ARMENIA GIVES ASSURANCES ON BORDER RECOGNITION
Today’s Zaman
April 15 2009
Turkey
Armenia has given assurances that it will make no territorial
claim on Turkey, as officials of the two countries inch closer to
an agreement that would pave the way for normalization of relations
after a 16-year hiatus. Sources in Yerevan who are close to the talks
also say the final deal is likely to be declared in a third country,
most probably Switzerland, which has reportedly hosted closed-door
negotiations since 2007.
The Turkish-Armenian talks have been held in strict secrecy and
officials are tightlipped on what a possible deal would include. But
as expectations grow higher for a breakthrough soon, details are
beginning to emerge, such as the Armenian guarantee on recognition
of the current Armenian-Turkish border. Ankara, which closed the
border and severed its diplomatic ties with Armenia in 1993, links
normalization to a set of conditions that include formal guarantees
from Armenia recognizing the current border with Turkey. Yerevan
has never formally claimed any rights on Turkish territory but the
Armenian constitution describes eastern Anatolia as western Armenia.
Asked whether Armenia recognizes a 1920 treaty on the border with
Turkey, an Armenian source said: "We are talking about the opening
of the border. Which border is to be opened? Can a border be opened
if it is not recognized?"
The final Turkish-Armenian deal is now expected to include provisions
that the two countries respect each other’s territorial integrity
and borders.
The agreement is also expected to unveil plans to establish low-level
diplomatic relations and create an intergovernmental committee to
study history. Armenia claims 1.5 million Armenians were killed
in a systematic genocide campaign at the hands of the late Ottoman
Empire during the World War I, while Turkey categorically rejects the
accusations of genocide. However, it is expected to take years for the
committee to be established and announce findings on its study. Even
so, although no progress is seen to be forthcoming, Armenia’s nod
to the establishment of such a committee of historians underlines
that the dispute over the World War I events is a matter of history,
not a legal or a political one.
On another problematic issue, the ongoing Armenian occupation of
Azerbaijani territory in the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute, the agreement
is expected to make a general reference to the problem. But there
will be no deadline mentioned for a resolution.
The government has been holding closed-door talks with Armenia since
2007 on the normalization of ties, signaling a shift in Turkey’s
longstanding policy, which links restoration of relations to Armenian
withdrawal from Azerbaijani territory and a reversal in the Armenian
policy of lobbying for international recognition of Armenian genocide
claims at the hands of the late Ottoman Empire. Armenian recognition
of the current border is another condition.
Azerbaijan, which fears it would lose a key leverage in its
Nagorno-Karabakh dispute with Armenia if Ankara agrees to have
normal ties with Yerevan anyway, has expressed concern over the
Turkish-Armenian rapprochement and Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev
boycotted a the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC)
meeting held in Ä°stanbul on April 6-7.
The issue has sparked heated debates in Parliament as well. Opposition
parties yesterday lashed out at the government for its plans to
normalize relations with Armenia without Yerevan ending its occupation
of Azerbaijani territory.
"How can we ignore the ongoing occupation of Azerbaijan?" Deniz Baykal,
leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), told
a weekly meeting of his party in Parliament. "How can Turkey follow
a policy that would legitimize seizure of Azerbaijan’s legitimate
territorial rights?"
The closed border with Armenia is a source of irritation in Ankara’s
relations with the European Union, which it aspires to join, and
the United States. It also hampers the government’s plans to expand
influence in the southern Caucasus.
"No one can open the border with Armenia unless claims based on
the genocide lies are withdrawn and Nagorno-Karabakh is returned to
Azerbaijan," said Devlet Bahceli, head of the Nationalist Movement
Party (MHP) and a vehement opponent of normalization in Armenia ties.
"I am warning the government: Your approach to Armenia harms our
dignity," Bahceli said, maintaining that he completely shared the
Azerbaijani people’s "rightful concerns." A group of three deputies
from Bahceli’s MHP departed for Baku yesterday for talks with Azeri
officials.
Dismissing calls from the opposition to share with the public details
about the ongoing talks, President Abdullah Gul said Turkey wants
a normalization that would help stability and peace in the whole of
the Caucasus and added that it would not be in line with diplomatic
tendencies to disclose details of the talks.
Turkish journalists briefly detained
Meanwhile, five Turkish journalists, including this reporter, were
briefly detained on Monday by Armenian forces after they attempted
to film the Turkish-Armenian border without permission from Armenian
authorities.
The journalists were taken to a police station on the border,
where they were offered tea, coffee and cookies. The journalists
were released after two hours, reporting cordial treatment by the
Armenian forces.