YEREVAN—On April 22, Armenia’s ruling coalition said it had suspended the ratification in parliament of the Turkey-Armenian protocols, Reuters reported.
“The Turkish side’s refusal to fulfill the requirement to ratify the accord without preconditions in a reasonable time has made the continuation of the ratification process in the national parliament pointless,” an Armenian coalition statement read.
“We consider it necessary to suspend this process until Turkey is ready to continue the process without preconditions.”
The coalition said it decided on the freeze after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said ratification would depend on a peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabagh.
In Ankara, a Foreign Ministry official said Turkey had not received any official information about the suspension of the protocols’ ratification.
Armenian President Serge Sarkisian will make a statement on national television later on Thursday.
Erdogan, who also faces stiff opposition from nationalists at home, was due to hold a news conference on Thursday.
Last week, U.S. President Barack Obama urged Armenia and Turkey to “make every effort” to advance normalization.
Obama will issue a statement on April 24, the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, and is expected to address progress on the accords.
So now, Armenia will just sit around waiting for Turkey. How nice. Armenia has made thus itself dependent on Turkey.
But Turkey is dependent on Azerbaijan.
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to realize, therefore, that Armenia is now dependent on Azerbaijan.
The international press and the international community are not going to take Armenia’s side in this, as we can see from press reports today. They are simply going to say “Well, little Armenia, you are obviously going to have to compromise on the Karabagh issue in order to get anywhere with Turkey, otherwise you will remain isolated.”
My point is, you can’t gain “brownie points” with the media or the world by being nice.
And notice how Sargsian came to this decision only after he consulted with his Russian boss, Medvedev, in Moscow.
One thing that Sargsian has to do is rip Obama and Medvedev for not explicitly recognizing the genocide on April 24. But he won’t do it.
Great job President Sarkisian. Protocols seem like a peacefull ideology but with one party hiding for 90 years and not facing the truth , this only will result in dissapointment. Genocide is not a bad business deal to solve over night. Thank you for putting your foot down and letting the people of the world decide what is just.
This is the punishment our nation gets for not giving a damn about Armenian democracy.
Had we protested (I did my very best and was shunned for my efforts time and time again) following the openly fixed and fraudulent presidential elections, nevermind the slaughter of 20 innocent Armenians in early March 2008, there would never have been a signed protocols to suspend or halt or whatnot.
I hope we all do the right thing in response to upcoming and likely fixed and fraudulent elections in Armenia.
Turkish Prime Minister Erdoghan did not know the Turkish Proverb, “If You had Armenian mind from behind (grammatically read, future in the past), You could rule the whole world.” Neither U.S. President Obama knew the Muslim wisdom. Russians knew the Proverb and they won, because they deserved it. Armenians as always will successfully remain Russians’ younger brother, because of ugly and untalented leaders of their own.
One thing is clear: in its present geopolitical situation Armenia can do almost nothing by its own, even elect an independent, public-spirited, and dedicated president. Not only ‘big brother’ Russia, but also the West wouldn’t want to see a non-susceptible, uncontrolled president elected in Armenia. Of course Serge wouldn’t come up with this speech, had he not been given a go-ahead by his boss in Moscow. But remember that a couple of days before he also held meetings in DC. I fundamentally disagree with those who think that Serge is dependent on Moscow only. I also disagree with those who daydream about democracy flourishing in Armenia without regard for the crude fact that virtually all power centers want to see susceptible, not truly democratic, regimes in countries like Armenia. So, I’m afraid ‘ugly and untalented leaders’ or ‘literate but repressive’ or ‘talented but snakelike’ or ‘good-looking but traitorous,’ whoever they are, whether Serge or Levon, will be there for a quite some time…
Kevork,
I’d love to see the Diasporans protesting just once against fake and fraudulent elections in Armenia, but I’m afraid that’s not going to happen. Unfortunately, the Diasporan mentality in that protesting one illegitimate regime after another, that we in Armenia endure for the past 19 years, may lead to domestic instability and resumption of war on the borders, prevail all the time. I think the Diasporans need to find ways to settle in Armenia and in this way influence the domestic politics given their expertise, connection, and political capital. Otherwise, criticizing from remote shores has little effect, I’m afraid…
If Turkey will not open its border with Armenia until the Karabagh/Artsakh issue is solved and Armenian troops are withdrawn from “Azerbaijan”, then Armenia should impose a similar pre-condition:
Armenia will not open its border with Turkey until the Cyprus issue is solved and all Turkish troops are withdrawn from Cyprus.
