
Sunday, July 06, 2008

Relations with Armenia

Bilateral relations started between Turkey and Armenia with Turkey's recognition of independence of Armenia on December 16, 1991 and Turkey's extending humanitarian aid to this country. Bilateral relations could not further improve for long years, as Armenia did not give up so-called genocide allegations and carried on its occupying policy.

Armenia used the expression of ''West Armenia'' for Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey in its independence declaration and showed Mountain Agri as the state emblem in its constitution. Armenia did not recognize 1921 Kars Agreement and Gyumri (Gumru) Agreement which determines the border between the two countries and it included efforts to make so-called genocide allegations to be recognized in international field in its foreign policy priorities. These are the most important problems which prevent establishing sound relations between the two countries.

Armenia also continued to prevent establishing diplomatic relations between Yerevan and Ankara by keeping nearly 20 percent of Azerbaijan territory under occupation and not complying with no: 822, 853, 874 and 884 resolutions of the U.N.

Robert Kocharian, who is the leader of Armenians in occupation region, was re-elected as the president this year, and the Armenian government is mostly comprised of deputies of ultranationalist Dashnaksutyun Party, increasing obstacles in front of Turkey's efforts to establish good neighborhood relations with this country.

Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul came together three times with Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanyan at international meetings in 2003. There were some news stories in Turkish press which claimed that Turkey's borders with Armenia could be opened. A private airlines company launched initiatives to start regular flights to Armenia. Due to these developments, Armenian public opinion considered that borders with Turkey would be opened.

News stories of press organs that are close to Yerevan administration said that it was out of question to give up ''historical lands in Turkey'', Upper Karabakh and genocide allegations. Armenian officials, especially Kocharian said that they were in favor of opening borders with Turkey and stated that but they would not change anything in their policies for opening of borders.

Turkey's efforts to establish good neighborhood relations with Armenia haven't yielded any result so far, as Armenian diaspora focused on so-called genocide allegations with hope to bring onto the agenda its demands for compensation and land from Turkey and Yerevan made a full cooperation with diaspora for its economic needs and political support.

It is seen that the demand for opening of borders between Turkey and Armenia will not be met in near future because it can be interpreted as ''Turkey made concession, thus it accepted that it was wrong'' and it can also harm relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Economic and commercial relations between Turkey and Armenia continue to be limited by selling of goods indirectly via Iran and Georgia and by shuttle trade in limited number of flights between the two countries. Armenian officials defend that opening of borders would bring more than 500 million U.S. dollars of income to Turkish economy and Armenia's domestic production volume could increase to 1 billion U.S. dollars.

A limited cooperation was also made in international organizations with Armenia which became a founder member of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) with the invitation of Turkey. Armenian Chief of General Staff Mikhail Arutyunyan's participation in multinational NATO maneuvers which was performed in Istanbul in November was the first visit of a high-level Armenian official to Turkey.

Transferring management of nuclear power plant which completed its technical lifespan in Armenia to Russia and its being kept operational, continuing threat of a nuclear accident; strengthening of Russian military structure on the border with Turkey, were also other important developments for Turkey in 2003.

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