YEREVAN. – Turkish FM Ahmet Davutoglu is attempting to make the matter of normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations become topical again, turkologist Andranik Ispiryan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Ispiryan commented on Davutoglu’s recent statement that activities are carried out at the Armenian-Turkish border, in order to reopen it.

In the turkologist’s words, this statement by the Turkish FM is “aimed at invigorating the process of Armenian-Turkish rapprochement.”    

Ispiryan said that 2015—that is, the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide—is drawing near, and therefore Davutoglu is attempting to counteract the respective commemorative events that will be held.

As per Ispiryan, the Turkish FM is trying to offset these events by taking imitational steps yet again, and along the lines of the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations.

“In other words, he once again is trying to divert the international community’s attention from the events toward the recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide,” the turkologist maintained.  

He also expressed a view that Turkey will attempt to convince Azerbaijan to make some concessions in connection with the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. 

“The Azerbaijani party [to the conflict] has managed to undermine the reconciliation process, and [therefore] Turkey will try to obtain Azerbaijan’s consent in exchange for certain pledges,” Andranik Ispiryan concluded. 

To note, Turkish FM Ahmet Davutoglu had confirmed that they were carrying out activities to open the boundary. “If we can convince Azerbaijan, we could make a surprise. Work is conducted on the border with Armenia. Our activities toward 2015 [i.e., the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide] are in progress, too. “Our demand is that they [that is, the Armenian troops] withdraw from Karabakh. If there is a progress in this matter, both the border and the railway will open. Of course, we want to do this together with Azerbaijan,” the Turkish FM had said.