InternationalU.S. urges no Karabakh link for Armenia-Turkey relations
Turkish-Armenian process “can't go on forever”
Vote will be “a part” of Karabakh settlement
Published: Wednesday June 10, 2009
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Philip Gordon, Yerevan, June 9, 2009. . Tatul Hakobyan / Armenian Reporter
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Yerevan - The newly confirmed U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Philip Gordon, announced in Yerevan on June 9 that there should be no preconditions or linkages "to anything else" in the process of normalizing Armenian-Turkish relations. The U.S. statement came after repeated announcements by Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Turkey would not open its border or establish diplomatic relations with Armenia so long as Armenian forces have not been removed from Azerbaijan's territory.
Speaking at a news conference at the U.S. Embassy, Mr. Gordon said, "Turkey-Armenia normalization would benefit Turkey, it would benefit Armenia, and it would benefit the entire region. And because of that, we do not think it should be linked to anything else."
The State Department in late April called for the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations "without preconditions and within a reasonable timeframe." Asked to elaborate, Mr. Gordon said, "A reasonable timeframe is a reasonable timeframe. That is not really for us to say. It means the process can't be infinite; it can't go on forever. But I think both sides do appreciate that they need to move forward, and I think they are, and I think they will."
As the Armenian Reporter's Emil Sanamyan reports from Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced on June 5, after her meeting with Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, "I have been very encouraged by the progress that has been made and by the commitment of the governments involved. Certainly, Turkey and Armenia, with the assistance of the Swiss government, have committed themselves to a process of normalization. We're well aware that this is difficult. It requires patience and perseverance. But we have seen no flagging of commitment."
Mrs. Clinton continued, "The minister and I discussed this at length. He brought me up to date on developments. And we are continuing to encourage the parties to proceed on the path which they themselves have set. We are supportive, but it is up to the Turkish and Armenian governments and people to realize the great opportunity this poses. The normalization of relations not only continues what I have seen from the Turkish government, which is a desire to actually solve problems, and I applaud that, but we think it will bring great benefits to the region."
Mr. Davutoglu, in turn, said, "We are very optimistic. We want to achieve a prosperous, peaceful Caucasia. And in that sense, we are fully committed to our normalization process with Armenia."
Visiting the Armenian Genocide Memorial and Museum in Yerevan
Mr. Gordon, who assumed his office on May 15, made Armenia the first stop on his first trip to the South Caucasus.
"I have only been in office for two weeks, but it seemed to me that there are such important and even historic developments going on in Armenia and the region that I should try to come out here as soon as possible. I am going to Georgia and Azerbaijan, but I wanted Armenia to be my first stop. I visited the Genocide Memorial and Museum this morning," he said.
Armenian-Turkish dialogue, the resolution of the Karabakh conflict, and U.S.-Armenia bilateral relations were the main issues on which the assistant secretary focused during his meetings in Yerevan. Mr. Gordon met Armenia's president and foreign minister, and representatives of the opposition and civil society.
"President [Serge] Sargsian and Assistant Secretary Gordon thoroughly discussed the process of normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations. Noting that this a historic opportunity and that normalization stems from the interests of Armenia, Turkey, and the entire region, Philip Gordon reiterated that the United States unequivocally supports steps taken in that direction," the Armenian president's press service reported.
Some form of vote is possible in Nagorno-Karabakh
During the meeting President Sargsian held with Mr. Gordon, the two exchanged views on the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. According to the president's office, Mr. Sargsian presented in brief the history of the conflict and Yerevan's position. The Armenian president stressed once again, "Our country is committed to the peaceful resolution of the conflict and is ready to continue negotiations based on the Madrid principles."
At the news conference, a journalist cited statements by Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev to the effect that there is no mechanism for the secession of Nagorno-Karabakh from Azerbaijan, and asked whether a referendum was not a legitimate way of doing so.
Mr. Gordon responded: "Among the principles that need to be taken into account, self-determination is one, so is territorial integrity, and so is nonuse of force, and the outcome needs to reflect these three principles in a balanced way. They are all important. So, yes, I do think that some form of vote reflecting the will of people will be an important part of a settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh."
He also said: "My authority concerns 50 countries and three international organizations. However I should say that in the entire period of occupying this position, I paid far more attention to issues of Karabakh conflict settlement and Armenian-Turkish relations."
Yerevan's municipal elections
Asked about municipal elections held in Yerevan on May 31, Mr. Gordon said the United States does not consider the polls to have been free and fair.
"The results were only tallied up a couple of days ago, and so we don't have a formal statement or judgment right now. But I have heard reports of irregularities and problems with the election. It wasn't up to the standard that we would like to see," he said.
