Author: Nargizian David

ARMENIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF AMERICA
1711 N Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
Email: [email protected]
Website:

PRESS RELEASE
September 12, 2008
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Email: [email protected]

PALLONE AND RADANOVICH SEEK CONGRESSIONAL SUPPORT
FOR POST-CONFLICT AID TO JAVAKHK AND ARMENIA

— Collecting Signatures on Congressional
Letter to President Bush

"The Armenian government provided safe transit
for U.S Embassy and other international diplomatic
officials, for hundreds of non-governmental
organization representatives, and for thousands of
Georgian nationals."
— Reps. Frank Pallone and George Radanovich

WASHINGTON, DC – In a bipartisan appeal, Representatives Frank
Pallone (D-NJ) and George Radanovich (R-CA) reached out today to
their Congressional colleagues to support targeting portions of the
proposed $1 billion post Georgia-Russia conflict aid package for
the Samtskhe-Javakheti region of Georgia and to help offset the
economic impact of the recent crisis on Armenia, reported the
Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

In a September 12th Dear Colleague letter, the two legislators
explained to their fellow Representatives that Armenia, which
continues to be materially harmed by the fighting to its north, has
remained "a constructive partner to Georgia through ensuring safe
transit for humanitarian needs, reconstruction assistance, and
diplomatic measures." They also stressed the urgency of providing
funds specifically for Samtskhe-Javakheti, a chronically
underdeveloped region in Georgia, heavily populated by Armenians.

"We thank Representatives Pallone and Radanovich for their vision
and compassion in addressing the pressing humanitarian and
developmental needs, both in Georgia and in Armenia, created by the
recent fighting," said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "We
are hopeful that their colleagues will join with them in ensuring
that the United States lends a helping hand to the people of
Samtskhe-Javakheti and Armenia during this difficult time."

Representatives Pallone and Radanovich are currently urging their
colleagues to co-sign a Congressional letter to President Bush
suggesting that the Administration implement two specific policy
recommendations:

1) Ensuring that a meaningful level of the new Georgia aid program
is specifically targeted to the vital Samtskhe-Javakheti region.
This largely Armenian-inhabited area, home to roughly five percent
of Georgia’s overall population, remains, in great measure,
economically undeveloped. Of the $1 billion being proposed for
Georgia, a proportional share on a per capita basis, should be
officially dedicated to developmental programs in Samtskhe-
Javakheti, with a special focus on alleviating poverty, developing
transportation and communication links, promoting international
trade and investment, and supporting sustainable economic growth.

2) In light of Yerevan’s extensive assistance during this crisis
and also the large-scale harm it has endured as a result of the
fighting in the region, portions of the new Georgia assistance
package should be used to help offset the damage to Armenia’s
economy. This damage, estimated at between $680 and $1 billion,
has largely been the result of higher transportation costs,
increased prices for basic commodities such as food and fuel, and a
slow down in international investments.

The full text of the Congressional letter to President Bush is
provided below.

#####

The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Bush:

We are writing to express our support for the vitally needed
financial assistance package that your Administration has proposed
in the aftermath of the recent crisis in Georgia, and to suggest
two concrete steps that we can take to help advance our national
interest in a strong, independent, pluralist, and democratic
Georgian state.

Our first recommendation is to ensure that a meaningful level of
this aid program is specifically targeted to the vital Samtshke-
Javakheti region. This largely Armenian-inhabited area, home to
roughly five percent of Georgia’s overall population, remains, in
great measure, economically undeveloped. Of the $1 billion
proposed for Georgia, a proportional share on a per capita basis –
should be officially dedicated to developmental programs in
Samtshke-Javakheti, with a special focus on alleviating poverty,
developing transportation and communication links, promoting
international trade and investment, and supporting sustainable
economic growth.

Our second recommendation is that, in light of Yerevan’s extensive
assistance during this crisis and also the large-scale economic
harm it has endured as a result of the fighting in the region, this
assistance package also be used to help offset the ongoing damage
to Armenia’s economy. As a country beset by twin blockades,
Armenia conducts the vast majority of its trade through Georgia.

Since the outbreak of the conflict between Russia and Georgia,
Armenia has experienced significantly higher transportation costs,
increased prices for basic commodities such as food and fuel, and a
slow down in international investments. This harm has been
estimated by senior Armenian government officials, including the
Prime Minister, Chairman of the National Security Council, and
Ambassador to the United States, at between $680 million and $1
billion. Targeted economic aid to Armenia, implemented in
coordination with the Armenian government, can pla! y a
particularly constructive role during this difficult time to assist
an important ally in the region.

As you know, Georgia has long been a partner and friend to
neighboring Armenia, which has, since the outbreak of hostilities,
played a vital role in seeking to restore peace and stability in
the region. The Armenian government provided safe transit for U.S
Embassy and other international diplomatic officials, for hundreds
of non-governmental organization representatives, and for thousands
of Georgian nationals. In addition, the Armenian government
provided human, material, and financial resources to help repair
key elements of Georgia’s damaged infrastructure.

Armenia plays an invaluable role and shares a common vision with
Georgia and the United States for regional stability in the
Caucasus. Despite many difficult challenges, Armenia has taken
steps to strengthen relationships with its neighbors. Earlier this
month, Armenian President Serzh Sargsian demonstrated this through
his historic invitation to Turkish President Abdullah Gul to come
watch their two nations play a qualifying match for the 2010 World
Cup. Given the obvious unrest in the area, it is vital that
Armenia be able to continue its role as an ally and stabilizing
force in the Caucasus.

Thank you for your consideration of our two recommendations. We
look forward to working with you regarding these suggestions and
would welcome the opportunity to meet with your Administration to
discuss them in greater detail.

Sincerely,

Anatolia News Agency, Turkey
Sept 14 2008

TURKEY NOT TO ACCEPT PRECONDITIONS TO IMPROVE TIES WITH ARMENIA –
PARTY OFFICIAL

Ankara, 14 September: An executive of the governing Justice &
Development (AK) Party has said that Turkey would never accept a
pre-condition of recognition of some Armenian circles’ allegations
about incidents of 1915 to improve its relations with Armenia.

Speaking at the panel discussion "Whither Turkey" hosted by the
Eastern Institute during the Krynica Economic Forum, one of the most
prestigious forums in eastern Europe, in Polish capital city of
Warsaw, Egemen Bagis, deputy chairman of the AK Party, said, "Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan proposed Armenia to establish a
joint commission with the participation of the third countries and to
open archives. Armenia has not yet given a response to Turkey’s
proposal."

"Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s paying a visit to Armenia upon
invitation of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan is the most concrete
sign of Turkey’s good-will. On the other hand, more than one million
documents examined upon directives of Turkey proved that those bitter
events were not genocide, but a civil war during a world war."

Bagis added that Turkey would never accept a pre-condition of
recognition of some Armenian circles’ allegations about incidents of
1915 to improve its relations with Armenia.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Bryza describes Caucasus Stability & Cooperation Pact constructive
13.09.2008 15:34 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ U.S. Co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Matthew Bryza
described Turkey’s Caucasus Stability & Cooperation Pact.

`I welcome the efforts for normalization of the Armenian-Turkish
relations. The Presidents of Turkey and Armenia took a political risk
and manifested courage. However, despite the Turkish-Armenian
activation, the work at Basic Principles on the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict resolution should be completed,’ he said.

Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul was in Yerevan on Sept. 6 to watch a
World Cup qualifier between the Armenian and Turkish national
teams. Before the match, the heads of state discussed possibilities to
normalize bilateral relations. They also referred to the Caucasus
Stability and Cooperation Platform meant to bring together Armenia,
Turkey, Georgia and Russia. President Sarsgyan welcomed the initiative
as an attempt to create a favorable atmosphere in the region.

Yesterday, Gul formally invited his Armenian counterpart Serzh
Sargsyan to Istanbul to watch a return match.

TURKISH TRANSPORT MINISTER: BAKU-TBILISI-KARS NOT MEANT TO EXCLUDE ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
12.09.2008 12:22 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A railway project linking Turkey, Azerbaijan and
Georgia is not meant to exclude neighboring Armenia, with which Turkey
has no formal ties, Turkish Minister of Transport Binali Yildirim
said yesterday.

