“The establishment of diplomatic relations with Turkey and the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border will be useful not only for Turkey and Armenia but also Azerbaijan, Georgia and the whole region,” the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan mentioned during his interview to Ukrainian “Profile” magazine. He also added that the improvement of relations was one of his toughest decisions. “It was really one of the most difficult steps in my life, but I took that step consciously. Yes, the Turks have committed genocide. Yes, they have taken away our vitally important territory. Yes, after hundred years of committing crime they denied it and go on denying. While perhaps denial of a crime is even a worse crime. But on the other hand, in the modern world, there are almost no states, which do not have historical issues, unsolved issues of mutual relations. Extensive cooperation without preconditions is the civil way of response to suchlike challenges,” he said. “Establishment of diplomatic relations, opening of borders will be profitable not only for Armenia and Turkey, but for Georgia, Azerbaijan, and for the whole region as well. So I did not find it right to take a position of an offended, humiliated country, to wait for the Turks to recognize the genocide themselves, and restore the relations only after it. My decision was not accepted among society unequivocally, especially among the Armenians living outside from the borders of the country. And it is understandable, our people are emotional, and every Armenian family suffered during those years. I understand the people who sometimes went out to express their complaint against the policy of becoming friendly with Turkey. But I am happy that in the end our people understood that idea. I think now there are very few people, who consider we were not right. Our initiative was dictated by sober mind and did not contradict our national profits even a bit. The wish to establish relations with Turks without preconditions does not mean that we stand back from the process of international recognition of the genocide or go to some concessions. All the ways of making Turkey recognize the genocide have been tested, excluding the one of confrontation. After we undertook this process, processes may be not expectable for many people started in the Turkish society; young people went out and spoke of the genocide. Of course, our relations were not regulated this time. After we signed the well known bilateral protocols, the Turkish party refused to ratify them in the parliament. Currently we wait that a political force or a head will appear in Turkey, who will be ready to manifest a political will,” said Sargsyan.