After all, if Turkey cares so much for its alleged ethnic and religious kin in “Azerbaijan” (I use quotes because Azerbaijan is a fake country dreamed up in the early 20th century; see Reuben Galichian’s books), then cannot Armenia similarly care for its religious and ethnic kin in Cyprus and make an analogous demand?
You may think I am not serious, but I am. The media, the world, and even many Armenians, have gotten so used to the Turkish precondition, repeated adnauseum, regarding Artsakh that the Turkish position actually seems to make sense when of course it doesn’t at all.
Armenia and Artsakh have simply failed to articulate their case well and have let the media misreport the facts. Armenia has failed to confront Turkish illogic in a public way that would make people listen. Instead Sargsian gives bland, boring, cliched speeches. They put people to sleep. Surely Armenians are capable of countering the crude, ignorant PR put out by half-baked Turkish fruitcakes.
So what would have happened if Armenia had gone ahead and accepted the protocols? How much of a pressure would this have put on Turkey to follow suit in spite of the preconditions it was imposing?
MR. PRESIDENT SARGSYAN STAY FIRM ARMENIAN NATION WILL SUPPORT YOU. NOW ARMENIAN SOMEWHAT WERE RELIEVED SINCE FINALLY YOU REALIZE WHAT DIASPORA AND ALL ARMENIAN HAVE BEEN WARNING YOU A LONG, LONG TIME AGO. (AVELI LAV E USH KAN YERBEK)…….. MR. PRESIDENT EVEN THOUGH NOW YOU ARE ON RIGHT TRACK BUT IT IS NOT ENOUGH… YOU STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO . JUST PLACE MUCH RELIANCE TO YOUR PEOPLE.
ISHKHAN BABAJANIAN MD.
APRIL. 22, 2010 USA
Hye, Armenia’s role reminds me of the film, THE MOUSE THAT ROARED, with
Peter Sellers…. Manooshag
Are you suggesting that Levon Ter-Petrosian would’ve been any different? He WAS our president and was impeached in 1998 for high treason; he agreed to have Artsakh be under Azeri rule. He also had an extremely corrupt government and was the first person to practice large-scale electoral fraud. He is also in favour of the protocols except for the part about a “historical commission”. Levon and the HoHoSha are a fake opposition. Also, 10 people died on March 1st, not 20; 8 of them were civilians and the other 2 were police officers.
PAREV IM HAYRENAGITSNER,
I HAVE TO RESPECT ALL OF YOUR COMMENTS & VIEWS TO BE POLITE!
IT”S AFTER ALL FREE SPEECH. I THINK THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO SCORE CHEEP POINTS BY POINTING THE ARMENIAN ELECTIONS CORRUPT OR NOT, LOOK AROUND BUT NOT TO FAR… ALL COUNTRIES HAVE MORE CORRUPTIONS. SHOW ME ONE THAT HAS NOT GONE THAT WAY, I DO NOT SAY THAT ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT IS CORRUPT OR NOT.
WHEN TURKS COMMITTED GENOCIDE , THEY DID NOT CONSIDERED OUR RELIGIOUS OR POLITICAL IDEAS. THEY WERE ARMENIANS AND THAT WAS INOUGH.
SO WE ARMENIANES GOT TO SUPPORT OUR GOVERNMENT & THE PRESIDENT WHO EVER HE OR SHE MAY BE.
NO NEED FOR CHEAP SHOTS. WE HAVE AN ENEMY WHO LIKES TO TELL US THAT THE OTTOMAN TURKS COMMIT….. BULL! THEY ARE THE SAME, YOU CAN PAINT A ZEBRA BUT TILL IT RAINS. SO PLEASE MY ARMENIANS NO MORE CHEAP SHOTS, SHOW UNITED FRONT, SUPPORT OUR CAUSE . WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO SASSOON. GOD BLESS AZAD YEV ANGAGH ARMENIA & IT’S PEOPLE IN ARMENIA , GHARAPAGH AND DIASPORA.
HAROUT, TORONTO,CA.