ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES’ FOOTBALL DIPLOMACY IS DANGEROUS TO THEMSELVES

PanArmenian
April 14 2009
Armenia

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian authorities make rough foreign policy
mistakes, especially in Armenian-Turkish relations’ normalization
process, Ararat Strategic Center Manager, Armen Ayvazyan told at the
conference entitled "Armenian-Turkish conflict: Current issues".

"Official Yerevan doesn’t perceive Turkey as a hostile country aiming
to destroy Armenia. We repeatedly warned RA authorities about football
diplomacy’s dangers to Armenia, yet received no proper attention,"
said the Armenian expert, adding that it was time RA Government
reckoned with the opinions of Armenian intelligence representatives.

Armen Ayvazyan stressed that official Yerevan has to reconsider its
position toward Ankara, which continues to set preconditions.

"Armenian authorities conceal the details of their negotiations
with Turkey. It’s most distressing that our only chance to learn
negotiation particulars is through Turkish and European media only,"
the expert said.

According to him, immediate normalization of Turkish-Armenian ties
does not seem feasible today and any attempts at doing so could
harm Armenia.