A leading Washington think tank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, or CSIS, hosted Vigen Sarkisian, the deputy chief of staff to Armenian President Serge Sarkisian for an event entitled “The Prospects for Armenia-Turkey Normalization: The View from Yerevan” on Friday.
The official, after going over the steps made toward the Turkish-Armenian normalization process at the CSIS podium, gave his evaluation on how the process could progress in the near future. Sarkisian emphasized the importance of moving the process along as quickly as possible, saying the longer the present protocols remain before the respective parliaments, the less likely they are to be ratified.
The deputy chief of staff to the Armenian president also emphasized Turkey's influence in the region, arguing the process of normalization is a chance for Turkey to gain more voice in the South Caucasus. Sarkisian said, while Turkey has relations that are “excellent” with Georgia and like “brothers” with Azerbaijan, it could not play any role in the South Caucasus so long as it lacked diplomatic relations with Armenia. He said if the border between Armenia and Turkey is opened, it will give Turkey greater leverage to influence the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
When asked if Armenia might proceed with ratification prior to the Turkish government’s submission of the protocols to the Turkish Parliament, Sarkisian said it would be politically impossible for his government to move forward with ratification without Turkey doing so, either prior to or in tandem with the Armenian parliament. Sarkisian repeated his president’s guarantee: if the Turkish Parliament ratifies the protocols without reservations or conditions, the Armenian parliament will do likewise. Sarkisian pointed out the Armenian government had already taken a great risk politically in backing the protocols, as the ruling parliamentary coalition, led by his party, lost the Dashnak party as a partner specifically because of their opposition to the protocols. Sarkisian repeatedly opposed linking the protocols to any preconditions, particularly to the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute with Azerbaijan.
Responding to an official from the Turkish embassy in Washington, Sarkisian said the Armenian Constitutional Court ruling did not alter the content of the protocols. The court is required to decide simply whether the treaty is in line with the constitution of the republic or is contrary to the constitution. The court ruled there is no contradiction, and Sarkisian added that this development was seen as a positive step by the United States, Russia and other European countries.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
