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Intermediate resumes of the Armenian foreign policy

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  • Intermediate resumes of the Armenian foreign policy

    PanARMENIAN.Net

    Intermediate resumes of the Armenian foreign policy

    Karine Ter-Sahakyan

    Armenia is not determined to yield to Turkey or to any other country
    in the issue of international recognition of the Armenian Genocide or
    to compromise with regulation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
    09.04.2009 GMT+04:00

    The year since inauguration of the third Armenian President Serzh
    Sargsyan introduced some changes in foreign policy of the country,
    without changing at the same time the priority directions, stipulated
    in the Declaration of Independence of Armenia. And if summits were, to
    some extent, expected, two events were utterly significant both for
    Armenia and for the entire region.

    /PanARMENIAN.Net/ However it should be noted that but for the August
    war between Georgia and South Ossetia and the subsequent aggravation
    of Russian-Georgian relations, there would possibly be neither the
    Meindorf Declaration, nor all the more, the historical visit of the
    Turkish President to Yerevan.

    The first step towards the resume of Armenian-Turkish dialogue was
    taken during the celebration of the 10th anniversary of Astana, the
    capital of Kazakhstan, where Serzh Sargsyan and Abdullah Gul in rather
    an unrestrained situation exchanged a pair of words, which in its turn
    caused a storm of `indignation' in the Azeri press¦ It was quite
    expected that concrete steps might follow the meeting, and they really
    did. The President of Armenia invited his Turkish associate to the
    football match between the teams of Armenia and Turkey in Yerevan. Let
    us directly say that Abdullah Gul simply could not refuse, otherwise
    the image of Turkey would suffer in the world arena. As for Armenia,
    the President's initiative gave her a considerably great number of
    dividends. After Gul's arrival, Armenian-Turkish talks, which before
    then used to be held in the atmosphere of secrecy, became more
    open. In the end, the negotiations may not even lead to the opening of
    the Armenian-Turkish border, but the fact of conducting negotiations
    is already good. And what is probably most important - Armenia for
    some obscure economic benefits is not going to yield to Turkey or to
    any other country in the issue of international recognition of the
    Armenian Genocide or to compromise with regulation of the
    Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. With the help of President Sargsyan the
    term `football diplomacy' took roots in the world policy, just like
    the term `ping-pong diplomacy' which marked the beginning of
    restoration of American-Chinese relations in the 70's of last century.

    The second significant event was the signing of the Meindorf
    Declaration on peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
    although both these events are interconnected. Let us not forget that
    it was Turkey that proposed the `Platform of Stability and Cooperation
    in the Caucasus', while signing of the declaration was simply Russia's
    answer. It is also appropriate to recall that signing of the
    declaration took place directly before the Presidential Elections in
    the United States. A month later a similar declaration was issued at
    the summit of OSCE Foreign Affairs leaders. However, none of the
    declarations drew nearer the solution of the Karabakh conflict the way
    it is seen to the `arbiters' of the fate of Karabakh Armenians, who
    actually do not understand why to solve what was already solved in
    1994. Thus, all the words on `golden opportunity', `window' and
    `advance' are simply diplomatic figures called to conceal inaction
    and, in majority of cases, to simply hide the reluctance to examine
    the labyrinths of the Caucasian policy.

    As far as the Karabakh problem is concerned, according to the
    President of Armenia, the happiest day in his life will be the one,
    when Azerbaijan will recognize the right of Nagorno- Karabakh people
    to self-determination, and Karabakh will either become an independent
    country or it will join Armenia. `On that day I will resign and will
    give up politics. But the process of resolution of Karabakh conflict
    is not at a deadlock. I believe there is a possibility of peaceful
    resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Otherwise I would not
    have run for the post of the RA President,' said Serzh Sargsyan.

    We shall only add to the aforesaid that in the past year the relations
    Armenia-EU, Armenia-NATO grew stronger, to say nothing of bilateral
    relations with the USA, Russia, Iran, France and Germany. And lastly,
    Armenia became a participant in the program of the European Commission
    `Eastern Partnership'.
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