Alexander Krylov: Turkey’s condition for Armenia is to renounce international recognition of Armenian Genocide

Speaking with Alpha News, Chief Researcher at the Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations, political scientist Alexander Krylov commented on Armenia’s decision to send humanitarian aid to Syria via the Margara checkpoint on the border with Turkey.

According to the expert, elections are coming soon and it is important for Pashinyan to showcase his achievements in terms of a peaceful resolution to the conflict with Turkey.

“I would not see any deep geopolitical subtext here, such as the withdrawal of our border guards or our base from Armenia. The first motive is to provide support to the Armenian population of Syria. After all, there is ethnic solidarity and a humanitarian component here. The second motive is to show that they are gradually normalizing relations with Turkey and the peace process is moving forward.

Elections are coming soon and it is important for Nikol Pashinyan to show some achievements, first of all in terms of resolving conflicts with Turkey and Azerbaijan. He will present these achievements in the most favorable light,” Krylov said.

Turkey has its own conditions for normalizing relations, the expert noted.

“Armenia might be happy to open the border with Turkey, but Turkey has conditions. This is the conclusion of a peace agreement with Azerbaijan, the fulfillment of its conditions, that is, changing the Constitution of Armenia, dissolving the OSCE Minsk Group, and plus Turkey has its own conditions for normalizing relations. This is the refusal of international recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

The current leadership is moving in this direction, so we can expect that in the near future there will be constitutional reforms, and Nikol Pashinyan has already spoken about the Genocide, that it is supposedly necessary to review, reassess what happened and why. But to reassess again, it is clear that this reassessment will be in favor of the Turkish version of events rather than the Armenian one,” Krylov concluded.