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Statement Is One Of The Most Serious Mistakes

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  • Statement Is One Of The Most Serious Mistakes

    STATEMENT IS ONE OF THE MOST SERIOUS MISTAKES

    LRAGIR.AM
    17:44:53 - 23/04/2009

    Armenian Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS)
    Director Richard Giragosian issued a statement today commenting on
    the recent joint declaration issued on 22 April by the Ministries of
    Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Turkey
    and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.

    Only two days before the April 24th anniversary of the Armenian
    genocide, a trilateral statement was issued by the Armenian, Turkish
    and Swiss governments declaring that "Turkey and Armenia, together
    with Switzerland as mediator, have been working intensively with a
    view to normalizing their bilateral relations and developing them
    in a spirit of good-neighborliness, and mutual respect, and thus to
    promoting peace, security and stability in the whole region."

    The statement went on to note that "the two parties have achieved
    tangible progress and mutual understanding in this process and they
    have agreed on a comprehensive framework for the normalization of
    their bilateral relations in a mutually satisfactory manner. In this
    context, a road-map has been identified."

    Concluding by stating that "this agreed basis provides a positive
    prospect for the on-going process," the joint statement represents one
    of the most serious strategic blunders by the Armenian government to
    date. Although this brief 95-word statement may accurately reflect
    an opportunity for a genuinely historic breakthrough in relations
    between Armenia and Turkey, the message of its text and the timing
    of its release raise important concerns.

    Most clearly, by issuing such a joint statement just prior to
    the annual commemoration of the Armenian genocide, the Republic of
    Armenia has only bolstered, and seemingly endorsed, Turkish attempts
    to pressure US President Barack Obama from fulfilling his campaign
    promises to recognize the Armenian genocide in his traditional April
    24th statement.

    Moreover, by agreeing to not only issue a joint statement that
    clearly conforms to Turkish attempts to distort and deny the historical
    veracity of the Armenian genocide, but to also release such a statement
    just two days prior to the traditional April 24th anniversary,
    the Armenian government has demonstrated an appalling degree of
    short-sightedness and irresponsibility. Such a strategic error raises
    further questions over the sophistication, sincerity and seriousness
    of Armenian leadership, particularly at such a vulnerable point in
    Armenian history when the security and status of Nagorno-Karabagh
    remain unresolved and the future course of democratic and economic
    reform in Armenia remains in doubt.

    Within a broader context, this strategic error by the Armenian
    authorities is considerably more than simply a deficiency in foreign
    policy, but suggests a truly tragic, and possibly irrevocable step,
    whereby the Armenian government has not only sacrificed the integrity
    of the state, but has abdicated its responsibility to both the passing
    generation of genocide survivors and the present generation of their
    ancestors. Such a disdainful disregard for the historical legacy of
    the Armenian genocide has been an all too common characteristic of the
    Republic of Turkey, but for the Republic of Armenia, such irresponsible
    collaboration deserves only intense condemnation. It is truly a tragic
    start to the annual commemoration of the Armenian genocide.
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