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Retired ambassador Omar Lutem: The aim of Armenians is to separate Karabakh problem from the process of ratification of the protocols

23 April 2010 15:21 (UTC +04:00)

Commenting to APAâ€™s Turkey bureau on Armeniaâ€™s decision to â€œfreezeâ€ the Zurich protocols, head of Eurasian Analyses center, retired ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary Omer Lutem said the neighboring countryâ€™s decision on â€œfreezingâ€ will not cause any change in Turkeyâ€™s stipulation on Karabakh. I think that Sargsyan informed about the decision at the meeting with Medvedev in Moscow and they declared the decision after getting the consent of the Kremlin. The decision says that the protocols are frozen until the Turkish side is ready to continue the process. Thus, the process of ratification has been suspended,â€ he said.

To the question of APAâ€™s representative â€œWhat do they mean when say â€˜until the Turkish side is readyâ€™?â€ Omer Lutem said:
â€œFrom their viewpoint Turkeyâ€™s readiness means Turkeyâ€™s giving up to link this process with Karabakh problem. Their decision completely hints at this. The aim of Armenians is to separate Karabakh problem from the process of ratification of the protocols. As a continuation of this policy they froze the protocols. The other side of the matter may be the tactics to make influence on the April 24 speech of the U.S. President.â€

To APAâ€™s question â€œWill Armeniaâ€™s decision on â€˜freezingâ€™ accelerate the bringing of the Zurich protocols to the Turkish parliament, or Turkey will not change its position unless Karabakh problem is solved?â€ Omer Lutem said:
â€œI do not think there will be any change in Turkeyâ€™s policy. Turkey has stated several times that the two processes are interrelated. There can be no change in Turkeyâ€™s stipulation on Karabakh as Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu views these processes from the aspect of the security of the Caucasus. In normal circumstances I do not expect change in Turkeyâ€™s position.â€