Foreign Minister Mnatsakanyan Slams Ankara’s Account of Turkey-Armenia Relations
A report, which surfaced last week on a Norwegian news site claiming that Ankara had drawn military plans to attack Armenia in 2001 prompted Armenia’s Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan to challenge Ankara to account for the veracity of the report.
“If such an issue or claim exists, then it is the Turkish side that should [comment] first. And we haven’t yet heard any response from them. I don’t have to mention that naturally the issue contains serious matters, and we will continue following it,” said Mnatsakanyan who added that he could neither confirm nor deny the authenticity of the report.
Abdullah Bozkurt ,the author of the report, which appeared on his news portal, Nordic Monitor, told Armenpress that the report was “100 percent authentic.”
Bozkurt’s article alleges that Turkey’s 2nd Tactical Air Force Command developed an operation to attack Armenia in July of 2001, codenamed ALTAY. Bozkurt based his report on what he called leaked classified documents. He reported that Turkish military inspectors discovered that some of the pages of the plan, which detailed the alleged attack on Armenia, had gone missing while conducting a review at the Controlled Documents Bureau by the 4th Main Jet Base Command at Ankara’s Akıncı Air Base.
Mnatsakanyan on Monday also responded to his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu’s declaration that Ankara has no plans to open the border with Armenia, whose “aggression” was cited as a reason by Turkey’s top diplomat.
Cavusoglu was responding to a written query from Garo Paylan, an Armenian member of the Turkish parliament representing the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) who asked about Ankara’s official position to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s statement that Armenia is ready to launch talks with Turkey without preconditions.
Cavusoglu noted that Turkey’s decision to close the border with Armenia was the result of Armenia’s occupation of Azerbaijani lands in 1993.
“For more than 26 years, Armenia’s aggressive policy has continued,” said Cavusoglu on Friday when he addressed parliament. “Consequently, there are no favorable conditions for abolishing this decision. A precondition for the normalization of Turkey-Armenia relations is the taking of clear steps to resolve the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.”
“In fact, Prime Minister Pashinyan came to power in May 2018, making speeches promising a peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict. But over the course of time, taking the side of the country’s hawks and diaspora agents, he seems to have changed his position. His August 5 remark that ‘Karabakh is Armenia. Period’ is proof of this. He also said at the 74th UN congress General Assembly that ‘Turkey is a serious threat to Armenia.’ Despite all this, if the Armenian side makes clear and sincere steps toward the expectations of the international community and international law in the direction of resolving the Karabakh conflict, Turkey will respond,” added Cavusoglu.
Mnatsakanyan accused Ankara of distorting history and referred to the Turkey-Armenia protocols, saying Turkey abandoned that process.
“Everything happened before our eyes. Not 100 years ago. We were all witnesses—including the international community. It’s very fresh in our memory. This happened ten years ago, and we saw the subsequent process. This is today’s story. If people representing the Turkish state do not find it inappropriate to distort the history of our days, not to respect the obligations and their own signature, blaming others for the failure of this process, it is obvious why the events dating back to 100 years are distorted. There are suggestions to review [history], they suggest creating a commission of historians. It is nothing but a suggestion to say ‘yes’ to the denial,” explained Mnatsakanyan.
He reiterated Yerevan’s ongoing position that relations should be normalized without preconditions, but, he said two parties are needed.
“Their policy is working in another directions. Turkey’s threat is displayed in its policy, actions and rhetoric. What we see is continuous blockade, lack of willingness to normalize [relations], unconditional military assistance to Azerbaijan in the context of the Karabakh conflict. All this reflects the meaning of the expression ‘a threat to the security of Armenia.’ Armenia expressed its position and is committed to it. As for the Zurich protocols, Turkey abandoned them,” said Mnatsakanyan.
I think this relates to the Treaty of Kars and the Turkish commitment towards Nakhichevan per that treaty. Perhaps, Nakhichevan is the conflict source that will draw in both Turkey and Russia for the eventual return of Western Armenia, and retribution for the Genocide.
the turks know one way to deal- slice them with their own swords- they are mongrols
I didn’t know we had a foreign minister. Isn’t Armenia’s foreign policy determined at Kremlin
No, Armenia has it’s own government.
