ACNIS DIRECTOR ON TURKEY’S LAST CHANCE

news.am
April 16 2010
Armenia

Turkey is mistaken if it thinks it can play a game until April 24,
as even more is being expected from Turkey now, Richard Giragosian,
Director of the Armenian Center for National and International Studies
(ACNIS), told NEWS.am, responding to a question as to whether the
Turkish side has softened its tone on the threshold of April 24,
whereas it will adopt its previous rhetoric afterwards.

Turkey has the last chance to get out of the pit it has dug for
itself. If Turkey promises anything until April 24 and fails to
keep its promise, it will cost her too much. Americans and Russians
want Turkey to act instead of promising. The threat is that it may
give numerous promises at the meetings and fail to keep them later,
Giragosian said.

The problem is that Turkey has not yet made a final decision on
Armenia. It means that Armenia is facing a threat of harming itself or
committing suicide, as Turkey has not yet decided on what it really
wants, the expert said. In this respect, all the negative responses
will be aimed against Turkey rather than Armenia. Armenia can state
with confidence it has done its best and even more, and the whole
responsibility will rest with Turkey, which is a good game of chess.

In this political game Armenia is in the capacity of Gary Kasparov,
he said.

Commenting on Turkey’s sharing the United State’s opinion that
Azerbaijan does not have to be invited to Washington, Giragosian said
that Armenia has got advantage, as Ankara and Baku are facing more
and more serious problems. At present Azerbaijan is trying to get an
invitation to the White House for Ilham Aliyev. They are doing it to
"save their face" and show they are not "feel hurt" they were not
invited to Washington.