There will definitely be a second round of 'football diplomacy:' Artak Shakaryan

There will definitely be a second round of Armenian-Turkish “football” diplomacy, Turkologist Artak Shakaryan said in an interview with local Armenian business daily Capital, asked what changes might take place in Armenia-Turkey relations, should Turkish islamists win the up-coming parliamentary elections.

“One thing is sure: there will definitely be a second round of football diplomacy. They [Turks] will definitely start talks over the recognition of the Kars Treaty, over the opening of the border, [they] will once again speak about the Nagorno Karabakh issue, making clear that they don’t attach much importance to the Karabakh issue and that the recognition of the Kars treaty is far more important for them,” said Artak Shakaryan.

According to him the Turks are afraid that one day Russia will speak about returning of some territories, such as Kars and Ardahan, to Armenia.

“If you remember the SSSR in 1945 raised the issue of returning Kars and Ardahan, and they continue thinking that Russia will one day speak about it, because they [Kars and Ardahan] were in fact not under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, but rather that of Eastern Armenia,” said he.