ANKARA (Hurriyet)—The Armenia-Turkey protocols will reaffirm Turkey’s borders with Armenia as outlined by the Lausanne Treaty of 1923, said Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu during a press conference Thursday.
In response to a question about the comparisons made between Turkey’s Lausanne Treaty and the protocols with Armenia, the minister added that the protocols are an agreement with Armenia outlining bi-lateral relations.
The protocols are expected to be signed by foreign ministers of Turkey and Armenia in Zurich on Saturday. Davutoglu asserted that the specifics of the ceremony are to be announced by the Swiss foreign ministry.
“Do not look to voices coming from the [Armenian] diaspora, or from other places. Everything is running its natural course. There is no surprise development on our part concerning this issue, but this is naturally a statement that should be made by Switzerland due to its position,” Davutoglu told a joint press conference along with his Hungarian counterpart, Peter Balazs, in Ankara.
Switzerland is expected to make a statement clarifying the details with regard to the signing ceremony, including its venue and the participants.
Turkish diplomats, however, made assurances that the signing ceremony would take place. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russia at the ministerial level are expected to be present at the ceremony, though it has not been confirmed officially.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced earlier that the protocols would be signed Saturday, although this has not been officially confirmed by Armenia.
“Let’s wait for a statement from the Swiss,” Davutoglu said.
Questioned about Turkey’s participation in the process, Davutoglu said, “Of course, Turkey has basic principles on the issue of participation, which is known by the parties. We believe that all of these parties will calmly reach a solution.”
Replying to another question on the soccer match between the Turkish and Armenian national teams in Bursa on Oct. 14, the minister said Ankara expected President Serzh Sarkisian to come to Turkey to watch the national match with no preconditions.
Davutoglu recalled Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s visit to Yerevan last year to watch the match and said the president demonstrated big political courage that led to positive results.
“Now, similarly, we would like Mr. Sarkisian to come to Turkey with no preconditions, with no expectations. It is not even correct to make this an issue of discussion. Sporting matches are such where fairness, friendship and humanitarian communities come to the fore. From this perspective, we expect Mr. Sarkisian to come to Turkey and we believe that will happen,” said Davutoglu.
Asked about Thursday’s meeting between the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents in Moldova to discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute, the minister said, “We naturally expect positive results.”
this is it! No more western Armenia, the dream is gone. I am sorry but there is no slight hope to be optemistic. Not when I see where our governmet lead to, not when I see how shortsighted they are.
I will mark the date of the signeture with a black circle.
Good luck Armenians, we are witnessing another tragic page in our history, right infront of our eyes.
Naturally! I can’t help but notice how many times Mr. Davidoglu uses the work “naturally” while describing the chain of events to unfold.
Yes, naturally. It is very natural that a country can occupy another country, and decide to naturally massacre the other country’s population, and naturally claim its lands as its own, and naturally draw new borders, and naturally dessicrate the other civilization’s churches and historical sites and erase all traces of it, and naturally cut off all servivors from their ancestral roots and rightful inheritance and spread them around the world, and naturally it has the right to impose blockades and bring the remaining part of the exterminated people to its knees to agree to erase all traces of its crime…and of course it naturally does not have to acknowledge anything or pay a time, because naturally the 1.5 million were mere insects… Naturally….very Naturally when your friend is the super power of the world,… when your friend is the United States of America… yes it is very Natural…
Shame on Obama, shame on Clinton, and shame and a thousand curses on Serj Sarkisyan and Nalbandian for licking the Turk’s feet instead of listening to their own people, the rightful heirs of those lands and the descendents of those survivors. There is no justice when it come to Armenians, because the Armenians fail to stand up together for justice.
Mr. Davutoghlu believes in something that I predicted a few month ago that Mr. Sarksyn the Armenian President will go to Turkey to watch the Turkey-Armenia footbal match like a momsik even the Turkey-Armenia borders are locked and both the Turkish and Armenia peoples are cursing Mr. Sarksyan. Though the mental condition of Mr. Sarksyan is too bad Mr. Davutoghlu ought to know he shall break his own and personal neck because Turkish Parliament will never ratify such an agreement where the Turkish national interests are entirely subjugated to U.S. political sins.
jeshmarid@yahoo.com
Are we sure that all our concerns are not circulating between us? If the USA is so powerful, would not it arrange for all our shock and pain be boiled just here, in these small boxes? Nobody, nobody hears us!
Have not you noticed that?!
Read Orwell’s 1984.
Recall Shakespeare’s lines:
“There’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face”
“I have begun to plant thee, and will labour / To make thee full of growing”
“Look into the seeds of time / And say which one will grow, and which will not”.
So, not everything planted grows. Second, we have to select the seeds of time to plant : seeds of anger? determination? hatred? hope? believe? and so on…
Then we have to watch, labor them to grow. If they produce a fruit, then we have to share the fruit.
Each of us has to decide it today, and work toward his choice in his/her special way. Because the Armenian land is not bound to the small region, for which our heart beats so passionate, our spirit climbs Ararat and our mind circuits so fast today. Our land is the world.
Good water and favoring wind to our wings, Children of Armenia!