Expert on ‘failure of Armenian-Turkish behind-the-scenes talks and U.S. mediation mission’
On 7 January 1992, the United States officially launched the first phase of its mediation mission to normalize Armenian-Turkish relations. In fact, it lasted until November 3, 1992. The declassified documents of the Department of State and the US Security Council testify to the fact that the U.S. was carrying out its mediation mission "on a daily basis”, expert on international relations Suren Sargsyan said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
"Turkey was putting forward the following preconditions.
1. Removal of the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide from the Armenian foreign policy agenda.
2. Recognition of the Turkish border (territorial integrity) by Armenia.
3. Statement by the Armenia on the absence of territorial claims against Turkey.
4. Re-edition of the Declaration of Independence.
5. Removal of the image of Mount Ararat from the coat of arms.
6. Later, the precondition for "returning" Artsakh to Azerbaijan was added and strengthened.
This was the price that Armenia had to pay for the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations.
I am sure that the preconditions are the same now,” Sargsyan wrote.
Turkey officially recognized the Republic of Armenia on 24 December 1991 and till now refuses to establish diplomatic relations with the country.
In 1993, Turkey unilaterally closed its air and land borders with Armenia. The airspace was opened in 1995 under the pressure of international society. The opening of the land border and establishment of diplomatic relations failed due to a number of Turkey’s preconditions, particularly, to return to Azerbaijan the areas currently under the control of Nagorno-Karabakh and retain from the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
Since 1991, attempts have been made to normalizethe bilateral relations, which ended up unsuccessfully because of Turkey’s position.