tension is at its highest between Kiev and Moscow, with a large Russian military presence along the border with Ukraine and in Belarus. The game is shaping up to be a close one for Erdoğan, who prides himself on having a privileged relationship with both sides, to the point of having offered to mediate in the conflict. "By bringing the two leaders [Ukraine’s Zelensky and Russian Vladimir Putin] together in our country if they so wish, we can pave the way for restoring peace," he said on Jan. 26, adding that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would be an "irrational move on Russia's part". Erdoğan's offer of mediation was immediately rejected by the Kremlin, quick to accuse Turkey of feeding "militaristic sentiment" in Ukraine. At issue is the delivery of Turkish Bayraktar TB2 armed drones to the Ukrainian army, which used them in October to hit a Russian howitzer operated by the separatists of the Donbass supported by the Kremlin. In the eyes of Ukrainian military experts, the possibility of replicating in Donbass the winning combination of Turkish drones and Ankara's military expertise, as Azerbaijan did at the time of the autumn 2020 conflict to recapture Nagorno-Karabakh, is a real temptation. The October strike was "a provocation", Putin insisted in a telephone conversation described as heated with Erdoğan on Dec. 3. Since that episode, relations between the two presidents have cooled slightly. Mr Putin has just declined his counterpart's invitation to visit Turkey, postponing the visit until "when the epidemic situation and agendas allow". Despite Russian warnings, Ankara's support for the pro-Western government in Kiev is not waning, on the contrary. Turkey is not ready to give up its defence agreements with Kiev and is even more unlikely to recognise Moscow's annexation of the Crimean peninsula, the original land of the Turkic-speaking Tatars, once under the protection of the Ottoman Empire. The annexation was never recognised by Ankara, despite Russian insistence. To make matters worse, Turkey continues to support Ukraine's and Georgia's bid to join NATO. For the time being, the agreements to be signed on Thursday between Erdoğan and Zelensky - a free trade treaty and several military-industrial agreements - can only increase the Kremlin's ire. Since 2019, Turkey and Ukraine have considerably developed their security partnership. Between 2019 and 2021, the two presidents met five times, which shows how well they are getting along. Not content with buying the Bayraktar TB2s, which tipped the military balance in favour of Turkey's allies in Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh, Ukraine has also started producing them on its soil. The cooperation with the Ukrainian military-industrial complex, which has kept some nice remnants from the Soviet era, especially in terms of aircraft engine manufacturing, is a real boon for Ankara, which is anxious to cushion the sanctions imposed on its defence industry after the acquisition of the Russian S-400 anti-missile system in 2019 and the war waged in the autumn of 2020 in Nagorno-Karabakh. As evidence of this growing cooperation, the Turkish company Baykar, which produces the TB2 armed drone, has just acquired a plot of land not far from the Ukrainian air base of Vasylkiv, south-west of Kiev, where a training centre for the piloting and maintenance of drones is being built. Baykar also plans to invest with Ukrainian engine manufacturer Motor Sich and its design office Ivchenko-Progress. In the autumn of 2021, Motor Sich has committed to supplying the Turkish defence contractor with turboprop engines for its new Akinci combat drone, which is more powerful than the TB2 and which Kiev is considering acquiring. In addition to the joint production of engines and the An-178 military transport aircraft, Kiev and Ankara are also planning to produce corvettes together at the shipyards of Mykolaïv, a Ukrainian port on the Black Sea. "For the Ukrainians, it is important to have one more partner on their side, especially one with such a geographical position," explains Bayram Balcı, director of the French Institute of Anatolian Studies (IFEA) in Istanbul. For the Turks, it is urgent to deepen ties with Ukraine, especially in view of Russian actions in the Black Sea. Since the annexation of Crimea in March 2014, Moscow has become the dominant power in the Black Sea, taking over a large part of Ukraine's ships and port infrastructure. Prior to 2014, this role was played by Turkey, which had 44 surface ships compared to Russia's 26. Since then, Moscow has reversed the trend, with 49 surface ships. In addition, the Russian fleet stationed in Crimea has been reinforced. Warships and submarines operating there have now been equipped with Kalibr cruise missiles, capable of hitting targets 2,400 km away, while more Russian spy ships are plying the waters to gather intelligence. Despite the cordial understanding with his "friend" Putin, the Turkish leader increasingly perceives Russia's military expansion in the region as a threat to his country's geopolitical and energy security, especially as Russia's posture in the Black Sea appears to be increasingly aggressive, and not only towards Ukraine. In June 2021, Russian forces fired warning shots at the British warship HMS Defender, which was en route from the Ukrainian port of Odessa to Georgia. And Russia's military elite is upset about the "Sea Breeze" exercises, organised annually since 2019 by the United States, which has invited 32 other countries, including Ukraine, to take part in the summer of 2021. Despite his anti-Western bias, Mr Erdoğan has constantly pleaded for a greater NATO presence in the Black Sea. His concern has been heightened by the discovery of an apparently vast natural gas field off the Turkish coast in the summer of 2020. In 2014, Turkey had condemned the annexation of Crimea, while remaining outside the sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union against Russia. Anxious to accommodate all the players, Erdoğan wants both to strengthen his commitment to NATO, to restore its image tarnished by the purchase of S-400, and to protect its cooperation with Russia in Syria and in the energy field - nearly 40 percent of gas consumed in Turkey is supplied by the Russian company Gazprom. "The Turkish position is quite risky. The fact that Russia controls the situation in Syria is a real sword of Damocles for Turkey," Balcı said. In this respect, the region of Idlib, the last bastion of the rebellion against Bashar-Al-Assad, a province adjacent to Turkey where nearly 3 million displaced people have found refuge, is its Achilles heel. A large-scale Russian attack on Idlib would surely create a new wave of refugees. "This new influx of Syrians to Turkey, which already hosts nearly 4 million, would affect the Turkish authorities and also the countries of the Mediterranean," says the researcher. An open conflict between Russia and Ukraine would be a tragedy, both for Europe and for Ankara, which would be forced to end its balancing act between NATO and Russia and give up its ambitions as a regional power. (This article originally appeared in Le Monde. A link in the French language is available here.) *
UK expresses support to OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship, normalization process between Armenia and Turkey
19:52, 1 February, 2022
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, ARMENPRESS. On February 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan held a phone conversation with Chris Heaton-Harris, Minister for European Neighborhood and the Americas of the UK.
Ararat Mirzoyan congratulated Chris Heaton-Harris on his appointment as Minister and wished him success in his future endeavors in this position, the foreign ministry said in a readout.
The sides referred to the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Armenia and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, highlighting that great work had been done over the past three decades to establish and strengthen bilateral relations. Ararat Mirzoyan and Chris Heaton-Harris exchanged views on further expanding the agenda of bilateral relations and promotion of dialogue.
The interlocutors discussed issues on regional stability and security.
The need for repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war and captured civilians held in Azerbaijan, and preserving the Armenian religious and cultural heritage in the territories under Azerbaijani control were emphasized among the humanitarian issues that need to be urgently addressed.
The interlocutors stressed the need for a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict under the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship. Chris Heaton-Harris emphasized that the United Kingdom supports the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship.
Ararat Mirzoyan and Chris Heaton-Harris also touched upon the process of normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey without preconditions. The British side expressed its support for the normalization process.
Coalition Backs Pallone-Bilirakis Campaign to Block Proposed U.S.-Turkey F-16s Deal
Greek, Armenian, Hindu, Kurdish, Christian, and Mid-East Groups Support Bipartisan Calls for Biden Administration to Reject Reckless Sale
WASHINGTON—A coalition of ethnic, faith-based, and civic groups representing Americans from across the nation are urging Members of Congress to cosign a bipartisan letter, led by Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Hellenic American Caucus Co-Chair Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), calling on the Biden Administration to reject Turkish President Erdogan’s request to purchase next-generation F-16 fighter jets and upgrade kits for their current fleet.
In a “Dear Colleague” letter encouraging fellow members of Congress to cosign the appeal to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Representatives Pallone and Bilirakis argue, “if approved, the sale of F-16s to Turkey will only incentivize President Erdogan to continue his destabilizing actions in the region and ignore his commitments under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Turkish and Turkish-backed forces have repeatedly taken aggressive, deadly actions against U.S. allies and partners in the Eastern Mediterranean, Middle East, South Caucasus, and North Africa for years – often utilizing American-made weaponry and components to carry out these incursions and commit war crimes in places like Syria, Iraq, and Nagorno-Karabakh.”
The Congressional letter, set to reach the Biden Administration later this week, emphasizes security concerns surrounding Turkey’s ongoing use of the Russian S-400 missile defense system. “While this is antithetical to their commitments as a NATO ally and jeopardizes American national security, Erdogan uses this tactic consistently to pit the United States and Russia against each other to achieve his desired goals.” Members of Congress have until January 28th to support the appeal. To encourage Members of Congress to cosign the letter, visit the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC) action portal.
Coalition members echoed Congressional national security concerns surrounding Turkey’s proposed F-16 purchase.
“Turkey’s acquisition of next-generation F-16 aircraft, while defying NATO through its procurement of Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missiles—the same missile system designed to target American-made F-16s – is deeply troubling, and cannot be allowed as a matter of national security,” said Richard Ghazal, Executive Director of In Defense of Christians.
Endy Zemenides, Executive Director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council, argued the sale would circumvent the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). “Whoever is entertaining the notion of this F-16 deal with Turkey is ignoring the law (CAATSA) and is ignoring the fact that Turkey is an unreliable ally. They have for the last several months ignored Congress’ enquiries into the matter. Representatives Pallone and Bilirakis make it clear that Congress has to be consulted and will insist that Turkey change its behavior, not merely its ask,” stated Zemenides.
“We join with our coalition partners in thanking the Co-Chairs of the Armenian and Hellenic Caucuses for leading this most recent _expression_ of bilateral Congressional opposition to arming or abetting Turkey’s increasingly hostile and openly anti-American Erdogan regime,” remarked ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.
Diliman Abdulkader, co-founder & spokesperson of the American Friends of Kurdistan (AFK), argued that the F-16 sale would embolden an Erdogan crackdown on Turkey’s civil society. “Any upgrades to Turkey’s F-16 fleet directly threaten U.S. national security interests and puts our allies and partners in danger. Now is not the time to give the Erdogan regime leverage which he will certainly use to further crackdown on critical voices. AFK applauds Representative Pallone and Bilirakis on this matter,” stated Abdulkader.
Cliff Smith, Washington Project Director of the Middle East Forum, reminded Congressional stakeholders that, “Turkey was removed from the F-35 program because of their troubling behavior, as well as the incompatibility of sensitive American technology and Russian technology as a result of Turkey’s purchase of Russia’s S-400 missile. The issues of technology compatibility remain with F-16 upgrades, and Turkey’s behavior hasn’t changed for the better. If anything, it has gotten worse. Until Turkey changes its behavior, it shouldn’t even bother to ask for advanced military technology from the US.”
Samir Kalra, Esq., Hindu American Foundation Managing Director for Policy, welcomed Representative Bilirakis’ and Pallone’s leadership, citing Turkey’s disconcerting relationship with Pakistan. “Beyond Turkey’s misuse of American weapons against US allies in Turkey’s neighborhood, there is a growing and dangerous military relationship between Turkey and Pakistan that is a real concern to millions of Americans who support upholding U.S. law and ensuring that sophisticated U.S. military components that are vital to our national security don’t end up in the wrong hands,” stated Kalra.
Since rumors of Turkey’s request to purchase 40 F-16 fighters and 80 F-16 modernization kits surfaced in October 2021, a number of Congressional initiatives have called for clarification of the White House position on the sale and announced efforts to block the effort. In November, over 40 U.S. House members cosigned a letter led by Representatives Chris Pappas (D-NH), and Congressional Hellenic Caucus Co-Chairs Bilirakis and Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), concerned that such a sale would be in violation of CAATSA laws. “We share your goal of a Turkey that is rooted to the West, but we will not achieve that goal if the Erdogan government escapes accountability for violating U.S. law and the standards of the NATO alliance,” argued the Representatives. The House members requested “a formal notification of any Turkish Letter of Request (LOR), the specifics of such an LOR, the Administration’s position on such an LOR, and responses to our specific objections.”
A separate letter led by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) and cosigned by 10 House colleagues urged President Biden and Secretary Blinken to refuse Turkey’s request. “As long as President Erdogan advances his expansionist project in the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkey will continue to threaten our national security and the security of our closest allies in the region – Greece, Israel, and Cyprus. We urge you to act in our national interest and for the sake of stability in the Eastern Mediterranean by refusing to reinforce Turkey’s aging arsenal of fighter jets, and we look forward to receiving your response,” stated the Malliotakis letter.
Can Armenia-Turkey ties improve in the shadow of the Armenian genocide?
By Aditi Bhaduri
New Delhi, Jan 27: The recent talks between Armenia and Turkey in Moscow, while surprising, were not totally unexpected. This had been a long time in the offing. The two – it would not be out of place to call them civilisational foes – had long ago met to start a diplomatic dialogue – in fact back in 2010.
However, nothing came out of it. Armenia has now appointed a lawmaker from the ruling Civil Contract party, Ruben Rubinyan as special envoy to work on the normalisation of ties with Turkey, while Ankara has appointed former ambassador to the United States Serdar Kilic for the same. They met in Moscow on January 14.
Now, after the end of the war for Nagorno-Karabakh, which Azerbaijan has wrested decisively from Armenia’s control, it is expected that Turkey and Armenia would begin normalisation of relations. Currently, the two countries do not have any diplomatic relations. The reason goes back to the last millennium where 1.5 million Armenians were slaughtered by Ottomans, often thought to be the modern world’s first genocide. The ghost of that slaughter lives in the collective consciousness of Armenians the world over. While major powers, including the USA and Russia, have recognised the genocide, Turkey has refused to do so, fearing threats of reparations if it was to do so.
The Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict remained a reason for Turkey to not engage diplomatically with Armenia. Turkey opposed Armenia’s control over the enclave Nagorno-Karabakh, which in Ankara’s view was territory of Azerbaijan, a fellow Turkic nation. In 1993, it sealed the border with Armenia, depriving the small landlocked country a transit route through Turkish territory.
When war once again broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2020, most Armenians believed they were fighting the Turks rather than the Azeris. Turkish technology, Turkish arms, Turkish military counsellors won the war for Azerbaijan. After the swashbuckling speeches and promises of victory by Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinian, the defeat was not merely a military or economic or territorial loss for the Armenians; it was a huge psychological setback for them. Riots broke out on the street and there were many calls for Pashinian to resign. To put it mildly, he is not in a strong position today.
With the end of the war, with Azeri control over most of the contested territory, and with Russian and Turkish joint peace keeping operations, the equation has changed. Economically backward Armenia has the proverbial carrot dangling before it: normalising relations with Turkey will open up a host of connectivity and therefore economic opportunities for it. On the other hand, having a corridor to Azerbaijan through Armenia – the Zangezur Corridor – would greatly aid both Azerbaijan and Turkey. It would especially benefit Turkey’s outreach to both Azerbaijan, Caspian Sea, and the Turkic countries of Central Asia. That would also open up land connectivity for Turkey to South Asia – to Afghanistan where Turkey is keen to play a major role and of course to its ally Pakistan, with major implications for India. Undoubtedly, opening up the corridor would benefit Azerbaijan and Turkey far more.
Will Armenia be willing to do so?
As such, Armenia may have nothing to lose but much to gain by it. But going by the mood of the people, the loss of Nagorno-Karabakh after two long decades to Azerbaijan because of Turkish intervention, the incomplete rehabilitation and resettlement of its displaced residents, it seems a tough call. Capping all this is the fact that the negotiations have been entered into by the government that lost the war and the deeply unpopular prime minister.
For one, Armenians do not want any preconditions attached to the talks.
However, one of the preconditions laid down by Turkey is for Armenia to give up its support for international recognition for the Armenian Genocide; yet another is that Armenia recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan; and open up the Zangezur Corridor.
The Armenian Genocide remains a deeply emotional issue for Armenians everywhere and a greatly unifying factor, as also a marker of the Armenian identity. While the Republic of Armenia may some day in the future give up this support, to do so right now would add salt to injury. Moreover, there is huge pressure exerted by the Armenians in the diaspora, many of whom have had victims amongst their families.
Secondly, suffering defeat in war to arch-rival Azerbaijan after more than two decades is bad enough. And recognising Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan eliminates any further opportunity to work out some kind of mechanism for joint control of the Zangezur corridor to Turkey and arch-rival Azerbaijan would be double humiliation. To that end, Secretary of the Armenian Security Council Armen Grigoryan is on record saying that, “The issue of the corridor is a red line for us, everyone is aware of it: Azerbaijan and all the countries that have anything with Armenians are aware of it.”
Finally, Turkey’s announcement that it would be coordinating the matter with Azerbaijan is another red flag to the Armenians. Therefore, while Armenia-Turkey normalisation of ties is neither unexpected nor impossible, it will probably remain improbable in the near future. At least not till passions on both Armenian and Azeri sides have cooled down and till the government of the day is perceived to be more mindful of Armenian sovereignty and security interests.
(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)
–indianarrative