ARF-D activist burns Turkish flag during a Genocide memorial event, Liberty Square, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian 2008

Ahead of tomorrow’s match between Armenia and Turkey, as well as the arrival of Turkish President Abdullah Gul, nationalist forces in both countries are voicing their opposition to what others hope could be a long awaited breakthrough in relations between Yerevan and Ankara. On Tuesday, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation — Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D) used the occasion of the 17th Anniversary of the declaration of Nagorno Karabakh’s independence to declare its intention to stage protests while its counterpart in the U.S. issued a statement.

On the occasion of the Sept. 6 visit by Turkish President Abdullah Gul to Armenia, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Western US Central Committee reaffirms the conviction of the organization and the entire Armenian-American community of the imperative for friendly and cooperative relations between Armenia and all of its bordering countries. At the same time, we assert the fact that Turkey still continues its 15-year blockade of Armenia, which has cost billions of dollars of damage to Armenia’s economy and prohibits its own citizens from freely traveling to Armenia. Furthermore, Turkey continues its domestic and international campaign of denying the Armenian Genocide. Turkey also continues to enforce its criminal codes against its own citizens who dare to accurately discuss the Armenian Genocide. Simply put, Turkey continues its efforts to elude justice.

The full post is available on The Caucasian Knot.