Armenian Reporter:

Reconciling with reality is not insulting, says Ara Kochounian, editor of Istanbul’s “Jamanag” daily

Published: Saturday October 31, 2009

Ara Kochounian, editor of the Istanbul-based Armenian newspaper Jamanag. . Tatul Hakobyan / Armenian Reporter

Istanbul, Turkey - Turkish state, public, and media circles are confident that Armenia has recognized the borders of modern-day Turkey through the two protocols signed on October 10, and it is this point they refer to when they try to persuade the political opposition in Turkey that the documents are in line with Turkish state interests.

Speaking to Turkey's Grand National Assembly on October 21, Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that by signing the protocols, Armenia and Turkey have recognized each other's territorial integrity and borders. Turkey's top diplomat stressed that no country can have any territorial demands from Turkey.

"It has been validated once again through the protocols that Armenia has no territorial demand of Turkey. When we look at the political and diplomatic history between Turkey and Armenia, we see two treaties dedicated to borders. A third treaty or document does not exist," Mr. Davutoglu said.

"The first is the March 16, 1921, Treaty of Moscow, and the second is the October 13, 1921, Treaty of Kars. The first point in the Treaty of Moscow refers to the negation of the Treaty of Sèvres signed on August 10, 1920, which was never adopted by the Turkish parliament. Through these protocols, we are once again ratifying the recognition of our borders and the responsibility, which we have taken on, as a mediator with regard to Nakhichevan. By accepting the Treaties of Moscow and Kars, we are accepting the Treaty of Lausanne as a basis, and are eradicating the attempt to not recognize borders. Through these protocols we are establishing those international norms around which we have to create relations and dialogue," Mr. Davutoglu explained to the Turkish parliament.

On the morning of October 10, prior to leaving for Zurich, where the signing ceremonies of the two Armenia-Turkey protocols were to take place, Mr. Davutoglu had a closed-door meeting with Turkish journalists. Ara Kochounian, the editor of the Istanbul-based Armenian newspaper Jamanag, was present at that meeting. Later he relayed in detail what had transpired in that meeting to a group of Armenian journalists who were in Turkey at the invitation of the Hrant Dink Foundation.

"Davutoglu said that with regard to the Armenia-Turkey process, the Turkish side was moving forward on the basis of three pivotal dimensions. The first dimension was Turkey-Armenia relations as two sovereign nation-states; the second, in general, are relations between their two peoples; and the third is the regional dimension, which includes the resolution of the Karabakh conflict. Davutoglu gave his perspective of what Ankara's expectations are regarding these three dimensions," Mr. Kochounian said.

About the first dimension, Davutoglu said that after the independence of Armenia, the opinion of the Turkish public and opinion in Turkey in general centered around concerns that Armenia would not recognize Turkey's borders and had territorial claims. "With these protocols those viewpoints have completely dissipated," Mr. Davutoglu said.

In Armenia, on many different levels, the notion is put forward that the protocols were agreed to with no preconditions and the Treaty of Kars is not recognized by them because there is no mention of the treaty in the protocols. While we were in Turkey, we met with many state, political, and public figures, and with journalists who interpreted the protocols the same way as the Armenian Revolutionary Federation and the Heritage Party were interpreting them in Armenia.

Ara Kochounian also believes that by signing the protocols, Armenia has recognized Turkey's borders. "Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian said that the Armenian borders are where Armenian border troops are positioned. The issue regarding the borders is one of the issues that is creating an atmosphere of distrust in this bilateral relationship. Turkey, being a much stronger country than Armenia, was uneasy in this regard. Now there has been a formulation with which the two sides are satisfied. Armenian authorities in this issue have demonstrated a very professional approach. Reconciling with the truth is not insulting. You don't develop policy on hope," Mr. Kochounian said.

The Armenian authorities insist that the Armenia-Turkey normalization process does not assume concessions in the Karabakh issue and the two processes, Karabakh and Armenia-Turkey, are parallel. What is the Turkish perception?

In his speech to parliament, Foreign Minister Davutoglu said, "the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan is sacred for us, just as our own territorial integrity is." Turkey's objective, according to Mr. Davutoglu, "is to support the resolution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict based on international law and the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and the corresponding resolution by international structures.

"It is stated in the protocols that by regulating Armenia-Turkey relations, the issue of peace in the region will be resolved. Surprisingly, what didn't happen in a 17-year process took place - there was movement registered in Armenia-Azerbaijan relations. Last month a military delegation went to Lachin and studied Lachin, discussed what the width of the Lachin corridor would be under international law at the time of a resolution of the issue. This, as our Azerbaijani brothers note, is a very important step and moves the issue toward resolution," said the Turkish foreign minister.

Mr. Kochounian says that during the closed-door meeting with Turkish journalists, Mr. Davutoglu said that Turkey, via the Armenia-Turkey process, wants to see positive results in the resolution of the Karabakh conflict. The editor of Jamanag believes that it is probable that the protocols will be ratified by the Turkish parliament prior to April 24, and very possible they will be ratified on the eve of April 24, just as the Armenia-Turkey roadmap was made public on the evening of April 22 of this year.

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