NALBANDIAN REJECTS TURKEY ROLE IN KARABAKH

Asbarez
Apr 14th, 2010

WASHINGTON (Combined Sources)-Armenia’s Foreign Minister Eduard
Nalbandian told reporters Wednesday that Armenia refused to discuss
the Karabakh conflict with Turkey during meetings in Washington this
week, since Turkey does not-and cannot-have a role in the Karabakh
conflict resolution process.

"The Turkish side was trying to hold discussions on Karabakh, but
we answered that Armenia-Turkey normalization could not be linked
to the Karabakh settlement. I don’t think there are any reasons to
discuss the Karabakh issue with Turkey. First of all Turkey cannot
be a mediator in the Nagorno Karabakh settlement process. Secondly,
Armenia will never make concessions over the Karabakh issue for the
sake of Armenia-Turkey normalization. Connecting the two issues will
harm both processes," said Nalbandian as he summed of the President
Serzh Sarkisian’s visit to Washington.

"It was a very important visit. The meetings were important both in
terms of strengthening bilateral relations and discussing regional
and international issues about which both sides are concerned,"
said Nalbandian.

"President Sarkisian’s meetings with President Obama and Secretary
Clinton provided an opportunity to continue the constructive dialogue
and the discussions on the normalization of the Armenian-Turkish
relations and the Karabakh conflict resolution," added Nalbandian.

Commenting on Sarkisian’s meeting with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan, Minister Nalbandian said the meeting "made it possible to
have a clear idea about Turkey’s stance."

Nalbandian insisted that Turkey’s continued efforts to link the two
processes ran counter to the letter and spirit of the protocols. "If
Turkey has changed its position, then we must draw appropriate
conclusions on whether there are partners on the [Turkish] side
with whom we can continue the process," he told Armenian journalists
in Washington.

In Nalbandian’s words, the Washington negotiations "have borne out
our conclusions regarding the Turkish-Armenian reconciliation process."

Sarkisian will publicize them at the "right time," he said without
elaborating.

Meanwhile, Davutoglu and Nalbandian discussed the matter during
a working lunch hosted by Clinton for fellow foreign ministers
attending the Washington summit. "Their conversation was focused on
the continuation of yesterday’s discussions of Armenian President
Serzh Sarkisian and Turkish Prime-Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan,"
the Armenian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. It gave no further
details.

Late Tuesday afternoon Sarkisian met with Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit.

Clinton reiterated President Obama’s position articulated Monday to
Sarkisian of his wish for the sides to continue the Turkey-Armenia
normalization process without preconditions.

Sarkisian discussed US-Armenia relations and the resolution of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group.

President Sarkisian had a meeting with US Secretary of State Hilary
Clinton on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington.

The interlocutors discussed the perspectives of normalization of
relations between Armenia and Turkey.

Secretary Clinton reiterated US President Barack Obama’s call
to continue the process of establishment of relations without
preconditions.

Sarkisian also met on Tuesday with one of the key sponsors of the
latest genocide resolution, congressman Adam Schiff. Sarkisian’s
office said he thanked the California Democrat for his long-running
efforts at U.S. recognition of the Armenian genocide.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress