‘CHEATED’ BY THE WEST, TURKEY LOOKS TO ARMENIA – ANALYST

RIA Novosti
October 12, 2009
Moscow

MOSCOW, October 12 (RIA Novosti) – An important reason for Turkey’s
decision to sign a deal on restoring diplomatic ties with Armenia is
that it feels cheated by the West and wants to secure its economic
interests, a Russian analyst said on Monday.

Turkey and Armenia signed on Saturday historic accords on restoring
diplomatic relations and opening borders. The documents have yet to
be ratified by the country’s parliaments, and face fierce opposition
from nationalist parties in both countries.

Mikhail Aleksandrov, head of the Caucasus department at the Institute
of CIS Studies, said: "one important consideration for Turkey was
to advance economic ties with Armenia, because the West has deceived
Turkey."

"Turkey is not being let into the EU, the United States created
problems with Iraq, and problems have arisen with transit via
Georgia because Saakashvili started a war [with South Ossetia],
and the Caspian pipeline passes through Georgia."

"In other words, U.S. policy has jeopardized Turkey’s economic
interests," he said.

Aleksandrov said that because of these circumstances, Turkey proposed
a plan of regional integration with the participation of the three
Caucasus states, Russia and Turkey.

"However, it first has to normalize relations with Armenia. So as a
first step, Turkey has agreed to lift the blockade," he said.

On the issue of ratification, "the opposition is very strong, even
within the ruling parties, both in Turkey and Armenia."

The European Armenian Federation for Justice has spoken out against
the accords, which it says do not take into account issues such as
the Turkish genocide of Armenians, recognition of the borders between
Armenia and Turkey, and the Nagorny Karabakh conflict.

Turkey has demanded that that Yerevan drop its campaign to have the
mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in 1915 internationally
recognized as genocide.

Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in a show of support for
Azerbaijan, a predominantly Muslim, Turkic-speaking ally of Ankara,
following a bloody conflict over Nagorny Karabakh between the two
republics.

The region in Azerbaijan, which has a largely Armenian population,
has been a source of conflict between the former Soviet republics
since the late 1980s and is de facto independent. Azerbaijan strongly
opposes normalization of ties between Ankara and Yerevan before the
Nagorny Karabakh conflict is resolved.

Armenia and Turkey agreed to a "roadmap" to normalize their relations
under Swiss mediation this April. The draft pact between the countries
was backed by the United States and European Union.