Russia & CIS Military Newswire
October 11, 2007 Thursday 3:31 PM MSK

Russia could mediate between Armenia, Turkey – Armenian expert

Russia could mediate in the normalization of Armenian-Turkish
relations, Ruben Safrastian, the director of the Oriental Studies
Institute at the Armenian National Academy of Sciences, said.

"Russia’s interest in Armenia, as a regional ally, as well as the
deep roots of Russian-Armenian relations create a favorable
atmosphere for Russian diplomats to more actively mediate in the
normalization and establishment of Armenian-Turkish relations,"
Safrastian told Interfax.

Direct dialogue between Armenia and Turkey is next to impossible, and
Russia could try to mediate a normalization in relations, the expert
said.

"Russia and Turkey approach each other primarily as economic partner,
and partially politically. The two countries, however, have remained
rivals from the geopolitical viewpoint," Safrastian said at a round
table entitled ‘Russia and Armenia: Influence of Domestic Policies on
Bilateral Relations in the Light of Regional Changes.’

Armenia and Turkey have yet to established diplomatic relations.

The 1915 events in the Ottoman Empire, which Armenia describes as
genocide, is still a thorn in relations. A number of countries have
characterized the slaughter of over 1.5 million Armenians in the
Ottoman Empire as genocide. Armenia wants Turkey to acknowledge this
as well.