CRRC-ARMENIA AND AIPRG ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION ON ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS: CHALLENGES AND PERSPECTIVES

AZG Armenian Daily
13/12/2006

On Saturday, December 9, 2006, the Caucasus Research Resource Centers
– Armenia (CRRC-Armenia), in cooperation with the Yerevan office of
the Armenian International Policy Research Group (AIPRG), organized
a roundtable discussion on "Armenian-Turkish Relations: Challenges
and Perspectives", which was moderated by political analyst Richard
Giragosian. The round table was initiated by an independent Turkish
think-tank TESEV (Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation)
that is implementing a project entitled, "The Normalization of
Turkish-Armenian Relations".

This TESEV project seeks to address the problems between the two
countries and to come up with policy proposals for decision makers on
both sides, with an overall objective of proving that the normalization
of relations constitutes a win-win situation.

The event was held at CRRC-Armenia premises and attended by a
number of participants (27), including representatives from leading
Armenian academic, scientific and public institutions, NGOs, and some
journalists. Opening the meeting, Heghine Manasyan, CRRC-Armenia
director and AIPRG fellow, presented a brief overview of the CRRC
and AIPRG, explaining their activities and upcoming events. In
particular, she cited the CRRC Data Initiative and Training programs
and the AIPRG’s ongoing research on the possible consequences of
the Armenian-Turkish border opening, including a subsequent AIPRG
conference on the issue to be held in Yerevan in January 2007.

Following the opening of the meeting, Mr. Mensur Akgun, TESEV
Foreign Policy Program Director, and Mr. Richard Giragosian,
international analyst and AIPRG Fellow, introduced the framework
of issues of Armenian-Turkish relations that were to be discussed
during the meeting. The meeting focused on three specific areas of
Armenian-Turkish relations, beginning with the key question of what
should be understood from "the normalization of relations?"

Second, the meeting then addressed several "problem areas"
in Turkish-Armenian relations, including the border, and its
recognition, the economic consequences of its closure, and the possible
outcomes of reopening the border for both sides; the effects of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on bilateral and multilateral relations;
the current situation in the region; the latest developments in
negotiations over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict; and the effects of
the Armenian genocide issue on Armenian-Turkish relations, looking
at both mutual perceptions and the Diaspora factor.

The third issue addressed in the meeting was an analysis of Armenia’s
Euro-Atlantic integration process and its possible effects on bilateral
relations and regional stability (Armenian policy regarding NATO,
Armenia’s place in ENP). Much of the focus on these broader issues
also included an interesting look at the scale of change within Turkey
as well.

The discussion was held in a friendly and professional atmosphere
and raised substantial interest among the participants and sparked
a number of questions, observations and suggestions, including the
fact that Turkish policy toward Armenia had largely become "hostage"
to Azerbaijan, with Turkish foreign policy options for its possible
"normalized" relationship with Armenia having become subject to
considerations of Turkey’s relations with Azerbaijan in general,
and over the Nagorno-Karabakh issue in particular. The discussion
also emphasized the importance of dialogue and exchange between
independent experts from both Armenia and Turkey and the need for
future collaboration, and studies on possible scenarios for the future
course of Armenia-Turkey relations within a broader perspective of
the next 15-20 years.

The Turkish participants noted that the economic and commercial
opportunities may present the most feasible start to a "normalization"
of relations, with the economic incentives serving as dynamic catalysts
for beginning a fresh approach to the complexities of Armenian-Turkish
relations.

While the meeting was an important step forward in terms of a
deepening of dialogue and exchange, the participants agreed that it
was merely a first step toward an effort to break down misperceptions
and misunderstandings on both sides of the issue. And perhaps most
notably, while the Turkish participants never questioned the historical
legitimacy of the Armenian genocide issue, there was a stress on the
need to focus on educating and engaging Turkish society on the issue,
rather than continuing with an international diplomatic recognition
effort alone.

The meeting, one of several scheduled during the Turkish group’s visit
to Yerevan, offers a sense of hopeful enthusiasm that the level of
engagement can continue, to both overcome the intransigence of some
Turkish officials and to exploit the Armenian government’s positive
offer of establishing relations with no preconditions.