YEREVAN. – Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s support by western states was based only on the interests of regulating Armenian-Turkish relations, head of oppositional Armenian National Congress (ANC), Armenia’s first president Levon Ter-Petrosyan said at the opposition rally on Friday.

According to him, U.S. interests in South Caucasus require the establishment of relations between Armenia and Turkey. All the other issues, including Karabakh conflict are affiliated. Other western states also support that attitude.

“West needs solutions for the following issues to achieve its key goals: lessening the influence of Russia and Iran in South Caucasus, enlarging the corridor for the export of Middle Asian energy, and lessening the influence of the Armenian lobby regarding Armenian genocide recognition,” Ter-Petrosyan stated.

West supports Serzh Sargsyan for achieving its goals. They present him publicly as a brave and broad-minded figure. Western diplomats gathered information on individuals and groups who are against Sargsyan to neutralize their influence by certain means. Apparently Sargsyan gave guarantees on compromises in Armenian-Turkish relations. However, any deal at the back of the nation is doomed to failure, opposition leader stated.