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INTERNATIONAL WINDS ARE BLOWING IN ARMENIA'S FAVOUR: MILLIYET
Tert.am
14:05 â~@¢ 02.02.10
"News over the results of the recent meeting between the Armenian
and Turkish foreign ministers in London testify to the fact that the
normalization process with Armenia has come to a deadlock," reports
Turkish paper Milliyet, adding that, in the current situation, from a
diplomatic perspective, Turkey is not in a more advantageous position
at all, contrary to what Ankara says.
"When our foreign ministry released a statement saying that the
Armenian Constitutional Court ruling undermines the negotiation
process, we thought Ankara felt itself to be diplomatically powerful
... But statements made by Western diplomats show that it is not the
case ... foreign ministers or foreign ministry high-ranking officials
from interested parties in the normalization of Armenian-Turkish
relations made statements reaffirming their approach towards the issue,
which states the following two main realities:
1. None of the interested parties in the normalization process accepts
the link between the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the Protocols signed
in Zurich. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov even declared that
Ankara is linking the two processes "artificially."
2. Interested parties share US Deputy State Secretary Philip Gordon's
view on the RA Constitutional Court's ruling."
Earlier, Philip Gordon had said that the ruling of the Armenian
Constitutional Court is a positive step forward in the Protocols
ratification process.
Referring to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's statement
"that Ankara has already passed ahead of Armenia by one step," the
newspaper cites some Western diplomats who say that those statement
are not true.
"The international winds are blowing in Armenia's favour. The prime
minister's reasoning that 'We are already a step ahead, because we
have sent the Protocols to the parliament' is not very well-grounded.
A diplomat gives the following answer to the statement. 'The government
[of Turkey] sent the Protocols to the parliament, but it does not spend
any effort [toward their ratification].' And this is happening when the
ruling of the Armenian Constitutional Court is viewed as a significant
step aimed at pushing the process forward," writes Milliyet.
While speaking about Turkey's requests for written guarantees from
a third party, the paper, citing its own sources, says none of the
interested parties has provided Ankara with such a guarantee so far.
"Another diplomat said the following over the issue. 'Suppose Ankara
is given such guarantees. Who can say that Armenia will not want to
require guarantees so that the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is not be linked
to the Armenian-Turkish normalization process'," reports Milliyet.
Citing again Western sources, Milliyet says that interested parties
are waiting, first of all, for Ankara to take its next step.
"Currently the international community requires that the Protocols be
ratified by the parliaments and put into effect. Statements made by
several diplomats, while speaking to us, prove that the first step is
expected to be taken by Ankara. But it will not happen because of the
'Nagorno-Karabakh precondition.' Is there anything else left in this
case except a diplomatic fiasco?" concludes Milliyet.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Tert.am
14:05 â~@¢ 02.02.10
"News over the results of the recent meeting between the Armenian
and Turkish foreign ministers in London testify to the fact that the
normalization process with Armenia has come to a deadlock," reports
Turkish paper Milliyet, adding that, in the current situation, from a
diplomatic perspective, Turkey is not in a more advantageous position
at all, contrary to what Ankara says.
"When our foreign ministry released a statement saying that the
Armenian Constitutional Court ruling undermines the negotiation
process, we thought Ankara felt itself to be diplomatically powerful
... But statements made by Western diplomats show that it is not the
case ... foreign ministers or foreign ministry high-ranking officials
from interested parties in the normalization of Armenian-Turkish
relations made statements reaffirming their approach towards the issue,
which states the following two main realities:
1. None of the interested parties in the normalization process accepts
the link between the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the Protocols signed
in Zurich. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov even declared that
Ankara is linking the two processes "artificially."
2. Interested parties share US Deputy State Secretary Philip Gordon's
view on the RA Constitutional Court's ruling."
Earlier, Philip Gordon had said that the ruling of the Armenian
Constitutional Court is a positive step forward in the Protocols
ratification process.
Referring to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's statement
"that Ankara has already passed ahead of Armenia by one step," the
newspaper cites some Western diplomats who say that those statement
are not true.
"The international winds are blowing in Armenia's favour. The prime
minister's reasoning that 'We are already a step ahead, because we
have sent the Protocols to the parliament' is not very well-grounded.
A diplomat gives the following answer to the statement. 'The government
[of Turkey] sent the Protocols to the parliament, but it does not spend
any effort [toward their ratification].' And this is happening when the
ruling of the Armenian Constitutional Court is viewed as a significant
step aimed at pushing the process forward," writes Milliyet.
While speaking about Turkey's requests for written guarantees from
a third party, the paper, citing its own sources, says none of the
interested parties has provided Ankara with such a guarantee so far.
"Another diplomat said the following over the issue. 'Suppose Ankara
is given such guarantees. Who can say that Armenia will not want to
require guarantees so that the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is not be linked
to the Armenian-Turkish normalization process'," reports Milliyet.
Citing again Western sources, Milliyet says that interested parties
are waiting, first of all, for Ankara to take its next step.
"Currently the international community requires that the Protocols be
ratified by the parliaments and put into effect. Statements made by
several diplomats, while speaking to us, prove that the first step is
expected to be taken by Ankara. But it will not happen because of the
'Nagorno-Karabakh precondition.' Is there anything else left in this
case except a diplomatic fiasco?" concludes Milliyet.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress