WPS Agency, Russia
What the Papers Say (Russia)
April 23, 2010 Friday

YEREVAN RESPONDED TO ANKARA’S ULTIMATUM;
The price Ankara insists on is too high, as far as Armenia is concerned

BYLINE: Yuri Roks
Source: Nezavisimaya Gazeta, NN 83-84, April 23, 2010, p. 1

ARMENIA PUT ON HOLD NORMALIZATION OF RELATIONS WITH TURKEY; Ankara did
its best to ruin normalization of the relations with Armenia and
feigns surprise at Yerevan’s reaction now.

This Thursday, the ruling coalition in Armenia initiated removal of
the Swiss Protocols off the parliamentary agenda. President Serj
Sargsjan addressed the nation several hours later. Warned to expect
the address in advance, general public and experts anticipated
assessment of the Armenian-Turkish rapprochement and an update on the
Karabakh conflict resolution process. Considering the forthcoming 95th
anniversary of the genocide, some observers expected Sargsjan to
suspend the dialogue with Turkey due to stagnation of the processes of
normalization. Some even expected annulment of Armenian signature on
the Swiss Protocols, the plan of normalization of the Armenian-Turkish
relations.

Sargsjan made a thorough report on his visits to Washington and Moscow
to the National Security Council, this Wednesday.

While in the United States, Sargsjan met with U.S. President Barack
Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.The process of
the Armenian-Turkish rapprochement displayed no progress even after
the meetings, though. All optimistic expectations proved vain.
Official Ankara chose to talk to Armenia in the language of ultimatum,
one language Yerevan naturally found unacceptable. Negotiations with
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev took place on Tuesday. No need to
explain exactly what the strategic partners discussed.

The preconditions Ankara kept insisting on remained unchanged: return
of Karabakh and adjacent districts to Azerbaijan, abandonment of the
campaign for recognition of genocide.

Armenia decided that Turkey was demanding too much. In fact, official
Yerevan had made a concession to Ankara with regard to the second
demand – one that earned it criticism from Armenian diasporas the
world over. Armenia accepted the offer to set up a joint commission to
"study circumstances of the 1915 tragedy" and began waiting for some
analogous gesture from Ankara. Waiting proved futile. After a brief
pause Turkey reverted to wanton promotion of the interests of
Azerbaijan and reiterated its ultimatum concerning Nagorno-Karabakh.

The ruling coalition comprising the Republican Party, Land of Law, and
Affluent Armenia responded by removal of the Swiss Protocols awaiting
ratification off the parliamentary agenda. Responsibility for it was
pinned on Turkey and personally on Erdogan.

"Considering that Turkey’s refusal to ratify the protocols in
reasonable time renders pointless continuation of the same process in
the parliament of Armenia, the ruling majority opted to strike the
item off the agenda pending demonstration of readiness to proceed
without preconditions on Turkey’s part," the coalition declared.

The coalition even allowed for the possibility that Armenia might void
its signature on the Armenian-Turkish protocols now. "Its policy of
ultimatums and preconditions plainly shows Turkey unready for
normalization of the relations," said a spokesman for the ruling
coalition. "It is up to the president, of course. We hope that he will
make up his mind later today."

This turn of events should have been anticipated but official Ankara
was taken by surprise all the same. Foreign Ministry Press Secretary
Burak Ozugergin said that Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu already
briefed Erdogan on the latest developments. "We need time for analysis
of the statement made by the coalition in Armenia. We have to try and
understand what it is supposed to accomplish," Ozugergin said.

WPS’2010
[translated from Russian]