A tough start for peace

Milliyet's Taha Akyol, who gives some details about the last-minute disagreement before the signing ceremony, explains: “The Armenians demand to see the text of Davutoğlu's speech before the ceremony to see whether there were any problematic parts in it, saying that there is great pressure on them from the Armenian diaspora. Davutoğlu accepts and says he would like to see the text of Nalbandian's speech in return. Both sides find unacceptable parts in each other's speeches. They fail to solve the situation through dialogue and a crisis erupts. What Nalbandian finds problematic in Davutoğlu's text is expressions such as ‘peace and stability in the Caucasus,' because these expressions include Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh. And Davutoğlu finds the ‘without precondition' expression in Nalbandian's speech.” According to Akyol the reason why this expression was added to Nalbandian's text is because Armenia wants to give the message that the process of normalization is free of the Karabakh problem and Armenian allegations of genocide, hence pleasing the Armenian diaspora. In the meantime, Turkey and Armenia overcame the crisis thanks to the efforts of the Swiss officials, who advised both ministers not to make a speech after the signing ceremony. Akyol says it is very likely for both sides to see the emergence of many more crises during the normalization process, but he says all those crises will be overcome one by one.

 The fact that the first step toward normalization was taken in such a difficult way shows that the normalization process should not be underestimated and cannot be carried out with an understanding of a fait accompli, says Radikal's Murat Yetkin, who thinks the tension over the first signature will be reflected in the approval process of protocols in the Turkish and Armenian parliaments.

 According to Yeni Şafak's Fehmi Koru, revitalization of the frozen relations between Turkey and Armenia is not enough because it is necessary to turn the Caucasus into a region where there is peace and stability, and Ankara is pursuing this. Confirming that the goal set is not an easy one for Turkey and that it is impossible to achieve it through unilateral efforts, Koru says the protocols could be prepared and signed before witnesses despite this, so “we can be hopeful,” he adds.