INTERVIEW OF PRESIDENT SERGE SARKISIAN TO RADIKAL NEWSPAPER (TURKEY)
A: My number one goal was to normalize the relations between our countries. Mr. Gul's congratulation message upon my election said about the opportunities of normalizing the relations between Armenia and Turkey. Later on Prime Minister Erdogan stated that Turkey is open to a dialogue with Armenia. In return, I decided to use this opportunity. There is a good sports event ahead. It is the first time in the history our football teams shall meet. It may become a brilliant opportunity to develop our relations. The result of the game is not important, anyways I hope it will be a pleasure for the fans. There excitement will be great. This will be a big and exclusive event in our relations, and I hope it will become more special due to the presence of the Armenian and Turkish presidents. We are neighbors and will remains so. I am sure having normal relations will benefit both the countries. My invitation to Mr. Gul shall be considered in this contrext. Q: There is some anxiety in Ankara about this invitation. How, for example the problem of the borders is to be solved and how President Gul will be received in Armenia. Do you share this anxiety?
A: There is nothing to worry about. If we have invited a president of a foreign state, we are able to provide everything on a due level. Q: I have met with some representatives of the Dashnaktsutiun Party, who are against your invitation. They assured they will so everything to be heard in case President Gul arrives in Yerevan.
A: I am sure their means to express themselves will remain in terms appropriate for an official visit. Not being politically correct they will first harm themselves, Armenia and me, then Mr. Gul. Q: What do you think about the regional power engineering and communication projects realized by Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan, which, in case of peace and stability in the region, might be very profitable? Would Armenia join those projects? Do you think that some day you will be received in Turkey in the same way as the leaders of Azerbaijan and Georgia are, and the leaders of Turkey will not doubt to accept invitations from Armenia?
A: By now I have learned two things about regional cooperation projects. First, in case not all the countries of the region are involved, of one of them is excluded, the projects does nothing but creating new dividing lines. Second, when political aspects of the project outscore the economic ones, the project usually turns out not as successful as it was meant to be. It is something similar to harnessing a horse from behind the cart. Q: Which project are you hinting at?
A: The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad, for example. Doesn't such railroad already exist? It can be made operational again with minimum expenses. In the past the leaders of Armenia visited Turkey. Me too, in different offices, have been to Turkey. Reciprocal visits between neighbors are quite a normal thing, and they should not be deemed as some kind of courtesy to the opposite party. Our efforts are aimed at that. Q: When the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway was launched, President Gul in the presence of Aliyev and Sahakashvili said that Armenia can join this project in case of respecting the international law. Do you think he hinted at the borders defined by the 1921 agreement of Kars?
A: I think Mr. Gul would give a better answer to that question. I can only assure that Armenia supports the regulations of the UN, as well as of other international treaties, it respects its own international commitments. Q: Well, I shall phrase my question more precisely. There are some parties in Armenia that refer to a part of Turkey as Western Armenia and, basing on the Sevres Treaty, have territorial claims from Turkey. Do you admit that it is difficult to have full-fledged diplomatic relations with a neighbor which argues your borders? What is your official opinion about the legitimateness and recognition of the agreement of Kars?
A: I can hardly remember any Armenian official to make territorial claims on Turkey. But I can always hear that from Turkey. I don't think it is right to base upon single statements. If so, there are many people in Turkey who assure that in fact there is no Armenia at all. We do not need any pre-conditions to establish relations with Turkey. I know about the anxiety of Turkish officials regarding the phrasings like Western and Eastern Armenia. It seems strange to me. Western and Eastern Armenia are geographical terms used in the 19th century. Trying to forget those expressions, coming from the past, is equal to trying to deny the existence of Sparta, the Russian Empire, the Ottoman Empire or other historical facts. If we had assumed that official policy, we would have called our country Republic of Eastern Armenia, not Republic of Armenia. None of the Armenian officials spoke such things. Russia, for example, has territorial issues with China and Japan, but it doesn't prevent those states from having normal diplomatic relations. Q: After your invitation to Gul, very serious things as the Russia-Georgia conflict happened in Caucasus. What do you think about Russia's assistance to South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which separated from Georgia?
A: in fact tragic events happened. People were killed. It showed what can arms competition result in such cases. We advocate settling such issues with peace negotiations. We also advocate respecting peoples' right for self-expression and self-determination. We are sorry about such turn of events and of course we do not like it. We trust that the joint plan of the Presidents of Russia and France, Medvedyev and Sarkozy, will bring peace and stability. Peace and stability are very important to us. Putting everything aside, 70% of Armenian trade is made through Georgia. Q: Yerevan experienced problems with fuel because of the railway bridge in Georgia blown up by the Russians, is that so?
A: Yes, it is. We hope the problem will be solved in two days. The instability in the region is against Armenia. It displays very well how we need stability. Prolonging the instable situation for three more months or years would multiply our problems. Q: Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian already approved Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan's initiative on Caucasian Stability and Partnership Platform. Can you give any details on Armenia's policy in this question? A: Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian expressed positive attitude to Erdogan's initiative on regional stability, security and dialogue. I think the Foreign Minister took right actions. After we receive the proposal we will discuss it in details and announce our opinion.Q: Do you think that Karabakh conflict, which is a very important issue in your relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey, may soon be settled? Do you think that making a peace agreement with Azerbaijan will raise political and economic cooperation in the region onto a new level?
A: We had a productive meeting with President Aliev in Saint Petersburg on June 6. Both of us ordered our Foreign Ministers to proceed the work in accord with the principles adopted in Madrid. There have been three meetings since then. I hope we'll find a solution soon. Q: Can you suggest an approximate date?
A: It would be wring to predict anything before the presidential elections in Azerbaijan. We shall see what happens after the elections. Q: Do you draw parallels between Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia and Abkhazia? I ask this because you said that people's right for self-determination should be always respected.
A: All the conflicts have something in common and something different. I prefer making ourselves lessons out of them instead of focusing on similarities and differences. I can clearly see that efforts to solve such issues with military force result in unpredictable and complicated consequences. I would like to know how many people knew the results of the conflict before starting it. We have to be aware. Q: From outside it seems that the Turkish-Armenian relations are in stalemate because of the Genocide issue. Do you think it is right? Do you think relations cannot progress until Turkey recognizes the tragic events of 1915 as genocide? Is it a pre-condition?A: You can hardly find an Armenian in the world who does not believe the Genocide took place. But the recognition of the Genocide is not a pre-condition for establishing dialogue with Turkey. That is why we say that we are ready to establish diplomatic relations with Turkey without any pre-condition. Q: What is your opinion about making a historians' commission to study the 1915 events? Do you think it is possible to have two commissions, one for normalizing the relations and another for studying the 1915 events? Do you think they can work at the same time?
A: I think we need to elaborate new approaches to this issue. For I cannot remember a non-governmental commission to be ever established to settle an intergovernmental issue. The best way is to start diplomatic relations. In that case numbers of substructures and groups may be established in the frameworks of the Armenian-Turkish intergovernmental commission. Earlier a similar commission was found in the USA. And it worked. And its necessary to create a proper environment for the functioning of the scientific commission you suggested. Therefore normal diplomatic relations are bare necessity.
INTERVIEW OF PRESIDENT SERGE SARKISIAN TO RADIKAL NEWSPAPER (TURKEY)
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INTERVIEW OF PRESIDENT SERGE SARKISIAN TO RADIKAL NEWSPAPER (TURKEY)
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