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ARMENIAN FM: IT'S TURKEY WHO BLOCKS THE RATIFICATION PROCESS
Aysor
June 15 2010
Armenia
"The Armenian-Turkish relations were in a deadlock, when the President
of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan invited his Turkish counterpart President
Gul to Armenia. This visionary initiative, which met a positive
response by the Turkish President, allowed us to start the process and
after several months of hard negotiations, we made a significant step
towards normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations by signing the
two Protocols on the establishment of diplomatic relations, having
the common border opened and development of bilateral relations,
in Zurich last year," RA Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian told to
interview to the Austrian journal the "Profile".
To the question of the journalist why the ratification is suspended
now Edward Nalbandian answered, "After the signing of the Protocols,
Armenia has started the ratification process having gone through
several procedures, the decision of the Constitutional Court, a
month in advance of the statutory deadline announcing the Protocols
in line with the country's basic law. In early February the President
of Armenia announced in his speech at Chatham House in London that the
Armenian parliament, where the President enjoys comfortable majority,
will ratify the Protocols as soon as Turkey does.
The Turkish side, having easier ratification procedures has taken
practically no steps for that purpose, except from sending the
Protocols to the Parliament, and has effectively blocked the
ratification process for 9 months now."
As for the rapprochement process the Armenian Foreign Minister stressed
that Armenian approach fully coincides with the position of the
international community, that is, ratification and implementation of
the agreements without preconditions and within a reasonable timeframe.
"With this common understanding we have started, conducted this
process and came to the agreements. And in the protocols there are
no preconditions.
We hope that the process is not dead, but suspended. And as it was
said very clearly we will be ready to move forward if there is again
a partner in Turkey ready to move forward with the normalization
without any preconditions," Nalbandian said.
Answering to the idea that Turkey on his part claims that Armenia is
blocking the rapprochement, the RA Minister mentioned that Turkey
is trying to find baseless reasons for protracting the process,
independent of its logic.
"At what point Armenia blocked normalization? No one could point out.
All the Armenian steps on normalization process were commended by
the whole international community. Even the decision on suspension
of the ratification process was met by understanding and applauded,"
Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian told.
From: A. Papazian
Aysor
June 15 2010
Armenia
"The Armenian-Turkish relations were in a deadlock, when the President
of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan invited his Turkish counterpart President
Gul to Armenia. This visionary initiative, which met a positive
response by the Turkish President, allowed us to start the process and
after several months of hard negotiations, we made a significant step
towards normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations by signing the
two Protocols on the establishment of diplomatic relations, having
the common border opened and development of bilateral relations,
in Zurich last year," RA Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian told to
interview to the Austrian journal the "Profile".
To the question of the journalist why the ratification is suspended
now Edward Nalbandian answered, "After the signing of the Protocols,
Armenia has started the ratification process having gone through
several procedures, the decision of the Constitutional Court, a
month in advance of the statutory deadline announcing the Protocols
in line with the country's basic law. In early February the President
of Armenia announced in his speech at Chatham House in London that the
Armenian parliament, where the President enjoys comfortable majority,
will ratify the Protocols as soon as Turkey does.
The Turkish side, having easier ratification procedures has taken
practically no steps for that purpose, except from sending the
Protocols to the Parliament, and has effectively blocked the
ratification process for 9 months now."
As for the rapprochement process the Armenian Foreign Minister stressed
that Armenian approach fully coincides with the position of the
international community, that is, ratification and implementation of
the agreements without preconditions and within a reasonable timeframe.
"With this common understanding we have started, conducted this
process and came to the agreements. And in the protocols there are
no preconditions.
We hope that the process is not dead, but suspended. And as it was
said very clearly we will be ready to move forward if there is again
a partner in Turkey ready to move forward with the normalization
without any preconditions," Nalbandian said.
Answering to the idea that Turkey on his part claims that Armenia is
blocking the rapprochement, the RA Minister mentioned that Turkey
is trying to find baseless reasons for protracting the process,
independent of its logic.
"At what point Armenia blocked normalization? No one could point out.
All the Armenian steps on normalization process were commended by
the whole international community. Even the decision on suspension
of the ratification process was met by understanding and applauded,"
Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian told.
From: A. Papazian