Mr. Mnatsakanyan please do not rely on Russia’s Putin either. he can sale Armenia to Turks just like Lenin KGB did in the Moscow treaty of 1921! Our strength is in our unity. Nobody will dare to attack Armenia if the entire Armenian Nation of the world united as one! I am sure Russia and Turks and the USA understand that very well! We do have power and strength, we are not living in the 1915 era anymore! We can destroy all Turkish and Axeri economy systems within a few weeks!
I used to think that but DNA studies and results marks them as Armenian. Inbred, uneducated, ignorant, but overwhelmingly Armenian. Huh!
GB, your statement “Nobody will dare to attack Armenia if the entire Armenian Nation of the world united as one!” sounds good. Armenians were never united in the past and they will not be uniting now. When I was teenager, I read Raffi’s book “Khente” the Crazy. He wrote the book around 1885, if I am not mistaken. Raffi’s main concern was, on that time, the Armenians were not educated enough and therefore not united. Nowadays, most Armenians are educated but not united too (Example: The Armenian people in Armenia). I HOPE I AM WRONG.
“most Armenians are educated but not united too” …all educated Armenians do not have your mentality “either”!
FYI…I have read Raffi’s Khent and on top of that Kaytser (“Sparks”) BUT RAFFI BELONGS TO 1800 INTELLECTUAL level. I respect him as an intelligent writer for that time!
our Foreign policy is non viable, almost non existent. All they do is grovel before the enemy. They are going to ask Ankara to respond on the putative plans to attack Armenia. They should rather invest their time asking the Russians what their reaction would have been. Without the Russian army base , the only deterrent against the Turks, our continued existence as a nation state is questionable.
Why would Armenia want to have an open border with Turkey, closed border is a blessing, an open border will destroy local industry, agriculture, and the economy. furthermore will open the door to almost 80 million religious fanatics Turks which are yet to be civilized.
The Turkish boarder is closed for Armenian products entering Turkey, but they are fine with exporting products to Armenia. So right now there is an embargo, which only hurts Armenia.
I agree with Raffi.
Armenian clandestine nuclear program is the only Turkish answer.
What are you talking about? It is a lie and false political propaganda. My background is Physics, and I would say, a small country like Armenia cannot and will not have nuclear bomb. Sorry for your big hope.
Isreal with her smallest size in M.E. has a nuclear arsenal! There is nothing wrong with Armenia have nuclear advantages over surrounded enemies! We do have enough educated Armenians who can develop nuclear capacity within a year!
Israel developed nuclear weapons in cooperation with apartheid South Africa, and I’m sure with stolen technology and help from US and UK at the time. They deny having any, and have not signed non proliferation. Please don’t hold Israel, who doesn’t recognize our Genocide, as an example.
Israel is a perfect example. If its ok for them and BTW they were developed by France, then its ok for Armenia. The only reason they are allowed is because they control the US, its media and all the foreign policy it wants so who is going to say anything negative?. And the whores in congress give them everything and say nothing…The last guy who went against the Israeli Nuclear program was in August 1963 by John F Kennedy. His brains were blown off on a busy street in November, 3 months later, in Dallas Tx..Then came the fictitious “Warren Commission” to cover it up..
krikor, a stupid friend can hurt you more than a smart enemy.
Israel also received technical assistance from France because Gamal Abdul Nasser’s Egypt led the propaganda campaign to force France leave Algeria. Israel received covert nuclear assistance also from West Germany because of general Western support for Israel and WWII Jewish losses. Israel received assistance also from diaspora Jewish scientists after all the nuclear bomb was mostly the work of diaspora Jews. Israel and apartheid South Africa worked together and tested their nuclear bombs in the ocean south of South Africa. There were reports of witnesses seeing blinding lights in those waters around the time of the tests. Where would Armenia test its supposed nuclear bomb?
so then this brings the question of what is the reason Russia has military base in Armenia if Turkey had such plan
Because they are transferring Armenian intellectuals toward Russia and make Russia stronger. Unfortunately, Armenians politically are poor but intellectually, we are on top. We need to overcome our weaknesses!