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BAKU: Opposition, Especially, 'Dashnaktsutiun', Enhances Pressure On

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  • BAKU: Opposition, Especially, 'Dashnaktsutiun', Enhances Pressure On

    OPPOSITION, ESPECIALLY, 'DASHNAKTSUTIUN', ENHANCES PRESSURE ON ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT: DIRECTOR OF ARMENIAN CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

    Trend News Agency
    Sept 1 2009
    Azerbaijan

    Opposition, especially, the "Dashnaktsutiun" opposition party standing
    against two major pillars of current Armenian foreign policy,
    clearly enhances pressure on the Armenian government, Director,
    Armenian Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS),
    Richard Giragosian, said.

    "Since the April decision by the leadership of the "Armenian
    Revolutionary Federation" (ARF) party, or "Dashnaktsutiun" party, to
    leave the pro-government ruling coalition, the Dashnaktsutiun party has
    become very critical of two specific areas of Armenian foreign policy:
    the Nagorno Karabagh issue and the diplomatic process of engagement
    between Armenia and Turkey," Giragosian told Trend News via E-mail.

    The Dashnaks intend to present their claim at the opposition meeting in
    Yerevan on September 2. Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Armenian-Turkish
    relations will be discussed there, Head of the Ay Data Central Office
    and the ARF Political Affairs Bureau, Kiro Manoyan, ARKA agency said.

    The "Dashnaktsutiun" Armenian party continues to insist on the
    resignation of Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian.

    The ARF said that events occurring around Armenia and Karabakh have
    extremely dangerous tendencies in the context of national state
    interests.

    The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
    when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan
    lost all of Nagorno-Karabakh except for Shusha and Khojali in December
    1991. In 1992-93, Armenian armed forces occupied Shusha, Khojali and 7
    districts surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed
    a ceasefire in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia,
    France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.

    Giragosian said that opposition, especially, the "Dashnaktsutiun"
    standing against two major pillars of current Armenian foreign policy,
    clearly enhances pressure on the Armenian government.

    First, the Dashnaktsutiun has already exerted pressure that has limited
    the policy options available to the Armenian authorities, which are
    already under pressure from the country's opposition. In fact the
    authorities are already weakened by such pressure from the opposition,
    demonstrated by both former President Levon Ter Petrosian's political
    activities form outside the political system and by former Foreign
    Minister Raffi Hovannisian, as the founder of the only opposition
    party within the parliament, the Heritage party. This means that
    there are new limits on how far the Armenian government can go in
    negotiating with either Turkey or Azerbaijan, Giragosian said.

    "And, second, in the face of such renewed pressure, there is a new
    attitude that may see any new "deals" or agreements with Turkey or
    Azerbaijan as an "act of treason" potentially," expert said.

    But the more significant factor is not the Dashnaktsutiun, but stems
    from one crucial difference: this Armenian government is much more
    unpopular and has much less political legitimacy than any previous
    Armenian government. And that is the real pressure on Armenian foreign
    policy, he said.

    It is quite possible now that the Dashnaktsutiun will exert even
    greater pressure on Armenian foreign policy within the Armenian
    diaspora, especially on relations between Yerevan and Ankara.

    "We may even see a sudden halt to Armenian attempts to negotiate
    with Turkey, which not only reflects the political pressure from the
    opposition, but that is also rooted in a growing level of frustration
    and impatience in Armenia over what seems to be Turkey's failure to
    make good on earlier promises and expectations of opening the closed
    Turkish-Armenian border and extending normal diplomatic relations,"
    Giragosian said.

    The upcoming 14 October football match, which Armenian President
    Serzh Sarkisian is most likely to attend, may be the "last chance"
    for Turkey to fulfill expectations for new relations with Armenia,
    Giragosian said.

    Armenia and Turkey try to normalize relations, which have been severed
    since 1993.

    'Football diplomacy' term appeared a year ago when Turkish President
    Abdullah Gul arrived in Yerevan. Formal cause was a football match
    between teams of both countries.

    It gave cause to consider that the border between Turkey and
    Armenia will be opened, and the countries will begin the process
    of reconciliation. However, Yerevan has recently accused Ankara of
    freezing the process.

    A football match will be held in Turkey in mid-October. The Armenian
    President Serzh Sargsyan is likely to attend the match.

    Armenian-Turkish diplomatic ties have been severed and the their
    borders have been closed since 1993 due to Armenia's claims of an
    alleged genocide, and the country's occupation of 20 percent of
    Azerbaijani lands, as well as its claims for Turkish Anatolia.
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