CoE offers Armenia to normalize relations with neighbors at any cost?
Armenia and its neighbors have unsettled problems which go back into the past, Council of Europe Secretary General Terry Davis said at a meeting with students of Yerevan State University.
These problems pose obstacles for the future of the republic and its neighbors, according to him.
"You should agree that the opposite side has its own perception of conflict and it differs from yours. I mean the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The CoE's standpoint is unchangeable: both sides should resolve the problem peacefully. But there is one more pressing problem which hampers Armenia's development - relations with Turkey. Historical issues shouldn't be the business of lawmakers. Many people died in those years but the time has come not only to remember the victims but also to face up the future," he said.
"It's time to think about future generations. It's hard to make the first step but Armenia should understand that normal relations with neighbors are essential. This is the only way toward the future and the main criterion for the CoE," Mr Davis said.
These problems pose obstacles for the future of the republic and its neighbors, according to him.
"You should agree that the opposite side has its own perception of conflict and it differs from yours. I mean the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The CoE's standpoint is unchangeable: both sides should resolve the problem peacefully. But there is one more pressing problem which hampers Armenia's development - relations with Turkey. Historical issues shouldn't be the business of lawmakers. Many people died in those years but the time has come not only to remember the victims but also to face up the future," he said.
"It's time to think about future generations. It's hard to make the first step but Armenia should understand that normal relations with neighbors are essential. This is the only way toward the future and the main criterion for the CoE," Mr Davis said.
