Sarkisian Meets with Obama, Erdogan; Says Genocide Cannot Be Questioned

WASHINGTON—President Serge Sarkisian on Monday met with President Barack Obama and held talks with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of an international nuclear summit.

Sarkisian also attended an event at the tomb of President Woodrow Wilson where, after laying a wreath, he made remarks at the National Cathedral to community members and Armenian Genocide survivors who had gathered for the event.

“Turkey cannot speak to Armenia and the Armenian people in a language of preconditions,” Sarkisian said at a gathering at the Woodrow Wilson Monument, moments after his meeting with Erdogan.

He emphasized that Armenia was not willing to make the fact of the Armenian Genocide a matter of discussion, nor did he believe that Turkey would have a positive role in the Nagorno-Karabagh peace process.

Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Bureau member Dr. Viken Hovsepian, who attended the National Cathedral event, called on Sarkisian to rescind his signature from the Armenia-Turkey protocols.

“We heard President Sarkisian’s speech, which primarily honored President Wilson’s memory and his friendship with the Armenian people,” he said during an interview with the Armenian Weekly.

“The symbolism of President Wilson goes far beyond the friendship aspect. Wilson is the architect of what became known as ‘Wilsonian Armenia’—an independent Armenia which included Armenian provinces of the Ottoman Empire. We are mindful of the symbolism of President Sarkisian’s visit to Wilson’s tomb and his speech today,” explained Hovsepian.

“The real expression, however, of this symbolism—and its logical continuation—would be President Sarkisian’s rescinding his signature from the Turkey-Armenia protocols,” said Hovsepian.

“President Sarkisian’s remarks—both in timing and in substance are greatly encouraging,” ARF Central Committee chairman Antranig Kasbarian told the Armenian Weekly. “The symbolism of honoring Woodrow Wilson—a champion of genocide survivors and guarantor of Western Armenia—was not lost on those assembled. Nor was the president’s assessment of current political relations, in which he clearly rejected any preconditions by Turkey toward normalizing bilateral ties,” Kasbarian added.
 
“But the true test will come behind closed doors, when Mr. Sarkisian encounters the inevitable pressure from Washington and Ankara to come to terms,” Kasbarian said. “If he follows the path set out today, then we can reasonably hope that Armenia will retreat from the protocols and the dangerous course they represent. If not, then we may see Armenia’s predicament go from bad to worse.”

Obama and Sarkisian discussed prospects for the normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations and the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict during their first-ever talks in Washington on Monday, reported Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

The White House did not immediately issue any statements on the talks held on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit hosted by Obama. The stalled Turkish-Armenian normalization process was expected to be their key focus, with Washington seen as making last-ditch attempts to salvage the U.S.-backed protocols signed by Ankara and Yerevan last October.

Sarkisian’s office gave few details of the meeting, which reportedly lasted less than an hour. It said only that the two leaders spoke about “the course of normalizing relations between Armenia and Turkey” and “exchanged thoughts” on the current status of the Karabagh peace process. They also discussed “prospects for the development of bilateral Armenian-American relations,” it said.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who has been personally involved in Turkish-Armenian diplomacy, and Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian were also present at the talks. The Tert.am news service reported from Washington that Clinton is due to hold a separate meeting with Sarkisian during his visit.

According to RFE/RL, a White House source, who asked not be identified, said prior to the meeting that Obama had expressed hope that through the reconciliation process that began in 2009, Armenia and Turkey would be able to improve relations and address long-time “disagreements.”

Sarkisian and Erdogan met Monday morning. Turkish sources indicated that the brunt of the discussion focused on a letter delivered last week by Erdogan’s envoy.

The NTV news agency, quoting Turkish delegation members, reported that the two leaders agreed that the Armenian and Turkish foreign ministers would focus on the ratification process of the protocols.

Nalbandian and Vigen Sarkisian, the deputy chief of staff to the president of Armenia, were joined by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Foreign Ministry undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu at the meeting.

No official announcements were made at the conclusion of the meeting.

During his opening remarks at the George Mason University’s new Center for Global Islamic Studies on Monday, Erdogan voiced his anger at the approval, last month, of the Armenian Genocide Resolution by the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

“History does not get written in parliaments and it cannot become a subject of condemnation by a parliament,” said Erdogan. “We opened our archives and suggested the formation of a historical commission. However, we didn’t receive a response. Decisions adopted by parliaments will not benefit Armenia,” he added.