news.az, Azerbaijan
Jan 7 2010

Karabakh conflict remains main point in Turkey-Armenia rapprochement,
US analyst
Thu 07 January 2010 | 11:06 GMT Text size:

Steven A. Cook Turkey’s new multi-dimensional foreign policy has
injected much needed vitality and creativity into Ankara’s approach to
its immediate neighborhood.

"Nagorno-Karabakh conflict adjustment is still one of the main points
in the Turkey-Armenia rapprochement", said Steven A. Cook, analyst of
the Council on Foreign Relations speaking at a panel on Turkey’s
Changing Internal and International Dynamics: From "Where" to "What"
issue at Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA)
in Washington, DC, January 6th.

The South Caucasus was one of the main matters at the panel.

"There are remaining obstacles to the normalization of ties between
Ankara and Yerevan, including Turkey’s insistence that Armenia takes
significant steps toward resolving its dispute with Azerbaijan over
Nagorno-Karabakh and strong nationalist sentiment in both Turkey and
Armenia", Mr.Cook added.

According to the analyst, Turkey’s new multi-dimensional foreign
policy has injected much needed vitality and creativity into Ankara’s
approach to its immediate neighborhood.

"For example, Turkey’s recent agreement to normalize relations with
Armenia is a revolutionary development in Turkish foreign policy
(though details of the agreement remain unfinished).

All at once, the policy adds much needed stability to the southern
Caucasus and reduces the likelihood that Congress will pass a
non-binding resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide if it is
reintroduced in April–a step that would only serve to delay Turkey’s
own recognition of one of the twentieth century’s darkest moments".

Mr. Cook added that, still, Turkey’s proactive approach to Armenia
should be encouraged.

Analyst also pointed out that another issue – Ankara’s relationship
with Tehran is also troubling to Washington. It is important to
recognize that Turkey receives 30 percent of its natural gas supply
(most of the rest comes from Russia) from Iran and as a result, there
is an economic imperative for good Turkish-Iranian relations.

"In addition, Turkey has maintained that because Iran is its neighbor,
it supports a diplomatic resolution to Iran’s nuclear development."

APA

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress