During the global nuclear summit on April 11 the US president Barack Obama and the Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan will have a meeting.
The Turkish PM Rejep Tayip Erdogan will take part in summit too. The US president’s invitation is discussed not only in the societies of Armenia and Turkey, but the international community as well. Definitely there will not be only a bilateral meeting in Washington, but a trilateral meeting with participation of Sargsyan, Erdogan and Obama as well. Recently the Turkish Sabah newspaper published an article informing that Erdogan had sent indirect messages to Sargsyan and Obama. Specifically, he demands that Armenia separates the Diaspora from Armenia as the Diaspora should not interfere in the Armenian-Turkish reconciliation process. Besides that Erdogan says that the process of the Armenian-Turkish reconciliation should develop in parallel with the process of Karabakh conflict settlement. He also suggests to discuss the Minsk Group process together. It is also expected that during the trilateral meeting the parties will make a timeline for ratification of the protocols signed by Armenia and Turkey in Zurich. It is interesting to know what the Armenian political powers think about these processes.
“Now it is very difficult to make any predictions concerning the details of the meeting. I have information from the media that the Turkish prime minister is developing a recommendation to put at the table during the trilateral meeting. I also know that the US is pretty decisive to drive the process forward,” says PA faction member Aram Safaryan, “That is why I don’t want to make preconditions and want to reaffirm that the participation of the American party is very important to support the dialogue between Armenia and Turkey without preconditions. If we succeed in forwarding the process to a higher level by knowing the standpoints of both parties and come to an agreement, which may support the development of diplomatic relations and opening the borders, we should be happy for that.”
Concerning the proposed timeline for the ratification of the protocols member of Heritage faction Aram Safaryan said, “In fact the definition of the reasonable time raised a lot of questions not only in Armenia but in the international community as well. But I think the issue of the timeline will be one of the most important topics discussed at the meeting in Washington. It is also important for Armenia to be ready for the messages delivered by the Turkish Sabah newspaper. Some of these messages are essential. It means that if Armenia wants the protocols to be ratified, than it should separate the Diaspora from Armenia. This issue has been brought to Armenia by the delegates of Ankara during the past two months. Second, they want to discuss the issue of the Minsk Group together. I think Armenia should strongly reject these two recommendations. The messages in the context of America-Turkey relations are important too. It is important because it is about Obama’s opinion as well. I mean first of all Washington will apply pressure on Armenia to adopt the document of Madrid, and then the US should do its role and take the role of maintaining peace in the region, and keeping balance between developing the relations between Armenia and Turkey, as well as the settlement of Karabakh conflict. These are the requirements of Turkey. It is also mentioned that Turkey cannot ignore Baku. ” Certainly the issue of Karabakh will be discussed in this context and I think it mostly depends on the president of Armenia to separate the processes and take the playing cards from Turkey.” Stepan Safaryan does not exclude the possibility that during the trilateral meeting in Washington the standpoint of the US may change in favor of Turkey. “Turkey has clearly developed its standpoints in the Sabah newspaper in case when Armenia did not develop such messages in Armenia or the US. I think that the authorities of our country should directly or indirectly speak of their expectations.”
Concerning the process member of the Republic party Suren Surenyants says, “No one can say what will be discussed at the meetings in the US. It is about the future meetings whether there will be a timeline for the ratification or the protocols may be ratified or no. The US is interested in the development of relations between Armenia and Turkey and will make best diplomatic efforts to move the process and have diplomatic and political results. As for Erdogan’s preconditions, the Armenian party has preconditions too and all this process shows that the authorities of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey cannot solve the issues in the region independently and it is time for the international community and countries to enter in the process and support it.” Surenyants thinks that despite a lot of obstacles and problems eventually it is possible to make peace in the region and open prospects for future development, and these processes directly depend on the quality of the authorities of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey. “Unfortunately in the 3 countries the governments of these countries are not able to address difficult issues. Unfortunately the government formed by the incumbent president cannot solve such difficult problems. If he wants to face such difficult foreign challenges, first of all he has to make good reforms in the country.”
Yesterday the prime minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandyan said that there had not been any agreements on organizing a meeting between Serzh Sargsyan and Rejep Tayip Erdogan in Turkey.