PETER SEMNEBY: "IT IS NOT CORRECT TO LINK TURKISH-ARMENIAN NORMALIZATION WITH NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT"

APA
Nov 2 2009
Azerbaijan

Baku. Victoria Dementyeva – APA. "There is no 100-percent of guarantee
for ratification of the Turkish-Armenian protocols of normalization,
but I am sure that it will be realized", EU Special Representative for
the South Caucasus Peter Semneby said in his interview with Russian
"Vremya Novostey" newspaper during his visit to Russia.

He said ratification of the protocols was meeting interests of both
countries. "It is vital issue for Armenia and meets the Turkish
interests as well. It is an example of Turkey’s new policy toward
its neighbors. Of course, it is important for Turkey to take the
Azerbaijan’s interests into consideration and to hear reaction of
Azerbaijanis to this issue. Turkish-Armenian normalization will
create new opportunities and positively impact on the security
problem in the region". Semneby noted that main protest against the
protocols arises not from the Armenian citizens, but from Armenian
Diaspora. "The Armenian leadership should take the citizens’ interests
into consideration and satisfy the Diaspora. I don’t expect public
outbreak in Armenia, but it is a serious problem for the Armenian
authorities because Diaspora plays important role in Armenia’s life
and it has not univocal attitude to the protocols".

Peter Semneby said it was not correct to link the Turkish-Armenian
normalization with the process of settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict. "These are two different conflicts and it doesn’t need
to link them with each other. Otherwise the doors opened for the
normalization of the relations can be closed again. It is clearly
seen that any considerable tension in one of these conflicts effect on
common atmosphere. It needs to make it that these processes positively
impact on each other".