Istanbul Armenians are hostages to Turkish authorities

July 8, 2010 - 14:14 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - There will be no progress in Karabakh talks at least till September, according to director of RA NAS Institute of Oriental Studies

“The proposals put forth during the recent St. Petersburg Sargsyan-Aliyev-Medvedev meeting are now under discussion and seem to be acceptable for both sides,” prof. Ruben Safrastyan told a news conference on July 8.

He also noted that the forthcoming visit of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to Armenia in September will make Azerbaijan observe the ceasefire.

Commenting on U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to the region and specifically her attendance of the Armenian Genocide Memorial, prof. Safrastyan said it was an open message to Turkey that the U.S. may recognize the Genocide one day.

“The visit also aimed to prevent Azerbaijan from any military acts against Karabakh,” he added.

As to Armenian-Turkish process, prof. Safrastyan said that nothing will change until parliamentary election in Turkey next year.

He also pointed out to anti-Christian attitudes growing in Turkey. “It’s not easy to be an Armenian in Turkey. It can’t be ruled out that Turkish authorities may resort to violence against the Armenian population again,” he said, adding that Armenians are hostages to Turkish authorities, especially in Istanbul.