About Armenian-Turkish normalization and the Karabakh settlement.

**

* Serzh Sargsyan

On an official visit to Syria President of the Republic of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, gave an interview to the Syrian Al-Watan newspaper. The President spoke about the Armenian-Syrian relations, the process of Armenian-Turkish normalization and the Karabakh settlement.
Serge-Sarkissian42_maxi

Asked what influence the passage of the Armenian Genocide bill by the US Congress could have on the process of normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations, President Sargsyan said: “The bill considered at the US Congress is an internal affair of that country, which we do not interfere with.

We did not make the recognition of the Armenian Genocide a precondition for the establishment of Armenian Turkish relations, since we stand for improvement of relations with Turkey without any preconditions. I do not think the attempts to tie the process to the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by other countries are correct. One thing is obvious to me – the longer it takes to normalize our relations, the more countries will adopt such resolutions.”

* Arman Kirakosyan


Armand-Guiragossian3_medium
Asked to comment on Turkish Prime Minister's statement that he had declared about the forced deportation of Armenians to call the attention of the international community to the illegal Armenian migrants in Turkey, Armenia's Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Kirakosyan said:

“Speaking about Armenians, who have left for Turkey, Mr. Erdogan forgets about the millions of Turkish migrants who make their living in different countries of the world.

It's a pity that on the eve of the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by Ottoman Turkey the authorities of the contemporary Republic of Turkey continue being guided by the value system of the Ottoman Empire, not Europe, when speaking about the forced deportation of Armenians."

* Aratk Davtyan


Aratk-Davtian_medium
“Good fences make good neighbors,” Aratk Davtyan said, quoting American poet Robert Forst.

The process of ratification of the Armenian-Turkish relations cannot be considered failed, Republican MP Artak Davtyan told a press conference today. According to him, the probability of ratification of the protocols is higher than the opposite scenario. The MP considers that Armenia is one step ahead of Turkey. Therefore, the international community's expectations from Turkey are greater.

“The international community and the power centers of the world send clear messages to Turkey, making it clear that there can be no democratic Turkey and no integration with the European Union without establishment of normal relations,” he said.

Artak Davtyan found it hard to predict how President Serzh Sargsyan's expected visit to he US in mid-April will affect the Karabakh settlement or the process of Armenian-Turkish normalization.

* Artsvik Minasyan


Artsvik-Minassian2_medium
Unlike the previous years, the existence of the Armenian-Turkish protocols creates new obstacles for putting the Armenian Genocide Resolution (H. Res. 252) on the agenda of the plenary session of the Congress, member of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun Artsvik Minasyan told a press conference today.

Although the MP says the bill will hardly be put on the agenda of the plenary session, he adds that “everything depends on how the US policy in the region, especially Turkey, will change.”

Artsvik Minasyan said “Armenia's initiatory policy has completely failed, and it has caused harm to both Armenia's international image and the opportunities of inner unity."

According to Artsvik Minasyan, the famous statement by the Turkish Prime Minister evidences that that country's attitude towards Armenia has not changed. This was a surprise for the mediators, as well, and the MP considers that one of the main tasks of the Armenian diplomacy is to draw the attention of the mediator countries to the fact that Turkey's attitude towards ethnic Armenians has not changed.

“We have to withdraw from the process as soon as possible. Turkey and its authorities have provided us with this opportunity,” Artsvik Minasyan says, adding that the protocols counter the national interests of Armenia.

“These protocols and this process have already caused a lot of damage. The unity of world-spread Armenians is endangered today,” the MP said.

Public Radio of Armenia