YEREVAN (RFE/RL)—The Armenian National Congress gave late Tuesday a mostly positive assessment of an agreement paving the way for the normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations, while rejecting one of its key provisions.
The Congress and its top leader, former President Levon Ter-Petrosian, have previously harshly criticized President Serzh Sarkisian’s conciliatory policy toward Turkey, saying that it has earned Armenia no tangible benefits. Some Congress representatives are also highly critical of a potentially ground-breaking statement issued by the Armenian, Turkish and Swiss foreign ministries on Monday.
The opposition alliance’s official reaction to the development was more positive. “The normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations stems from the interests of the two countries and peoples as well as peace and stability in the region,” the alliance said in a statement. “The protocols on the establishment of diplomatic relations and development of bilateral ties mark substantial progress in that direction.”
The Congress at the same rejected as “unacceptable” the establishment of a Turkish-Armenian panel of experts tasked with looking into the 1915 Genocide of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, which is envisaged by one of the draft protocols. Echoing the views of many in Armenia and its Diaspora, it said the very existence of such a body “calls into question the reality of the Armenian genocide.”
The Congress also expressed concern about another provision whereby the Turkish-Armenian agreements will take effect only after being ratified by the parliaments of the two countries. It said that allows Ankara to indefinitely delay the reopening of the Turkish-Armenian border.
oh really?!?!?! The voice of another crooked gangster finally heard.
Well thank God he was sacked before even thinking about making such a ridiculous move.
I don’t believe that LTP is actually against a joint study with Turkey of 1915, despite his claim that he is.
I recall very vividly LTP’s making disparaging remarks at a genocide conference in Yerevan when he was president. He implied that Armenians brought 1915 on themselves. Of all the good things he could have said, he chose to say that.
I also recall his puting down the Diaspora. He said that the Diaspora was only useful up to a point and that the countries that have Diasporan Armenian lobbies would still act in their national interests. On first glance, that may seem like a truism, but it begs the question, again, of why, of all the things he could have said, he chose that.
His statement also implied that it is in the national interests of, say, the US, to not acknowledge the genocide. LTP was, therefore, not only implying that Armenians in the Diaspora were acting contrary to the interests of the country of their birth; he was also implying that genocide denial is in the US national interests and that the US, a superpower after all, is somehow correct to be scared stiff of Turkey’s reaction if the US again passed a genocide resolution.
I have never changed my opinion of LTP, nor the people behind him. That he has criticized the current Armenian government does not make him a saint. He is a politician who will say anything, as most politicians are.
That is how so many Armenian Americans were fooled by Obama, Joe Biden, and the sainted Samantha Power. They figured that if the Democrats seemed sincere, then they were sincere. They assumed that since President Bush and John McCain were “bad”, that automatically meant that smooth-talking Obama was “good”. Turns out they are all liars. So is LTP.
another face of the same coin .
Someimes I question myself whether Ter-Petrosian, Serge Sarkisian and Edward Nalbandian are under CIAs or Turkish goverment payroll. I wonder.