FM OFFERS ‘PARALLEL PROCESS’ TO SOLVE ARMENIA DEADLOCK

Hurriyet
April 23 2010
Turkey

‘We are ready to take steps in order to further [the normalization
process] when the conditions are consistent,’ Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu says. AP photo

As the world awaited U.S. President Barack Obama’s statement Saturday
on the 1915 events in Anatolia, Turkey was pondering its next move
after Armenia abruptly withdrew from protocols that aimed to normalize
bilateral relations.

The decision did not come as a surprise, according to Turkish Foreign
Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who said Turkey is seeking "parallel
parliamentary ratifications" to normalize ties with neighboring
Armenia as a way out of the deadlock.

Neither Turkey nor Armenia has ratified the protocols signed by the
two countries in October to restore diplomatic ties. Armenia accuses
Turkey of setting pre-conditions by urging that the Nagorno-Karabakh
dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan be settled first.

"We shall consider moving forward when we are convinced there is a
proper environment in Turkey and there is leadership in Ankara ready
to re-engage," Armenian President Serge Sarkisian said Thursday in
a televised address.

No surprise for Turkey

"It is not a surprise for us," Davutoglu told the Hurriyet Daily News
& Economic Review on Friday. "Armenia made a one-sided decision as
a result of its domestic process. But the positive element is that
they have confirmed to continue the process."

The minister also expressed his hopes for a better climate in both
countries, saying "achieving the [normalization] process will serve
both sides, as well as the whole region," and suggesting a "parallel
ratification" process in response to Yerevan’s vow not to take any
further steps unless the Turkish Parliament ratifies the protocols
first.

"What is important for us is parallelism. It is not important when the
ratification takes place. I think the window of opportunity is still
open," he said. "I see what difficulties Sarkisian and Armenia are
dealing with. But Turkey’s concerns must be correctly analyzed too."

Å~^ukru Elekdag, Istanbul deputy for the opposition Republican People’s
Party, or CHP, and a member of Parliament’s Foreign Committee, said
Armenia is trying to force Obama to utter the word "genocide" in his
Saturday speech.

"It is widely expected that Obama, as he did last year, will use ‘Meds
Yeghern’ in his statement, a phrase in Armenian that means ‘great
catastrophe,’ rather than saying ‘genocide,’" Elekdag told the Daily
News on Friday. "Obama [wanted to] justify his attitude by pointing
out that there are ongoing talks between Turkey and Armenia. Now,
Armenia is trying to devoid him of such an explanation."

Armenia claims up to 1.5 million Armenians were systematically killed
in 1915 under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. Turkey denies this,
saying that any deaths were the result of civil strife that erupted
when Armenians took up arms for independence in eastern Anatolia.

According to Murat Mercan, the chairman of Parliament’s Foreign
Committee, Sarkisian’s statements do not bring about any status change.

"They are just saying that they will not put [the issue] on
parliament’s agenda," Mercan told the Daily News. "They could be
wanting to draw international attention to [claims of genocide]. A
statement right before April 24 could only be interpreted this way.

But big states do not determine their positions [under the influence
of] such statements."

Speaking aboard the ATA jet, Minister Davutoglu talked about his
meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and confirmed
they had agreed to continue the process. "We hope this process will
end peacefully and turn into a positive vision," he said. "I think
there is still a chance to achieve a common vision."

Göksel Bozkurt contributed to this report from Ankara.