EVERY LITTLE STEP IN KARABAKH PEACE PROCESS WILL AFFECT PROTOCOLS: ZAMAN
news.am
April 28 2010
Armenia
"Armenia’s recent declaration about freezing the process of
parliamentary ratification of the protocols signed with Turkey may
be perceived as a setback; however, from a different perspective,
this development also constitutes an opportunity," the article of
Beril Dedeoglu in Turkish Zaman daily reads.
"As you may recall, Turkey has made the normalization between the
two neighbors dependent on a regional peace project by connecting
the ratification of the protocols by the Turkish Parliament to the
resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute. It’s clear that the Minsk
Group’s efforts are not sufficient to achieve an overall resolution
as this group fails to draw an equation acceptable both for Armenia
and Azerbaijan. That’s why Turkey believes that the atmosphere is not
right to implement its regional project for now," the daily reports.
"There is another obstacle, too: the Turkish Parliament’s current
atmosphere, as it has become an arena where the government and the
opposition fight incessantly. The opposition has decided to oppose
every constitutional amendment, even those about fundamental human
rights and liberties. In an atmosphere where everybody talks about a
constitutional referendum likely to be followed by early legislative
elections, the government has no reason to expect parliamentary
ratification of the protocols. Furthermore, the opposition parties
are ready to label every attempt at normalization with Armenia as
treason, and they will definitely use this as a propaganda tool to
gain nationalist votes. On the other hand, the fact that Turkish
flags were burned during April 24 commemoration ceremonies in Armenia
hasn’t made things easier. It’s also true that those in Armenia who
have signed the protocols are in a delicate political situation in
their country," the source says.
"This negative situation has one positive aspect: If these protocols
are indeed brought to the parliaments right now, their ratification
will most likely be rejected. So to freeze the protocols officially
in Armenia and in Turkey is a way to preserve them, keeping the door
half open to other positive developments," the daily informs.
"The first of these positive developments is that Turkey has learned
not to react too much to US presidents’ April 24 statements. By
the way, US presidents have developed a skill in writing these
statements in a way that satisfies nobody in the end. Secondly, it’s
now clear that in Turkey, there are people willing to participate
in the mourning of April 24, proving that some people in Turkey are
sensible to the sufferings of other peoples. It’s important to show
that in Anatolia everyone has suffered, but it is also important to
show which mechanisms were responsible for these sufferings. This
may help build empathy between peoples, and empathy is the shortest
route to the implementation of the protocols," the daily emphasizes.
"From now on, every positive development between Armenia and Azerbaijan
will be considered a positive development for the protocols. As
the process seems to be in a deadlock, every little step regarding
the Nagorno-Karabakh issue will count. It’s important to show that
everything is not black or white; gray zones are wider than everybody
thinks. These gray zones may allow national parliaments to reconsider
the freezing of the protocols," the source says.
"The present situation of the protocols doesn’t mean that there will be
no more progress in Turkish-Armenian relations. As President Abdullah
Gul emphasizes, the normalization process can be pursued through silent
diplomacy from now on. This kind of diplomacy may create an atmosphere
against the extreme nationalist currents in both countries. By stating
that they are not abandoning the spirit of the protocols, both sides
give the impression that they want progress," the source concludes.