RUBEN SAFRASTIAN DOES NOT RULE OUT THAT PRESIDENTS OF ARMENIA AND TURKEY WILL DISCUSS IDEA OF "SOUTH-CAUCASIAN PLATFORM"
Noyan Tapan
Au g 26, 2008
YEREVAN, AUGUST 26, NOYAN TAPAN. It is not ruled out that in case
of the Turkish president’s visit to Yerevan, in addition to issues
related to Armenian-Turkish relations, he will discuss with his
Armenian counterpart the Turkish side’s initiative of creating a
"South-Caucasian platform", director of the Institute of Oriental
Studies of the RA National Academy of Sciences Ruben Safrastian told
NT correspondent.
In his words, the idea of creating a "South-Caucasian platform"
that envisages developing the regional cooperation in the format
of Russia, Turkey and the three South Caucasian countries is part
of Turkey’s policy in the Caucasus. In particular, Turkey pursues
its geopolitical goals and tries, through realization of this idea,
to strengthen its influence in the South Caucasus and to distance
itself from the policy of the West, including the U.S, in this region
and play an independent role.
In the opinion of R. Safrastian, taking into account the visits of
Turkish leaders to Moscow and Baku, this initiative has undergone
development recently. At the same time, he expressed a doubt that
Russia may agree that the initiatives of Turkish displomacy should
be put into practice as Russia is not interested in the strengthening
of Turkey’s positions in the Caucasus.
To recap, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has invited his Turkish
counterpart Abdullah Gul to a qualifying match between the national
football teams of Armenia and Turkey which will be held in Yerevan
on September 6. So far Ankara has not given an official answer to
this invitation.
The Armenian-Turkish land border has been closed by Ankara since 1993.
Turkey’s precondition for opening the border is considerable progress
in the resolution of the Karabakh conflict, as well as Armenia’s
renunciation of its demand to recognize the 1915 events in the Ottoman
Empire as genocide.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress