SERGEY SHAKARYANTS: ARMENIA-TURKEY HONEYMOON IS OVER
Gita Elibekyan

"Radiolur"
16.04.2009 17:22

The only precondition Turkey sets for the opening of the border is
the Karabakh issue, political scientist Sergey Shakaryants told a
press conference today. At the same time, he added that Turkey was
not at all interested in the Genocide issue. "It seems they have got
guarantees on the issue," he said.

Political scientist Stepan Grigoryan adheres to the opposite opinion.

According to him, Turkey has now changed its tough position on Nagorno
Karabakh. "Five years ago Turkey was clearly saying that the border
issue would be discussed only in case Armenia withdrew from the seven
regions, while today it asks for one thing, namely some progress on
the Karabakh issue," he said.

Sergey Shakaryan considers that Turkey continues insisting on
the Karabakh settlement as a precondition for the opening of the
border. "The Armenian sides should definitely lose and accept their
capitulation on the Artsakh issue. This is what Turkey demands," he
said. However, Armenia will not agree to this condition, Shakaryants
said, noting that it became clear after President Sargsyan’s speech
in Iran that Armenia has rejected the proposal, which means that the
"Armenian-Turkish honeymoon is over."