AZG Armenian Daily #187, 13/10/2007
Armenia-Turkey
WHO VIOLATES THE AGREEMENT OF KARS
October 13, 1921 was signed the Agreement of Kars, which still remains
the only official agreement between Armenia and Turkey, regulating the
relationships between the two states. Ankara assures that Yerevan
refuses to recognize the agreement and has territorial demands of
Turkey. These theses are even put on the website of the Foreign
Ministry of Turkey, although they are not grounded by a single
statement of any Armenian statesman, refusing to recognize the
Agreement of Kars.
We venture upon stating that the so-called "question of the Kars
Agreement" is a far-fetched problem, invented by the Turkish
authorities in order to justify their own short-sighted
policy. Ankara’s statements that the Armenian do not accept the
demarcation with Turkey are also insensible. None of the officials of
Yerevan has ever spoken in public of altering the borders with Turkey.
Returning to the Kars Agreement itself, we may ask, can it be reckoned
an international agreement and does it have the power of an
international law. The agreement was signed in 1921, by Kemalist
Turkey and Soviet Armenia, two countries that had not been recognized
as sovereign subjects of international relations by any of the
European states. By the way, the Soviet Armenia was never recognized
by international structures until its downfall in early 90’s. Article
2 of the Kars Agreement says that the word "Turkey" was used in it to
describe the territories named in the "National Oath", adopted by the
Ottoman Parliament on January 28, 1920. This means only one thing, the
notion of Turkey as a state was so vague, that the Kemalists had to
add a special explanatory note to the document.
In any cases, the Agreement of Kars remains the only document signed
between the Armenian and Turkish authorities, and Turkey and its Ally
Azerbaijan were first to violate the terms of the document. According
to Article 5 of the Kars Agreement, an autonomous region was to be
established on the territory of Nakhijevan province. The Republic of
Azerbaijan violated the Agreement of Kars by abolishing the autonomy,
and Turkey, of course, feigns complete ignorance of the fact.
Moreover, the Agreement of Kars says nothing about Turkey’s right of
protectionism over Nakhijevan, while Turkey always interferes the
processes about Nakhijevan, referring to the debatable agreement. The
Moscow agreement, which lay in the background of the Agreement of
Kars, also says nothing of Turkey’s rights on Nakhijevan.
The Agreement of Kars also set the background for the bilateral
dimplomati crelations between Armenia and Turkey. Taking for basis
Article 17 of Kars Agreement, in June 1922 Armenia and Turkey signed a
convention on exploitation and regulation of the railroad connecting
the countries, which never came into power because of Turkey. Article
19, providing for establishment of consulates and diplomatic relations
between Armenia and Turkey, was also forgotten.
Turkey often refers to the Kars Agreement when speaking on the
Karabakh conflict, while Nagorno-Karabakh is not mentioned neither in
the Agreement of Kars nor the Agreement of Moscow.
Therefore, in answer to clamor about the Kars Agreement, raised from
time to time by the Turkish Government, Armenia must state that the
blockade of Armenia, refusal of establishing diplomatic relations and
demands for second ratification of the agreement goes contrary to
international law and violates the rights of the Republic of Armenia
and its citizens.
By Armen Manvelian, translated by A.M.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress