Thursday, September 23 2021 18:34

ArmInfo.It makes no sense to expect changes in Turkish policy towards Armenia before Ankara takes real steps towards normalizing relations with Yerevan. A similar  opinion was expressed to ArmInfo by Academician of the National  Academy of Sciences of Armenia, Turkologist Ruben Safrastyan.

"The Turkish rhetoric, which is being heard about Armenia today, is  generally reduced to a willingness to settle relations. And this  rhetoric has been heard for decades. The whole point is that Ankara's  real position differs significantly from its rhetoric. Turkish real  politic is still based on three main preconditions in relation to  Armenia. Moreover, following its own participation in the last year's  war in Artsakh, Turkey has even more increased pressure on Armenia in  order to push through its preconditions, "he stressed.

Earlier, the Turkish President announced about the proposal of the  Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for a meeting, conveyed to  him through the Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili. "This  makes us think. If you want to meet, then certain steps must be  taken. We are not closed for meetings. The Prime Minister of Georgia  conveyed to me the proposal of the Prime Minister of Armenia for a  meeting.  But for this, Armenia must take positive steps. If this  meeting takes place, Turkey could establish diplomatic relations with  Armenia," Erdogan said.

The point about the need to respect territorial integrity in another  recent statement by Recep Erdogan to Armenia is considered by the  Turkologist in the context of Ankara's desire to force Yerevan to  recognize not only its territorial integrity, but also the  territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Based on decades of his own  experience in studying Turkish foreign policy, the Turkologist  assesses the current rhetoric of Ankara as having the goal of  misleading the world about its own true intentions.  

In this light, the academician considers Armenia's constant readiness  for war with neighbors like Turkey and Azerbaijan a necessity. At the  same time, starting from the analysis of the current geopolitical  situation, Safrastyan does not see an immediate threat of war at this  stage. In any case, the restoration of the Armed Forces, the system  of ensuring national security, the international image of Armenia as  a whole, he considers an urgent need. In this context, the  elimination of the negative consequences of last year's war, in the  academician's opinion, is today the primary task of the country's  leadership.  

"Armenia's foreign policy needs fundamental changes, moreover, not  only in relation to Azerbaijan and Turkey. We need not only to deepen  the existing vectors, but also to discover new directions. We must  become recognizable for the world, we must be different from others,  for which we have all the historical, cultural and civilizational  foundations and prerequisites. Using the possibilities of the  military-political alliance with Russia even more productively,  Armenia needs to pursue its foreign policy, both in the direction of  the West and the East. In the latter case, we are talking at least  about India and China ",  the academician summed up.