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Opposition criticizes Armenia deal, terms it a ‘step backward'
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and his Armenian counterpart, Eduard Nalbandian, signed an agreement in Zurich to reinstate formal ties and reopen a border closed since 1993, within two months of its ratification by both parliaments.
Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Deputy Chairman Onur Öymen told Today's Zaman that the protocol signed in Zurich is evidence that Turkey has taken a step back in its fundamental foreign policy regarding Armenia for the past 17 years.|
Turkey was one of the first countries to recognize Armenia's independence in 1991, but the two countries never established diplomatic relations and sealed their border after the 1993 Armenian invasion of Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh.
Indicating that a process of normalization with Armenia can only take place if Armenia withdraws from Azerbaijani territory, Öymen argued that Turkey had made unilateral concessions with the agreement. “There will be great pressure in Turkey following these signatures because the protocol texts include articles about Turkey opening its border and establishing diplomatic ties, but there is not even the slightest sign that Armenia will withdraw from the territories it invaded. There is not the slightest reference to the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute,” Öymen said.
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli said the day the agreement was signed was a “black day.” He said protocols signed with Armenia were not based on reciprocity and that they were not equal and balanced.
Felicity Party (SP) leader Numan Kurtulmuş also joined the critics of the protocol, describing it a “historic mistake.” He said this issue first being handled in Parliament, which represents the will of the nation, was the necessity of democratic ethics. “The [Justice and Development Party] AK Party's concessive attitude under the cover of its ‘zero problems policy' not only undermines Turkish foreign policy, it also casts a shadow over Turkey's prestige,” Kurtulmuş said.
In the meantime, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Armenia's withdrawal from Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh would help gain his Parliament's approval for a peace accord signed between Turkey and Armenia. "We as a government paved the way for this cooperation, but whether or not it will be applied is up to Parliament to decide," he told a party congress in Ankara.
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