ACCORDING TO ARFD BUREAU, ARMENIA AND TURKEY SHOULD EXERT EFFORTS TO NORMALIZE INTERRELATIONS
Noyan Tapan
Se p 10, 2008
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 10, NOYAN TAPAN. The complicated geopolitical
situation formed in the region and Armenian-Turkish relations were
the main issues on the agenda of the special plenary sitting of ARFD
Bureau held on September 9-10 in Yerevan.
According to the report of the ARFD Press Service, discussing in
detail the domestic and foreign challenges of Armenia, "the ARFD
Bureau plenary sitting considered it necessary to present to the
public ARFD’s several positions of principle especially in the sphere
of Armenian-Turkish interstate relations:
a. Armenia and Turkey as neighboring states should exert efforts
to normalize their relations. However, Dashnaktsutiun is convinced
that good-neighborly relations can be established only by Turkey’s
recognizing the Armenian Genocide and restoration of Armenian people’s
rights. Lifting of the blockade and establishment of diplomatic
relations without preconditions can be only the first steps on
this way.
b. the initiative of the President of the Republic of Armenia, meetings
of the Presidents and Foreign Ministers following it should be followed
by certain positive steps by Turkey. ARFD will actively pursue official
meetings’ not remaining as purely agitation possibilities for Turkey.
c. normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations at the expense of
sovereign existence of our state capable of living and at the expense
of national-state rights of generations is absolutely inadmissible
for ARFD.
d. Turkey can pretend to regional initiatives if it changes radically
its "anti-Armenian policy." The latter should not be a side in
the Nagorno Karabakh problem, should not speak in the language of
preconditions with Armenia and should give up the policy of deepening
dividing lines in the South Caucasus, policy of blockade and isolation.
e. from 1998 Armenia has been carrying on foreign policy on the basis
of national-state ideology, one of the strategic directions of which
is universal recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide,
especially by Turkey. Armenia considers it not only in the context of
restoration of historic justice, but also in the context of improving
atmosphere of mutual confidence in the region and prevention of such
crimes in the future."
It was mentioned that ARFD has always considered provision of
permanence of this course as one of the main priorities of its
activity.