President Sargsyan withdraws Armenian-Turkish relationship normalization protocols from parliament

«Dear Mr. Sahakyan,» he addressed the speaker. «Embarking on improvement of Armenian-Turkish relations without any precondition, we imagined very well all possible scenarios of further processes. We were ready either to comprehensive settlement of the relations through ratification of the protocols or failure, since we have nothing to hide. It will become clear to the international community whose guilt is that Europe's last closed border didn't open and a chance was missed.» 

In his message, Sargsyan says that about six years have passed since Armenian-Turkish protocols were signed in Zurich, and Armenia was always steadfast in its determination to put these documents into reality. 

«However, Turkey authorities responded by absence of political will, by distorting the protocols' essence and spirit and constantly fomenting preconditions,» he said. «Along with that, the history denial and reduction policy is gaining momentum ahead of the marking of the centenary of the Armenian Genocide.» 

«I have repeatedly said that our time is not unlimited, I said it also in September from the UN General Assembly's platform, but unfortunately this call was not heard in Turkey. Therefore, I decided to withdraw from the National Assembly the "Protocol on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations" and "Protocol on the Development of Bilateral Relations" signed on October 10, 2009,» the president added. 

Turkey and Armenia have had no diplomatic ties since Armenia became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991. Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in a show of support for its ally, Azerbaijan, which had a dispute with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, the ethnic Armenian enclave of Azerbaijan. 

There are several sensitive issues complicating the establishment of normal relations between the two countries, particularly Ankara’s blatant support of Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution process and Turkey’s refusal to acknowledge the mass killings of Armenians the Ottoman Empire as genocide. 

The thaw in relations between the two countries began in 2008 at the Armenian president's initiative. In 2009 October 10 Armenia and Turkey signed "Protocol on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations" and "Protocol on the Development of Bilateral Relations" in Zurich which were to be ratified by the parliaments of both countries. 

However, on 22 April 2010, the President of Armenia signed a decree suspending the ratification of the protocols, stating that Turkey was not ready to continue the process. -0-