President meets Armenian community representatives in Latvia

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan who was in Latvia on an official visit met Thursday with representatives of the Armenian community. The president spoke of the perspectives of the Karabakh conflict settlement and Armenia-Turkey relations.

There are chances of coordinating the conflict settlement principles in the near future, the president said at the meeting.

"When I was having a meeting with the Latvian prime minster this morning he asked me whether there was any progress in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement. Had the question been asked a week earlier I'd have ruled out the possibility of a positive outcome. But after the March 5 meeting in Sochi, there has been a positive change in Azerbaijan's position," the president said.

"After we agree on the principles, the negotiations may enter a new phase, enabling us to detail many questions. I'd just like to note that agreeing on the principles is just the beginning [of the process], not the end."

Sargsyan also called on the Armenians in Latvia to join their efforts in protecting the national interests of Armenia.

"Prepare yourselves to support us. It's extremely important for us," he said.

Speaking of the Armenia-Turkey rapprochement, the president reiterated Armenia's firmness on the unacceptability of any preconditions.

"We have nothing to discuss with them," the president said, adding that the Armenia-Turkey relations remain in a stalemate.

"There are many who wonder why we initiated the process if this was to be the expected outcome. But this is the case when even a negative outcome is a result. Many of our friends constantly criticize us, saying we are unwilling to have any relations with Turks because we are complex-stricken by genocide-related emotions. But thank God everybody saw we aren't to blame for the lack of relations. "

Relations between Armenia and Turkey took a major step forward on October 10, 2009 when the Foreign Minister of the two countries - Edward Nalbandyan and Ahemt Davutoglu - signed protocols on establishing diplomatic relations and developing bilateral ties.

The documents, signed in Switzerland, have to be ratified by both countries to come into force.

However, in April 2010 Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan signed a decree putting a hold on the ratification, saying Turkey was not ready to continue the reconciliation process.

The Armenian-Turkish border was closed in 1993 on Ankara's initiative. Bilateral relations between the countries are further complicated by Turkey's support of Azerbaijan in its conflict with Armenia over Nagorny Karabakh.

The Nagorno Karabakh conflict started in the early 1990s when Karabakhi Armenians voiced their intention to live independently from Azerbaijan. It was followed by pogroms against Armenians in Sumgayit, Baku and Nagorno Karabakh that turned into a bloody war, leaving around 30,000 killed and more than a million displaced.

Currently peace talks over the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement are spearheaded by the co-chair states of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France and the United States.