PRESS RELEASE                                                      
May 27, 2008

Ambassador Tatoul Markarian’s Interview to the Armenian Reporter

The Armenian Reporter
May 27, 2008

The following interview with Ambassador Tatoul Markarian appeared in the May 24 issue of the Armenian Reporter.

Q. The White House has nominated a new Ambassador to Armenia, Marie Yovanovitch. What is Armenia’s position on this nomination?

A. Armenia has already given its agreement to the official U.S. request on the Ambassador’s candidacy. We hope that the nominee will be confirmed successfully and arrive in Armenia shortly. The scope and substance of our bilateral relations with the United States will continue to increase, and we all look forward to having a full-time American Ambassador in Yerevan.

Q. For the last 10 years, Armenia’s foreign policy agenda has included pursuing international recognition of the Armenian Genocide. How will the new president address this issue? And more broadly, what are the prospects for normalizing Armenian-Turkish relations?

A. In his first public remarks addressing Armenia’s foreign affairs, President Sargsyan reiterated that the issues of international recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide would remain on Armenia’s foreign policy agenda.

Armenia’s position on the Armenian-Turkish relations is open and transparent. We set no preconditions for the normalization of the bilateral relations and are ready to establish diplomatic relations with Turkey, just as we have offered consistently since 1991. Our readiness has been reiterated not only by the newly-elected President, but also by the newly-appointed Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs.

While the Turkish leadership offers positive rhetoric, we also note that the Turkish diplomats continue to make statements that the Karabakh issue and Genocide recognition are obstacles to normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations, just as the Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan stated on May 7, 2008. In this regard, I would like to stress that we are interested in concrete steps and results, never in a vague bilateral process for the sake of process.

Q. The Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan have just met to discuss the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Where do we stand in this process?

A. Armenia’s position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains unchanged under the new Armenian leadership. As stated by President Serzh Sargsyan and Minister Nalbandian, the fact and the right of self-determination of the people of Nagorno Karabakh must be affirmed and recognized internationally. Armenia remains committed to a peaceful negotiated settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict within the OSCE Minsk Group. Following the May 6 meeting, the Armenian Foreign Minister and his Azeri counterpart expressed optimism about the Minsk Group process.

While the final settlement is still being negotiated, some realities are already irreversible. The Nagorno Karabakh Republic has existed since 1991 and conforms to all definitions of an independent state. It has held several presidential and parliamentary elections democratically. Furthermore, it is clear that the Sumgait pogrom and the subsequent massacres and expulsion of the Armenians living in Soviet Azerbaijan, as well as the armed hostilities against Nagorno Karabakh and continuing anti-Armenian hate rhetoric in Azerbaijan have created a situation where Azerbaijan can never claim to govern Nagorno Karabakh. Many in the international community recognize this. And the package on the table mediated by the Minsk Group Co-Chairs recognizes the right of self-determination of Nagorno Karabakh.

Q. How do the new President and government see the future of the Homeland-Diaspora relations?

A. Homeland-Diaspora relations were an important focus in President Sargsyan’s election platform and strengthening these ties will thus remain a priority for the new government. Underlying this goal is our mutual belief that in order to pursue our national goals in the international arena effectively, we should work together to further strengthen the Armenian statehood and continue Armenia’s successful democratic transition. And this requires us to be even stronger and unified as ever. The national unity is undoubtedly the best guarantee for success in achieving our national goals, such as building a strong and prosperous Armenia, defending the freedom of Artsakh, and the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

Q. One of the issues of great interest to the Diaspora Armenians is the dual citizenship. Now that the Constitution has been amended and appropriate legislation has been passed, what is the procedure for acquiring Armenian citizenship?

A. Dual citizenship has been an important priority for the Armenian government, and following the passage of the Constitutional amendments and the enabling legislation, the path for acquiring Armenian citizenship has now been cleared. In fact, almost 1000 persons have already filed for the Armenian citizenship. Under this legislation, persons of Armenian descent who live in foreign countries can file for the Armenian citizenship, and the procedure takes no more than a year. The detailed description of the legal procedure and the application forms are available in the Consular Affairs section of the Embassy’s website, www.armeniaemb.org.

Dual citizenship is one of the mechanisms further bringing together the Homeland and the Diaspora, and I encourage all Armenian-Americans who are interested in acquiring the Armenian citizenship to apply at the Armenian Embassy in Washington or the Consulate General in Los Angeles. We will facilitate all applications, and will help everyone who wants to enjoy the rights and responsibilities of the Armenian citizenship.