HIGH TIME FOR ARMENIAN RECOGNITION OF THE TURKISH

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 001470

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/14/2015
TAGS: PREL PBTS AM TU
SUBJECT: HIGH TIME FOR ARMENIAN RECOGNITION OF THE TURKISH
BORDER

REF: YEREVAN 434

(U) Classified by DCM Robert Deutsch, E.O. 12958, reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).


1. (C) Reftel sets forth the Armenian government's non-paper
on relations with Turkey. We constantly press the Turks to
decouple Turkish-Armenian relations from Nagorno-Karabakh and
the occupied territories, and to come to terms honestly with
the history of events in 1915.


2. (C) In addition to the Armenian Declaration of
Independence's references to "restoring historical justice"
and "Western Armenia" (referring to territory in Turkey),
Turks also note that Article 13 of the Armenian Constitution
requires that Mount Ararat, located in Turkey, be part of the
Armenian national coat of arms, together with the coats of
arms of the four kingdoms of historical Armenia, much of
whose territory is located inside Turkey.


3. (C) Absent explicit recognition of the current border by
Armenia, the above references provide ammunition to Turkey to
resist reasonable proposals to ease relations. Armenian
government statements in reftel that "the reader can judge
for himself" whether or not Armenia recognizes the border,
and that explicit recognition will have to wait until formal
relations are established, only fuel Turkish arguments. An
explicit statement of recognition would remove an excuse for
Turkey not to move forward.
EDELMAN