GIRO MANOYAN: INDEED ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES WANT TO CONVINCE PEOPLE AND NOT TO DISCUSS ARMENIAN-TURKISH PROTOCOLS

Noyan Tapan
Sep 17, 2009

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 17, NOYAN TAPAN. Giro Manoyan, the Director of the
International Secretariate (Central Hai Dat Office) of ARFD Bureau in
Yerevan considers that indeed the discussions of the Armenian-Turkish
protocols are not discussions, the RA authorities just want to "inform,
to convince the people."

As he mentioned at a September 17 press conference, the goal of actions
carried out by ARFD is to draw people’s attention to weighty dangers
those documents and the process in general pose. "If society has a
possibility to get acquainted with problem’s essence and not only
to hear official agitation, it will really rise and not permit the
authorities to sign these protocols," he said.

According to G. Manoyan, notification activities should be also
carried out in the Diaspora. "In the Diaspora the general approach is
that these protocols are against Armenia’s interests. And even the
organizations that at first were to some extent disposed positively
have already made their position harsh," G. Manoyan said.

In his affirmation, with those documents, as well as with the current
process of normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations Armenia in fact
meets all three preconditions Turkey has put forward since 1991. They
are: not demanding territories from Turkey, renouncing the process
of international recognition of Armenian Genocide, and the Nagorno
Karabakh problem.

According to him, bright evidence of the latter is that Turkey has been
declaring up to the present that no relations will be established with
Armenia and the border will not be opened until the Nagorno Karabakh
problem is settled.

Besides, according to G. Manoyan, ARFD is against ratification of
the protocols by the parliament. "The executive power should assume
responsibility. Such a document on establishment of diplomatic
relations should not be compulsorily ratified by the parliament,"
he said.