PRESS RELEASE May 27, 2008
Embassy of the Republic of Armenia
2225 R Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20008
Email: [email protected] ;Web:
Ambassador Tatoul Markarian’s Interview to the Armenian Reporter
The following interview with Ambassador Tatoul Markarian appeared in the May
24, 2008 issue of the Armenian Reporter.
Q. The White House has nominated a new Ambassador to Armenia, Marie
Yovanovitch. What is Armenia’s position on this nomination?
A. Armenia has already given its agreement to the official U.S. request on
the Ambassador’s candidacy. We hope that the nominee will be confirmed
successfully and arrive in Armenia shortly. The scope and substance of our
bilateral relations with the United States will continue to increase, and we
all look forward to having a full-time American Ambassador in Yerevan.
Q. For the last 10 years, Armenia’s foreign policy agenda has included
pursuing international recognition of the Armenian Genocide. How will the
new president address this issue? And more broadly, what are the prospects
for normalizing Armenian-Turkish relations?
A. In his first public remarks addressing Armenia’s foreign affairs,
President Sargsyan reiterated that the issues of international recognition
and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide would remain on Armenia’s foreign
policy agenda.
Armenia’s position on the Armenian-Turkish relations is open and
transparent. We set no preconditions for the normalization of the bilateral
relations and are ready to establish diplomatic relations with Turkey, just
as we have offered consistently since 1991. Our readiness has been
reiterated not only by the newly-elected President, but also by the
newly-appointed Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
While the Turkish leadership offers positive rhetoric, we also note that the
Turkish diplomats continue to make statements that the Karabakh issue and
Genocide recognition are obstacles to normalization of Turkish-Armenian
relations, just as the Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan stated on May 7,
2008. In this regard, I would like to stress that we are interested in
concrete steps and results, never in a vague bilateral process for the sake
of process.
Q. The Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan have just met to discuss
the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Where do we stand
in this process?
A. Armenia’s position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains unchanged
under the new Armenian leadership. As stated by President Serzh Sargsyan and
Minister Nalbandian, the fact and the right of self-determination of the
people of Nagorno Karabakh must be affirmed and recognized internationally.
Armenia remains committed to a peaceful negotiated settlement of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict within the OSCE Minsk Group. Following the May 6 meeting,
the Armenian Foreign Minister and his Azeri counterpart expressed optimism
about the Minsk Group process.
While the final settlement is still being negotiated, some realities are
already irreversible. The Nagorno Karabakh Republic has existed since 1991
and conforms to all definitions of an independent state. It has held several
presidential and parliamentary elections democratically. Furthermore, it is
clear that the Sumgait pogrom and the subsequent massacres and expulsion of
the Armenians living in Soviet Azerbaijan, as well as the armed hostilities
against Nagorno Karabakh and continuing anti-Armenian hate rhetoric in
Azerbaijan have created a situation where Azerbaijan can never claim to
govern Nagorno Karabakh. Many in the international community recognize this.
And the package on the table mediated by the Minsk Group Co-Chairs
recognizes the right of self-determination of Nagorno Karabakh.
Q. How do the new President and government see the future of the
Homeland-Diaspora relations?
A. Homeland-Diaspora relations were an important focus in President Sargsyan’s
election platform and strengthening these ties will thus remain a priority
for the new government. Underlying this goal is our mutual belief that in
order to pursue our national goals in the international arena effectively,
we should work together to further strengthen the Armenian statehood and
continue Armenia’s successful democratic transition. And this requires us to
be even stronger and unified as ever. The national unity is undoubtedly the
best guarantee for success in achieving our national goals, such as building
a strong and prosperous Armenia, defending the freedom of Artsakh, and the
international recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
Q. One of the issues of great interest to the Diaspora Armenians is the dual
citizenship. Now that the Constitution has been amended and appropriate
legislation has been passed, what is the procedure for acquiring Armenian
citizenship?
A. Dual citizenship has been an important priority for the Armenian
government, and following the passage of the Constitutional amendments and
the enabling legislation, the path for acquiring Armenian citizenship has
now been cleared. In fact, almost 1000 persons have already filed for the
Armenian citizenship. Under this legislation, persons of Armenian descent
who live in foreign countries can file for the Armenian citizenship, and the
procedure takes no more than a year. The detailed description of the legal
procedure and the application forms are available in the Consular Affairs
section of the Embassy’s website,
Dual citizenship is one of the mechanisms further bringing together the
Homeland and the Diaspora, and I encourage all Armenian-Americans who are
interested in acquiring the Armenian citizenship to apply at the Armenian
Embassy in Washington or the Consulate General in Los Angeles. We will
facilitate all applications, and will help everyone who wants to enjoy the
rights and responsibilities of the Armenian citizenship.