In signing statement, President Sargsyan formally addresses concerns about protocols

Published: Thursday October 15, 2009

President Serge Sargsyan. Office of the President

Yerevan - On October 10, shortly before the signing in Zurich of the protocols on the normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia, President Serge Sargsyan delivered a televised address "to the people of the Republic of Armenia and to all Armenians."

The address is in the nature of signing statement of the sort proposed by the Armenian Reporter in its editorial, "Setting down the parameters" (Sept. 26).

Mr. Sargsyan rejects the notion put forward by Turkey that the universal affirmation of the Armenian Genocide is a diaspora priority imposed on Armenia. He insists that neither the proposed intergovernmental commission with a sub-commission on "the historical dimension" nor any relationship with Turkey can cast doubt on "the fact of the confiscation of the Armenian patrimony and the Genocide."

He takes the position that the protocols leave the matter of the border between Turkey and Armenia "to be resolved through the prevailing norms of international law." He rules out any linkage between the implementation of the protocols and the resolution of the Karabakh conflict.

President Sargsyan also warns Turkey against dragging its feet on ratification.

The full text of the presidential statement follows.

Dear compatriots:

For the past several months the attention of Armenia and the Armenians worldwide has been focused on the ongoing process of the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations and in particular the two protocols that have been initialed. All segments and layers of the Armenian nation answered our call to open a public debate on the documents and engaged in it. We saw a new strong wave of a debate over the smaller and bigger issues that concern Armenia and the Armenians.

The debate included a large variety of issues not related to Armenian-Turkish negotiations but concerning the whole Armenian nation. This process caused and triggered a new, engaged discussion on the place and the role of Armenia and the Armenians, the present and the future of Armenia and the Armenians. As a result, the world saw and understood that, when it comes to the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations, they have to deal not just with Armenia, with its three million population, but with ten million Armenians.

And let no one ignore the fact that, contrary to any slogans, the Armenian nation is united in its goals and is strong with its sons and daughters. And let no one try to split Armenia and our brothers and sisters in the diaspora and represent their concern over the future of Armenia as an attempt to impose something on the Republic Armenia.

My fellow Armenians:

The historic destiny of our nation has many times required us to find wise ways out of the most complex situations. We have only succeeded when we have pragmatically assessed the current challenges and taken appropriate actions. Today we find ourselves in such a position. In order to build and consolidate our statehood, we collectively need to demonstrate adequate thinking and action.

Today we are trying to put on a normal track the relations with a country where, under Ottoman rule, our nation fell victim to the policy of the confiscation of the Armenian patrimony and genocide. The scars of the Genocide do not heal. And the memory of our martyrs and the future of our generations dictates that we have a solid and stable state, a powerful and prosperous country, a country that is the rebirth of the dreams of the whole Armenian nation. One of the significant steps along that road is having normal relations with all our neighbors, including Turkey.

Independence dictates the will and determination to take responsible decisions; it dictates pragmatism and forward-looking, sustained work. That is the road I have chosen. I have done it with a strong understanding of the historical reality and a strong belief in the future of our people.

There is no alternative to the establishment of relations with Turkey without any precondition. It is the dictate of the time. It is not this need that is being debated today. The concern of individuals and some political forces is caused by the different interpretation of certain provisions contained in the protocols, and their historic mistrust toward Turkey.

Having realistically assessed these circumstances and being convinced in the necessity and correctness of the steps undertaken, I insist on the following:

1. No relations with Turkey can question the reality of the confiscation of the Armenian patrimony and the genocide perpetrated against the Armenian nation. It is a known fact and it should be recognized and condemned by the whole of progressive humanity. The relevant sub-commission to be established under the intergovernmental commission is not a historians' commission.

2. The issue of the existing border between Armenia and Turkey is to be resolved through the prevailing norms of the international law. The protocols do not go beyond that.

3. These relations cannot and do not relate to the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which is an independent and separate process. Armenia does not regard the clause on the territorial integrity and inviolability of borders contained in the protocols as in any way related to the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

4. The Armenian side will have a corresponding reaction if Turkey protracts the process of ratification or raises conditions for it. Armenia undertakes no unilateral commitments though these protocols and does not make any unilateral affirmations. Armenia is signing these protocols in order to create a basis for the establishment of normal relations between our two countries. Hence, if Turkey fails to ratify the protocols within a reasonable timeframe and does not implement all the clauses contained herein within the provided timeframe, or violates them in the future, Armenia will immediately take appropriate steps as stipulated by the international law.