YEREVAN, MAY 5, NOYAN TAPAN. "History shows that the Turkish diplomacy is always the winner at decisive moments," Edik Minasian, the Dean of Yerevan State University History Department, said at the May 5 press conference. He reminded that after World War I Turkey was on the verge of division into parts, but it found a possibility to solve the issue in favor of itself. According to the historian, now the Turks are again trying to extort dividends beneficial for themselves in their relations with the Armenians having a goal to achieve Armenia's and Diaspora's renouncing the demand of international recognition of the Armenian Genocide and solution of the Nagorno Karabakh problem in favor of Azerbaijan. E. Minasian added that he has doubts concerning some analysts' conviction that Turkey can establish relations with Armenia without preconditions. "The Turks will not sign a memorandum for no particular reason," he said touching upon the April 22 statement signed by the Armenian and Turkish Foreign Ministers. Commenting upon the information spread by Turkish media that by that document Armenia has agreed to accept the Treaty of Kars, E. Minasian said that he does not know whether that news corresponds to reality. However, if it is right, according to E. Minasian's formulation, for Armenia, acceptance of the Treaty of the Kars means renunciation of certain historic territories and the Treaty of Sevres. The historian reminded that by the Treaty of Kars the Armenians ceded a territory of 24 thousand sq.km to Turkey, Kars and Surmalu were given to Turkey and Nakhichevan to Azerbaijan.

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