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TURKEY REPLIES TO CLINTON: NORMALIZATION BALL NOT IN OUR COURT
http://www.armenianow.com/news/politics/38530/armenia_turkey_normalization_hillary_clinton
Politics | 06.06.12 | 11:08
President of Turkey Abdullah Gül and RA President Serzh Sargsyan
(Archive photo, 9 July 2008)
>From Hurriyett Daily News
Ankara has rebutted a statement by the United States calling on Turkey
to take steps to normalize its relations with Armenia, citing the
Armenian Constitutional Court's previous rulings on the two countries'
diplomatic protocols.
"Turkey's position on the issue is clear," a Turkish diplomat told the
Hurriyet Daily News, adding that the Armenian court's Jan. 12 decision
established that the protocols conformed to the country's constitution.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Turkey to normalize
relations with Armenia, speaking to journalists in Yerevan on June 4,
saying "the ball is in Turkey's court."
"We are committed to seeing Armenia and Turkey normalize relations
because we think this is a better path forward for the citizens of
both countries and we strongly support ratification of the protocols
[of normalization] without preconditions," she said. "We believe these
are countries that should have open borders, should work together,
should trade, and they should have people to people exchanges because
it would be mutually beneficial to all concerned."
In the Armenian court's decision about the constitutionality of
protocols that could pave the way for diplomatic relations with Turkey,
the Armenian Constitutional Court's reference to the 1915 killings
of Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire has drawn ire from
Ankara. The reference to the killings in the ruling was against the
spirit of the normalization process with Yerevan, Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after the Armenian court's 2010 ruling. "We
have never taken the protocol to our Constitutional Court. We took it
directly to our Parliament, without making changes. We didn't employ a
mediator on the text. We didn't carry out any read-between-the-lines
operations. This is proof of our sincerity. Armenia has tried to
change the text," Erdogan said.
From: Baghdasarian
http://www.armenianow.com/news/politics/38530/armenia_turkey_normalization_hillary_clinton
Politics | 06.06.12 | 11:08
President of Turkey Abdullah Gül and RA President Serzh Sargsyan
(Archive photo, 9 July 2008)
>From Hurriyett Daily News
Ankara has rebutted a statement by the United States calling on Turkey
to take steps to normalize its relations with Armenia, citing the
Armenian Constitutional Court's previous rulings on the two countries'
diplomatic protocols.
"Turkey's position on the issue is clear," a Turkish diplomat told the
Hurriyet Daily News, adding that the Armenian court's Jan. 12 decision
established that the protocols conformed to the country's constitution.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Turkey to normalize
relations with Armenia, speaking to journalists in Yerevan on June 4,
saying "the ball is in Turkey's court."
"We are committed to seeing Armenia and Turkey normalize relations
because we think this is a better path forward for the citizens of
both countries and we strongly support ratification of the protocols
[of normalization] without preconditions," she said. "We believe these
are countries that should have open borders, should work together,
should trade, and they should have people to people exchanges because
it would be mutually beneficial to all concerned."
In the Armenian court's decision about the constitutionality of
protocols that could pave the way for diplomatic relations with Turkey,
the Armenian Constitutional Court's reference to the 1915 killings
of Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire has drawn ire from
Ankara. The reference to the killings in the ruling was against the
spirit of the normalization process with Yerevan, Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after the Armenian court's 2010 ruling. "We
have never taken the protocol to our Constitutional Court. We took it
directly to our Parliament, without making changes. We didn't employ a
mediator on the text. We didn't carry out any read-between-the-lines
operations. This is proof of our sincerity. Armenia has tried to
change the text," Erdogan said.
From: Baghdasarian