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Armenian President: The Current Phase Of The Armenian-Turkish Normal

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  • Armenian President: The Current Phase Of The Armenian-Turkish Normal

    ARMENIAN PRESIDENT: THE CURRENT PHASE OF THE ARMENIAN-TURKISH NORMALIZATION PROCESS IS EXHAUSTED

    ArmInfo
    2010-04-22 20:03:00

    ArmInfo. We consider the current phase of the Armenian-Turkish
    normalization process exhausted, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan
    said during his Televised Address on the Process of Normalization of
    Relations between Armenia and Turkey.

    The President said: "Fellow Armenians;

    A year has passed since the Armenian-Turkish-Swiss joint statement on
    steps to normalize the relations between Armenia and Turkey. During
    this period, the two Protocols aimed at normalization of the relations
    have been publicized, discussed in the public domain, and signed. The
    documents have for quite a lengthy time now been in the parliaments
    of Armenia and Turkey, awaiting ratification. Armenia has all
    along demonstrated her commitment to the process of normalization
    of relations, to the point of including the Protocols in the agenda
    of the National Assembly. We have made clear to the whole world that
    our position is nothing but firmly constructive. We have stated that,
    if Turkey ratified the Protocols, as agreed, without preconditions
    and in a reasonable timeframe, failure by the Armenian Parliament to
    ratify them would be precluded.

    Now, the time has come to gauge the notion of a "reasonable timeframe"
    and whether a conduct is "without preconditions." These criteria were
    set forth by not only Armenia, but also all the mediators involved
    in the process, all of our international partners. For a whole year,
    Turkey's senior officials have not spared public statements in the
    language of preconditions. For a whole year, Turkey has done everything
    to protract time and fail the process. Hence, our conclusion and
    position are straightforward:

    1. Turkey is not ready to continue the process that was started and
    to move forward without preconditions in line with the letter of
    the Protocols.

    2. The reasonable timeframes have, in our opinion, elapsed. The
    Turkish practice of passing the 24th of April at any cost is simply
    unacceptable.

    3. We consider unacceptable the pointless efforts of making the
    dialogue between Armenia and Turkey an end in itself; from this moment
    on, we consider the current phase of normalization exhausted. My
    Fellow Armenians;

    During this period, I have discussed and continue discussing the future
    of the process launched with Turkey with Presidents Nicolas Sarkozy of
    France, Barack Obama of the United States, Dmitri Medvedev of Russia,
    as well as our colleagues in a number of European organizations. We
    are grateful to them for supporting our initiative, encouraging the
    process, and exerting efforts to secure progress. The matter of the
    fact is that our partners have urged us to continue the process,
    rather than to discontinue it.

    Out of respect for them, their efforts, and their sincere aspirations,
    we have decided after consulting our Coalition partners and the
    National Security Council not to exit the process for the time being,
    but rather, to suspend the procedure of ratifying the Protocols. We
    believe this to be in the best interests of our nation.

    Armenia shall retain her signature under the Protocols, because we
    desire to maintain the existing momentum for normalizing relations,
    because we desire peace. Our political objective of normalizing
    relations between Armenia and Turkey remains valid, and we shall
    consider moving forward when we are convinced that there is a proper
    environment in Turkey and there is leadership in Ankara ready to
    reengage in the normalization process. While announcing to the world
    the end of the current phase of the process, which was launched
    with the September 2008 match between the national football teams
    of Armenia and Turkey, I express gratitude to President Abdullah Gul
    of Turkey for political correctness displayed throughout this period
    and the positive relationship that developed between us.

    Fellow Compatriots;

    In two days, we will commemorate the 95th anniversary of the first
    genocide of the 20th century, the remembrance day of the Armenian
    Genocide. Our struggle for the international recognition of the
    Genocide continues. If some circles in Turkey attempt to use our candor
    to our detriment, to manipulate the process to avoid the reality of
    the 24th of April, they should know all too well that the 24th of
    April is the day that symbolizes the Armenian Genocide, but in no
    way shall it mark the time boundary of its international recognition.

    We express our gratitude to all the states, organizations, and
    individuals that support us in deploring and preventing crimes against
    humanity. We are also grateful to all those Turkish intellectuals
    that struggle for the restoration of historical justice and share our
    grief. On this eve of the 95th anniversary, we call upon everyone to
    remember that the memory of one and a half million innocent victims
    exterminated under a state-orchestrated program merely for being
    Armenian continues to pose before mankind the demand for recognition
    and condemnation.

    Fellow Compatriots;

    We are stronger today than ever before and stand straight as always.

    Henceforth, our efforts for a better Armenia, a better region,
    a better world, and a more solid unity of Armenians worldwide will
    only multiply. Rest assured that results will be visible all along.

    God bless us!"
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