Levon Ter-Petrosyan calls to stop putting pressure on Turkey over 'genocide'

The first president of Armenia, leader of the 'Armenian National Congress' Levon Ter-Petrosyan, has published his own draft of the message of Armenia to the international community in connection with the 100th anniversary of the tragic events of 1915. He noted that although Armenia supports the international recognition of the 'Armenian genocide', the issue of recognition of 'genocide' should not be the cornerstone of its foreign policy and it should not be put in front of Turkey to recognize the genocide claim, considering it to be an internal affair of the latter country.

"The Armenian Republic at the same time considers it necessary to emphasize that it is not going to dictate its agenda to the Armenian diaspora, as  representatives of the Armenian people are scattered throughout the world, as citizens, taxpayers and voters of different countries, and have the right to put pressure on their governments and to require them to recognize the condemnation of the Armenian Genocide," Ter-Petrosyan said in a letter published in the newspaper Chorrord Ishkhanutyun.

Armenia, according to Ter-Petrosyan, should appeal to European countries, so that they do not require recognition of the 'Armenian genocide' as a precondition for negotiations on Turkey's accession to the EU. Armenia, according to him, should be ready to establish diplomatic relations with Turkey on the basis of the Zurich protocols of 2009, "with the reservation only on the advisability of establishing a commission of Armenian and Turkish historians to study the genocide."

Ter-Petrosyan also writes: "Taking into account the interconnectedness of some of the Armenian-Turkish relations and the Karabakh settlement, Armenia is ready to resolve the conflict on the basis of the Madrid principles through peaceful negotiations, and also on the condition that prior to the implementation the schedule of the settlement, the terms, conditions and legal consequences of the planned referendum on the future status of Nagorno-Karabakh will be specified, as well as issues related to the deployment of international peacekeeping forces in the region to ensure the safety of the population of Karabakh."

The leader of the ANC expresses his willingness to listen to and take into account suggestions, comments and remarks of all stakeholders about the project, radio station Azatutyun reports.