Ankara Wants Us to Renounce the Demand for Genocide Recognition, Says Turkologist

I am convinced that Armenia and Turkey can have normal relations. Normal, but not friendly, as a serious path needs to be taken for that. This was stated by Ruben Safrastyan, the director of the Institute of Oriental Studies at the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, during a meeting with journalists.

According to the Turkologist, the issue is Turkey's policy, considering that after the recognition of Armenia's independence in 1991, Ankara declared that it would refuse to establish diplomatic relations with Yerevan.

“Forgetting the past and starting from a clean slate sounds nice, but those who say this should analyze Turkey's policy. No serious political force in that country is prepared for such an approach. Ankara only wants us to renounce our demands, a part of our identity, including the demand for genocide recognition (as a component of Armenian identity). I do not think that Armenians, Armenia, and Artsakh are ready to take the path suggested by Turkey,” Safrastyan noted.