MP: Armenian-Turkish process now stagnant but not expired

YEREVAN, January 26. /ARKA/. Armenian-Turkish process is now stagnant but not expired, Gagik Minasyan, a member of Armenian Republican Party’s faction in the National Assembly, said on Wednesday at a news conference.
 
Some progress was seen in relations between the two countries in recent years.

The thaw in relations between the two countries began from Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s visit to Yerevan on September 6, 2008. He came to Armenia at his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan’s invitation to attend a 2010 World Cup qualifier in Yerevan.

On October 10, Armenian and Turkish foreign ministers signed the protocols in Zurich on establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries and development of bilateral relations. However, Turkey was dragging its feet and was obviously unwilling to ratify them. That is why the Armenian president ceased the ratification process in Armenia.

“We can only place the lack of active stage on record,” Minasyan said.

He said Armenia still gained from improvement of relations with Turkey.

First, the improvement laid ground for moving discussion of the Armenian Genocide to Turkey after long years of unsuccessful efforts.

Many Turkish intellectuals gathered on April 24, the day of commemoration of the genocide victims. Nothing like that happened before.

Second, international community showed understanding of Armenia’s stance in the process of the improvement.

Armenian Genocide was the first genocide committed in XX century. Turkey rejects the accusation of massacres and the killing of one and a half million Armenians during World War I.

The fact of the Armenian genocide is recognized by many countries, particularly by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, most of the U.S. states, as well as by the parliaments of Greece, Cyprus, Argentina, Belgium, Wales, National Council of Switzerland, Common House of Canada, the Seym of Poland and lower house of Italian parliament.-0