NOT ANOTHER APRIL 22
Ara Khachatourian

Asbarez
Apr 21st, 2010

The Armenian presidential office on Wednesday announced that President
Serzh Sarkisian will make an address to the nation and announce a
critical decision on the fate of the Armenia-Turkey protocols.

The Armenian nation is still reeling from last year’s discouraging
and unfortunate April 22 announcement by Turkey and Armenia of a
"roadmap" toward normalization of relations, which led to the signing,
last October, of the dangerous protocols.

Before leaving for Washington on April 12, President Sarkisian hinted
that he had formulated a policy on the protocols, adding that he
would make an announcement at the appropriate time.

It seems the time has come and the nation should brace itself for
another significant turn of events on the eve of the 95th anniversary
of the Armenian Genocide.

However, Sarkisian’s recent assertive posturing on the Genocide issue,
as articulated in London’s Chatham House, Der Zor, in an interview
with the German Der Spiegel magazine and last week in Washington
following a memorial service at the President Woodrow Wilson’s tomb
indicates that Yerevan is keen to pursue international recognition
of the Genocide and rejects any forum through which the veracity of
the Armenian Genocide could be questioned.

In fact, the symbolism of Sarkisian’s statement at Wilson’s tomb also
was seen as a signal to US political circles that the efforts of the
28th US president on behalf of Armenia are a viable solution to the
Armenian Cause.

In contrast, official Ankara, through Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan, has continued its vitriolic attacks against the memory
of the Genocide victims by firmly denying the facts and threatening
the Armenian people.

"If democratic assemblies dare to mention the ethnic cleansing
of Armenians in the 20th century, I will personally complete that
cleansing in the 21st!" threatened Erdogan on the Turkish-language
service of the BBC.

Following his trip to Washington and meetings with President Obama
and Secretary of State Clinton, Erdogan continued to precondition the
ratification of the Turkey-Armenia protocols with the resolution of
the Karabakh conflict.

"Members of the [Armenian] Security Council discussed the latest
developments in the process of normalizing relations between Armenia
and Turkey," said the statement issued by the president’s office on
Wednesday. "President Sarkisian said that he has held a series of
consultations on this issue with the leaders of the parties making
up the [governing] political coalition."

"The president of the republic will address the people on the
results of the decision made as a result of the discussions," it
added without elaboration.

We should be cautious as we anticipate the president’s address
Thursday. At the same time, the president also should be extremely
cautious and NOT repeat his tragic mistake of last year.

Given his recent posturing, he should announce to the nation and
to the world that he is withdrawing Armenia’s signature from the
protocols, because the Armenian nation cannot-and will not-tolerate
another April 22.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress