Although possible changes in Turkey seem improbable to many people, Özgür Ünlühisarcıklı, the German Marshal Fund Ankara Office director, is convinced that after the election to take place in Turkey in 2014, substantial changes will take place in Turkey itself, which will have a substantial impact on the external political course, including the Armenian-Turkish relations.
He thinks that most probably the “Russian version” will be employed, President Gül will become the Prime Minister and Prime Minister Erdoğan will assume the President’s office. Özgür Ünlühisarcıklı thinks such developments will have a positive impact on the Armenian-Turkish relations, since it is well-known that according to the Turkish Constitution, the main powers are given to the Prime Minister and the President plays more of a symbolic role and Gül is known for his positive approach to the normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations and solving issues more through peaceful negotiations.
Referring to a set of economic prerequisites, he thinks that it is not probable that the Nagorno-Karabakh issue will be taken out of the package of normalizing relations with Armenia. However, he thinks that in 2014, a new window will be opened in the Armenian-Turkish relations and we don’t have the right to get confused anymore.
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Let us inform that the latter is in Armenia, at the invitation of the Analytical Center on Globalization and Regional Cooperation, in the framework of discussions on the subject The Current State of the Armenian-Turkish Relations. www.aravot.am inquired of Stepan Grigoryan, the head of the Analytical Center on Globalization and Regional Cooperation, what significance discussions on the subject had in the current frozen state of the Armenian-Turkish formal relations. Our interlocutor noted that regardless of the fact whether there was an active political process under way or not, discussions in social, intellectual, expert circles should continue. “In the end, the Armenian-Turkish relations will be normalized, since Armenia’s and Turkey’s opinions on a lot of issues are close. Until there is a necessity to normalize relations at the state level, we should continue creating an atmosphere of mutual trust. Who could imagine that the relations between Iran and Azerbaijan would worsen to the level of war and local wars in the region between the two Muslim countries would become probable. Or the current relations between Turkey and Israel that they expel ambassadors. So, the world changes and we should lay the foundation now and break the stereotypes of our society, one of which is ‘the Russian is an eternal friend and the Turk is an enemy.’ By the way, the lack of formal relations is the very reason that we cannot promote close opinions.”
Our interlocutor still avoids making public the set of issues, on which the approaches of Armenia and Turkey are very close.
Nelly GRIGORYAN
