VAHAN HOVHANISYAN: "THIS IS CALLED SURRENDER"

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12:41:49 – 03/09/2009

In the evening of September 2, the rally of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun
took place on the square Aznavour in Yerevan dedicated to the 18th
anniversary of Karabakh independence and was held under the slogan
"Yes to Karabakh independence and no to Turkey’s preconditions". The
head of the ARF faction Vahan Hovhannisyan addressed the meeting.

He recalled that Turkey originally imposed three main preconditions
for establishing relations with Armenia – renounce from demands on
the Genocide recognition, recognition of the territorial integrity of
borders in accordance with the agreement signed through the Bolshevik
conspiracy in 1920 and the third condition – concessions in the
Karabakh issue.

Vahan Hovhannisyan noted that due to confidentiality of
negotiations started years ago the Armenian side managed to defend
its interests. With the advent of the new president and foreign
minister, the situation changed. ARF evaluates the desire of the
current government to achieve quick results in the Armenian-Turkish
relations through public talks as catastrophic carelessness, says
Vahan Hovhannisyan. As evidence, he cited the pluses and minuses of
the "football diplomacy".

Among the losses, Vahan Hovhannisyan mentioned that the process of
recognition of the Genocide has been frozen. Many regret for having
admitted this fact. Second, the prestige of Turkey increased in the
international sphere as a loyal state. Turkey became a member of
the UN Security Council, expanded ties with Russia and now mediates
in the Syrian-Iraqi relations. The chances of Turkey to join the EU
also increased.

What did Armenia get? The U.S. president Obama did not say in his
speech on April 24 the word "Genocide", the U.S. Court of Appeals
overturned the decision on compensation to descendants of victims
of genocide, in politics, Russia increasingly shows a tendency to
disregard the interests of Armenia (Russia has forgotten that Turkey
is a NATO member, while Armenia is its "strategic partner"). The
alienation of the Diaspora keeps deepening. No coincidence that
at this very moment, Georgia again decided to take a part of the
northern border areas with Armenia. For the first time, Turkish
diplomats permitted themselves to insult the president of Armenia,
advising him to fly to Turkey by plane.

Vahan Hovhannisyan thinks that the current protocols have been adopted
not only for Serge Sargsyan not to refuse to leave for Turkey. Do not
forget that the resolution on recognition of the Genocide is in the
U.S. Congress until now, recalled Hovhannisyan. And in order to prevent
its adoption the protocols have been released. He does not understand
why Armenia for the second time played against its own interests.

Vahan Hovhannisyan considers dangerous the provision present
in the protocols on the recognition of territorial integrity and
inviolability of borders. Vahan Hovhannisyan wonders if the point is
not about the treaty signed by Lenin and Ataturk. Armenians did not
sign the treaties of Kars and Moscow, in contrast to that of Sevres
which the Turks do not want to mention. We are proposed to recognize
the borders within the Kars agreement, putting an end to our national
rights, said Hovhannisyan. And so Turkey will solve the first of its
preconditions. The establishment of diplomatic relations does not
necessarily suppose for mutual recognition of borders, he says.

As to the point on the establishment of a subcommittee on historical
issues, Vahan Hovhannisyan thinks that the events in 1915 may
indirectly become the subject of its discussion. This is a retreat from
the struggle of many generations of Armenians demanding justice. This
is called surrender. Thus, we will eject ourselves to the dustbin of
history, said Vahan Hovhannisyan. The issue of genocide must not be
turned into a matter of academic debate. This was the second condition
of Turkey.

Regarding the third condition – concessions in the Karabakh conflict,
although this issue is not mentioned in the document itself, however
in the past 14 months, the Turkish politicians have repeatedly
assured that the border will not be open until the Karabakh issue is
not settled. So we will either be forced to make concessions or the
border will not open, says Vahan Hovhannisyan.

Vahan Hovhannisyan reminded that apart from governmental commitments,
the leaders of the country have also national obligations.