Turkey and Armenia sign landmark accord… Eventually

Turkey and Armenia sign landmark accord… eventually
Hillary Clinton brokers deal after talks stalled at last minute

Robert Tait

The Guardian
The Observer, Sunday 11 October 2009

Presidents Serzh Sargsyan, Dmitry Medvedev and Ilham Aliyev at the
Commonwealth of Independent States summit in Chisinau, Oct 9, 2009.
Photograph: Reuters

Turkey and Armenia last night finally signed a landmark accord to restore
ties and open their shared border after a century of hostility stemming from
the First World War mass-killing of Armenians by Ottoman forces.

But in an indication of the many pitfalls that lie ahead of its
implementation, the ceremony was marred by a three-hour delay due to
last-minute disagreements on the wording of statements, forcing the American
secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, to engage in intense discussions to
salvage a deal.

Ahmet Davutoglu, the Turkish foreign minister, and his Armenian counterpart,
Edward Nalbandian, signed the accord in Zurich, ending speculation that days
of angry protests might scupper the deal.

The accords mark a new chapter in relations after generations of bitterness
over Armenian claims of genocide by Turkish Ottoman forces nearly a century
ago. Under the agreement, the two countries will form a joint historical
commission to examine the issue.

The Turkish and Armenian parliaments must now approve the deal in the face
of opposition from nationalists on both sides and an Armenian diaspora which
insists that Turkey acknowledge the killings of up to 1.5 million Armenians
as genocide.

The agreement, the culmination of more than a year of intensive diplomacy,
will commit both countries to reopen their land border and restore
diplomatic ties, which Turkey severed in 1993 over Armenia’s occupation of
Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory claimed by Ankara’s ally, Azerbaijan.

Politicians and analysts have hailed the accord as a major breakthrough.
"It’s the beginning of a new era not only for Turkish-Armenian relations but
also for the entire Caucasus region, including Russia and Iran," said Cengiz
Aktar, professor of EU studies at Bahcesehir university in Istanbul.

"It won’t be easy to resolve the many sclerotic issues and there are no
quick fixes. But it’s an extremely important step."

Last week, Armenia’s president, Serzh Sargsyan, faced angry demonstrations
on a tour designed to sell the agreement to Armenian communities in the US,
Russia, France and Lebanon. Around 10,000 nationalists, some holding banners
reading "No to Turkish preconditions" and "No to concessions to Turkey"
protested in the Armenian capital, Yerevan.

Turkey admits many Armenians died in the final days of the Ottoman empire
but disputes the numbers, while claiming many were victims of disease. The
Turkish official narrative also insists many Turks were victims of Armenian
violence.

The agreement also commits Armenia to work with Azerbaijan towards a
resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute.

Some 30,000 people died after war broke out in the enclave in the early
1990s following the collapse of the Soviet Union.