WE HOPE THAT VERY SOON TURKEY WILL OPEN BORDER WITH ARMENIA: ARMENIA’S FM

YEREVAN, JANUARY 27. ARMINFO. In an interview to Zaman Armenia’s FM
Vardan Oskanyan said that there is no reference to territories or
compensation on the Armenian foreign policy agenda.

Our foreign policy goal is international recognition of the Armenian
Genocide, together with recognition by Turkey. What happened in 1915
is quite obviously Genocide. Turks have differing opinions about
that. Let’s let people openly discuss this issue. We are democratic
societies. There is no need to become concerned that Armenia is trying
to place this issue on other countries’ agendas. Turks, too, can lobby
in different countries, work with them. However, Armenia absolutely
does not view this as a precondition for the improvement of relations
with Turkey. We have never said that Turkey first acknowledges the
Genocide. We could have resolved the matter through dialogue, had
there been diplomatic relations between the two countries. How are we
to resolve this issue? Since we’re not able to resolve it at the
governmental level, then there are efforts to seek solutions at other
levels, through other channels.

Asked if Turkey’s entry into the EU will facilitate this claim
Oskanyan said that today, there are two important problems between
Armenia and Turkey: opening the border, and Genocide. For the
improvement of relations, Genocide recognition is not a precondition
but open borders automatically are. No one can insist that there can
be normal relations between two countries if the border between them
is closed. However, even without Genocide recognition, it is possible
to normalize relations. The Genocide is a moral, broader issue. The
EU, too, would like for Turkey to recognize the Genocide at some stage
in the process. We hope that these matters will be included in the
agenda for negotiations between Turkey and the EU to begin later this
year. But on the border issue, we can’t wait 10-15 years or longer,
for Turkey to be accepted into the EU, for there to be some positive
movement. We hope that very soon, Turkey will open the border.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress