SARGSYAN AND OBAMA DISCUSS NORMALIZATION OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS AND ARTSAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT

NOYAN TAPAN
APRIL 15, 2010
WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON, APRIL 15, NOYAN TAPAN. The presidents of Armenia and the
United States had a 45-minute meeting late Monday. The two presidents
made no statements following the talks. According to Radio Liberty,
however, prior to the meeting, a White House official, whose name
was not given, told reporters: "President Obama hopes that thanks
to the process launched in 2009, it will become possible to improve
Armenia-Turkey relations and address long-time disagreements between
them".

Monday was an eventful day for the Armenian delegation in Washington.

In the morning Serzh Sargsyan met with Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan. The meeting lasted about an hour and a half. No
statements were made after the meeting, and the two sides did not
answer questions of the reporters.

The Turkish sources reported only that the main subject of discussion
was the letter which Erdogan sent to Sargsyan the previous week. Zaman
said that "the sides discussed in detail the letter". Another Turkish
source – NTV Television Company reported, referring to members of the
Turkish delegation that soon the foreign ministers of the two countries
would focus their attention on the protocols’ ratification process.

After the Armenian-Turkish talks, Serzh Sargsyan went to the Washington
National Cathedral where he laid flowers at the tomb of the 28th
U.S. President Woodrow Wilson. In the cathedral, S. Sargsyan addressed
members of the Armenian community in the United States: "Our position
was and remains definite. Turkey cannot use a language of preconditions
with respect of the people of Armenia. We simply will not allow that".

"We are not going to make the fact of the Genocide the subject of an
examination in any format or to pretend to believe that Turkey can
have any positive role in the Karabakh negotiating process," S.

Sargsyan said, adding: "Any new foreign political line is subject
to changes because we are proceeding along an untrodden path. I am
convinced Armenia will pass this test with dignity".

At the very moment when President Sargsyan was delivering this speech,
Erdogan was making opening remarks at the George Mason University’s
new Center for Global Islamic Studies.

The official Turkish Anatolia news agency said that commenting
on the latest Armenian Genocide resolution passed by the Foreign
Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives, Erdogan stated:
"History does not get written in parliaments and it cannot become a
subject of condemnation by a parliament. We opened all our archives
and we suggested the formation of a historical commission, but we
did not receive a response. Decisions adopted by parliaments will
not benefit Armenia".