The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars bypasses Russia and Armenia. The railway,
which is scheduled to be completed in 2011, will not only link the
three countries but will also revive the historic Silk Road trade
route that once connected Asia with Europe.

"The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway is by no means a project excluding
Armenia," Yildirim told reporters. "This is an international project
aimed at boosting international trade and tourism, and it is quite
possible that other countries may also join. Russia, Greece and
Iran could join. It is not confined to Turkey and Azerbaijan alone,"
he added, Today’s Zaman reports.

RUSSIA TO GRANT $10 MLN TO UPGRADE SAFETY OF ARMENIAN NPP

ArmInfo
2008-09-11 11:15:00

ArmInfo. Russia made a decision to grant $10 mln to upgrade safety of
the second power unit of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant, RA Minister
of Energy and Natural Resources Armen Movsisyan told journalists today.

He said that this technical proposal of Russia was officially
forwarded today to the Armenian party. The funds will be allocated
to Armenia in 2008 for implementation of measures on the NPP safety
upgrade in 2009. According to the minister, the work to be carried
out will be specified at today’s third working meeting in Yerevan on
coordination of the international assistance aimed at the Armenian
NPP safety upgrade. These meetings are held once per year since 2006,
when IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei offered his structure’s
readiness to coordinate the whole technical assistance to the Armenian
NPP on its safety upgrade. A. Movsisyan said that total about $90 mln
were granted so far by the donors for the NPP safety upgrade since
2006 when the plant’s second power unit was restarted. He added that
over half of these funds, about $50-55 mln, were granted by the USA,
and the rest part – by different EU countries.

To recall, the Armenian NPP was transferred to the financial control
of "Iter RAO UES" CJSC, being a subsidiary of RAO "UES of Russia",
in September, 2003. Two power units of Russian sample WWER-440 with
total capacity of 815 MW have been installed at ANPP. The first unit
was commissioned in 1976, the second one – in 1980. In the beginning,
1989, the plant was removed from service for political reasons, and
in the beginning, 1995, the NPP’s second unit with capacity of 404
MW was restarted.

IN WAKE OF GEORGIA WAR, ARMENIA FACES HOBSON’S CHOICE
Gayane Abrahamyan

EurasiaNet
Sept 10 2008
NY

The Georgia-Russia war has placed Armenia in a bind. Officials in
Yerevan are feeling pressure to take sides, either supporting its
strategic partner, Russia, or its neighbor, Georgia, through which
70 percent of Armenian exports flow. For now, Yerevan is trying to
postpone its decision.

Economic issues have so far driven Yerevan’s response. But a factor
looming in the background of any geopolitical discussion is Russia’s
decision to recognize Abkhazia’s and South Ossetia’s independence. [For
background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. This has upped the stakes
for Yerevan, as Armenian officials do not want to do anything that
could impede the realization of their desires to see the enclave of
Nagorno-Karabakh break free from Azerbaijan.

Currently, economics dictate that Armenia pay attention to its
relations with Georgia. Under blockade by Turkey and Azerbaijan,
Armenia’s only reliable outlet for exports and imports is via
Georgia. The war, and its complicated aftermath, has thus inflicted
a considerable amount of damage on the Armenian economy.

Much of the harm can be traced to Russian efforts to close Georgia’s
Black Sea ports, as well as a major railway. [For background see the
Eurasia Insight archive]. One of the consequences of this action
was that some 107 train cars of wheat, 10 fuel containers and 50
additional train cars with miscellaneous goods were left in limbo,
Gagik Martirosyan, an advisor to Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan,
said in an official statement. The unloading of ships with goods
meant for Armenia reportedly resumed only on September 1, according
to the government.

The delays are stoking concern about a possible wheat shortage in
Yerevan. Repairs on the railway were due to be finished by September
10, according to the Georgian government. An alternative railway line
can only handle much smaller loads, Martirosyan claimed.

