SARKSYAN HOPEFUL ON TURKISH-ARMENIAN RAPPROCHEMENT

Today’s Zaman
Sept 22 2009
Turkey

Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan, while speaking Sunday to Russian
state television Vesti on Armenian foreign policy challenges, said
he is hopeful about the process to normalize relations with Turkey.

"We agreed to the process without conditions, and we want to pursue
normalization," Sarksyan said. Turkey closed its border with Armenia
in protest of Armenia’s occupation of Azerbaijani territories in
1993. The two countries have not had any diplomatic relations since.

Addressing concerns that Armenia is slowly drifting away from Russia,
Sarksyan emphasized that Russia is content with Turkish-Armenian
rapprochement, also pointing to Russia’s partnership with Turkey and
Azerbaijan. Russia’s trade with Armenia was interrupted by a brief
war in August 2008 between Russia and Georgia, one of Armenia’s only
corridors to the outside world, Sarksyan said, adding: "We’ve even used
up all the oil we had. We want to build a railway connecting Armenia
to Iran. Russia is not helping us with that. How are we supposed to
live like this?"

In addition, Sarksyan made a statement on Sunday while speaking to
the Moscow-based Moskovskiy Komsomolets paper regarding peace in
Nagorno-Karabakh. Sarksyan said they have three prerequisites for
a solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh problem, a territorial dispute
between Azerbaijan and Armenia that has lasted for two decades.

Predicting that Armenia will eventually reach an amicable
agreement with Azerbaijan, Sarksyan enumerated the prerequisites
for peace. "First, Nagorno-Karabakh will never be returned to
Azerbaijan. Second, the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh will be
politically recognized. Third, Nagorno-Karabakh should have a safe
link with mainland Armenia," Sarksyan said.

President Sarksyan said Armenia will never stand down unilaterally. "We
never think of returning Nagorno-Karabakh. Nagorno-Karabakh is
independent and will stay as such," he said. Sarksyan said the
Armenian-occupied territories adjacent to Nagorno-Karabakh are a
buffer zone to ensure the security of the enclave.

Turkey and Armenia are expected to sign two protocols on establishing
diplomatic relations and normalizing the ties between the two
countries on Oct. 13 following a six-week process of internal political
consultations in both countries.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress