Tweet
THE TIME HAD COME FOR ARMENIA TO WITHDRAW THE TURKEY-ARMENIA PROTOCOLS: RUBEN SAFRASTYAN
21:17, 16 February, 2015
YEREVAN, 16 FEBRUARY, ARMENPRESS. The time had come for Armenia to
withdraw the Turkey-Armenia Protocols from the National Assembly of
the Republic of Armenia since Turkey, with its actions and denial,
proved that it's not ready for normalization of Armenian-Turkish
relations. This is what Director of the Oriental Studies Institute
of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia,
Turkologist Ruben Safrastyan said. "The time had come, and the Turkish
authorities' position on Armenian-Turkish relations and their denial
ahead of the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide played a huge role,"
Ruben Safrastyan said in an interview with "Armenpress", adding
that the withdrawal was very influential and that Armenia is on the
right track. Safrastyan stressed the fact that the international
community can't have different views because it had already set the
Turkey-Armenia Protocols aside, based on calculations.
On February 16, President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan
sent a letter to Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of
Armenia Galust Sahakyan informing him about his decision on withdrawing
the Armenia-Turkey Protocols from the National Assembly of the Republic
of Armenia. The letter particularly runs as follows:
"Dear Mr. Sahakyan,
We have clearly imagined all the possible options of the future
developments while beginning the process of regulation of the
Armenia-Turkey relations without preconditions. We were ready for
both the comprehensive regulation of the ties via ratification of the
protocols and the possibility of their failure, as we had nothing to
hid and it would become clear for the international community whose
fault it actually was that the last closed border of Europe was not
opened and the chance was missed.
It has been six years since the signing of the Armenia-Turkey
protocols. During this entire period Armenia has shown a consistent
standpoint in the issue of realization of the protocols.
Notwithstanding, one should mention the lack of political will of the
Turkish authorities, distortions of the protocols' letter and spirit,
and continuously putting forward preconditions. The policy of denialism
and editing history has simultaneously received a new impetus on the
threshold of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
I have stated for a number of times that time is not endless. I
reflected on this issue in September 2014 and at the UN General
Assembly. That's a pity that this call of Armenia fell on deaf ears
of Turkey's leadership.
Hence, I have made a decision on withdrawing the "Protocol on the
Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the Republic of Armenia
and the Republic of Turkey" and "Protocol on Development of Relations
between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Turkey" from the
National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia" signed in Zurich on
October 10, 2009."
http://armenpress.am/eng/news/794298/the-time-had-come-for-armenia-to-withdraw-the-turkey-armenia-protocols-ruben-safrastyan.html
21:17, 16 February, 2015
YEREVAN, 16 FEBRUARY, ARMENPRESS. The time had come for Armenia to
withdraw the Turkey-Armenia Protocols from the National Assembly of
the Republic of Armenia since Turkey, with its actions and denial,
proved that it's not ready for normalization of Armenian-Turkish
relations. This is what Director of the Oriental Studies Institute
of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia,
Turkologist Ruben Safrastyan said. "The time had come, and the Turkish
authorities' position on Armenian-Turkish relations and their denial
ahead of the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide played a huge role,"
Ruben Safrastyan said in an interview with "Armenpress", adding
that the withdrawal was very influential and that Armenia is on the
right track. Safrastyan stressed the fact that the international
community can't have different views because it had already set the
Turkey-Armenia Protocols aside, based on calculations.
On February 16, President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan
sent a letter to Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of
Armenia Galust Sahakyan informing him about his decision on withdrawing
the Armenia-Turkey Protocols from the National Assembly of the Republic
of Armenia. The letter particularly runs as follows:
"Dear Mr. Sahakyan,
We have clearly imagined all the possible options of the future
developments while beginning the process of regulation of the
Armenia-Turkey relations without preconditions. We were ready for
both the comprehensive regulation of the ties via ratification of the
protocols and the possibility of their failure, as we had nothing to
hid and it would become clear for the international community whose
fault it actually was that the last closed border of Europe was not
opened and the chance was missed.
It has been six years since the signing of the Armenia-Turkey
protocols. During this entire period Armenia has shown a consistent
standpoint in the issue of realization of the protocols.
Notwithstanding, one should mention the lack of political will of the
Turkish authorities, distortions of the protocols' letter and spirit,
and continuously putting forward preconditions. The policy of denialism
and editing history has simultaneously received a new impetus on the
threshold of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
I have stated for a number of times that time is not endless. I
reflected on this issue in September 2014 and at the UN General
Assembly. That's a pity that this call of Armenia fell on deaf ears
of Turkey's leadership.
Hence, I have made a decision on withdrawing the "Protocol on the
Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the Republic of Armenia
and the Republic of Turkey" and "Protocol on Development of Relations
between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Turkey" from the
National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia" signed in Zurich on
October 10, 2009."
http://armenpress.am/eng/news/794298/the-time-had-come-for-armenia-to-withdraw-the-turkey-armenia-protocols-ruben-safrastyan.html