YEREVAN (ArmRadio)—The Turkish newspaper Taraf claimed in a recent article that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan intends to normalise relations with Armenia and open the border. The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs shortly refuted the report.

 

“It was a message to the international community that Turkey wishes to improve relations with Armenia, but there are certain factors preventing this,” Head of the Modus Vivendi Center Ara Papyan told reporters on Wednesday. According to him, there will not be lack of such actions by Turkey ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. “Turkey is under pressure and has to create an illusion that there is a process going on,” he said.

Giro Manoyan, Head of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Bureau’s Hay Dat and Political Affairs Office, also sees this as a facade. “In reality, no such relations will be established either with Armenia or with Armenians because of the simple reason that Turkey is constantly saying that the relations with Armenia will not normalise unless the Karabakh issue is solved,” says Manoyan.

Ara Papyan said, “Whatever Turkey does with regard to the border, it will last until at least May-June 2015, and then Turkey will find a reason to return to the starting point.”

Aris Nalci, head of the new programs at International Media TV (IMC), said the information disseminated by Taraf is not a complete lie, as construction works are under way on different parts of the border.

“Unfortunately, Turkey has succeeded in presenting the Armenian-Turkish issue as a question of opening of the border, but Armenia should try to transfer the issue of the Armenian-Genocide to the international legal field. Before that, Armenia must have a complete understanding of what we are expecting and demanding from Turkey,” Ara Papyan said.

Giro Manoyan reiterated his opinion that “Armenia should recall the protocols, because they enable Turkey to assume a role in the Karabakh issue and show the international community that there is a process taking place between the two countries.”