RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BY THE U.S. IS INEVITABLE, GAGIK HARUTYUNIAN SAYS

Noyan Tapan
Feb 9, 2010

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 9, NOYAN TAPAN. The levers of influencing
the Karabakh conflict settlement are not growing through the
Armenian-Turkish normalization process, nor is Azerbaijan prompted to
resume hostilities. Director of Noravank scientific and educational
foundation Gagik Harutyunian told this to reporters on February 8.

He said that the possibility of war should never be excluded. However,
from the viewpoint of an expert, this possibility is not strong not
only because the main foreign players are not interested in that, but
also because of high fighting efficiency of the Armenian army. In the
strategic sense, the possibility of Turkey’s intervenion will grow – in
terms of its involvement in political processes in the South Caucasus,
but at the same time the Armenian side in this way also stipulates
Turkey’s neutral position on the Karabakh problem. He explained that
Turkey was a de facto combatant during the Nagorno Karbakh conflict:
it provided Azerbaijan with mercenaries and strategic advice. "We
will neutralize somewhat this position of Turkey," he noted.

Commenting on Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoglu’s statement
about formation of a Eurasian Union similar to the European Union,
G. Harutyunian said: "At one time osmanism led to the collapse of the
Ottoman Empire and this happened during World War I, and I think that
in the context of neo-osmanism, Turkey’s giddiness from its success
may lead to a failure, it is adventurism."

G. Harutyunian expressed an opinion that even if the U.S. does not
recognize the Armenian Genocide this year, one day this problem will be
seriously raised at the Senate and Congress and it will get a positive
solution. "The recognition of the Genocide is inevitable from the
viewpoint of an improvement in international relations in general,"
G. Harutyunian underlined. In his words, the process launched in the
U.S, the Genocide’s discussion held once again is another impulse
for Turkey to act more actively in Armenian-Turkish relations.