TURKEY WILL JUST NOT RATIFY

Lragir.am
16/12/09

Interview with the member of the HAK commission on foreign relations,
diplomat Vladimir Karapetyan

On these days, Serge Sargsyan stated that he had instructed relevant
bodies to work out amendments to those parts of our legislation which
regard the signing of international agreements, their ratification
and annulment. What do you think about this?

All this can be done without voicing. After all, it is an
inner-national issue and is regulated by the legislation. But the
fact that Serge Sargsyan voices this secondary action means that
he just needs to say something. From this point, we may conclude,
that this is the answer of the official Yerevan to the statement of
the Turkish prime minister in the U.S. that the Turkish parliament
has preconditions for the ratification of the protocols. In case the
Armenian society used to listen to the opposite from the Armenian
government for months running, the response of the Armenian leadership
had to be more adequate especially considering the fact that no
one doubts today that Turkey will just not ratify the protocols,
consequently, it will not open the borders in the nearest future.

If Armenia really annuls the protocols, what consequences can it have?

The current government will not make such a step. They and servant
politicians and scientists have always underscored that these
protocols are expedient for Armenia. But everyone understood that
the way chosen by Serge Sargsyan to normalize relations with Turkey
has already failed. The process is in deadlock.

Those protocols were signed in presence of representatives of
international community. In your opinion, how will the international
society accept the fact if the sides refuse ratifying the protocols?

One of the biggest mistakes of our diplomacy is that agreeing with
a regular precondition of the Turkish parliament on the ratification
Armenia enabled Turkey to ground the protraction saying that after the
signing of the protocols, Serge Sargsyan roughened his positions in the
Karabakh issue. They say "Imagine what Armenia will do if the protocols
are signed: Armenia will lose the motivation of settling the conflict
with Azerbaijan. Help us to settle the Karabakh issue and the border
will open". This is a very logic explanation/grounding for those who
are not aware of the regional conflicts. I can assure you proceeding
from my experience of communication with international community that
these absurd groundings of Turks are accepted there. In other words,
for the outside world, the connection between the Armenian and Turkish
process and the Karabakh issue is quite grounded consequently I do
not expect any repression from the U.S. or EU on Turkey in connection
with border opening.

After Serge Sargsyan’s statement, the U.S. State Secretary Hillary
Clinton called him. What does it mean?

The call of the U.S. secretary of State is quite logic and is aimed
at softening the impression that the international community and
Armenians had after Erdogan’s meeting. At the same time, I would like
to bring into your attention the fact that the U.S. embassy did not
publish anything on its official site in connection with this call.

The members of the Republican Party keep affirming that Armenia in
both cases of ratification or its lack, will be in advantage. Is it so?

These are absurd affirmations. The process of the international
recognition of the Armenian genocide has been completely stopped. Who
is going to answer for the failure of Serge Sargsyan’s pre-electoral
pledge? Our relations with the Diaspora are on an unacceptable plane.

A document contradicting the interests of the Nagorno-Karabakh
republic was signed at the OSCE foreign ministers’ meeting. Among
56 OSCE countries, Armenia registered the biggest economic decline
which is a result of total corruption.

Interview by ARMAN GALOYAN