From: CRRC-Armenia <crrcnews@crrc.am>
Subject: CRRC-Armenia/AIPRG Round table discussion on`Armenian-Turkish Relns

PRESS RELEASE
CRRC Armenia
Contact: Heghine Manasyan, CRRC-Armenia Director
Email: heghine@crrc.am
Tel: (+374 10) 58-13-30

Vahram Ghushchyan, AIPRG Yerevan office Research Director;
info@armpolicyresearch.org (+374 10) 52-87-23

December 9, 2006

CRRC-Armenia and AIPRG Round table discussion on`Armenian-Turkish
Relations: Challenges and Perspectives’

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.

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CRRC are a network of resource and training centers established in 2003, in
the capital cities of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia with the goal of
strengthening social science research and public policy analysis in the
South Caucasus. A partnership between the Carnegie Corporation of New York,
the Eurasia Foundation and local universities, the CRRC network offers
scholars and practitioners stable opportunities for integrated research,
training and collaboration in the region. For more information on CRRC
activities, and a complete list of our independent advisory committee
members, please contact:

CRRC Armenia: 52 Abovyan Street, 3rd Floor, Yerevan, Armenia 375025;
Tel/Fax: +374 (10) 58-13-30, 58-14-50; crrc@crrc.am;
To find out more about our activities in Georgia and Azerbaijan, please go
to

The Armenian International Policy Research Group (AIPRG) is a nonpartisan,
nonpolitical association that researches and encourages the discussion of
public policy issues in Armenia and the Diaspora. AIPRG aims to consolidate
the existing Armenia-related expertise by bringing together accomplished
researchers and practitioners who specialize in economics, political
science, law, and government affairs.

AIPRG: 50 Nalbandyan Str, Suite 16, Yerevan 0010, Armenia, Phone/Fax: (+374
10) 528 723; info@armpolicyresearch.org
To find out more about AIPRG, please go to