MEMBER OF PAN-ARMENIAN NATIONAL MOVEMENT [PANM] BOARD: TURKEY’S PRE-CONDITIONS ARE HIDDEN IN THE ROAD-MAP
ArmInfo
2009-04-23 13:35:00
ArmInfo. Turkey’s pre-conditions are hidden and presented in
the road-map, member of PANM board Hovanes Igityan told ArmInfo
correspondent when commenting on the road-map defined by foreign
ministries of Armenia and Turkey.
‘I am sure that extension of the Armenian-Turkish disagreements by
the package way is impossible. It is possible only stage by stage
and demands certain time. If to consider about the information in
mass media, the road-map is not a contact but a protocol of future
actions of the two states. For this reason I think its achievement
is more beneficial for Turkey than Armenia’, – he said.
Igityan thinks anyway an intention protocol should be singed before
opening of the Armenian-Turkish border and steps to establish
diplomatic relations should be made, as unblocking of the border
is practically impossible without establishment of the diplomatic
relations.
‘Turkey is the first interested in the Armenian-Turkish relations
in the two aspects. The first is in Turkey’s aspiration to make
Armenia recognize its territorial integrity. The second aspect is
regarding the negotiating process itself. Turkey is trying to hold
the negotiating process with Armenia independently, and makes the
whole world understand it’, – he said.
‘But Erdogan’s recent statement, in which he connects the Karabakh
conflict with the border opening problem, was more an ultimatum than
a diplomatic language’, – Igityan concluded.
US Department of State welcomed Armenia’s and Turkey’s statement about
normalization of the bilateral relations without pre-conditions and
within the frames of reasonable period of time.
Turkey is known to make three preconditions for establishment of
bilateral relations with Armenia: Armenia’s refusal from the policy
towards international recognition of Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman
Empire; settlement of Karabakh conflict in favor of Azerbaijan;
ratification of the Kars Treaty.