SUSPENSION OF PROTOCOLS A WELCOME, YET INCOMPLETE MOVE

Armenian Weekly Staff
Fri, Apr 23 2010

On April 22, President Serge Sarkisian made a televised announcement on
the process of normalization between Armenia and Turkey. The president
said that Turkey was not ready for the normalization process, that the
preconditions set forth by Turkey were unacceptable, and that "the
pointless efforts of making the dialogue between Armenia and Turkey
an end in itself" were also unacceptable. He stated, however, that
Armenia will not exit the process, but will suspend the ratification
of the protocols.

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation has reason to approach this
development with guarded optimism. Armenia’s decision to effectively
suspend discussions, until a change in attitude from the Turkish side,
is the most open acknowledgement to date of the dangers inherent in
this process.

This announcement also makes it clear that the voice of the Armenian
people both in Armenia and the Diaspora has undoubtedly had an effect
on the Armenian government. This is, therefore, also an opportunity
for us to redouble our efforts to make our voices fully heard.

Hopefully, the Armenian government has also learned to listen to its
people before embarking on such adventures in the future.

However, by now, it must have become abundantly clear to official
Yerevan that Ankara has no intention to normalize relations with
Armenia without preconditions, and is simply using the negotiation
process to stall genocide recognition. To steer clear of this ongoing
maneuvering by Turkey, Armenia must fully disengage from the process,
namely by rescinding its signature from the protocols.

The announcement by President Sarkisian also comes two days before
President Obama’s statement on the 95th anniversary of the Armenian
genocide. Last year, also on the eve of April 24, the roadmap to
Turkey-Armenia normalization was announced, and President Obama
refrained from using the term "genocide" citing " the efforts by
Turkey and Armenia to normalize their bilateral relations." Back then,
Obama noted that "the two governments have agreed on a framework and
roadmap for normalization. I commend this progress, and urge them to
fulfill its promise." Now that Ankara has dragged its feet for a year,
it is high time for President Obama to fulfill his promise to properly
acknowledge the Armenian genocide pave the way for an honest and open
discourse and dialogue that does not hold history hostage.