EXPERT: NORMALIZATION OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS TO HAVE POSITIVE IMPACT ON REGIONAL POLICY

ARKA
Sep 29, 2009

YEREVAN, September 29. /ARKA/. Normalization of Armenian-Turkish
relations will have a positive impact on the regional policy in
general, Armenian analyst Tigran Lazarian said.

It is impossible to implement regional programs while ignoring
or isolating any of the countries of the region, Lazarian told
journalists in Novosti international press center.

Today’s most important regional problems are Armenian-Turkish,
Armenian-Azerbaijani and Russian-Georgian relations, Lazarian said.

According to the analyst, the opinion of the international community
on the matter should also be taken into account.

In particular, the USA and the EU are expected to use certain levers
of power to keep Azerbaijan back in the process of normalization of
Armenian-Turkish relations. Azerbaijan may create certain tense in
the process, Lazarian said.

On August 31, Armenia and Turkey reached an agreement in Swiss-mediated
talks to start internal political consultations over two protocols –
the protocol about establishing diplomatic relations between the two
countries and the protocol about developing bilateral relations. The
consultations are expected to be completed within six weeks; then
the protocols are to be signed and submitted for parliaments’ approval.

No diplomatic relations exist between Armenia and Turkey, and the
Armenian-Turkish border has been c losed since 1993 initiated by
official Ankara.

The reason for complicated relations between the countries is
particularly Turkey’s pro-Azerbaijani stance on the Karabakh conflict
and acute response to the process of international acknowledgement
of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Empire in 1915.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress