Hasan Kanbolat: Armenia has to take action to avoid isolation

PanARMENIAN.Net - A project to launch a railway between Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia is a strong message to Armenia that it has to take action to avoid isolation in the region, a Turkish expert said.



"Armenia is about to be pushed into permanent isolation," said Hasan Kanbolat, an expert at the Ankara-based Center for Eurasian Strategic Studies (ASAM). He said Turkey was the main outlet for the landlocked Armenia to reach the West and that Yerevan must take concrete steps to normalize its relations with Ankara, Today's Zaman reports.



Turkey closed its border and severed its diplomatic ties with Armenia in 1993 as a token of solidarity with Azerbaijan in the Nagorno Karabakh issue. Ankara also urges Armenia to change its policy of international recognition of the Armenian Genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Empire.



Yerevan has numerously stated readiness to normalize relations with Ankara without preconditions. As an initiative for reconciliation, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan invited his Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gul, to Yerevan to watch a football match on September 6. The Turkish President is reported to be considering the invitation.



Kanbolat, however, said the invitation is not enough and that more substantial steps are needed for any serious progress to take place. "Armenia should keep its promises regarding gradual withdrawal from Azerbaijani territory," he said.