The New Anatolian, Turkey
April 23 2005
Turkey’s main opposition party, CHP’s Oymen: We want diplomatic
relations with Armenia
Ayla Ganioglu
TNA Parliament Bureau /Ankara
Armenia keeping its borders closed has nothing to do with the
so-called genocide claims, says Oymen, adding that Armenia calls
itself ‘South Armenia.’ ‘Yerevan is openly demanding land from
Turkey,’ he said. ‘It should renounce this territorial dispute’
Armenia’s refusal to recognize Turkish borders and its territorial
disputes with Ankara have been considered the biggest obstacles to
establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries. Retired
diplomats, some currently in Parliament, believe that Armenia should
first renounce its demand for land from Turkey, and that it should
also withdraw its forces from Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan.
Onur Oymen, retired diplomat and Istanbul deputy of the Republican
People’s Party (CHP), said that the reason for Turkey’s refusal to
open its border with Armenia has nothing to do with the so-called
Armenian genocide claims. `Does Armenia accept its border with Turkey
as a decisive and legal border?’ asked Oymen. `Does Armenia accept
the borders it established in its own 1990 `Independence
Declaration’? Why does Armenia call itself `South Armenia’? It’s
making an open demand for land from Turkey. It has an open objection
to Turkey’s current borders. Armenia should renounce these.”
Oymen told TNA that Armenia should firstly accept the legitimacy of
its border with Turkey. He also stated that Armenia has invaded 20
percent of Azerbaijani national territory and that 1 million
Azerbaijanis have been forced to emigrate as a result. He added that
the Minsk group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE), which is mediating a settlement, has yet to find a
solution to the problem.
Oymen pointed out that Armenia still uses Mt. Ararat in eastern
Turkey as their national emblem. He stated that Armenia had made
great efforts to develop bilateral relations after declaring its
independence from the Soviet Union under then President Ter
Petrosyan. However, he added, these efforts did not bear fruit.
Ex-diplomat Pulat Tacar gave an example concerning Armenia’s
territorial disputes with Turkey. “I went to Armenia,’ said Tacar.
`And during meetings with Armenian diplomats, they openly referred to
southern Turkey as `western Armenia.’ This instantly raises the
question of whether the Armenians are going to make a demand [for
land].’
Foreign Affairs Commission member Sukru Elekdag stated in Parliament
that it is in both Turkey and Armenia’s interests to create a
positive basis to establish peace between the two nations. `If the
diaspora and Armenian opportunists think that they can open Turkey’s
borders by defaming Turkey abroad, and by using the U.S. and the
European Union, they’re mistaken,’ said Elekdag. `They can’t do
this.’
Elekdag urged both sides to research the so-called genocide issue if
they really want to destroy the current taboos. He decried Armenia’s
negative response to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent
letter proposing the establishment of a joint commission to study the
so-called Armenian genocide claims.
He quoted Armenian Foreign Minister Robert Kocharian as saying,
`Before the 90th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, Turkey is
launching a retaliation, in addition its insensitivity to the issue.
Turkey not only wants to rewrite its own version of history, but also
manipulate other countries.’
He stated that Yerevan is convinced that all goodwill gestures from
Turkey towards Armenia to date are the result of pressure from the
international community. He highlighted that in the last few years
Turkey has started to give visas to Armenians at its border with
Armenia. More than 30,000 Armenian citizens work illegally in Turkey,
he said, adding that Yerevan-Istanbul flights have started and that
the air corridor has been opened. Armenia implies that gestures of
friendship from Turkey are due solely to pressure from the U.S and
EU, he charged, and they expect Turkey to make new concessions as the
result of renewed pressure.
`So if Ankara makes the decision to open its borders with Armenia,
that would strengthen the belief that Yerevan’s policy of `I can
continue with both false accusations and a defamation campaign
against Turkey and make Turkey do what I want through pressure from
the international community,’ can last forever,’ he said. `This would
result in Yerevan rejecting all our proposals. Therefore, Turkey’s
Armenian policy should be based on the `Common History Evaluation
Proposal,’ and relations between the two countries should be linked
to Yerevan’s attitude to the issue.’
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress