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LET THEM REMEMBER CYPRUS
Lragir.am
15/01/10
Interview with the RP Spokesman Eduard Sharmazanov
The Armenian Constitutional Court declared the Armenian and Turkish
protocols in accord with the Armenian Constitution. Can we trust the
objectivity of the court considering that the CC head Gagik Harutyunyan
personally participated in Serge Sargsyan's pan-Armenian tour relating
to the same protocols?
I am not a lawyer to give an assessment. I am a political figure
and my assessments are political too. The CC studied the case very
thoroughly and attached to it the applications of the ARF and other
forces. The decision of the court, I think, was expected. If those
protocols were not in accord with the Constitution and contained
preconditions, I do not think they would be signed in Zurich. The
CC cited the declaration of independence of Armenia and set that the
Armenian state has to care for the international recognition of the
Armenian genocide. No Armenian official can make the genocide issue
a disputable one. And the second question is that this is an issue
relating to two countries and no other third country. This too has
been set by the CC decision. Some Turkish political figures tried
to compare this process with some processes of the beginning of the
century. But the CC decision showed that this is a completely new
process between two countries. CC decided that the process led by
Serge Sargsyan fits the RA constitution.
But the ARF keeps affirming that the protocols do not correspond to
the Armenian Constitution and brings relevant grounds.
The ARF is a separate political force and it is their right. All
political forces do not have to have the same opinion. We respect
their stances. But this or that opinion of a political force does
not have to influence the decision of the court.
The authorities have repeatedly stated that the protocols do not
contain any preconditions, but Turkey's top officials continue to
assert that Turkey will not open the border until Armenia does not
return the territories to Azerbaijan. Is it not a precondition?
The main applications are the protocols themselves, but they contain
no preconditions. This fact has been acknowledged in Washington by Mr.
Erdogan. If Erdogan and others intend to establish relations with
Armenia on preconditions, they would have not signed the protocols.
Negotiations are taking place around these documents, there is no
third document. And if Turkey says about the occupied territories,
it would first have to think of Cyprus, 39% of which it occupied,
and only then to feel free to talk about the occupied territories of
Azerbaijan. Turkey should also remember that since 1993 it has made
a unilateral blockade of Armenia, refused to recognize the crime of
human scale which is the genocide of Armenians in early 20th century,
supported the administration and financed Elchibey aggression against
Karabakh. They cannot make unilateral concessions from Armenia.
Moreover, Armenia has much more right to speak the language
of preconditions, but all three Armenian Presidents - Levon
Ter-Petrosyan, Robert Kocharyan and Serge Sargsyan realized that in
a globalizing world they must be able to make the first step without
any preconditions and to establish diplomatic relations. Only after
the establishment of relations it is possible to proceed to discuss
and resolve contentious problems.
Let Turks decide among themselves whether they want to ratify the
protocol, and, within a reasonable time. I think the statements of the
Turks are intended to achieve the maximum concessions from the United
States and Russia on other issues, including Kurdish, Arab-Syrian,
and others.
The party which will refuse to ratify the protocol will have problems
with the international community, with the countries, the foreign
ministers of which attended the ceremony in Zurich. And we are already
seeing results: no chance Bulgaria expressed the need for payment
by Turkey 20 billion dollars in compensation for the killing of the
Bulgarians during the First World War, not by accident tensions arose
between Israel and Turkey, not by chance the U.S. Congress once again
deals with the Resolution on the Armenian genocide.
What is the reasonable time during which the protocols are to be
ratified?
I find it difficult to talk about specific dates, but it would be
logical to ratify the protocol until 24 April, and the first to
ratify is Turkey because it unilaterally closed its border with
Armenia in 1993.
Turkish officials argue that they cannot exert pressure on the Turkish
parliament, which will not ratify the protocol without progress in
the Karabakh settlement.
Turkey will try to delay the process, but it cannot last forever,
because the international community expects a quick solution to the
problem, according to the spirit of international relations, that is,
without preconditions. Statements by Turkish officials are nonsense
because the ruling "Justice and Development" has a majority in the
Turkish Parliament, and it should make a political decision. It is
a question of political will.
How do you think will the protocols be ratified in the end or Turkey
will continue to speak the language of preconditions, and Serge
Sargsyan will suspend the process?
It is difficult to make any predictions, but I think the most likely
is the ratification of the protocols. Simply Turkey is trying to wrest
concessions on other issues which is not new for Turkish diplomacy.
But the world community has enough levers to influence Turkey.
