Tango for five
The "Hayeli" club hosted CNN Turk journalist Ferhad Borataf and journalists of "Milliyet", Kadri Gyorsel. They are in Yerevan within the framework of a program that was organized by the Eurasian Partnership Foundation and Global Political Trends Center.
"There will be no progress in the ratification of the Turkey-Armenia Protocols as long as there has not been a resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," said Kadri Gyorsel at the outset of the press conference. According to Gyorsel, this was the viewpoint that Prime Minister Erdogan expressed during his visit to Baku in May 2009 and there has been no change to this day. "In that case, why do they announce that there are no preconditions behind the signing of the Protocols? In response to that, Gyorsel said:
"We must take into account that Turkish-Armenian relations are problematic and the reality is different. I personally wouldn't like to see the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict at the core of the Protocols, but that is impossible because the Azeri side pressed Turkey from the inside and outside," said Gyorsel.
"Turkey and Armenia are not simply dancing a tango for two. This is a tango for five, including, Armenia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, the USA and Russia," added Ferhad Borataf.
According to him, nobody in Turkey expected Azerbaijan to react to the ratification of the Protocols the way it did. According to him, Turkey and Azerbaijan are engaged in the game called "East-West energy axis", which has brought Turkey and Armenia to the table of peace. "Azerbaijan is currently threatening to leave. This is not only our issue," said Boratafi. According to him, there are also discrepancies in Turkey, Azerbaijan and this has placed the official Ankara in a labyrinth.
"If we ignore Baku's interests, there will still come a time when there will be other factors for pressure," said Boratafi.
In his turn, Kadri Gyorsel added that Armenia must grasp the fact that Azerbaijan must participate in the process because it is a part of the Caucasus region. According to him, the Protocols will finally be ratified, but the important thing is what will happen after that. "In this case, the historical commission must start its activities. From our point of view, the issue of genocide concerns lawyers more," said Gyorsel.
The Turks wish that Obama recognizes the Armenian Genocide
After the Erdogan-Obama meeting, it was announced that the U.S. President said that if the Turkish parliament doesn't ratify the Protocols, Congress will discuss the Armenian Genocide Resolution.
"The issue of genocide is hanging like the Damocles' sword, but I think that if we don't sign the Protocols, we will also face other factors," said Ferhad Borataf. Kadri Gyorsel added:
"I think that there can't be healthy progress in the relations between both countries and nations, if those relations are part of a strange mortgage. There are currently Turks who wish that the issue of genocide will be affirmed by the U.S. Congress because they would like to see what will happen after that."
As far as Armenian Genocide recognition is concerned, the Turk journalists said that the majority of Turkish society doesn't even know what happened in the Ottoman Empire.
Are there any guarantees that Turkey will not close its borders after opening them? In response to that, Ferhad Borataf said that Armenia can do the same as well.
