YEREVAN (Yerkir)—The Armenia-Turkey protocols are being used to pressure Armenia on the Karabakh issue, said Armenian Revolutionary Federation Political Affairs Director Giro Manoyan, reiterating his party’s position that since Turkey has changed the rules of the game, Armenia should pull out from the process or say that they have failed.
According to Manoyan, who was speaking at a press conference Tuesday, the Karabakh conflict resolution process would have been very different if Turkey did not place the preconditions on the protocol ratification process.
The current climate of pressure on Armenia allowed Azeri President Ilham Aliyev to go a step further and, on the eve of scheduled talks with his Armenian counterpart, make military threats against Armenia, said Manoyan who went on to criticize Armenia’s official handling of this situation and other such incidents during this tense diplomatic process.
Manoyan pointed out that Armenia’s response to the Azeri president’s remarks was insufficient. He argued that it was unsatisfactory for the president’s spokesperson to announce that Armenia will recognize Karabakh’s independence in the event of military aggression by Azerbaijan, explaining that in the event of an Azeri attack, Armenia should be calling for uniting Armenia with Karabakh.
The ARF leader also criticized other announcements by Armenian officials, whereby Aliyev’s statements were characterized as “for domestic consumption.”
“What does it mean that it is for internal consumption when we can hear it too,” said Manoyan, stressing the importance of an effective response from the Armenian authorities.
ARMENIANS are for peace but not for a humiliating one