ARMENIAN-TURKISH NORMALIZATION PROICESS HAS LED TO SAD RESULTS, DIRECTOR OF ARARAT CENTER SAYS

NOYAN TAPAN
APRIL 12, 2010
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, APRIL 12, NOYAN TAPAN. "Armenia’s political elite stubbornly
does not want to see the root of the Armenian-Turkish problem, that
is that Turkey is a hostile state and one of its strategic goals
is the colonization and destruction of Armenia," Armen Aivazian,
Director of Ararat center of strategic studies declared during the
April 12 press conference. In his words, as their center forecast at
the time, the Armenian-Turkish process has led to sad results: there
has been a split between various sections of the Armenian nation,
the Armenians were subjected to unjustified shocks, and the feeling of
defencelessness has increased among the Armenian population. Besides,
according to A. Aivazian, as a result of the policy which was declared
a policy of initiative, Turkey has got additional leverage to put
pressure on Armenia, while Azerbaijan took advantage of the existing
situation and has become more unyielding.

A. Aivazian expressed an opinion that all the regional states, exxcept
Armenia, have their own strategic programs and goals. "When there are
no proclaimed goals, diplomacy is absent as well," A. Aivazian said,
stressing that trying only to open the border and establish relations
is a false diplomacy producing no results.

He reminded that recently making a speech in Deir ez Zor, President
Serzh Sargsyan spoke about the "Armenian Nuremberg", asking: "But when
and where will the Nuremberg of the Armenians take place?" A. Aivazian
said that "the Nuremberg of the Armenians" means punishment of the
Genocide perpetrators and compensation to the victims. "However,
what have the Armenian leadership and political forces done so far
to reach this Nuremberg? Nothing," he said. The Ararat center’s
director underlined the necessity for Armenia to stipulate at least
two conditions – that Turkey should recognize the Genocide and stop
supporting Azerbaijan in the Karabakh problem.