Turkey has no levers to exert pressure on Germany, and the threats to take measures over Bundestag’s vote on Armenian Genocide are not serious, Director of the Oriental Studies Institute of the Armenian National Academy of Sciences Ruben Safrastyan said in an interview with Public Radio of Armenia.
He said Turkey itself depends on Germany economically and militarily, and the only thing Ankara can do is to use the migrants deal as a tool for “blackmail.” He said, however, it cannot be a serious threat, either, considering that Turkey also depends on the EU, as it’s expected to get billions for the deal.
Speaking about the Bundestag resolution on Armenian Genocide, Safrastyan said “it’s of great importance for Armenia,” but added that the Armenian side should be able to make correct use of it.”
“The Bundestag vote has resulted in an establishment of a new atmosphere in Europe as regards the recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide. “It’s no coincidence that the Czech President has pledged to do his best reach Armenian Genocide recognition in his country,” the political scientist said. He’s confident many European countries will follow Bundestag’s example. Besides, he said, the Armenian Genocide will be included in school programs across Europe.
Ruben Safrastayn excluded any link between the Bundestag vote on Armenian Genocide and Turkey’s actions in Syria.
“Turkey pursues concrete goals in Syria – to get rid of Assad’s administration, strengthen its influence in the country by supporting certain terrorist groups and strike a blow to Kurds and create an atmosphere of fear among the Armenian population. The recent escalatioin in Aleppo is connected with the fact that the Al-Nusra Front, which is said to have close ties with the special services in Turkey, has recently received a huge amount of weapons from that country. There are even reports on representatives of Turkish special forces fighting in the ranks of the terrorist group,” Safrastyan added.
The political scientist called attention to the fact that Al-Nusra is targeting not only Syrian Army positions, but also Armenian-populated neighborhoods in Aleppo.
Referring to today’s blast that killed at least 11 in Istanbul, Safrastyan said “Turkey is getting what it deserves.”
