February 24, 2009 - 17:21 AMT
Armenia must never renounce its territorial claims for Turkey
Official Yerevan's relationship with Ankara is one of the key directions in Armenia's foreign policy, an Armenian expert said.

"Unfortunately, during past 15 years the Armenia failed to work out a specific strategy of relations with Turkey," Armen Aivazyan, Director of Ararat Center of Strategic Studies, told a news conference on Tuesday.

"Turkey continues with its anti-Armenian propaganda and is waging a war against Armenia using non-traditional weapons: economic, political, moral and legislative. Meanwhile, Armenia lays one claim: opening of the border and establishment of diplomatic relations without preconditions," he said.

This is a wrong approach, according to the expert.

"Football diplomacy only created a background for normalization of relations with Turkey, yet
Yerevan hasn't assumed any specific position on Ankara. The problems between the countries can't be resolved through meetings only," Aivazyan said.

He added that up to now the football initiative of the Armenian President did not lead to any perceptible results.

"Armenia must never renounce its territorial claims to Turkey," Aivazyan emphasized.

As to the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border, the expert noted that it could seriously harm Armenian economy which is too brittle yet to resist the deluge of Turkish goods.