ArmInfo. Ankara's accepting Yerevan's proposal for opening the border for holders of diplomatic passports will be welcomed as a positive step, Dean of the Faculty of Oriental Studies, Yerevan State University, Professor Ruben Melkonyan said in an interview with ArmInfo.
"Unlike the mythical positive messages by Ankara being declared by Armenia's government, such a change in boundary regime will prove evidence of Turkey's changing its 'obsolete approaches.' It would be a real sign in favor of Turkey's intentions to reopen the border, to say nothing of the fact that it would greatly facilitate the Armenian-Turkish negotiations," Mr Melkonyan said.
However, Ankara's tortuous behavior is evidence of its reluctance to address even tone positive messages to Yerevan. Instead, Turkey prefers simulation as it is pushing ahead with its own long-standing and precondition-based policy toward Armenia.
Against this inability to even a token gesture, Mr Melkonyan views the Turkish FM's appeal to Armenia to "display more courage" as one more manifestation of Turkey's hypocrisy. One of the reasons for such hypocritical statements is Turkey's desire to organize the Special Envoys' next meeting in Yerevan or in Ankara, not in Vienna.
"The second major reason is Turkey being well aware of the sentiments in Armenia and of the redlines in the context of prospects for normalization of relation with Turkey. Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is thus calling on Armenia's leadership to display more courage and cross the redlines. That would be a real blow to our national identity and nationhood, which had for years been Turkey's target. And all the latest statements - which are, in fact, pro-Turkish and pro-Azerbaijani ones - the ruling forces members have made in Parliament are evidence of Turkey achieving its goals step by step," Mr Melkonyan said.