TURKISH HISTORIAN: COMING TO AN AGREEMENT IS NO EASY TASK

ArmInfo
2009-09-16 13:31:00

ArmInfo. Coming to an agreement is no easy task, Turkish historian,
sociologist and publicist Taner Akcam told ArmInfo when commenting
on the agreements initialed by the Armenian and Turkish Foreign
Ministries, which envisage signing of two protocols on establishment
of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

"I have no doubt about the trustworthiness of the agreement. If two
states engage in certain bilateral agreements, of course, they mean it;
if they don’t want to implement the plan that they have announced,
they will make themselves look ridiculous. So, I don’t think that
"trustworthiness" is the important issue here", he said.

The historian thinks that the main problem is whether or not both
governments possess the courage and political will to overcome
the obstacles to this agreement. "Given the number of domestic and
international stakeholders with conflicting interests in the process,
coming to an agreement is no easy task", Akcam resumed.

Armenia and Turkey have agreed to start internal political
consultations around the "Protocol on Establishment of Diplomatic
Relations Between the Two Countries" and the "Protocol on Development
of Bilateral Relations" signed during the negotiations under the Swiss
mediation. It is scheduled to complete the political consultations
during six weeks, after which the two protocols will be signed and
submitted to the two countries’ parliaments for approval.