With a few days left for U.S. President Barack Obama to make his annual speech on the 1915 killings of the Armenians during the last days of Ottoman Empire, Turkey has increased its diplomatic efforts to speed up the peace process between Baku and Yerevan over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu met with Armenian President Ilham Aliyev and Foreign Minister Elmar Memedyarov on Monday to inform them about recent meetings on the reconciliation process between Turkish and Armenian officials in Washington.
“We first met with France’s President Nicholas Sarkozy, then with Mr. Obama and we also contacted the Russians. These three countries make up the Minsk Group. And we also had meetings with Armenia and Azerbaijan. Now we have a better picture in front of us,” Davutoğlu told reporters traveling with him late Monday.
“Thanks to these sorts of meetings we can always keep the issue on the agenda of the international community. We do have the objective of keeping the relations between the parties in the right rhythm.” Davutoğlu added that Russian President Dimitry Medvedev would visit Turkey on May 11 and 12.
Turkey and Armenia signed two protocols last year in Zurich to normalize their relations and open their shared border. But due to Azerbaijan’s strong reaction to the protocols before the Armenians withdraw from the occupied Azeri lands, Turkey introduced the pre-condition of improvement in the Nagorno-Karabakh talks for parliamentary ratification of the protocols.
Proposed timeline
The U.S. has been a strong advocate of the protocol between Turkey and Armenia and has pressured both countries to ratify as soon as possible. The approval of the Armenian “genocide” resolution by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House Representative on March 4 was seen as an early warning to Turkey if it were to consider halting the normalization process.
When asked if Turkey would accept a proposed timeline for the ratification of the protocols, Davutoğlu underlined the importance of keeping the process moving in the right direction. “Both parties should of course do their best to conclude the process as soon as possible. But instead of highlighting the timelines, it is better to work on building mutual confidence.”
Though neither Turkey nor Armenia views the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as an important hurdle before the normalization of the two countries, it has certainly slowed the process. For diplomatic sources, progress in the direction of the resolution of the two-decade old conflict could mobilize Turkey and Armenia to conclude what they started in 2009.
In this regard, Armenia’s potential decision to withdraw from even two regions surrounding the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave could have an enormous effect on the regional stability. Turkish officials believe such a move, which would break up the status quo, could trigger a more positive mood between the parties and lead to more courageous steps in the future.
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