VARTAN OSKANIAN’S LETTER TO HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI
ArmRadio – Public Radio, Armenia
Oct 1 2007
Vartan Oskanian, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic
of Armenia, sent a letter to the Speaker of the US House of
Representatives Nancy Pelosi, in response to the letter of eight
former Secretaries of State in opposition to H. Res. 106.
Minister Oskanian’s letter says:
"Dear Speaker Pelosi,
I have refrained from intruding into the process that has brought US
HR 106 to its current stage in the congressional process. I have done
so because I believe that the content and the intent of the resolution
are a matter for US Representatives and their constituents. For us,
there is nothing there that is historically inaccurate, nor that
threatens the interests of any country.
Nevertheless, we have refrained from public expressions.
The recent letter from eight Secretaries of State addressed to you,
Madame Speaker, introduces an important change in the nature of the
discussion. That letter clearly addresses processes that directly
affect the Republic of Armenia, and therefore, I would take this
opportunity to share my concerns and thoughts.
It is with dismay that I read that the letter claims that such
a resolution would hurt Armenia-Turkey relations. It is quite
unfortunate that eight experienced diplomats would buy into Turkish
manipulation. I regret to say that there is no process in place to
promote normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey.
Expressing concern about damaging a process that doesn’t exist is at
the very least, disingenuous.
Let me go further. Not only is there no process, I can honestly tell
you that we have no hope that Turkey will seriously engage with the
expectation of achieving minimal normal relations as an outcome. My
pessimism is based on the fact that each time we agree to a meeting,
the simple fact of the meeting is used by Turkey to derail other
processes in the US or around the world in other bodies. Yet
the meeting itself does not open any new doors, does not have a
commensurate follow-up, and other than meeting-for-meeting’s sake,
there is no progress. That is frustrating for us, but appears to be
inconsequential for Turkey’s leadership.
This time, too, we agreed to a meeting between myself and the newly
appointed Foreign Minister of Turkey, Ali Babacan, in New York,
cognizant of our responsibility to use every opportunity to improve
relations. Before that meeting has even been held, there are claims
that somehow that still-unheld meeting is part of a process that
might be endangered.
Madame Speaker, Armenia has always been ready for normal
Turkey-Armenia relations. Yet, every initiative that would lead
toward normalization has been rejected by Turkey. Instead, it
continues to place pre-conditions. Turkey makes offers that are
simply invitations for open-ended talk, without serious commitment to
arriving at ordinary relations between neighbors. Even their call for
a historical commission to discuss painful, historic events is not
serious, given their prohibitive penal consequences for open speech
and discussion and the adversarial environment Turkey has created by
maintaining closed borders with Armenia.
To view acknowledgement of the truth as an obstacle to political
relations is cynical. A resolution that addresses matters of human
rights and genocide cannot damage anyone’s bilateral relations –
neither yours with Turkey, nor ours. I would urge you and your
colleagues, as well as the former secretaries of state, to acknowledge
that the same concern for geostrategic interests should move us all
to do everything possible to open these borders, and not to reward
intransigence."
From: Baghdasarian