Yesterday in Golden Tulip Hotel took place the presentation of former RA foreign affairs minister Vardan Oskanyan’s book entitled “Unfinished decade”. The presentation hosted NA MPs, former ministers and various politicians. The event hosted NA RPA MP Davit Harutyunyan, member of the Prosperous Armenia faction Mkhitar Mnatsakanyan, secretary of ARF faction Artyusha Shahbazyan, MP Volodya Vadalyan and others. During the press conference Oskanyan didn’t give details on what he finds unfinished. Instead he mainly spoke about the Armenian-Turkish relations and status of negotiations around the NKR conflict. Vardan Oskanyan noted that recently the situation became special for him. “Before, the Armenian and Turkish statements were more or less equivalent and I had the opinion that something was happening, though I have always had some doubts considering my ten years of experience”, stated Vardan Oskanyan. He noted that he wants to believe that some positive result will be achieved even now but the recent situation perplexed him a little. “On the one hand the statement of Erdoghan that unless the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is not settled the Armenian and Turkish relations will not be normalized, and the border will not be open, this was stated very clearly and on a very high level. On the other hand, there is the statement of the Armenian side which says that we keep registering some progress. If we put together these 2 statements we get a very worrying image, and we don’t know whether the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a matter of discussions. Of course it is good that the Armenian side says that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is not on the agenda of the negotiations but what can we deduce form the existing situation”, stated Vardan Oskanyan and added that everything should be done to open the border but it should be done in a way not to harm the Armenian interests. In Oskanyan’s words those relations were not public before but the contents were the same. He noted that one of his main problems is to see the frontier open, that Armenia will have a greater positive outcome from it, and what is negative can be settled by the law. “Really, we have to work much and open the border. But the mode of action should be the way for Armenia not to be harmed during that process. Today, the difference between the period of my office and the approaches to the relations and the present situation is the mode of action. At that time it was not public, but the essence was almost the same, and now by preserving the essence it became public. When you make the Armenian and Turkish negotiation available to the public the Turks always get advantage from it as they have no problem of genocide but have the problem of joining the EU and have a problem of friendship with Azerbaijan”, stated Vardan Oskanyan, noting that if we keep it public it will not be of good for us. “The president turned out to be willful and launched public negotiations with Turkey. I don’t see any problem here, this is the decision of the president. But when it comes out to be unfruitful, and causes negative results for Armenia, I think there should be some change of approaches. Vardan Oskanyan answered that after the Georgian-Russian war in August, when a lot of Georgian people came to Armenia, when they began to use the Armenian airports much, it became clear that they have to establish such level of relations with Armenia. “The Georgians really understood that having a sea and open borders is not enough for solving their security problems. And, if the Georgians make changes in our relations I think it will be right, and it stems from the strategic interest of both the countries”, stated Vardan Oskanyan. Several days ago the US co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group Mathew Bryza stated that in May-June there may be certain progress in NKR conflict resolution and that the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan are examining those “painful compromises” they will have to accept. Bryza also stated that we agreed to focus on the consent of main principles, which implies return of the adjacent territories of NKR and refugees. When commenting on these statements Oskanyan yesterday said, “I am having a hard time clearly mentioning whether these principles are on negotiation desk or not because Azerbaijan from time to time declares that it is bringing up pre-conditions. I should say that if the principles are the ones that I know, there is no clear differentiation there. I really doubt that anything changed in that direction.” The Armenian side should pose a clear term of period to the Turks, saying if we sign an agreement to open the border, let us do it on a certain date and if we don’t let us give up the negotiations right now”, stated Vardan Oskanyan noting that if everything goes on this way the Turks may make the international public believe that the Armenian and Turkish relations are really determined by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. According to him, even in case of 10% of doubt that Turkey needs not the result but the process, Armenia should change its approaches towards it. “Even 10 %, I’m not saying 50, but 10 percent, in this case we have to insist for the negotiations to be confidential”, says Vardan Oskanyan. He also said that it is in Turkey’s interest to open the border, and Armenia should not give any possibility for the process to be speculated. “Today this chance is already given. Yes, today Erdoghan may meet Medvedev and speak about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Before, he had no right for doing this”, stated Vardan Oskanyan. “Edward Nalbandyan is a skillful diplomat and I think he will make right calculations. I really want to believe that there is something. And that is why we don’t have to make quick observations and have to wait for the result”, said Vardan Oskanyan.
