Gul will not like Naira Zohrabyan's question
Today Turkish President Abdullah Gül is scheduled to deliver a speech at the PACE and member of the Armenian delegation Naira Zohrabyan has a specific question for him.
"I will tell him that a country is powerful when it has the courage to confront history and come to grips with the past. I am certain that sooner or later Turkey will recognize the genocide of one and a half million Armenians. Don't you think the sooner your country comes to grips with that and has the courage to recognize the Armenian Genocide, the sooner your country will be able to relieve itself from that heavy burden and try to find its place among civilized countries?" Mrs. Zohrabyan told "A1+" as she presented her question for the Turkish President in Strasbourg.
Zohrabyan is certain that Gül will not like her question, but he won't be able to avoid answering it.
Yesterday Mrs. Zohrabyan also asked Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmed Davutoghlu as well. "Mr. Minister, your country placed the process of normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations in a deadlock under direct and overt pressure from Azerbaijan. What are your guarantees that by heading the Ministerial Committee, Turkey will not be guided by the principles different from those of Europe and will not ignore modern values?"
In his response, Davutoglu overtly affirmed that Turkey links the Armenian-Turkish relations with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. "When signing the Turkey-Armenia Protocols, Turkey was pursuing three goals, including the opening of borders, the historical reconciliation between both nations and the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. After all, 20% of Azerbaijan's territory is occupied," said the Turkish Foreign Minister.
After his response, Davutoglu approached Naira Zohrabyan and smilingly shook her hand in the presence of everyone who was there at the sessions hall, which Zohrabyan appreciates. "He wanted to show everyone that the Turks are ready for warm relations with the Armenians. That was a show of Turkey's flexible diplomacy to make an impression, but his response was clear."
During the PACE winter sitting to launch on January 28, Mrs. Zohrabyan will deliver several speeches related to the Armenian massacres in Azerbaijan, particularly Baku, Sumgait and Maraga the organizers of which are viewed as national heroes in Azerbaijan. "Impunity leads to new crimes. The Azerbaijani authorities' overt, obscene cynicism, their bellicose declarations and war threats are also a result of impunity."
