news.am, Armenia
April 17 2010

Azerbaijan shifted Karabakh conflict resolution responsibility on to
Turkey: Expert

13:24 / 04/17/2010 Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to the
U.S. offered an opportunity for accentuating anti-Armenian sentiments
in Turkey-Azerbaijan alliance anew, Deputy Director of strategic
research centre at the RA Defense Ministry Vahram Ter-Matevosyan told
NEWS.am commenting on developments after Sargsyan-Erdogan meeting in
Washington.

According to him, Washington statements by Erdogan and Davutoglu and
comments on their meetings were widely water-cooled by world press due
to major efforts. `Thus, a feasible information field proved to
operate, catching and quite queerly commenting on Turkish leaders’
changed approach. Numerous opinions were voiced over Erdogan’s visit
motives, but the fact that Erdogan-Aliyev tandem would not allow
Sargsyan to visit Washington alone and make exceptionally Armenian
stance heard was neglected. For Turkish Premier that visit was a
chance to emphasize anti-Armenian alliance formed by Turkey and
Azerbaijan. Another conclusion is forced upon ` these meetings imply
Erdogan’s growing sense of responsibility to his pledges to
Azerbaijan. The latter seems to shift Karabakh conflict resolution
full responsibility on to Turkey. He criticizes OSCE MG co-chairs
seeking to assist the revision of Minsk Group format playing to
Ankara’s hands,’ the expert reckons.

Another conclusion concerns a regularity, that each year on the
threshold of April 24 Ankara steps up efforts in preventing U.S.
President to say the word `genocide’.

`Years ago Turkish officials were silent on this matter, but within
last years their preventive actions and short-term results got more
emphatic,’ he said adding that the last and most critical observation
is that speaking the language of primary and secondary preconditions
is a new line of Ankara’s behavior. `If we try to recall and track the
number and logic of preconditions voiced by Erdogan and Davutoglu, it
leaves us with the impression that Turks are guided by &`the more
preconditions, the better’ principle. And this is done in contempt of
Armenian authorities’ repeated statements that Armenia is ready to
establish relations with Ankara without preconditions. Here is the
Turkey’s new policy,’ the expert deems.

`Hence, the passions in Washington ran so high that if till April 24
we would not evidence a drastic turn, meetings held there can be
viewed as one of the main reasons for minimizing complex
Armenia-Turkey process,’ Ter-Matevosyan concluded.

S.T.