Davutoğlu’s Yerevan visit topic of debate in Armenia

ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News

In 2008, President Abdullah Gül paid a visit to Yerevan for a football match between national teams. Hürriyet photo

Armenian politicians and Turkologists continue to debate Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu’s visit to Yerevan as reactions continue to grow to the official visit that is planned to take place on Dec. 12. 

Davutoğlu is set to conduct an official visit to Armenia’s Yerevan to attend the regional Organization of Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) meeting, a visit that garnered a variety of reactions from the Armenian side. The former head of the Armenian National Service, politician David Shahnazaryan, described the visit as part of Turkey’s “2015 maneuver,” as the year 2015 marks the 100th anniversary of the 1915 events. 

Shahnazaryan referenced a past remark made by Davutoğlu on not planning to ever visit Yerevan before suggesting the main reason for the sudden change of attitude was Russia’s increasing influence in the region. 

Yerevan State University Eastern Studies Academic and Turkologist Hagop Çakıryan also said Turkey was trying to maneuver through 2015. 

“Russia and the EU will never allow Turkey to do so, because both Russia and the EU are in a competition in the South Caucasus,” Çekıryan said. 

Çakıryan added that protocols had been signed between Turkey and Armenia in 2009 and continued: “Armenia’s attitude has been very clear since the signing of the protocols. Yerevan says that relation should be without any pre-conditions but Turkey has the Karabakh pre-condition.”