Nalbandyan: turkey blocked ratification of Armenian-Turkish protocols

YEREVAN, May 12. /ARKA/. Turkey blocked ratification process of Armenian-Turkish protocols in its Parliament, said Edward Nalbandyan, Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs in his speech during the 120th session of Committee of Ministers in Strasbourg.

Process of normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations started in autumn 2008 by the initiative of Serzh Sargsyan, President of Armenia. Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and Turkey Edward Nalbandyan and Ahmed Davutoghlu signed “Protocol on establishment of diplomatic relations” and “Protocol on development of mutual relations” on October 10, Saturday, in Zurich. Then these documents should be approved by the parliaments of both countries. But on April 22, 2010 Sargsyan signed a decree on the termination of ratification process of Armenian-Turkish protocols saying that Turkey is not ready to continue the started process.

After signing the protocols Turkey went back to pre-conditions which it used before signing the protocols and in fact blocked their ratification in the Turkish parliament. This is the reason why the President of Armenia decided to terminate ratification process till Ankara will be ready to continue the process without pre-conditions and this step was positively accepted by the world.

He reminded that normalization process started by the initiative of the Armenian President.

“Despite many difficulties we started the process by the support of Switzerland and signed the protocols without any pre-conditions. Intermediary countries and worldwide society share our position”, said Nalbandyan. —0--