Karen Ghazaryan
Public Radio of Armenia
“On one hand, Turkey is trying to flatter the international community and demonstrate willingness to normalize relations with Armenia and discuss the thorny historic issues, on the other hand, Turkey is applying direct or indirect strategies towards the Armenian Cause,” President of the Armenian Institute on International and Security Issues Stepan Safaryan told reporters today.
He noted that Turkey’s steps are becoming harsher as Armenia is preparing to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and transfer the issue to the legal field. According to him, a number of events could be organized at the Deir ez-Zor Church, which is an area adjunct to historic Cilicia.
“We can say for sure that the Turkish trace here is a matter of serious consideration. It’s interesting that unlike the events in Kessab, this time Turkey does not rush to deny its role,” Safaryan said.
While confident of the Turkish fault in the destruction of the Armenian Saint Martyrs Church, Stepan Safryan does not rule out there could be other influences, as well.
“Turkey is required to decide whether it joins the US coalition against the Islamic State or it identifies itself with ISIS,” he said.
According to the analyst, the one, who has planned the blast or is trying to grab benefits from what happened, is well aware of the power of the Armenian Cause and knows how to create a proper atmosphere for grabbing a distinct stance from Turkey.
