ARMENIA PUTS DEAL TO RESTORE TIES WITH TURKEY ON HOLD

Deutsche Welle
April 22 2010
Germany

GroÃ~_ansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Relations have
again soured between the two governments Armenia has suspended a
deal to end decades of hostility with its neighbor Turkey. It accuses
Ankara of adding new conditions to the agreement that is intended to
restore diplomatic relations and reopen border crossings.

Armenia’s coalition government said on Thursday that the ratification
of a peace accord signed with neighbor Turkey had been suspended.

The decision is a blow to efforts to normalize relations between
the two countries, overcoming the legacy of mass killings by Ottoman
Turks during World War One.

Armenia and Turkey signed the accord in October 2009 to pave the
way for the establishment of diplomatic relations and the opening of
land borders.

However, diplomatic relations have become increasingly strained,
with each side accusing the other of setting new conditions to accept
the measures.

Bildunterschrift: GroÃ~_ansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:
The enclave of Nagorno-Karbakh is at the center of a dispute between
Armenia and Azerbaijan The Armenian coalition put the blame for the
latest delay on Turkish demands that Armenia should come to a deal with
neighboring Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

A close ally

Azerbaijan is a close ally of Turkey, but Armenia rejects any link
between the territorial dispute and peace with Turkey.

"The Turkish side’s refusal to fulfil the requirement to ratify
the accord without preconditions in a reasonable time has made the
continuation of the ratification process in the national parliament
pointless," a statement said.

"We consider it necessary to suspend this process until Turkey is
ready to continue the process without preconditions."

Armenian President Serge Sarkisian said that the decision was taken
in his country’s national interests.

Turkey calls for ‘regional peace’

Following the Armenian decision, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan said that he was committed to the peace process. However,
he added that achieving a wider regional peace was important.

Bildunterschrift: GroÃ~_ansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:
Some estimates put the number of Armenians killed by Ottoman Turks
as high as 1.5 million "We have expressed on several occasions our
commitment to the letter and spirit of the protocols and the target
of putting them into practice," Erdogan said.

"We have also explained on several occasions… how the ratification
process can be advanced and how we can achieve the target of
comprehensive peace in the region. Our determination remains
unchanged."

Turkey sealed its border with Armenia in 1993 as a show of solidarity
with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh.

It is expected that any deal would bring great economic benefits to
landlocked, Christian Armenia. The advantages for Turkey would be
diplomatic, boosting the country’s status as a prospective member of
the European Union and enhancing its influence in the South Caucasus
region.

Muslim Turkey accepts that many Christian Armenians died in partisan
fighting, starting in 1915. However, it denies that up to 1.5 million
were slaughtered and does not accept that the killings amounted
to genocide.