Azernews.Az

An Armenian opposition leader who is a vocal critic of the government has welcomed President Serzh Sarkisian’s efforts to mend ties with Turkey marred by decades of hostility.
Levon Ter-Petrosian, a former president, at a Wednesday meeting at the Armenian National Congress he chairs, voiced support of his bloc for all but one provision of the reconciliation agreement signed by Yerevan and Ankara last month, including those on recognizing present-day borders with the neighboring country. The Congress disagrees with the plans to research the alleged World War I-era genocide of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire through a joint commission of historians.
Turkey and Armenia signed protocols to establish diplomatic relations and reopen their borders on October 10. However, the documents require ratification in both countries’ parliaments to take effect, and Ankara has made clear it could fully normalize ties with Yerevan only after the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict has been settled.
Ter-Petrosian also said his bloc could recognize President Sarkisian’s legitimacy.
The opposition leader, who says the February 2008 presidential election was rigged, has, so far, been calling for canceling the election results and holding a new vote. Ter-Petrosian said in June that he would never hold dialog with the incumbent president.*