Armenia `not to accept Turkey`s pre-conditions` to mend ties
Armenia will not accept any pre-conditions from
Turkey for the normalization of strained bilateral relations,
Russian state news agency ITAR-TASS has quoted President Serzh
Sarkisian as saying.
Sarkisian claimed that, despite historical differences between Ankara and Yerevan, namely, those on the alleged 1915 genocide in the Ottoman Empire, Armenia ``has lent a hand to Turkey.``
``Although this road has been challenging, we found the strength and offered to the Turkish leadership to restore diplomatic ties and open up roads without pre-conditions so that we would discuss the issues we deem important afterwards,`` the Armenian leader maintained.
Armenians say Ottoman Turks killed 1.5 million people in 1915, a claim strenuously denied by the modern Turkish state.
Sarkisian said Armenia has held talks with Turkey and agreed two documents in a year`s time. ``But then, some political forces in Turkey attempted to put forth pre-conditions and to link forging diplomatic ties to the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict and Armenia-Azerbaijan relations.``
``We realize that Turkey is a big state, understand its role in the region and the world. But we are an independent state and cannot be talked to in the language of pre-conditions,`` Sarkisian added.
Turkey and Armenia do not have diplomatic relations due to Armenia`s occupation of the territories of Azerbaijan, Turkey`s ally, and Yerevan`s claims on the alleged World War I-era genocide. Signs of a warming in Turkish-Armenian relations appeared after the two countries` leaders attended a 2010 World Cup qualifying soccer match together in Yerevan in September 2008 when Abdullah Gul became the first Turkish president to visit Armenia. Further, Gul invited his Armenian counterpart to Turkey for a return game, due in Bursa on October 14. Also, the two governments agreed to a comprehensive ``roadmap`` this past April to normalize relations. However, Ankara has repeatedly made clear that it could fully normalize ties with Yerevan only after the Garabagh conflict is settled, i.e. after Armenian troops pull out of the occupied Azerbaijani territories.
Yerevan has recently asserted its claims. The Armenian president told a news conference after talks with his Serbian counterpart Boris Tadic that, if the border between Armenia and Turkey does not reopen or if no progress is achieved in this respect, there is no point in visiting the neighboring country in fall.
Meanwhile, pro-Armenian US Congressmen expressed concern over the lack of progress in the Turkey-Armenia normalization process. Frank Pallone, Mark Kirk, Adam Schiff and George Radanovich have sent a letter to President Barack Obama blaming Turkey for what they called posing roadblocks in the enforcement of the mentioned roadmap, Armenian media reported. They claimed that, though the Armenian leadership remains committed to mending bilateral ties based on this document without any pre-conditions, Turkey`s outright statements and actions display a contrary attitude. As an alleged example of this, the appeal cited Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan`s May 13 statement whereby he said Turkey will not open up its border with Armenia before the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territories ends.
The congressmen alleged further that Turkey had signed the roadmap to impede recognition of the alleged genocide of Armenians by the United States, but has no intent to abide by the document. Therefore, they called on President Obama not to link the normalization of Turkey-Armenia ties and the ``genocide`` recognition.
Sarkisian claimed that, despite historical differences between Ankara and Yerevan, namely, those on the alleged 1915 genocide in the Ottoman Empire, Armenia ``has lent a hand to Turkey.``
``Although this road has been challenging, we found the strength and offered to the Turkish leadership to restore diplomatic ties and open up roads without pre-conditions so that we would discuss the issues we deem important afterwards,`` the Armenian leader maintained.
Armenians say Ottoman Turks killed 1.5 million people in 1915, a claim strenuously denied by the modern Turkish state.
Sarkisian said Armenia has held talks with Turkey and agreed two documents in a year`s time. ``But then, some political forces in Turkey attempted to put forth pre-conditions and to link forging diplomatic ties to the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict and Armenia-Azerbaijan relations.``
``We realize that Turkey is a big state, understand its role in the region and the world. But we are an independent state and cannot be talked to in the language of pre-conditions,`` Sarkisian added.
Turkey and Armenia do not have diplomatic relations due to Armenia`s occupation of the territories of Azerbaijan, Turkey`s ally, and Yerevan`s claims on the alleged World War I-era genocide. Signs of a warming in Turkish-Armenian relations appeared after the two countries` leaders attended a 2010 World Cup qualifying soccer match together in Yerevan in September 2008 when Abdullah Gul became the first Turkish president to visit Armenia. Further, Gul invited his Armenian counterpart to Turkey for a return game, due in Bursa on October 14. Also, the two governments agreed to a comprehensive ``roadmap`` this past April to normalize relations. However, Ankara has repeatedly made clear that it could fully normalize ties with Yerevan only after the Garabagh conflict is settled, i.e. after Armenian troops pull out of the occupied Azerbaijani territories.
Yerevan has recently asserted its claims. The Armenian president told a news conference after talks with his Serbian counterpart Boris Tadic that, if the border between Armenia and Turkey does not reopen or if no progress is achieved in this respect, there is no point in visiting the neighboring country in fall.
Meanwhile, pro-Armenian US Congressmen expressed concern over the lack of progress in the Turkey-Armenia normalization process. Frank Pallone, Mark Kirk, Adam Schiff and George Radanovich have sent a letter to President Barack Obama blaming Turkey for what they called posing roadblocks in the enforcement of the mentioned roadmap, Armenian media reported. They claimed that, though the Armenian leadership remains committed to mending bilateral ties based on this document without any pre-conditions, Turkey`s outright statements and actions display a contrary attitude. As an alleged example of this, the appeal cited Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan`s May 13 statement whereby he said Turkey will not open up its border with Armenia before the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territories ends.
The congressmen alleged further that Turkey had signed the roadmap to impede recognition of the alleged genocide of Armenians by the United States, but has no intent to abide by the document. Therefore, they called on President Obama not to link the normalization of Turkey-Armenia ties and the ``genocide`` recognition.
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