LET ERDOGAN FORGET ABOUT THE OPENING OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH BORDER
Aravot
April 22 2009
Armenia
In an interview with Aravot, the Artsakh People’s Party representative
Vahram Atanesyan has said: "Let [Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip]
Erdogan forget about the opening of Armenian-Turkish border." He added
that in the Nagornyy Karabakh republic [NKR] people understand that
the OSCE has instigated the intrigue.
[Aravot] It has already been the fourth time in the past month that
the Turkish prime minister announced that it is not possible to
open the Armenian-Turkish border without the settlement of Karabakh
issue. Does this not raise concerns in the NKR?
[Atanesyan] The Turkish prime minister himself should forget about
the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border if its precondition is
his version of the settlement of the Karabakh issue.
[Aravot] Armenian political circles, particularly the radical
opposition, are concerned that the Armenian authorities want to resolve
the Karabakh issue at the expense of returning occupied territories
and opening of the Armenian-Turkish border. By the way, the ANC has
even expressed readiness to support the Karabakh people if they revolt.
[Atanesyan] In the Armenian foreign policy, the model of the resolution
of the NKR issue was shaped during the governing of the first Armenian
president. And they know very well that the international mediators
have never proposed any other version for the settlement of the NKR
issue. Those proposals of the international mediators have been in
circulation since 1993, when the first president was holding tough
and long-lasting negotiations in Stepanakert convincing the Karabakh
side to sign the schedule of pulling their troops out of Kalbacar
[one of seven Azerbaijani districts around Nagornyy Karabakh that
were captured by Armenians in 1993]. Why do they forget this? This is
the mediators’ methodology. It is another matter whether or not the
authorities go for those solutions. If Levon Ter-Petrosyan thinks that
the NKR people will ask for his support for this, then mildly speaking,
this is a misperception of the situation. The NKR people will not
seek support from Ter-Petrosyan because the NKR people know very well
the logical chain of the problem regulation that he presented in his
famous article: "War or Peace; moment of seriousness". So people’s
memory is not that short as they think.
[Aravot] But if at that time they were discussing the return of
three freed districts now it’s about all districts, including the
Lacin corridor. It turns out that currently a worse version is being
proposed.
[Atanesyan] I do not know how many districts were in discussion
under Levon Ter-Petrossyan. It was not publicized. The text of the
speech he made at the Security Council did not suggest whether he
spoke about one, two or more districts. Today also I cannot say
how many districts are under discussion. I want to stress that the
international mediators’ methodology of the settlement of this issue
is based on this principle, i.e. the sides will start negotiations on
the NKR’s ultimate status only after the armed forces will be brought
out of the territories adjacent to the NKR. It is not something new
for anybody. I am surprised that someone, be he from the present
radical or non-radical opposition, is pretending as if nothing of the
kind happened before, that this is raised for the first time and that
the Armenian authorities welcome that. No, this does not correspond
to reality. To tell that the authorities are heading towards this
kind of settlement and if the people of the NKR ask the opposition
for support, they will… If the opposition is aware of the fact, if
the opposition is interested in the protection of the NKR people’s
interests then they have to protect them without signals. We do
understand the intrigue. You want to replace the authorities using
us, don’t you? It is not a serious attitude. We have never had a goal
of replacing the authorities or aggravating the political situation
in Armenia, even in 1997-1998. We have expressed our views and,
if necessary, we’ll reiterate it once again.
[Aravot] Can you confirm that in the NKR people trust the Armenian
authorities and do not have fears that the NKR will suffer from the
Armenian-Turkish flirt?
[Atanesyan] I can say unambiguously that the NKR people trust their
authorities. And my personal impression, as an analyst, is that the NKR
people’s interest will not suffer in the context of the normalisation
of Armenian-Turkish relations. The Armenian authorities will not go
for such concessions as is demanded by the Turkish side.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
