Oskanian: to view acknowledgement of truth as obstacle to political relations is cynical

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian sent a letter to Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, the RA MFA press office reported. The letter says,



"Dear Speaker Pelosi,



I have refrained from intruding into the process that has brought US HR 106 to its current stage in the congressional process. I have done so because I believe that the content and the intent of the resolution are a matter for US Representatives and their constituents. For us, there is nothing there that is historically inaccurate, nor that threatens the interests of any country. Nevertheless, we have refrained from public expressions.



The recent letter from eight Secretaries of State addressed to you, Madame Speaker, introduces an important change in the nature of the discussion. That letter clearly addresses processes that directly affect the Republic of Armenia, and therefore, I would take this opportunity to share my concerns and thoughts.



It is with dismay that I read that the letter claims that such a resolution would hurt Armenia-Turkey relations. It is quite unfortunate that eight experienced diplomats would buy into Turkish manipulation. I regret to say that there is no process in place to promote normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey. Expressing concern about damaging a process that doesn't exist is at the very least, disingenuous.



Let me go further. Not only is there no process, I can honestly tell you that we have no hope that Turkey will seriously engage with the expectation of achieving minimal normal relations as an outcome. My pessimism is based on the fact that each time we agree to a meeting, the simple fact of the meeting is used by Turkey to derail other processes in the US or around the world in other bodies. Yet the meeting itself does not open any new doors, does not have a commensurate follow-up, and other than meeting-for-meeting's sake, there is no progress. That is frustrating for us, but appears to be inconsequential for Turkey's leadership.



This time, too, we agreed to a meeting between myself and the newly appointed Foreign Minister of Turkey, Ali Babacan, in New York next week, cognizant of our responsibility to use every opportunity to improve relations. Before that meeting has even been held, there are claims that somehow that still-unheld meeting is part of a process that might be endangered.



Madame Speaker, Armenia has always been ready for normal Turkey-Armenia relations. Yet, every initiative that would lead toward normalization has been rejected by Turkey. Instead, it continues to place pre-conditions. Turkey makes offers that are simply invitations for open-ended talk, without serious commitment to arriving at ordinary relations between neighbors. Even their call for a historical commission to discuss painful, historic events is not serious, given their prohibitive penal consequences for open speech and discussion and the adversarial environment Turkey has created by maintaining closed borders with Armenia.



To view acknowledgement of the truth as an obstacle to political relations is cynical. A resolution that addresses matters of human rights and genocide cannot damage anyone's bilateral relations - neither yours with Turkey, nor ours. I would urge you and your colleagues, as well as the former secretaries of state, to acknowledge that the same concern for geostrategic interests should move us all to do everything possible to open these borders, and not to reward intransigence."



In their September 25th jointly-signed letter, former Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright, James Baker III, Warren Christopher, Laurence Eagleburger, Alexander Haig, Jr., Henry Kissinger, Colin Powell, and George Schultz, urged Speaker Pelosi to, "prevent the resolution from reaching the House Floor," thereby denying House Members an opportunity to vote their conscience on the Armenian Genocide. The former State Department officials expressed concern that passage of the resolution "could endanger our national security interests in the region, including our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and damage efforts to promote reconciliation between Armenia and Turkey."