Getting It Wrong

Former Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian has written an excellent article, which eloquently summarizes the perils of the protocols slated to be signed by Armenia and Turkey in about five weeks. It appeared on the Web site of The Civilitas Foundation, which he founded. I have always respected Mr. Oskanian for his tireless efforts in determining the best solutions for regional stability that would be in Armenia's favor, not against its interests. He is certainly light years ahead of his successor, Edvart Nalbandian, who every day is incrementally demonstrating his incompetency and reckless nature.

Here's some snippets:

Even when signed, these protocols merely tell us Turkey’s willingness to enter into diplomatic relations and to open the border. The open border will become reality only after eventual parliament ratification.

But whether ratified or not, Turkey will still have received what it wanted. When signed, this protocol gives Turkey the opportunity to tell the world that Armenians have in fact conceptually relinquished territorial claims and are also ready to offer the genocide for bilateral study, therefore no third-party involvement, recognition or condemnation is in order.

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However, an equal risk in this document is the unwritten one. The link to Nagorno Karabakh. Unwritten perhaps, but clearly spoken at every turn are the repeated, continuing, unabated, undiminished affirmations of the highest Turkish and Azerbaijani officials who insist that Turkey will continue to defend the interests of Azerbaijan and nothing will be done, no border will open, until the Nagorno Karabakh settlement process begins to move in a direction that suits Azerbaijan.

You can read the entire article here.