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  • Sarkisian Steps Up Criticism Of Turkey, Warns Of Reprisals

    SARKISIAN STEPS UP CRITICISM OF TURKEY, WARNS OF REPRISALS

    Asbarez Staff
    http://www.asbarez.com/2009/07/31/sarkisian-steps -up-criticism-of-turkey-for-visiting-diasporans/
    J ul 31st, 2009

    YEREVAN (RFE/RL)-President Serzh Sarkisian has stepped up his criticism
    of Turkey's preconditions for normalizing Turkish-Armenian relations,
    saying that they run counter to agreements reached by Ankara and
    Yerevan during their year-long negotiations.

    The criticism was echoed by more than 80 U.S. lawmakers who accused
    Ankara of backpedaling on a U.S.-brokered "roadmap" to establishing
    diplomatic relations between the two neighboring nations and reopening
    their border.

    "For one year, Armenia and Turkey held negotiations and agreed on
    two documents," Sarkisian said in televised remarks aired late on
    Thursday. "But since that some political forces in Turkey have been
    trying to set conditions and link the establishment of diplomatic
    relations with Armenia with the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh
    conflict and Armenia's relations with Azerbaijan."

    "We do accept that Turkey is a big country, we do accept its role both
    in the region and the entire world," he said. "But at the same time,
    we Armenians are an independent nation, and it is inadmissible to
    talk to us in the language of preconditions. Any tough step brings
    about counter-steps." He did not elaborate on the warning.

    Sarkisian spoke during a visit to Lake Sevan where he attended a summer
    festival organized by his government for visiting young people from
    the worldwide Armenian Diaspora. Many in the Diaspora have followed
    with unease Armenia's rapprochement with Turkey that began shortly
    after Sarkisian took office in April last year. Sarkisian has been
    criticized by Armenia's opposition and the Diaspora for allowing
    Western-backed process to develop in Turkey's favor without earning
    Armenia any tangible benefits.

    The process thus far has allowed Turkey to couple its talks with
    Armenia to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and hamper efforts for US
    recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

    Sarkisian's remarks came just two days after he again made clear that
    he will not travel to Turkey to watch the October 14 return match
    of the two countries' national football teams unless Ankara takes
    "real steps" to reopen the Turkish-Armenian border. The two teams
    played their first game in Yerevan last September in the presence of
    Sarkisian and Turkish President Abdullah Gul.

    Gul's visit to Armenia was followed by more Turkish-Armenian talks,
    with the Turks reportedly agreeing to drop their long-standing linkage
    between the normalization of bilateral ties and a Karabakh settlement
    acceptable to Azerbaijan. However, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
    and other Turkish leaders have repeatedly said in recent months that
    the Turkish-Armenian border will remain closed as long as the Karabakh
    conflict remains unresolved. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu
    reaffirmed this precondition on Wednesday.

    Despite these statements, Sarkisian until recently sounded cautiously
    optimistic about the success of the Turkish-Armenian dialogue. It
    was not until July 6 that he first publicly expressed his frustration
    with Ankara's stance.

    Highlighting that frustration, 82 members of the U.S. House of
    Representatives on Thursday sent a joint letter to President Barack
    Obama expressing concern about "Turkish backpedaling" on the still
    unpublicized "roadmap" deal that was announced on April 22. "Turkey's
    public statements and actions since April 24th stand in sharp contrast
    to this agreement and undermine U.S. policy that normalization take
    place without preconditions," the letter said.

    "It would appear that Turkey, in an effort to block U.S. recognition
    of the Armenian Genocide, agreed to a roadmap it did not intend
    to uphold," the legislators charged. "Therefore, we urge your
    Administration to separate the issues of normalization and genocide
    recognition."

    In an April 24 statement, Obama refrained from properly recognizing
    the Genocide, implicitly citing the need not to undermine the
    Turkish-Armenian rapprochement.
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