ARMENIA LIKELY TO WEAKEN ITS RESISTANCE: EXPERT

Trend News
08.12.2009 17:52

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s statement on that
the normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations will depend on the
Armenia-Azerbaijan negotiations will weaken the Armenia’s resistance,
Turkish National Intelligence Committee former analyst Mahir Kaynak
told Trend News over the telephone.

Erdogan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, as well as several
other officials are in official visit to the U.S. During his visit,
Erdogan met with U.S. President Barack Obama. Resolution of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the future of the Ankara-Yerevan
protocols were one of the main topics discussed at the meeting Dec.7.

The PM said that the normalization of the Turkish-Armenian relations
will depend on the Armenia-Azerbaijan negotiations. The resolution
of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and liberation of seven Azerbaijani
regions will contribute to the rapprochement of Armenian-Turkish
relations, Erdogan said.

According to Kaynak, firmness and efforts of Turkey, as well as of
nations such as the United States and Russia, in settling of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict points to a change in the policies of each
state towards Armenia.

He said such development will sooner or later lead to the withdrawal
of the Armenian forces from all occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

Talking about that the U.S recognition of the "Armenian genocide"
as a result of pressure on the president by the Armenian lobby are
unfounded, the expert added.

"The U.S. does not want to lose such an important ally in the
Middle East, like Turkey for the sake of still unproven far-fetched"
genocide," Kaynak said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding the peace negotiations.