Interview By Arman Galoyan
Lragir.am
15/01/10
Interview with the RP Spokesman Eduard Sharmazanov
The Armenian Constitutional Court declared the Armenian and Turkish
protocols in accord with the Armenian Constitution. Can we trust the
objectivity of the court considering that the CC head Gagik Harutyunyan
personally participated in Serge Sargsyan's pan-Armenian tour relating
to the same protocols?
I am not a lawyer to give an assessment. I am a political figure
and my assessments are political too. The CC studied the case very
thoroughly and attached to it the applications of the ARF and other
forces. The decision of the court, I think, was expected. If those
protocols were not in accord with the Constitution and contained
preconditions, I do not think they would be signed in Zurich. The
CC cited the declaration of independence of Armenia and set that the
Armenian state has to care for the international recognition of the
Armenian genocide. No Armenian official can make the genocide issue
a disputable one. And the second question is that this is an issue
relating to two countries and no other third country. This too has
been set by the CC decision. Some Turkish political figures tried
to compare this process with some processes of the beginning of the
century. But the CC decision showed that this is a completely new
process between two countries. CC decided that the process led by
Serge Sargsyan fits the RA constitution.
But the ARF keeps affirming that the protocols do not correspond to
the Armenian Constitution and brings relevant grounds.
The ARF is a separate political force and it is their right. All
political forces do not have to have the same opinion. We respect
their stances. But this or that opinion of a political force does
not have to influence the decision of the court.
The authorities have repeatedly stated that the protocols do not
contain any preconditions, but Turkey's top officials continue to
assert that Turkey will not open the border until Armenia does not
return the territories to Azerbaijan. Is it not a precondition?
The main applications are the protocols themselves, but they contain
no preconditions. This fact has been acknowledged in Washington by Mr.
Erdogan. If Erdogan and others intend to establish relations with
Armenia on preconditions, they would have not signed the protocols.
Negotiations are taking place around these documents, there is no
third document. And if Turkey says about the occupied territories,
it would first have to think of Cyprus, 39% of which it occupied,
and only then to feel free to talk about the occupied territories of
Azerbaijan. Turkey should also remember that since 1993 it has made
a unilateral blockade of Armenia, refused to recognize the crime of
human scale which is the genocide of Armenians in early 20th century,
supported the administration and financed Elchibey aggression against
Karabakh. They cannot make unilateral concessions from Armenia.
Moreover, Armenia has much more right to speak the language
of preconditions, but all three Armenian Presidents - Levon
Ter-Petrosyan, Robert Kocharyan and Serge Sargsyan realized that in
a globalizing world they must be able to make the first step without
any preconditions and to establish diplomatic relations. Only after
the establishment of relations it is possible to proceed to discuss
and resolve contentious problems.
Let Turks decide among themselves whether they want to ratify the
protocol, and, within a reasonable time. I think the statements of the
Turks are intended to achieve the maximum concessions from the United
States and Russia on other issues, including Kurdish, Arab-Syrian,
and others.
The party which will refuse to ratify the protocol will have problems
with the international community, with the countries, the foreign
ministers of which attended the ceremony in Zurich. And we are already
seeing results: no chance Bulgaria expressed the need for payment
by Turkey 20 billion dollars in compensation for the killing of the
Bulgarians during the First World War, not by accident tensions arose
between Israel and Turkey, not by chance the U.S. Congress once again
deals with the Resolution on the Armenian genocide.
What is the reasonable time during which the protocols are to be
ratified?
I find it difficult to talk about specific dates, but it would be
logical to ratify the protocol until 24 April, and the first to
ratify is Turkey because it unilaterally closed its border with
Armenia in 1993.
Turkish officials argue that they cannot exert pressure on the Turkish
parliament, which will not ratify the protocol without progress in
the Karabakh settlement.
Turkey will try to delay the process, but it cannot last forever,
because the international community expects a quick solution to the
problem, according to the spirit of international relations, that is,
without preconditions. Statements by Turkish officials are nonsense
because the ruling "Justice and Development" has a majority in the
Turkish Parliament, and it should make a political decision. It is
a question of political will.
How do you think will the protocols be ratified in the end or Turkey
will continue to speak the language of preconditions, and Serge
Sargsyan will suspend the process?
It is difficult to make any predictions, but I think the most likely
is the ratification of the protocols. Simply Turkey is trying to wrest
concessions on other issues which is not new for Turkish diplomacy.
But the world community has enough levers to influence Turkey.
Interview By Arman Galoyan