By Abdul Kerimkhanov
The lack of diplomatic relations between Yerevan and Ankara is the painful problem of the Armenians.
Armenia found itself in a political isolation and economic deadlock, being in the status of a vassal country, having lost any relationship with its powerful regional neighbors due to the short-sighted policy of the previous authorities. Now, with the advent of the new government, this issue immediately appeared on the political agenda of Yerevan.
Armenia is ready to establish diplomatic relations with Turkey, but without preconditions regarding Nagorno-Karabakh, said Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, on December 10.
"We are ready to establish direct relations with Turkey without any preliminary conditions, and we hope that Turkey will take the same position. But relations with Turkey are connected with the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh, with a third country. I mean Azerbaijan," he said.
Nikol Pashinyan’s ambiguous statement about Armenia’s readiness to establish relations with Turkey without preconditions calls into question the policy of the Armenian state in the Karabakh settlement.
He apparently forgot that Turkish officials have repeatedly stated that if Armenia dreams of good neighborly relations with Turkey, it will have to abandon its aggressive policy against Azerbaijan, sit at the negotiating table and begin de-occupation of the Azerbaijani territories. As long as it ignores the negotiation process, delaying the status quo, this is unacceptable for Azerbaijan and Turkey. Without settling the Karabakh conflict, Armenia should not count on relations with Turkey.
Besides, Armenia should put an end to territorial claims against Turkey itself, as well as a century-old political adventure about the far-fetched "genocide."
In order for Turkey to agree to restore diplomatic relations with Armenia and open its state border, all these important conditions must be met in Yerevan. Armenia should show readiness for a compromise not in words but in real actions.
And in fact, the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem is the most important condition not only for sustainable peace and stability in the Caucasus but also for the normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations.
Armenia says that the Nagorno-Karabakh problem does not depend on Armenian-Turkish relations, but at the same time, it neglects the fact that Turkey closed the border with it, primarily because of this conflict.
Therefore, active lobbyists support the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations and the opening of the border should be viewed from the current destructive policy of Armenia as well.
Armenia must withdraw its troops from the occupied Azerbaijani lands to normalize relations with Turkey, the Turkish presidential administration told Trend while commenting on the statement voiced by PM Nikol Pashinyan.
"Turkey stands for stability and peace in the region,” the administration said. “There cannot be stability in the region without the withdrawal of the Armenian troops from the occupied Azerbaijani territories,” the Turkish presidential administration stressed.
It was noted that Armenia should also renounce claims about the events of 1915 since there was no “genocide” of Armenians during these events.
On March 1, 2018, Armenia announced the annulment of the protocols on the normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations.
The protocols on normalization of relations between the two countries were signed by the foreign ministers of Turkey and Armenia on October 10, 2009, but have not been ratified.
Armenia and the Armenian lobby claim that the predecessor of Turkey – the Ottoman Empire – committed the so-called genocide against the Armenians living in Anatolia in 1915.