June 28, 2011 - 17:23 AMT
No document may guarantee stability of Armenian -Turkish relations, expert says

Even if an ideal agreement is signed between Armenia and Turkey, it would not be able to guarantee stability of relations between these two countries, according to Artak Shakaryan, PhD in Ottoman studies.

“It is not because of the good will of Turkey not to attack Armenia today but thanks to relatively stable domestic situation inside Armenia and presence of Russian military base in the country,” the Armenian expert told a press conference in Yerevan.

In this context, he pointed to the present Turkish-Syrian relations, noting that their aggravation proves that in case of possibility to enhance its borders nothing will stop Ankara, adding that Turkey and Syria had always been known to have rather close relations within many years,” he said.

The Armenian expert also stressed that Armenian-Turkish relations are not presently a priority issue for Turkey. He thinks that if international community does not press on Ankara in this issue, it may treat it only in 2014, at the threshold of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire.