Upon the invitation of Sarksyan, 52 political parties gathered for an off-the-record meeting to hear the Armenian president's responses to concerns raised by various, mostly nationalist, political parties. Commenting on the meeting to the press, Sarksyan told reporters that he had listened to the various points of view and these included encouragement and positive reactions along with concerns and criticisms. Promising that he will address all the issues causing concern, Sarksyan said problems with Turkey must be overcome and added that his invitation to Turkish President Abdullah Gül to visit Armenia to watch a World Cup qualifying match between the national soccer teams of the two countries last year was aimed at opening a window of opportunity for bilateral relations.
“Of course I also see risks and I also have concerns. But in order for our concerns to be comparable, in order for us to be able to adequately evaluate risks and understand that we have work to do, we must be able to bring all our observations to the same level,” Sarksyan said.
The Turkish-Armenian protocols which are due to be signed on the anniversary of Kars Treaty -- the only legal document determining Turkish-Armenian borders which was signed in 1921 between Soviet Russia and Turkey -- are expected to be a breakthrough in the normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia. Several of the largest Armenian opposition groups oppose the protocols. However, Sarksyan's Republican Party has a majority in the Parliament and observers give the opposition in Parliament little chance to block the ratification.
