At a press conference held earlier today Turkish studies specialist Raffi Kurtoushyan stated, "Turkish politicians and reporters are always talking about three preconditions, of which only two are discussed in Armenia. And these are misleading." Mr. Kurtoushyan noted that besides the issue of the 1915 Genocide and Karabakh, the third precondition of Turkey is that Armenia sign off on the 1921 Treaty of Kars. The major aim of Turkey, which isn't mentioned in Armenia, is the signing of the Kars Treaty. Turkey can ask - how can I open the border if you, without signing the treaty, do not formally recognize me? If Armenia were to take such a step it would mean that we've formally given up on Kars and Surmalu in eastern Armenia and all of western Armenia." Mr. Kurtoushyan noted that Turkey mad the same ploy regarding Cyprus. "We just can't sit and state that we don't want any preconditions. Armenia has to respond with such a set of preconditions that Turkey will back down from claiming theirs." The Turkish specialist proposed that Armenia demand the exclusion of the Karabakh issue from the agenda and that, "If they are pointing to the genocide issue as a precondition, we must come back with the issue of the Etchmiadzin diocesan properties and those that belonged to the Cilician Catholicosate. What's become of these holdings? They want to open up the archives? Great, but we should request that they open up their property registers to see what's happened to the properties once belonging to Armenians." Mr. Kurtoushyan suggested that if Turkey puts forth the Kars Treaty as a precondition to normalized relations then, "we must put on the table the Sevres and Lausanne treaties. If they want a committee of historians, fine. But we should demand a committee to look at these treaties as well. Let's discuss the entire range of issues and come to some overall declaration.