Azerbaijan dispute threatens renewed Armenian ties to Turkey (Roundup)

Sep 1, 2009, 13:37 GMT

Moscow/Yerevan - Armenia Tuesday refused Turkish demands that it withdraw troops from a region claimed by both Armenia and Azerbaijan, reported the Interfax news agency, casting doubts on renewed Turkish-Armenian relations a day after they were announced.

Turkey and Armenia agreed Monday to resume diplomatic relations after decades of hostility between the neighbours.

But on Tuesday, Armenian President Serzh Sargsian said his country would accept no preconditions on its renewed ties to Turkey.

Those include withdrawal of its troops from the disputed Nagorno- Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, which Armenia has occupied since the early 1990s following an attempt by the region's Armenian population to break away and join Armenia.

Turkey originally broke off ties to Armenia in 1993 to protest ongoing military efforts by Armenia to control Nagorno-Karabakh.

'The first job of Armenia is to protect the security of Nagorno- Karabakh,' said Sargsian. He added that it is Armenia's role to secure the right of self-determination for people in the region.

He added that Armenia would not make it a precondition that Turkey label as genocide the death of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Turks during World War I.

Turkey rejects the term 'genocide' and says that only 200,000 died in a civil uprising when Armenians joined forces with invading Russians.

The use of the genocide label is a longstanding source of friction between the two countries.

Sargsian noted that most historians view the incident as a genocide and added that the designation 'is necessary to establish historical justice and necessary so that the past does not repeat itself.'

Sargsian told a group of diplomats in Yerevan that the unresolved conflict could not be allowed to stall the restoration of Turkish- Armenian relations.

He said that, instead of getting caught up in preconditions, both sides had to work on restoring ties based on agreements already met between Turkey and Armenia.

'Unfortunately, I've seen no great desire or effort to fulfill these agreements,' said Sargsian in a broadcast interview.

Nonetheless, Sargsian said he still intends to accept an invitation to attend a football match between the national teams of Turkey and Armenia in Turkey in October.

Under Swiss mediation, delegations from both countries agreed Monday to resume diplomatic relations and begin bilateral cooperation and political proceedings, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said. The agreement is to be signed by the parliaments of both nations in six weeks.

   Under the agreement, the normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia would then follow at a 'logical time point.' Both sides agreed in April to a road map to normalize relations with an eye on peace, security and stability in the region.

   President Abdullah Gul was the first Turkish leader to visit Armenia last September when his Armenian colleague Serzh Sargsian invited him to the qualifying match between the countries for the 2010 World Cup. Sargsian had earlier said the recognition of an Armenian genocide by Turkey was not a condition for improved relations.