Turkey is likely to take steps toward Armenia
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Ümit Enginsoy
OluÅŸturulma Tarihi: Mart 09, 2009 00:00
WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama’s planned visit to Turkey weakens the possibility in the short term of Washington’s recognition of the Armenians' claims of "genocide", according to analysts.
As U.S. President Barack Obama prepares to visit Turkey in early April, Ankara is likely to start taking concrete measures soon toward reconciliation with Armenia, diplomatic sources and analysts say.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced during a visit to Ankara on Saturday that Obama would visit Turkey "within a month or so."
The unexpected visit will underscore Turkey's growing importance in Obama's new Middle East strategies, analysts suggest.
They also say the planned visit weakens the possibility in the short term of U.S. recognition of the Armenians' claims of "genocide".
Turkish effortsÂ
But Turkey, in return, should move soon to boost relations with Armenia, including taking steps to set up diplomatic relations and open the land border, they say.
"So, Obama can tell U.S. Armenian groups, 'Look, there is major reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia, it's not the right time to get involved in the genocide issue," said one analyst.
Turkey became one of the first nations to recognize Armenia's independence amid the former Soviet Union's disintegration in 1991.
But Armenia's invasion and occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and part of Azerbaijan proper in 1993 prompted Ankara to close the border with Armenia and decline to establish diplomatic ties with Yerevan.
During his election campaign last year, Obama pledged to recognize the Armenians' claims of "genocide". Some analysts and pro-Turkey politicians have been suggesting that a Turkish-Armenian rapprochement may prevent Washington from recognizing these claims.
Robert Wexler, a leading pro-Turkey lawmaker in the U.S. House of Representatives, said recently that he saw a historic opportunity for rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia that may lead to the opening of the land border and a normalization of diplomatic relations this year.
"I came back from Turkey last week, and it seems to me that we are on the cusp of a historic opportunity with respect to Turkish-Armenian relations and the possibility in 2009 for extraordinary engagement between those two countries, and the possibility of opening of borders and then things that might follow, such as normalization," Wexler said in the U.S. Congress on March 1.
Armenians not hopeful
Brad Sherman, a key pro-Armenian lawmaker in the U.S. House of Representatives, recently said he was "not particularly hopeful" that Obama's planned message to the Armenian-American community on April 24 this year "will contain the word genocide," according to the Armenian Reporter, a weekly newspaper.
Sherman cited Turkey's importance to the Obama administration's Middle East priorities as the key reason.
Top agenda items during Obama's planned talks in Turkey will likely include Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and peace in the Middle East.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced during a visit to Ankara on Saturday that Obama would visit Turkey "within a month or so."
The unexpected visit will underscore Turkey's growing importance in Obama's new Middle East strategies, analysts suggest.
They also say the planned visit weakens the possibility in the short term of U.S. recognition of the Armenians' claims of "genocide".
Turkish effortsÂ
But Turkey, in return, should move soon to boost relations with Armenia, including taking steps to set up diplomatic relations and open the land border, they say.
"So, Obama can tell U.S. Armenian groups, 'Look, there is major reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia, it's not the right time to get involved in the genocide issue," said one analyst.
Turkey became one of the first nations to recognize Armenia's independence amid the former Soviet Union's disintegration in 1991.
But Armenia's invasion and occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and part of Azerbaijan proper in 1993 prompted Ankara to close the border with Armenia and decline to establish diplomatic ties with Yerevan.
During his election campaign last year, Obama pledged to recognize the Armenians' claims of "genocide". Some analysts and pro-Turkey politicians have been suggesting that a Turkish-Armenian rapprochement may prevent Washington from recognizing these claims.
Robert Wexler, a leading pro-Turkey lawmaker in the U.S. House of Representatives, said recently that he saw a historic opportunity for rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia that may lead to the opening of the land border and a normalization of diplomatic relations this year.
"I came back from Turkey last week, and it seems to me that we are on the cusp of a historic opportunity with respect to Turkish-Armenian relations and the possibility in 2009 for extraordinary engagement between those two countries, and the possibility of opening of borders and then things that might follow, such as normalization," Wexler said in the U.S. Congress on March 1.
Armenians not hopeful
Brad Sherman, a key pro-Armenian lawmaker in the U.S. House of Representatives, recently said he was "not particularly hopeful" that Obama's planned message to the Armenian-American community on April 24 this year "will contain the word genocide," according to the Armenian Reporter, a weekly newspaper.
Sherman cited Turkey's importance to the Obama administration's Middle East priorities as the key reason.
Top agenda items during Obama's planned talks in Turkey will likely include Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and peace in the Middle East.