Epress.am News from Armenia
In a special joint assignment devoted to the 20th anniversary of the collapse of the Soviet Union, Moskovskiye Novosti, the journal Russia in Global Affairs and RIA Novosti interviewed leaders of countries formerly part of the Soviet Union, among them Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan:
Is it possible to experience full-fledged economic growth without addressing obvious geopolitical issues, no normalization of relations with Turkey, etc.?
“You know, this question has no direct and unequivocal answer, such as ‘Yes, growth is possible’ or ‘No, growth is impossible.’ Because if I say no, then how did we develop for 20 years? And if I say yes, then why are we developing at such a pace? Of course, by not normalizing relations with Turkey, we will not die of starvation. But let me go back to what I’ve said many times: we don’t consider the economic aspect to be the main motivation for the normalization of our relations with Turkey. As Napoleon said, ‘It is the country’s geography that forms its history.’ Geography is a sentence, a destiny.
“We live here and we should have at least some relations with our neighbors — of course, not at any price. No way. When we began the process of normalizing relations with Turkey, many naysayers said it would prevent recognition of the [Armenian] Genocide around the world. These predictions, thank god, did not materialize. The Genocide is an indisputable fact and we must make every effort to ensure that Turkey finally recognizes the Genocide. This is a fight for justice, for security.
[…]“Reconciliation can begin only when Turkey recognizes the Genocide. Without recognition, there can be no reconciliation. Wrong are those who try to present attempts to establish relations with Turkey as attempts at reconciliation. Real reconciliation can occur only after repentance,” said the Armenian leader.