SERZH SARGSYAN’S STATEMENT JUST AFFIRMED THE LEVEL OF RELATIONS THAT ARMENIA AND TURKEY ACHIEVED AFTER SIGNING PROTOCOLS IN OCTOBER

ArmInfo
2010-04-26 13:09:00

ArmInfo. The statement by President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan on
suspension of the procedure of ratification of the Armenian-Turkish
Protocols became just affirmation of the level of the relations the
two countries had after signing the bilateral protocols in October,
Yevgenia Voyko, lead expert of the Center for Political Conjuncture
of Russia, told ArmInfo.

She believes that Ankara’s preconditions to Armenia on territorial
concessions in favor of Azerbaijan had automatically postponed
normalization of relations without date. Therefore, the statement
by the Armenian president will not have serious impact on the
normalization process, she said. The expert thinks that it is still
a question if Turkey was ready for rapprochement with Armenia from
the very beginning. "Genocide of Armenians is a serious obstacle to
Turkey’s integration into the EU. However, considering the intransigent
attitude of a number of countries (including the locomotives of
European integration – Germany and France)," that are against Turkey’s
membership, Ankara may pause on the issue of European integration for
a time," Voyko says. She adds that the stake was placed mostly on such
"defeatist" sentiments in the Turkish elite.

"April 24 is a tragic date for Armenia, and Serge Sargsyan’s statement
"freezing" the procedure of normalizing relations with Turkey is a
response to the criticism by the opponents of this process, who make
up majority both in Armenia and outside it. The given statement can
be considered also in the context of domestic political situation in
Armenia from the viewpoint of possible strengthening of the president’s
positions," Yevgenia Voyko says.