TURKISH NEWSPAPER: TURKISH PARLIAMENT SHOULD RATIFY THE PROTOCOLS BEFORE THE PROCESS LOSES ITS CHARM

Arminfo
2010-01-19 18:24:00

ArmInfo. Turkey must change this impression by ratifying the protocols
in Parliament as soon as possible and show the world that it is
determined in pursuing its Armenian initiative, which has the potential
to become the epitome of Turkey’s "zero problems with neighbors"
policy, says the article "The Armenian initiative should continue"
by Ali Yurttagul in Zaman newspaper.

The author points out that the relations between the two countries,
under the shadow of a dark cloud with deep history, are laden with
taboos that are "indisputable" or difficult to debate both in Turkey
and in Armenia.

"The Armenian initiative, clearly a product of a well-thought out
policy, is an effort that is appropriated from many perspectives and
has the potential to make Turkey a determinant actor, particularly
in the South Caucasus", the article says. The most important and main
advantage of the initiative is that Turkey has abandoned its passive
policy in which it was nothing more than leverage for Azerbaijan
in the long-running Nagorno-Karabakh problem and decided to become
an active political actor in the South Caucasus. For years Turkey
was not only demoted to the position of a trump card in Azerbaijan’s
hand but was turned into a component of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem,
says Yurttagul.

Moreover, the author thinks it’s important that the Turkish
Parliament ratify the protocols signed with Armenia not only to
ensure credibility and confidence in international relations but
also to ensure credibility toward its principle of "zero problems
with neighbors" policy. "It is wrong to see the ratification of the
protocols, the establishing of diplomatic relations with Armenia
and the opening of borders as "concessions" or indifference to the
Nagorno-Karabakh problem. We will return to this subject later",- says
the author. The Armenian initiative is a correct political initiative
from every aspect and must be put into practice with all its targeted
dynamics as soon as possible. The Turkish Parliament should ratify
the protocols before the process loses its charm. "The question of
whether Armenia is going to fulfill its responsibility should not be
made a precondition for Turkey to fulfill its own responsibilities. If
Turkey does its part, nothing may change, as is the case in Cyprus,
but even in the worse case scenario, the issue will remain on the table
as just an Armenian problem. It is not very difficult to imagine what
would happen next",- he says.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress