news.am, Armenia
Dec 19 2009

Armenian FM meets with Turkish journalists

20:03 / 12/19/2009 Not only Armenia, but also the entire world,
especially the three OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing states – the United
States, Russia and France ` are deny any link between the
Armenia-Turkey reconciliation and the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process,
RA Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian stated at his meeting with
Turkish journalists.

According to him, linking the two processes would endanger both.
`Ironically, we should expect good will to be shown because, I would
like to remind you, both Armenia and Azerbaijan have shown good will
this year. Nine Armenian-Azerbaijani presidential meetings have been
held. They would not have been held but for the good will,’ Minister
Nalbandian said.

The Minister reminded the Turkish journalists that a joint statement
by 56 nations was made public at the OSCE Foreign Ministers’ meeting
in Athens, and Azerbaijan put its signature to the statement as well.
The document points put positive dynamics in the Nagorno-Karabakh
peace process. `That is, if Turkey really wants to facilitate the
resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, I think ` and it has
repeatedly been stated ` it would do right if it did not interfere in
the peace process, because interfering hinders more than it helps. If
they do not want create impediments to the Armenia-Turkey
reconciliation or Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, they should not lay
any claims or set any preconditions. Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh are
the interested parties, and I would even say the most interested
parties, seeking an early peaceful settlement of the conflict by means
of negotiations,’ Minister Nalbandian said.

He expressed regret that the Turkish journalists have an impression of
two parallel processes. `If there were any precondition involving
Nagorno-Karabakh, if there were any such dependence, which was written
by your press and you before the protocols were made public ` and many
journalists here, in Armenia, used to refer to your articles and say:
`You see, there is a link with the Nagorno-Karabakh problem’ ` the
process would not have got under way. The process got under way with
the sides understanding that there was not any such dependence. After
the protocols were made public, some people, with a magnifying glass
in their hands, tried to find a link with Karabakh. After they failed
to find anything suspicious, they stated at the highest level that the
protocols did not contain any preconditions. So what dependence are we
talking about?’ stated minister Nalbandian. The Armenian FM pointed
out that Armenia has as many reasons for speaking about preconditions
or links.

T.P.