A new beginning for Turkey and Armenia

12/10/2009

Despite past bumps in the road, Turkey and Armenia agreed to turn a new page in diplomatic relations.

By Ayhan Simsek for Southeast European Times -- 12/10/09

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (right) and Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandian (left) shake hands after a signing ceremony in Zurich on Saturday (October 10th). [Getty Images]

The Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers signed historic protocols on Saturday (October 10th), agreeing to normalise relations and open their countries' shared border.

Local media hailed the news. "Historical signatures" said the headline of liberal daily Radikal on Sunday, "Making history in silence" read Posta, and the daily Star's front page said "Historical problem is now buried in history".

The signing of the accords, the result of about two years of negotiations, almost did not come to pass Saturday, as the two countries could not agree on the content of their respective speeches.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was in Zurich to participate in the signing, intervened personally, and although the ceremony was delayed three hours, it continued as planned. However, neither side gave a speech.

Besides Clinton, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey attended the ceremony.

The two protocols signed by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandian mark the first bilateral agreement between the two neighbours in about 88 years.

Their relations have been stymied by disagreement over the World War I-era mass killings of Armenians under Ottoman rule. Armenia says a genocide took place, but Turkey denies there was any deliberate policy of extermination. According to Ankara, the killings occurred during a period of general violence and instability in which Turks also died.

The new agreements will create a bilateral committee of historians and experts to sort out the matter.

Davutoglu underlined on Sunday that the protocols have three main benefits for Turkey.

First, Armenia has acknowledged the existing borders, opening the way for normal diplomatic relations between the two states. Territorial claims by Armenian nationalists and a reference to Greater Armenia had long been a concern for Turkey.

Secondly, with the acceptance of the Turkish proposal to establish a subcommittee on the events of 1915, the two countries would bridge differences on genocide claims and reach a "common perception".

Thirdly, there has been headway in solving the situation involving the Azeri territory of Karabagh, which is still under the occupation of Armenian forces.

"It is like a frozen food. Once defrosted, you cannot freeze it again. Now we see encouraging talks towards a solution on Karabagh," Davutoglu told local TV station TRT.

Although progress has been made in ironing out differences, more hurdles remain.

In Turkey, the opposition harshly criticises the government for turning its back on the country's ally, Azerbaijan. Turkey has always taken a stance that Armenia must withdraw troops from Karabagh as a precondition for opening the border, but the protocols do not directly reference that issue.

In reply to opposition, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the agreements opened a new window of opportunity, and he hopes this will bring about a solution in Karabagh.

"We as a government paved the way for this co-operation, but whether or not it will be applied is up to parliament to decide," he told a party congress in Ankara.

Turkey would not look favourably on the accords, unless Armenia withdraws from Azerbaijani land, he was quoted as saying by Reuters. "If that issue is solved, our people and our parliament will have a more positive attitude towards this protocol and this process."