“In 2018, I left for Antalya as the National Assembly Deputy Speaker and participated in the conference. In the presence of the heads of the parliaments of Turkey and Azerbaijan, I stated that Turkey should recognize the Armenian Genocide and that there is no alternative to Artsakh’s independence. Now we will see if the supporters of “dmp-dmp-hu” go, what will they say? Let society compare,” Eduard Sharmazanov, Vice Speaker of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) and former Speaker of the National Assembly, said during the discussion “Armenia-Turkey: Reconciliation Under Bayraktars” organized by the “Security and Democracy” NGO on February 11, referring to the fact that Armenia had received an invitation from Turkey to participate in the diplomatic forum to be held in Antalya in March.
Commenting on the Armenian-Turkish dialogue process, Eduard Sharmazanov stressed that making comparisons between Serzh Sargsyan’s football diplomacy and the current reality is full of ignorance and immorality. “If Nikol Pashinyan sent a secret message to Erdogan through Georgia, begged for a meeting, and we learned about it from Erdogan, then Serzh Sargsyan said it publicly from Armenia, Armenia’s strategic partner in Russia, from Moscow. Is there a difference? There is. Football diplomacy had mediators: representatives of Russia, USA, EU, Switzerland, and France. They supported our process. During football diplomacy, Armenia and Artsakh had won. Serzh Sargsyan did not throw the international recognition of the genocide into the pocket of the Diaspora.”
Sharmazanov added, “Serzh Sargsyan’s football diplomacy ball was more valuable than these. During the process of the Armenian-Turkish protocols, Hillary Clinton quoted Serzh Sargsyan as saying that the ball was in Turkey’s court, and they quoted Azerbaijan and Turkey. At that time, Turkey was talking about returning several regions of Artsakh to Azerbaijan, while now they say that they are negotiating without preconditions. Oh, really, did you leave a precondition? You gave the seven regions, Hadrut, and Shushi as a gift, you brought them to Syunik, and you gave them a road.” Eduard Sharmazanov stressed that Turkey is a threat.
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“The conceptual difference between this and our government is that we considered Turkey a threat, and they consider it a good neighbor, and now they want to open an era of peace. The reconciliation preached by Nikol and the ideas of the Armenian people are different. Armenians consider it a threat, but Nikol’s government considers it a partner who wants reconciliation. Today, talking about reconciliation with the Turks who killed Armenian boys with atrocities is a blasphemy and an insult to Yerablur. Whoever wants to do it, current or former. Those who think that we should reconcile in these conditions defile Yerablur.”
Luiza Sukiasyan
