Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan is against the establishment of a joint Turkish-Armenian historical commission

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan is against the establishment of a
joint Turkish-Armenian historical commission.

"I doubt this commission can be impartial, in a situation when the
Turkish authorities convict people for using the word "genocide,” he
said.

“The Turkish government wants to exceed the allotted time for the
negotiations on this issue, since the nowadays parliaments of
different countries are trying to pass resolutions on the genocide.
The uncertain situation is advantageous for Ankara. The establishment
of such a commission would question the very fact of the genocide of
the Armenian people. It is unacceptable for us. It would make sense if
Turkey admits its guilt. In this case historians could research the
basis of the tragic events together," Interfax cited Sargsyan as
saying.

The Armenian president claimed that Ankara wants a climb-down from Yerevan.

“But this is impossible,” he said.

“One of the most important internal matters for Armenia is the right
to self determination for the population of Nagorno-Karabakh. The
Armenian authorities also don't see the link between the recognition
of genocide and the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border. It is not
our fault that the sides still haven't managed to reach
reconciliation," said Sargsyan.