STATEMENT IS ONE OF THE MOST SERIOUS MISTAKES

LRAGIR.AM
17:44:53 – 23/04/2009

Armenian Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS)
Director Richard Giragosian issued a statement today commenting on
the recent joint declaration issued on 22 April by the Ministries of
Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Turkey
and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.

Only two days before the April 24th anniversary of the Armenian
genocide, a trilateral statement was issued by the Armenian, Turkish
and Swiss governments declaring that "Turkey and Armenia, together
with Switzerland as mediator, have been working intensively with a
view to normalizing their bilateral relations and developing them
in a spirit of good-neighborliness, and mutual respect, and thus to
promoting peace, security and stability in the whole region."

The statement went on to note that "the two parties have achieved
tangible progress and mutual understanding in this process and they
have agreed on a comprehensive framework for the normalization of
their bilateral relations in a mutually satisfactory manner. In this
context, a road-map has been identified."

Concluding by stating that "this agreed basis provides a positive
prospect for the on-going process," the joint statement represents one
of the most serious strategic blunders by the Armenian government to
date. Although this brief 95-word statement may accurately reflect
an opportunity for a genuinely historic breakthrough in relations
between Armenia and Turkey, the message of its text and the timing
of its release raise important concerns.

Most clearly, by issuing such a joint statement just prior to
the annual commemoration of the Armenian genocide, the Republic of
Armenia has only bolstered, and seemingly endorsed, Turkish attempts
to pressure US President Barack Obama from fulfilling his campaign
promises to recognize the Armenian genocide in his traditional April
24th statement.

Moreover, by agreeing to not only issue a joint statement that
clearly conforms to Turkish attempts to distort and deny the historical
veracity of the Armenian genocide, but to also release such a statement
just two days prior to the traditional April 24th anniversary,
the Armenian government has demonstrated an appalling degree of
short-sightedness and irresponsibility. Such a strategic error raises
further questions over the sophistication, sincerity and seriousness
of Armenian leadership, particularly at such a vulnerable point in
Armenian history when the security and status of Nagorno-Karabagh
remain unresolved and the future course of democratic and economic
reform in Armenia remains in doubt.

Within a broader context, this strategic error by the Armenian
authorities is considerably more than simply a deficiency in foreign
policy, but suggests a truly tragic, and possibly irrevocable step,
whereby the Armenian government has not only sacrificed the integrity
of the state, but has abdicated its responsibility to both the passing
generation of genocide survivors and the present generation of their
ancestors. Such a disdainful disregard for the historical legacy of
the Armenian genocide has been an all too common characteristic of the
Republic of Turkey, but for the Republic of Armenia, such irresponsible
collaboration deserves only intense condemnation. It is truly a tragic
start to the annual commemoration of the Armenian genocide.