Kaan Soyak: Efforts should be increased to resolve the dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia

İlhame QASIMLI (Reporter, 525ci qazet)

May 04,2004

525ci qazet: How do you evaluate the currently increasing efforts to open the border between Turkey and Armenia?

Kaan Soyak: I think it is very positive. It’s a step that should’ve been taken a long time ago. Actually, according to Copenhagen criteria, countries in conflicts with their neighbours are not eligible to become EU members. In other words, the European Union does not want to include a conflicted country as its member. Moreover, EU does not want a chaotic Caucasus, either. If you recall EU’s 2003 progress report about Turkey, there is a part concerning the opening of the Turkish-Armenian border and also in the Caucasus reports by the European Parliament there is a request for a genuine and sincere dialog between the parties Turkey and Armenia so as to solve their problems as soon as possible. In our region, it is necessary to create foreign policy compatible with the principles and criteria of Europe depending on economic gains, not ignoring security and respectful of each other’s borders instead of a foreign policy rooted in religious and ethnic bases supporting the status quo. When we look at it with this point of view, we need to increase our combined efforts not only to open the border between Turkey and Armenia but also to solve the problems between Azerbaijan and Armenia as soon as possible.

525ci qazet: Do you think these efforts have anything to do with the policy of AK Party government voiced, as “We want to improve relations with all of our neighbours”?

Kaan Soyak: It’s an indisputable fact that AK Party administration is bringing dynamism to the foreign policy of Turkey. As you may be aware, at the present, all of Turkey is working towards realizing the EU criteria for membership, which includes solving problems with neighbouring countries. I believe, with also Azerbaijan’s support, a Turkey in good terms with its neighbours will be able to pursue more effective solutions to Azerbaijan-Armenia problems by means of more active diplomacy in both EU institutions and other international political platforms.

Even though the relations between Armenia and Turkey look like bi-lateral and they only involve these two countries, it isn’t so and there are numerous active role-playing parties in the region. As a result, it is not realistic to hope to solve all of the problems in the Caucasus by expecting Turkey to keep its borders closed with its neighbour, because these problems are already beyond Turkey and they are already in the vicinity of interests and duties of both EU and United Nations. Here, the borders between Armenia and Turkey have been closed for 11 years and did it bring a result or a solution? No. In today’s world, we all very well know that there is no gain in keeping a couple of borders closed. Countries will always find a way to survive, maybe they strive a little but they will survive. This is the situation in Armenia too. Yes, there is some economic difficulty but on the other hand the close economic relations with Russia and the powerful Diaspora are keeping Armenian economy still alive.

525ci qazet: Those who support the opening of the borders, why did they become more active during AK Party regime? Is there a hope or an expectation from AK Party in this regard?

Kaan Soyak: AK Party is dealing bravely and enthusiastically with long-lasting problems that coalition regimes could not solve before. This change emphasizes the realistic foreign policy of Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which looks out for the economic interests of Turkey with its greater regional vision and extremely active policies. Both AK Party and Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs put great importance on non-governmental organizations, thus the active groups you mention in your question are in fact the non-governmental organizations. These organizations want a stronger economy in Turkey as well as the objective implementation of international law in obtaining peace in the Caucasus.

When we look at the region with this vision, I cannot match the “let’s keep the borders closed and wait until the problem is solved” approach with our society. On the contrary, I believe we need to have a constructive approach, to open the borders and solve the problems with a vision enabling us to carry the conflicts to international platforms and solve the problems with an active diplomacy, and to work towards it together.

525ci qazet: What’s the result of your projects and efforts? When you compare it with the past, do you think you caused a difference in the way the people and political elite think?

Kaan Soyak: Of course we obtained very positive results, but it has not been easy. You need to remember, we are the first and only Turkish-Armenian joint organization and I am the Co-Chairman of the Turkish side and Arsen Ghazarian is the Co-Chairman of the Armenian side. Our job was to increase the number of points we agreed on and I’m telling you, it’s not always been very easy to do that.

Since the day our organization was established in 1997, we have come a long way. We comprised numerous contacts between Turkish and Armenian peoples including Diaspora, we took part either directly or indirectly in starting relationships on many levels we have opened dialogs between numerous people and organizations and followed up on them and made sure of continuity.

More importantly a mutual trust formed. Armenians started to trust Turks, Turks started to trust Armenians. Relationships based on trust initiated and these relationships are still going on today. We succeeded in solving the biggest problem between the two peoples, which was the lack of trust. Turkish people got to know the Armenian people and vice versa. Also on either side’s media if something that was not a hundred percent accurate emerged, we tried to correct it and let the both peoples know the truth. I believe we broke the taboos, too.

There was no face-to-face contact between the two societies and there were subjects, which could not be discussed, we tried to create a medium to talk about these issues.

As a result of that both countries’ media started to give coverage to all the issues and a platform for discussion occurred. The trade between Turkey and Armenia in 1997 was USD 30 million and today it is over USD 120 million. Turkish and Armenian businessmen are working jointly on projects in Russia and Central Asian Republics.

In 2001 we organized a pilgrimage trip to Turkey and Armenia together with the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America. Two hundred people who were reluctant to join the tour and visit Turkey for security reasons were very content at the end of the trip. At the point we are today, the harder portion of the job is done and it is time for two similar cultures that lived next to each other for centuries to embrace. The missing part of this picture is the Azerbaijani people. Our hope is for Azerbaijan and Armenia to solve their problems and for the three neighbouring countries Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey to become an economic power in the region, to establish strong trade relations and carry these relations into US, EU, Russia and the Arabic countries.

525ci qazet: What are your expectations from the meeting of Turkish, Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers?

Kaan Soyak: The meeting of Turkish, Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers is an enormously encouraging step. These meetings are productive as long as the dialogue improves from the usual cliché and where mutually constructive and compromising solutions are openly discussed. It is beneficial for all, for these types of steps to become official and regular within the framework of the UN.

I believe a Turkey opening its borders even if only from its side, would always have an advantage in the meetings over the other two attending countries. Because today, neither Turkey nor Azerbaijan is in need of any power arising from keeping their borders closed. United Nations is capable of coming up with a solution plan in Caucasus addressing the concerns of Azerbaijanis, Armenians in Armenia and Armenians in Karabag, and based upon reciprocal compromise, just like it did in the matter of Cyprus. In the meantime, open borders and regular dialog would smooth the progress of these on-going talks immensely.

525ci qazet: While your efforts were continuing, officials in Ankara declared that the borders would not be opened again. What do you think about this and is this policy going to change the activities of TABDC?

Kaan Soyak: TABDC does not believe closed borders may bring a solution to international problems. As far as I understand, Azerbaijan is expecting Armenia to retrieve from the land it occupied. As a result of economic difficulty resulting from closed borders and for this expectation to happen, Azerbaijan is asking Turkey to keep its borders with Armenia closed. What I believe is that it is simpler and more sensible to try and find a solution to this problem by means of European criteria and United Nations and it is not fair to expect Turkey to solve all the problems.

Turkey has its own problems and agenda, which are very important. Especially the year 2004 has vital importance in terms of realizing the EU criteria. I believe Azerbaijan will help Turkey in its journey of becoming an EU member. Since the time borders were closed in April 3, 1993, it’s been 11 years and nothing is gained as a result of this policy and everyone is aware of that. In these 11 years, the trade between Armenia and foremost Turkey and then Russia and Iran only increased.

Today any Armenian citizen can work in Russia without obtaining a special working permit and send the earnings to his/her homeland. There is a big trade activity through Georgia and a transportation passageway on Novorossiysk-Poti-Armenia-Iran. Powerful Diaspora is contributing a great deal to the infrastructure construction in Armenia.

525ci qazet: The Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation Commission (TARC), which had been created with the recommendation of US State Department, discontinued its activities. In your opinion what is the reason for that and can you say the hope for peace is fading?

Kaan Soyak: When the Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation Commission (TARC) first came into sight, everybody including us had great expectations from it as well as a great support for it. However unfortunately in time, for reasons I honestly do not know it could not realize the success it projected. It could’ve been so much better.

525ci qazet: Do you think there will be the same perspective for TABDC?

Kaan Soyak: TABDC is a progressively strengthening joint Turkish-Armenian organization and our goal is to foster trade relations initially between Turkey and Armenia later between all the Turkish and Armenian peoples all over the world. This way we believe we can contribute to lasting peace in our region. We’d be very happy to see Azerbaijan joining our projects, too. Thank you.

This Interview was published in Azeri newspaper the “525ci qazet” on 4th Mays 2004 in Azeri language.