InternationalAGBU responds to Armenia-Turkey agreement with a call for “wisdom,” “national unity,” and “collaboration with the government”
Published: Sunday September 13, 2009
President Serge Sargsian with AGBU president Berge Setrakian, Yerevan, Sept. 4, 2009. Presidential Press Service
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New York - After a meeting on September 4 between President Serge Sargsian of Armenia and Berge Setrakian, president of the Armenian General Benevolent Union, Armenia's presidential press service announced that Mr. Setrakian had told the president, "the AGBU supports the latest Protocols on normalization of the relations between Armenia and Turkey and attaches importance to the fact that they do not contain any preconditions."
On Friday, September 11, the Central Board of Directors of the AGBU issued its own statement on the agreement between the governments of Armenia and Turkey that had been unveiled on August 31. After outlining a case for "a pragmatic policy with regard to Turkey," the board stated: "We understand the importance for the Republic of Armenia to have normal diplomatic relations with neighboring states, including Turkey. We also believe that justice for the sacred Armenian Case and the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide should transcend and not be sacrificed for any immediate diplomatic consideration."
The board's statement argued that Turkey would be under scrutiny and "must show that it is ready to move forward in earnest."
"We also believe the government of Armenia shares our serious concerns about the sincerity of Turkey, given its historic anti-Armenian policy that has continued to the present time," the statement continued. "We commend their initiative and lend our support in their efforts to find a just and fair outcome in the building of good neighborly relations between Armenia and Turkey, while safeguarding the historic claims and rights of the Armenian People."
In its conclusion, the AGBU Central Board of Directors appealed "to all Armenians to face the challenges of this historical moment, in collaboration with the government of the Republic of Armenia, with wisdom, national unity and the spirit of cooperation among our people." It did not elaborate.
