Times of Oman, Sultanate of Oman
Oct 11 2009

Armenia facing great risks from Turkey deal

YEREVAN: Armenia is facing "great risksâEUR after Yerevan and Ankara
on Saturday signed pacts to establish diplomatic ties following
decades of hostility, a leading critic of the deal said.

"With the signing of these protocols we have entered a period of great
risks and big uncertainty," Stepan Safarian, a leading member of the
opposition Heritage party, told AFP.

Opponents of the deal have accused the government of making
concessions to Turkey, in particular by allowing for the creation of a
commission to study the two country s historical grievances.

Critics say the creation of such a commission calls into question
Armenians claims to have been victims of genocide under Ottoman Turks.
Ankara strongly rejects the genocide claim.

Opponents have also warned that Turkey may use the normalization
process to push Yerevan to make concessions in its longstanding
conflict with Turkish ally Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorny
Karabakh region.

Up to 10,000 people took to the streets of the Armenian capital
Yerevan on Friday to protest the deal and analysts say more protests
are to be expected. Safarian said last-minute disagreements that
delayed the signing of the deal pointed to the dangers ahead.

"We have already had the first crisis during the normalisation of
Armenian-Turkish relations and we expect similar crises ahead,âEUR he
said.

He blamed Turkey for the delay, which was caused by an apparent
dispute over statements the two sides were to make afterward, causing
them to be scrapped. US State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told
reporters that the ceremony was delayed after "a last minute hitch"
with the Armenians.

"The Turkish side has broken its agreements," Safarian said, though he
had no details of the dispute.

Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian and his Turkish
counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu signed the two protocols in a ceremony in
the Swiss city of Zurich.

The deals to establish diplomatic ties and regular dialogue, as well
as open the two countries common border, still have to clear the
hurdle of parliamentary ratification in each country before they can
take effect.

Despite some vocal domestic opposition, Armenia s ruling coalition has
backed the protocols, making their approval in parliament almost a
guarantee.