The owner of one flour processing company told EurasiaNet on September
6 that Armenia would face a continuing shortage of flour if repair
of the railway experienced delays. "[P]eople buy 50 sacks of flour
instead of the 10-20 they used to get before," said Vanik Musoian,
owner of the Mancho Group, which also imports wheat. "Many villagers
try not to sell their wheat." Two thousand and five hundred tons of
wheat imported by the Mancho Group remain in Batumi, while another
7,000 tons are still in Russia. The company is attempting to import
the wheat via Iran.

Gasoline has been another problem. Until late August, many gas stations
country-wide posted "No gas" notices. Although the government declared
that gas reserves were sufficient to withstand a temporary shortfall,
drivers who were forced to wait in long lines to buy gas scoffed at
the assurances.

Gagik Torosian, the executive director of Yerevan’s Center for Economic
Development and Research, believes that if the war had lasted longer,
"Armenian citizens would once again have experienced the hardships
of the 90s, when people stood in line for both gas and bread."

While the importance of Armenia’s relationship with Georgia has been
highlighted in recent weeks, there are powerful factors favoring
Russia. Russian companies control the country’s telecommunications
sectors, are responsible for management of its railway network,
and have sizeable interests in its energy industry. Russia in 2007
accounted for just over 37 percent of Armenia’s foreign investment
or $500 million, according to government figures.

For many Armenians, the present situation underscores a need to
enhance Yerevan’s long-time policy of complementarity — trying to
maintain good ties with both the United States and Russia. Diversity
in foreign relations could provide a hedge against any given
geopolitical development in the future becoming a major source
of domestic distress. "We will develop and enlarge our bilateral
strategic partnership with Russia in every way and plan to enhance
and strengthen our partnership with the United States," said President
Serzh Sargsyan at a September 3 meeting with diplomats.

For now, Armenia is striving to avoid a choice and remain on friendly
terms with both Russia and Georgia. On August 13, President Sargsyan
called Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to express sympathy, and
then a day later sent a letter of condolence to Georgia’s President
Mikheil Saakashvili.

Russia seems willing to allow Armenia and other formerly Soviet states
to remain neutral. On September 3, for example Russian Security
Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev issued a statement saying that
"Russia will not impose pressure on any country to recognize the
sovereignty of Abkhazia and South Ossetia."

For one analyst, the true test of Russia’s partnership with Armenia
will be whether Moscow stays true to its pledge concerning Abkhazia and
South Ossetia. "Armenia is in Russia’s hands," said Stepan Grigorian,
chairman of Yerevan’s Analytical Center for Globalization and Regional
Cooperation. "But if Russia considers us partners, then it will not
impose pressure."

Other Armenian analysts and politicians believe that, sooner or later,
the Kremlin will indeed expect Yerevan to provide political support for
Moscow’s actions. If this happens, it will be the Karabakh issue that
weighs most heavily in the minds of Yerevan policy makers. Armenia
can’t ignore Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and then expect diplomatic
help in any effort to win potential recognition of Karabakh, analysts
say. "The fates of these two countries are much like the one of"
Nagorno-Karabakh, analyst Levon Melik-Shahnazarian said. "If we
don’t say that now, we will lose the moral and the political right to
blame any other country, which does not recognize the independence of
[Karabakh] because of its own interests."

Opposition parliamentarian Larisa Alaverdian, a member of the Heritage
Party, is advocating a way to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia,
while still potentially preventing a diplomatic falling out with
Tbilisi: only the Armenian parliament should recognize the independence
of Georgia’s separatist territories. "The risks are high that relations
with Georgia may be damaged. That is the reason I suggest that only
the National Assembly recognizes them, which is just an expression of
popular will and can’t have consequences for the executive branch,"
commented Alaverdian.

In his September 3 comments, Sargsyan set recognition of Karabakh
as the precondition for any recognition of the independence of South
Ossetia and Abkhazia. "Having the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Armenia
can’t recognize another formation in the same situation until it
recognizes the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic," he said.

Editor’s Note: Gayane Abrahamyan is a reporter for the ArmeniaNow.com
weekly in Yerevan.

EU PRESIDENCY CONSIDERS GUL’S VISIT TO ARMENIA HISTORIC AND SYMBOLIC

Noyan Tapan

Se p 8, 2008

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 8, NOYAN TAPAN. The European Union has spread
a statement on Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s visit to Armenia,
in which the visit was evaluated as "historic and very symbolic."

The statement, in particular, read: "The presidency welcomes Armenian
President Serzh Sargsyan’s invitation to his Turkish counterpart
Abdullah Gul to be present on September 6 at the Armenian and Turkish
national teams’ match of World Championship elimination tour.

We also welcome President Gul’s decision to accept the invitation. This
visit is a serious step to encourage relations of Armenia and Turkey.

The presidency hopes that this historic and very symbolic visit will
create a favorable atmosphere to normalize relations between the two
countries, which we expect."

RA CEC MAKES DECISION TO INVITE INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS TO LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMEMT BODY ELECTIONS IN ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan

Se p 8, 2008

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 8, NOYAN TAPAN. During the September 5 sitting,
the RA Central Electoral Commission (CEC) made a decision to invite
international observers to the elections to local self-government
bodies to be held in Armenia in September and October 2008. Taking
into account the fact that the Armenian government has already sent
an invitation to the Council of Europe Congress of Local and Regional
Authorities, the RA CEC decided to send invitations to those foreign
ambassadors to Armenia whose residence is in Yerevan, to the head of
the OSCE Yerevan Office, the Council of Europe Secretary General’s
special representative to Armenia, the head of the Armenia Office of
the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES), and to the
chairman of the Central Electoral Commission of the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic. According to the RA CEC decision, in case of each invitation,
two observers may be accredited for observer mission in Armenia.

By another decision, the RA CEC determined the order, by which the
data of the local electoral commissions’ reports on voting results at
the elections to local self-government bodies in district communities
of Yerevan on September 7 and 28 must be entered into "Elections"
computer system.

PRESS RELEASE
The Heritage Party
31 Moscovian Street
Yerevan, Armenia
Tel.: (+374 – 10) 53.69.13
Fax: (+374 – 10) 53.26.97
Email: [email protected]; [email protected]
Website:

8 September 2008

ARMEN MARTIROSYAN ELECTED HEAD OF HERITAGE PARTY FACTION IN NATIONAL
ASSEMBLY

Yerevan–Today, on Raffi Hovannisian’s motion, the Heritage Party’s
parliamentary group unanimously elected MP Armen Martirosyan as its new
chairman. "Armen is a promising, young leader and I am sure he will stand
Heritage and its mission in good stead," Hovannisian said.

Founded in 2002, Heritage has regional divisions throughout the land. Its
central office is located at 31 Moscovian Street, Yerevan 0002, Armenia,
with telephone contact at (374-10) 536.913, fax at (374-10) 532.697, email
at [email protected] or [email protected], and website at

The National, United Arab Emirates
Sept 8 2008

Success of football diplomacy has a catch

Thomas Seibert, Foreign Correspondent

Last Updated: September 07. 2008 8:56PM UAE / GMT ISTANBUL // The
historic visit by Turkey’s president, Abdullah Gul, to Armenia has
opened the door for a process of reconciliation between the two
neighbours, a move that could dramatically improve Turkey’s image in
the European Union, but Mr Gul has failed to convince critics at home
who argue that Ankara has made too many concessions to Yerevan.

`A psychological wall has been demolished,’ Mr Gul said of his short
trip to Yerevan, the first by a Turkish president. `I hope that this
visit will be a new start for a solution of the problems between the
two countries.’ Mr Gul met his Armenian counterpart, Serzh Sarksyan,
for talks, and the two presidents watched a World Cup qualifying match
between the football teams of their countries, which the Turkey won
2-0.

`We will solve these problems and not leave them to the next
generation,’ Mr Sarksyan said. There was a `political will to decide
the questions between our countries’.

Given that Turkish-Armenian relations are overshadowed by the death of
hundreds of thousands Anatolian-Armenians during the final years of
the Ottoman Empire in the First World War, which Armenia says
constituted a genocide, Mr Gul’s trip was hailed as a step of historic
proportions in Turkey and abroad.

`Our children will talk about this gesture,’ wrote commentator Ferai
Tinc in Hurriyet, a daily newspaper. `Football diplomacy has been
successful,’ the Milliyet newspaper said. In a poll made public
shortly before Mr Gul went to Yerevan on Saturday, two out of three
Turks said they supported the initiative.

Nicolas Sarkozy, the president of France, which is home to a strong
Armenian minority and holds the rotating presidency of the European
Union, also praised Mr Gul. `While the region is in the midst of a
serious crisis, [the visit] is a courageous and historic gesture for
Turkish-Armenian relations,’ Mr Sarkozy said in a statement.

Although reconciliation with Armenia is not part of the EU conditions
for Turkey’s membership, French politicians in particular have called
on Ankara several times to mend its ties with Armenia.

The Turkish president was greeted by sporadic demonstrations in
Yerevan during his six-hour visit, with some protesters carrying signs
that read `Recognise the genocide’. Several thousand policemen were on
duty, and Mr Gul and Mr Sarkisian watched the match from behind a pane
of bulletproof glass. Yerevan says the Ottoman government decided to
wipe out the Armenian minority in 1915; Turkey does not deny that many
innocent people died, but insists that the deaths were the result of
unrest and harsh wartime conditions.

The row over the Armenian massacres is not the only issue that has
kept Turkey and Armenia apart. Some politicians in Ankara accuse
Armenia of claiming Turkish territory, saying Yerevan has not
officially recognised the border between the two countries. Turkey
closed the border in 1993 in support for Azerbaijan during the
fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh, a predominantly Armenian region in
Azerbaijan. The two countries have no diplomatic relations.

The `football diplomacy’ has created a new opening for direct
talks. `I stressed in my contacts [in Yerevan] that there are no
problems that cannot be solved by dialogue,’ Mr Gul said after he
returned to Ankara late Saturday. He invited Mr Sarksyan for the
return match between the two football teams in Turkey, which will take
place in October next year. The two presidents will also meet on the
fringes of the UN General Assembly in New York this month, Turkish
media reported. Mr Gul and Mr Sarksyan agreed that the two countries’
foreign ministers should put into place a mechanism of consultation,
according to the reports. High-level contacts like that would have
been thought impossible only a short time ago.

According to Mr Gul, Armenia signalled its support for the Turkish
idea for a `Caucasus Platform’, a regional grouping planned as a forum
for conflict prevention and resolution. The Turkish government tabled
the initiative after the fighting between Georgia and Russia in South
Ossetia in early August.

In Yerevan, the two presidents avoided any discussion about the thorny
issue of the massacres. `They neither mentioned nor referred to the
so-called genocide,’ Mr Gul said. Hurriyet reported that the two
countries agreed to speed up the establishment of a joint committee of
historians that would deal with the events of 1915. A joint committee
dealing with economic questions was also planned, the newspaper
reported. Almost a decade ago, Turkey began a similar process of
rapprochement with Greece, another traditional neighbourhood
foe. Since then, co-operation has increased in a number of fields,
although difficult questions like the exact delineation of their
maritime border in the Aegean remain unresolved.

But while many commentators had only good things to say about Mr Gul’s
trip, some remained unconvinced. In scathing remarks aimed at the
president, the opposition leader, Deniz Baykal, suggested that Mr Gul
may as well lay a wreath at a memorial commemorating the Armenian
genocide in Yerevan. He also reminded Mr Gul that he himself had been
very critical of Armenia as a parliamentary deputy in 1993.

`What has changed since then?’ Mr Baykal asked, referring to Armenia’s
positions concerning the border, the genocide issue or
Nagorno-Karabakh. `Nothing has changed.’

The presidential trip `will earn Turkey important points on its road
to the EU’, wrote Yildiz Devici Bozkus, an analyst at the Centre for
Eurasian Strategic Studies, a think tank in Ankara. But Turkey would
be giving Armenia the chance to be at the table of the Caucasus
Platform without Yerevan having to give up any of its own positions in
the various disputes with Turkey, she added.

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