Giving an interview to Voice of America News, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, Chairman of American Turkish Council’s (ATC) Board of Directors, Richard Armitage stated that Turkey should not ignore Azerbaijani interests in the process of normalization of relations with Armenia.
Commenting on the recent developments in the relations between Turkey and Armenia Armitage said, “American administration supports this initiative. I am not sure whether Turkish Parliament will ratify Zurich protocols or not. But the initiative towards normalization of relations with Armenia cannot be underestimated. On the other hand, it should not be forgotten that Turkey should be attentive not to conflict with the interests of Azerbaijan. I know that our Azerbaijani friends gets surprised about the speed of this process. And in my opinion, our friends in Baku are not being well informed on this issue. The ties with Azerbaijan should be repaired.”
When he is asked whether he is concerned with the possibility of adoption of a so called Armenian genocide resolution in the U.S. Congress, Armitage said, “Yes, i am concerned about that a bit. Armenian diaspora is strong especially in California. This is a political reality in United States. I have worries about the probability of revival of ‘genocide’ resolution. But i hope Armenian diaspora will be farsighted and will have an appropriate attitude with realizing how difficult is the mission of Turkish government.”
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