ARMENIAN ACCORDS 'UNLIKELY' TO RETURN TO TURKISH PARLIAMENT'S AGENDA
news.az
Aug 23, 2011
Azerbaijan
Armenia should declare the Turkish protocols invalid in response
to their removal from the Turkish parliament's agenda, an Armenian
academic has said.
"We should have done this earlier," Prof. Ruben Safrastyan, director
of the Armenian Academy of Sciences' Institute of Oriental Studies,
told PanARMENIAN.Net.
"Although the withdrawal of any bill from parliament is a procedural
issue following the election of the new parliament, it's obvious
that the current Turkish authorities have no intention of normalizing
relations with Armenia," the professor continued.
"The protocols are unlikely to return to the Turkish parliament's
agenda. Turkey is not interested in the normalization of relations
with Armenia. It's entered a big game in the Middle East."
Prof. Safrastyan said that Armenia should take Turkey's approach into
account when devising its policy towards Ankara.
The two protocols on rapprochement between Armenia and Turkey are
among 898 pieces of legislation that have fallen off the Turkish
parliament's agenda.
Legislation which has not been approved during the term of the National
Assembly automatically expires. The new parliament, which took office
last month, has not placed a vote on the protocols on its agenda.
Turkey and Armenia signed the two protocols on normalizing relations
in October 2009, but rapprochement stalled in 2010 when both the
Turkish and Armenian parliaments refused to ratify the protocols.
On 22 April 2010 Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan suspended the
ratification process, accusing Turkey of placing conditions on
ratification.
The Turkish leadership has said several times that ratification is
possible only when Armenia withdraws its troops from the occupied
Azerbaijani land of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts.
news.az
Aug 23, 2011
Azerbaijan
Armenia should declare the Turkish protocols invalid in response
to their removal from the Turkish parliament's agenda, an Armenian
academic has said.
"We should have done this earlier," Prof. Ruben Safrastyan, director
of the Armenian Academy of Sciences' Institute of Oriental Studies,
told PanARMENIAN.Net.
"Although the withdrawal of any bill from parliament is a procedural
issue following the election of the new parliament, it's obvious
that the current Turkish authorities have no intention of normalizing
relations with Armenia," the professor continued.
"The protocols are unlikely to return to the Turkish parliament's
agenda. Turkey is not interested in the normalization of relations
with Armenia. It's entered a big game in the Middle East."
Prof. Safrastyan said that Armenia should take Turkey's approach into
account when devising its policy towards Ankara.
The two protocols on rapprochement between Armenia and Turkey are
among 898 pieces of legislation that have fallen off the Turkish
parliament's agenda.
Legislation which has not been approved during the term of the National
Assembly automatically expires. The new parliament, which took office
last month, has not placed a vote on the protocols on its agenda.
Turkey and Armenia signed the two protocols on normalizing relations
in October 2009, but rapprochement stalled in 2010 when both the
Turkish and Armenian parliaments refused to ratify the protocols.
On 22 April 2010 Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan suspended the
ratification process, accusing Turkey of placing conditions on
ratification.
The Turkish leadership has said several times that ratification is
possible only when Armenia withdraws its troops from the occupied
Azerbaijani land of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts.