Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Deputy Chairman for External Affairs Suat Kınıklıoğlu spoke about Turkish-Armenian reconciliation at a panel discussion in Washington on Wednesday where he said the two sides had agreed to “remain silent” for some time and evaluate “what is on the table.” The Middle East Institute’s Center for Turkish Studies hosted Kınıklıoğlu, who is also chairman of the Turkish-American Interparliamentary Friendship Group, for a discussion on Turkey’s neighborhood policy and its influence in and implications for the Middle East.“There is something new on the table. Although I cannot go into the details, there is a brilliant proposal on the table, and it is up to the Armenians to accept or reject it,” Kınıklıoğlu stated. Noting that the achieving Turkish-Armenian reconciliation is an important issue at the moment, Kınıklıoğlu said he would personally vote “yes” on the Armenian protocols because he is in favor of normalizing relations. He said he believes this move has the potential to transform the South Caucasus and make it a part of Europe.
Turkey and Armenia sealed twin “agree-to-disagree” protocols last October -- currently at a standstill -- to transform persistent animosity into lasting amity. A chain of negative developments and Azerbaijan’s strident opposition to the protocols have made the reconciliation roadmap a thorny document.
Underscoring that the normalization will come into being through the political will of both Turks and Armenians, the senior official said it would not work if they wait for outside actors to solve their problems. “And this is not realistic,” he added.
Speaking about the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute, Kınıklıoğlu pointed to the occupation by Armenia of the territories of Azerbaijan, a member of the Council of Europe, and said Turkish-Armenian normalization cannot take place at a bilateral level as there is an “abnormal situation” called Karabakh in their neighborhood. Underlining that resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is not a precondition and that reconciliation and the Karabakh dispute are parallel processes generating support for each other, Kınıklıoğlu said this view benefits Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan.
