ARMENIA AND TURKEY SIGN PEACE DEAL
By Delphine Strauss in Ankara
FT
October 11 2009 16:52
Turkey and Armenia signed accords aimed at ending a century of
hostility on Saturday, but only after a nail-biting delay that showed
how difficult it could still be to turn promises on paper into reality.
Foreign ministers Ahmet Davutoglu and Edward Nalbandian finally
emerged to sign protocols setting a timetable for the two countries
to restore diplomatic relations and open their shared border – after
agreeing neither would make any statement.
After a handshake, punctuated by smiles only from Turkey’s
Mr Davutoglu, the two men received hugs and congratulations from
onlookers including Bernard Kouchner, French foreign minister, the
European Union’s Javier Solana and Russia’s Sergei Lavrov.
By mending ties, Turkey stands to gain influence in the Caucasus,
smooth its path to EU membership – and lessen the perennial threat of
US legislators recognising Ottoman massacres of up to 1.5m Armenians
in 1915 as genocide.
Armenia would also gain through trade links with a large economy
closely tied to the EU if Turkey reopens the border it closed in 1994
to support its ally Azerbaijan in a conflict with Armenia over the
disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
But Armenians’ anger at Turkey’s denial that the 1915 killings were
genocide, and Turks’ anger at Armenia’s co ntinued occupation of Azeri
territory, mean each government faces big obstacles to ratifying and
implementing the agreement – even though each should technically be
able to win a parliamentary vote.
"We are sending the protocols to parliament, but to ratify these our
parliament will certainly watch what is happening in the matter of
Azerbaijan and Armenia," Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish prime minister,
told his party on Sunday. "Turkey cannot take a positive step towards
Armenia unless Armenia withdraws from Azeri land."
Azerbaijan has frequently hinted that it could reconsider oil and
gas sales to Turkey if Ankara mends ties with Yerevan before any
solution to the conflict over Nagorno Karabakh. The foreign ministry
in Baku said in a statement on Sunday that the agreement was against
its national interests and "cast a shadow over fraternal relations"
with Turkey, which are based on close ethnic ties.
The protocols make no mention of Nagorno-Karabakh, and Armenia protests
that there should be no linkage between the two issues. Although
Russian diplomats said talks between the Armenian and Azeri presidents
last Thursday were "constructive", Ilham Aliyev, Azeri president,
later told state television there had been no progress.
The EU and United Nations welcomed the agreement’s signature, as did
Russia, but Armenian diaspora organizations condemning it included
the Armenian National20Committee of America, who claimed it "proves,
sadly, that genocide pays."