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INVITING TURKISH PRESIDENT TO ARMENIA WAS BALANCED STEP: ARA GOCHUNYAN
10:52, 15 December, 2014
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. It's natural that advancing the
100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide the discussions dedicated
to the Armenian question will be intensified both among the Armenians
and the Turks. Notwithstanding, those discussions do not guarantee
that there will be positive shifts regarding the issue by April 24,
2014. The Editor-in-Chief of the Istanbul-based Armenian periodical
Ara Gochunyan stated this in an interview to "Armenpress" News Agency.
- During the recent months, the visits of a row of Turkish
intellectuals to Armenia have shown that there is a problem of
understanding and being understood by each other both in the Armenian
and Turkish sides. In Your opinion, what can help us to fix this
issue at least to some extent?
- If I try to give a shot answer, I'll say - time. A serious political
will is necessary to settle these problematic relations. And that will
must be on the state level to conduct the process of regulation on much
firmer basis. But as the Armenian-Turkish relations are not merely
irregular, but also bear the burden of the failed Zurich protocols
and deep atmosphere of lack of confidence, the states have only
a limited opportunity to take the initiative. In these conditions
the process continues predominantly on the societal level, which,
naturally, can have encouraging expressions, but we have to accept
that the public dialogue cannot replace the relations between states.
- Yet in May, the President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan
announced that he invites the Turkish President to Armenia on April 24,
2015. In Your opinion, will any high ranking Turkish official visit
Armenia, even not on the presidential level, next year on April 24?
- The invitation of President Serzh Sargsyan was a very constructive
and balanced initiative. Armenia's peaceful approaches have
been precisely expressed; the importance Armenia attaches to the
co-existence of the two neighbors and that we look at future. The
public dialogue was shaken by the handicapped state relations after
the failure of the Zurich protocols.
Only after seeing the impact of the Armenian side's initiatives and
encountering with the international family's attitude, the Turkish
side will make up its mind to visit Armenia or not, and if yes,
on what level.
(THE FULL VERSION OF THE INTERVIEW IS AVAILABLE IN ARMENIAN)
http://armenpress.am/arm/news/787788/inviting-turkish-president-to-armenia-was-balanced-step-ara-gochunyan.html
http://armenpress.am/eng/news/787788/inviting-turkish-president-to-armenia-was-balanced-step-ara-gochunyan.html
Interview by Araks Kasyan
10:52, 15 December, 2014
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. It's natural that advancing the
100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide the discussions dedicated
to the Armenian question will be intensified both among the Armenians
and the Turks. Notwithstanding, those discussions do not guarantee
that there will be positive shifts regarding the issue by April 24,
2014. The Editor-in-Chief of the Istanbul-based Armenian periodical
Ara Gochunyan stated this in an interview to "Armenpress" News Agency.
- During the recent months, the visits of a row of Turkish
intellectuals to Armenia have shown that there is a problem of
understanding and being understood by each other both in the Armenian
and Turkish sides. In Your opinion, what can help us to fix this
issue at least to some extent?
- If I try to give a shot answer, I'll say - time. A serious political
will is necessary to settle these problematic relations. And that will
must be on the state level to conduct the process of regulation on much
firmer basis. But as the Armenian-Turkish relations are not merely
irregular, but also bear the burden of the failed Zurich protocols
and deep atmosphere of lack of confidence, the states have only
a limited opportunity to take the initiative. In these conditions
the process continues predominantly on the societal level, which,
naturally, can have encouraging expressions, but we have to accept
that the public dialogue cannot replace the relations between states.
- Yet in May, the President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan
announced that he invites the Turkish President to Armenia on April 24,
2015. In Your opinion, will any high ranking Turkish official visit
Armenia, even not on the presidential level, next year on April 24?
- The invitation of President Serzh Sargsyan was a very constructive
and balanced initiative. Armenia's peaceful approaches have
been precisely expressed; the importance Armenia attaches to the
co-existence of the two neighbors and that we look at future. The
public dialogue was shaken by the handicapped state relations after
the failure of the Zurich protocols.
Only after seeing the impact of the Armenian side's initiatives and
encountering with the international family's attitude, the Turkish
side will make up its mind to visit Armenia or not, and if yes,
on what level.
(THE FULL VERSION OF THE INTERVIEW IS AVAILABLE IN ARMENIAN)
http://armenpress.am/arm/news/787788/inviting-turkish-president-to-armenia-was-balanced-step-ara-gochunyan.html
http://armenpress.am/eng/news/787788/inviting-turkish-president-to-armenia-was-balanced-step-ara-gochunyan.html
Interview by Araks Kasyan