KIEV, OCTOBER 3, NOYAN TAPAN - ARMENIANS TODAY. "The visit of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan to Armenian communities and the intention to bring the initiated protocols up for public discussion are a wise decision", Head of the All-Ukraine Council of Ethnic Minorities NGOs under Ukraine's State Committee for Ethnic and Religious Affairs Ashot Avanesian told analitika.at.ua. "It is necessary to take the Diaspora's opinion into account and to build a powerful state," he said. "Those who think that the Diaspora allegedly has rebelled against the protocols are mistaken. The same political force raises a clamor in those communities where it has influence. Thank God, the Armenian community in Ukraine is free from external influence," A. Avanesian pointed out. Commenting on the process of normalizing Armenian-Turkish relations, he noted that no one benefits from the closed border which hinders Armenia's economic development. "The long-standing confrontation between Armenia and Turkey has not solved any problem. The Armenian government is taking a reasonable step by putting the continued conflict on the negotiation table, especially without any precondition, while the problem of the Armenian Genocide is not subject to discussion or speculation. The protocols do not eliminate Turkey's responsibility for the genocide committed in the Ottoman Empire," Ashot Avanesian said.

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