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10 août 2007

It is reported that this year the Armenian government has not included an article about the so-called genocide in the 2005 budget draft that has been sent to Parliament.

According to the Armenian Arminfo news agency, the decision to improve relations with Turkey, Georgia and Iran was included in the draft of foreign policy priorities of the government. While the news has not been officially confirmed, Ankara evaluated Armenia’s omission of the so-called genocide article from the budget draft as a positive step.

Diplomatic sources said that although this omission was important, it would not be enough to normalize relations between the two countries. There remain articles in Armenia’s constitution, which are against Turkey’s territorial integrity. In the draft sent to the Parliament, there were some expressions such as providing for the security of the country, maintaining stability and democracy and providing a peaceful and fair solution for the Nagharno Karabagh problem.

The Azerbaijani daily Express reported that Turkish and Armenian diplomats would meet in Istanbul next week to discuss the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and also how Yerevan’s policy about the so-called genocide would be handled, but there was no official confirmation of the meeting. Ankara indicates that Armenia should first take some steps to solve the Karabagh problem.

In Armenia’s former budget drafts, there was an apparent policy about the recognition of the so-called genocide by Turkey by other countries. Commentators claim that the article about the ’security of the country’ was related with the genocide claims and that Yerevan cannot give up its claims about genocide in the short term. In the 11th article of the Declaration of Armenian Independence it states, ’Armenia will support activities to provide the international recognition of genocide in Ottoman Turkey and West Armenia (East Anatolia).’

11.07.2004
Baku, Yerevan, aa ; Ankara, Zaman