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ANKARA: Sarkisian Complains About 'Turkish Blockade'

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  • ANKARA: Sarkisian Complains About 'Turkish Blockade'

    SARKISIAN COMPLAINS ABOUT 'TURKISH BLOCKADE'

    Hurriyet
    June 22 2011
    Turkey

    Speakeng at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe,
    Armenia's Sarkisian complains about a 'Turkish blockade' and warns
    of a possible war with Azerbaijan

    Armenia's President Serge Sarkisian addresses the Parliamentary
    Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. The Armenian president
    says his country has no other choice than nuclear energy because of
    'Turkish blockade.' AFP photo

    Armenian President Serge Sarkisian claimed Armenia is under
    the blockade of Turkey and Azerbaijan, during his address to the
    Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, while Azerbaijani
    parliamentarians said they were not able to ask their questions during
    the session Wednesday.

    Regarding a parliamentarian's question on the threats of the Metzamar
    Nuclear Plant in Armenia, Sarkisian also said Armenia has no other
    choice than nuclear energy because of the "blockade" imposed by Turkey.

    "This unlawful blockade of Armenia must come to an end. Europe cannot
    and should not tolerate new dividing lines," said Sarkisian.

    Sarkisian addressed the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
    where he also received questions from the European parliamentarians on
    Wednesday. However Turkish parliamentarians did not pose any questions
    to Sarkisian during the session, mainly because the Turkish delegation
    made a unanimous decision to not ask any questions to the Armenian
    President, Hurriyet Daily News has learned.

    War possibility

    Five Azerbaijani parliamentarians submitted their names for the list
    of the parliamentarians to ask questions.

    "We made our request to ask questions two weeks ago, however our names
    were put at the bottom of the list, so we were not able to ask any
    questions due to time limitations," an Azerbaijani parliamentarian,
    Rafael Huseyinov told Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review on
    Wednesday.

    Armenian President said the Armenian-Turkish normalization process
    ended up in a "deadlock." Sarkisian also blamed Turkey for not
    recognizing the 1915 events as "genocide."

    "Turkey still not only fails to recognize, but also denies the genocide
    conducted by the Ottomans in 1915. We are determined not to leave
    this issue unsolved for the next generations," Sarkisian said.

    Speaking about Azerbaijan, Sarkisian claimed there were xenophobia,
    racism and extreme nationalism in Azerbaijan against Armenia.

    Sarkisian also claimed Azerbaijan is becoming more armed and ready
    for a possible war with Armenia, adding that the casualties would be
    much greater for both Armenia and Azerbaijan if a war occurred now.

    The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan will meet next Saturday in Kazan
    in Russia at a meeting brokered by Russian President Dimitri Medvedev,
    one of the mediators of the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia
    over Nagorno-Karabakh, an Azeri territory occupied by Yerevan.

    Sarkisian also said Nagorno-Karabagh remained as a part Europe. "It
    would be more logical for the Council of Europe to engage with Karabagh
    before discussing the statue of Karabagh", Sarkisian claimed.

    "Indigenous Armenian people live in Karabagh for centuries, no one
    may question the right of the people of Karabagh to live in their
    land freely and decide their destiny," Sarkisian said.

    Besides five political groups who imposed questions to Sarkisian, an
    Armenian parliamentarian from the Armenian opposition Heritage Party,
    Zaruhi Postanjyan asked a critical question to the Armenian President.

    "There is a an authoritarian regime in Armenia," said Postanjyan and
    asked Sarkisian when they will make the real reforms.

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