RAFFI HOVANNISIAN: SUSPENSION OF TURKEY PROTOCOLS RATIFICATION WAS A GOOD TACTICIAN’S STEP
Siranuysh Gevorgyan

ArmeniaNow reporter
vannisian_comments
News | 23.04.10 | 15:00

Raffi Hovannisian

Raffi Hovannisian: Suspension of Turkey protocols ratification was
a good tactician’s step Everything he is saying is out of spite. As
much as I dislike our president, I am happy he ‘experimented’. He
took a risk, tried to mend the tension, it didn’t work, he showed
the world that we tried. It’s so easy for Mr. Raffi to mock him now….

Founder of the opposition Heritage party and its leading member
in parliament Raffi Hovannisian has described President Serzh
Sargsyan’s announcement on the suspension of the ratification of the
Armenian-Turkish normalization agreements in the legislature as a good
tactician’s step, but said, however, that a good strategist should
not have allowed the appearance of such a situation in the first place.

Hovannisian, who served as independent Armenia’s first foreign
minister in 1992, says that the preconditions in the Armenian-Turkish
normalization process existed from the outset, and the step taken
by the Armenian president should be viewed as admission that his
initiative was baseless.

"It was an experiment, and that experiment has failed," Hovannisian
said, speaking at a press conference on Friday, adding that currently
Armenia is in an emergency situation.

"We can overcome this emergency situation in the coming months either
by means of new elections or by essentially new changes, which presume
the presence of political will that is not visible till now either
among the authorities nor in some parts of the opposition," Hovannisian
said, adding that these changes must happen at least before September.

According to him, after the president’s address, Armenia should without
protocols exchange with Turkey diplomatic notes and ambassadors, who
will work on settling issues of both countries; and Turkey must open
the closed border. And if Turkey keeps on imposing preconditions,
Armenia should advance its own preconditions, too.

"Armenia must accept the challenge, that is to say, it must remind
not only about the Genocide, but also about the occupation of Western
Armenia," said Hovannisian.