Turkey Not Ready For Unconditional Normalization Of Relations With Armenia; Armenian Pm Says
17.06.2011,
01:04
In an interview with CNN during a visit to Great Britain Armenian prime minister Tigran Sarkisian said Turkey is not ready for unconditional normalization of relations with Armenia.
YEREVAN, June 16. / ARKA /. In an interview with CNN during a visit to Great Britain Armenian prime minister Tigran Sarkisian said Turkey is not ready for unconditional normalization of relations with Armenia.
“In the last 20 years Armenia has had a very clear political position on this issue. We are ready to normalize our relations with our neighbor Turkey without any preconditions. Now recent events have shown that Turkey is not ready to do the same,’ he said.
In response to a question that Turkey is a large economy of 80 million consumers and whether it is difficult for Armenia to negotiate with a country that is a G20 member Sarkisian said, “It’s not just an issue for Armenia. Turkey’s political clout and weight will only grow if Turkey follows the international rules of the game.
Its clout is undermined by the problems that Turkey is continuing to have with its neighbors. Turkey should continue to carry out the democratic reforms on the path towards EU accession in which case we are easily able to build sustainable relations with our neighboring country.’
Turkey and Armenia have had no diplomatic ties since Armenia became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991. Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in a show of support for its ally, Azerbaijan, which had a dispute with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, the ethnic Armenian enclave of Azerbaijan.
There are several sensitive issues complicating the establishment of normal relations between the two countries, particularly, Ankara’s blatant support of Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution process and Turkey’s refusal to acknowledge the mass killings of Armenians in the last years of the Ottoman Empire as a genocide. -0-
“In the last 20 years Armenia has had a very clear political position on this issue. We are ready to normalize our relations with our neighbor Turkey without any preconditions. Now recent events have shown that Turkey is not ready to do the same,’ he said.
In response to a question that Turkey is a large economy of 80 million consumers and whether it is difficult for Armenia to negotiate with a country that is a G20 member Sarkisian said, “It’s not just an issue for Armenia. Turkey’s political clout and weight will only grow if Turkey follows the international rules of the game.
Its clout is undermined by the problems that Turkey is continuing to have with its neighbors. Turkey should continue to carry out the democratic reforms on the path towards EU accession in which case we are easily able to build sustainable relations with our neighboring country.’
Turkey and Armenia have had no diplomatic ties since Armenia became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991. Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in a show of support for its ally, Azerbaijan, which had a dispute with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, the ethnic Armenian enclave of Azerbaijan.
There are several sensitive issues complicating the establishment of normal relations between the two countries, particularly, Ankara’s blatant support of Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution process and Turkey’s refusal to acknowledge the mass killings of Armenians in the last years of the Ottoman Empire as a genocide. -0-
