ARMENIAN-TURKISH PROTOCOLS RESULT OF PRESSURE, FORMER FM STATES

News.am
02:18 / 10/01/2009

"It is natural that the West, as well as the international community,
should be happy to see Armenian-Turkish relations normalized. This
meets their interests – both for regional reasons and in that they will
thus throw the burden of the Armenia Genocide off their shoulders,"
stated the former Armenian foreign minister Vartan Oskanian.

"However, we must be guided by our interests. Armenia has until now
been resisting the pressure and, I think, must do so in future, as
the document on the table run counter to our interests. This is the
result of pressure or miscalculations," Oskanian said.

According to him, "to make a momentous decision, which will
prove crucial for our people, our authorities need the support of
overwhelming majority of our citizens." "By the highest standards,
it will predetermine Armenia’s future role ands place in the region
and have impact on the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. Under the
circumstances, with no support on the part of the majority of people,
I cannot imagine the signing of such a document. The majority of the
Armenian people are obviously against the protocols," Oskanian said.