Let’s not get ahead of ourselves
The Public Council discussed today a document related to the protocols on normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations that includes the council's concerns and conclusion.
The document was prepared during the Public Council's short session last night. Participating in the session were not only members of the committee, but almost all members of the Public Council. The Public Council created a working group of 6 members and prepared a document based on the suggestions made by the six members. The modified version of the document will be presented tomorrow during the meeting with Serzh Sargsyan.
In the preliminary version of the document, it is particularly stated that "the Public Council is in favor of ratifying the protocols", but it also states a number of concerns which mainly refer to the creation of a commission of historians, the economic expansion, migration and the dangers connected with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The final version of the Public Council's suggestions will be ready tonight when members will have discussed all comments and suggestions and will put the document up for a vote. A huge discussion on the document began today and each of the present members tried to present his comments.
There was a heated debate on the suggestion by president of the "Committee on Functioning of Civil Society" Hovhannes Hovhannisyan. He expressed concern over whether the recognition of borders would not jeopardize the position on borders formed as a result of genocide and the elimination of those borders in the future.
In reponse to that, Chairman of the Public Council Vazgen Manukyan said: "We still don't know how our borders are established. This issue is unclear. I don't think that we should get ahead of ourselves and say that we have the right to claim our lands in case Turkey recognizes the Armenian Genocide."
In addition, Vazgen Manukyan mentioned that many countries, including Turkey, are trying to thrust a wedge in the relations between Armenia and the Diaspora. In order to avoid that, the members of the Public Council believe that the public must be aware of the concerns presented in the document and must approach all issues with utmost consideration.
