“What I am concerned over is not the Armenian-Turkish statement proper, but its form, which resembles the April 23 document,” Richard Giragosian, Director of the Armenian Center for National and International Studies told NEWS.am, speaking of the protocols on establishing Armenian-Turkish diplomatic relations initialed yesterday evening. According to him, important historical documents have twice been unexpectedly published at midnights.

“One gets the impression that Armenia and Turkey have something to conceal. I am concerned over the process itself, as the Turkish and Armenian societies are not prepared for it nor are they aware of it. They woke up one morning to see a statement,” he said. As regards the contents of the initialed documents, Giragosian said that they contain both diplomatic victories and dangerous tendencies. The former group includes the absence of any mentions of Nagorno-Karabakh or the term “occupation.” As regards the danger, it is Armenia’s being weak compared with Turkey.

Giragosian believes serious international pressure should be expected on both the sides for them to implement the documents. “Even the Turkish Government is not sure the Parliament will ratify the documents,” he said. He is sure that the protocols were prepared much earlier than August 31, and the Turkish Foreign Minister’s stay in Iraq, not in his own county, is not mere coincidence as well.