Turkey's delay favors Armenia?
Political scientist Suren Zolyan believes that Turkish Prime Minister Rejeb Tayyib Erdogan will try to talk the White House administration into pressuring Armenia during his visit to the U.S.
However, to this day, the official Yerevan has nothing to worry about because Erdogan can't have high hopes based on the statements made by U.S. political figures.
In an interview with "A1+", Zolyan stated that Ankara is currently trying to show the world that it has made great concessions and Armenia must make concessions for Nagorno-Karabakh.
"In that regard, I think the steps of the Armenian authorities are justified," he said.
Suren Zolyan also believes that the speedy ratification of the Turkey-Armenia Protocols is not in Armenia's interests because the discussions on the Protocols brought many unresolved issues to the legal field, such as organizing of trade relations and the border regime.
"They are on the agenda of the Armenian authorities regardless of the Protocols and the Armenian authorities need time to solve them. The more the Turkish side postpones the ratification of the Protocols, the more adequately Armenia will prepare for the processes," he said.
According to Suren Zolyan, the first thing that Armenia should do is, for example, solve issues relating to right to property, the legal and economic issues in the bordering regions, the free trade zones which are not connected to the ratification of the Protocols.
"Armenia also faces the issue of quality of products. Turkey is making that quality correspond to European standards, but not Armenia. If the Protocols are ratified, it is clear that these issues will be more sharply perceived. The important thing is for Armenia to be ready to confront them," Zolyan said. By being ready, Suren Zolyan means that this must be done in a certain timeframe or else it will lose meaning.
No signs yet
What does the political scientist think about the possibility of creating a free trade zone for Armenians and Azerbaijani in the north of Armenia, that is, Kazakh and Ijevan?
This was the issue discussed during the meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani deputies at the State Duma of Moscow on October 22. The proposal was made by the Armenian side and it is now being discussed by the governments of both countries.
"To be honest, I am hearing about this agreement for the first time. Armenian and Azerbaijani traders are currently working together via Georgia. I think it will be good if they work together in the Kazakh region. But I doubt that it will happen because the border regime in the north is rather strict and such an initiative presupposes serious changes in Azerbaijan's politics. I don't see any signs of that now," Suren Zolyan said.
