Problem of normalizing Armenian-Turkish relations is not only in recognizing Genocide

PanARMENIAN.Net - The major document that defines relations between Armenia and Turkey is the Treaty of Sèvres, which nobody has denounced yet, head of "Hay Dat" Office Giro Manoyan stated in Yerevan. He said the Armenian-Turkish border must be shaped according to this very document. It also determines the issues concerning establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries. "Neither the Moscow nor Kars Treaties are basic for us, since Armenian officials have not undersigned them. The problem of normalizing Armenian-Turkish relations is in Ankara, and the matter is not in recognizing the Armenian Genocide, the problem is much wider. We should not ignore the fact that there is a very tense political situation in Turkey now, and the Army may interfere at any moment," Manoyan said.



The head of "Hay Dat" Office thinks that there are politicians in Turkey who want to normalize relations with Armenia, but they meet resistance from the General Staff and government. "Some time ago Foreign Ministers of both countries Vartan Oskanian and Abdullah Gul were going to sign an agreement on steps aimed at normalizing relations. However, then the Turkish side refused from it.



Gul's official representative stated in Yerevan that it is impossible," Giro Manoyan underscored adding recently the Turkish press expresses regret that during Levon Ter-Petrossian's presidency the sides missed the opportunity to establish relations between Armenia and Turkey.



The Treaty of Sèvres was signed on 10 August 1920 between the Entente who won the World War I and Germany and Turkey. The delegation from the First Armenian Republic underlined the document. In the result, when Mustafa Kemal Atatürk came to power in Turkey Ankara refused to ratify the document. Turkey closed the Armenian-Turkish border in 1993 because of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.