Armenian President talks Karabakh, Turkey, EU at PACE

Armenian President talks Karabakh, Turkey, EU at PACE

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia will take part in the upcoming Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius and is ready to sign the Association Agreement, President Serzh Sargsyan said.

During a Q&A session at PACE on Wednesday, Oct 2, President Sargsyan said Armenia always based on a complementary policy and “our colleagues agreed with us.”

As for the Customs Union, he said it’s senseless to talk of any kind of pressure. “Armenia didn’t deviate from its course. The Customs Union doesn’t include Russia only, it’s a union of several countries,” Armenia Today quoted him as saying.

When commenting on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, President Sargsyan said that the settlement should be based on three principles: the right of nations to self-determination, non-use of force and territorial integrity, as it’s mentioned in the so-called Madrid Principles proposed to the sides by the OSCE Minsk Group but later rejected by Azerbaijan.

In his speech, the Armenian President also dwelled on the process of reconciliation with Turkey, saying that Ankara is not ready for establishment of relations. “As you all know, Turkish leadership refused to ratify the protocols aimed at normalization of relations,” he said.

Photo: president.am
The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan

The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan broke out as result of the ethnic cleansing launched by the Azeri authorities in the final years of the Soviet Union. The Karabakh War was fought from 1991 (when the Nagorno Karabakh Republic was proclaimed) to 1994 (when a ceasefire was sealed by Armenia, NKR and Azerbaijan). Most of Nagorno Karabakh and a security zone consisting of 7 regions are now under control of NKR defense army. Armenia and Azerbaijan are holding peace talks mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group up till now.

The Armenian-Turkish Protocols

The Protocols aimed at normalization of bilateral ties and opening of the border between Armenia and Turkey were signed in Zurich by Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu on October 10, 2009, after a series of diplomatic talks held through Swiss mediation.

On January 12, 2010, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Armenia found the protocols conformable to the country’s Organic Law.

Commenting on the CC ruling, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that “it contains preconditions and restrictive provisions which impair the letter and spirit of the Protocols.” ”The decision undermines the very reason for negotiating these Protocols as well as their fundamental objective. This approach cannot be accepted on our part. Turkey, in line with its accustomed allegiance to its international commitments, maintains its adherence to the primary provisions of these Protocols. We expect the same allegiance from the Armenian government,” the Ministry said.

Eastern Partnership

The Eastern Partnership (EaP) is the first comprehensive initiative introduced into the system of the European Union’s external relations, addressed to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. The Eastern Partnership is designed to help the countries of Eastern Europe and South Caucasus with their approximation to and integration with the European Union. The EaP has injected a new quality into relations between the EU and the countries covered by the initiative through their gradual integration with the European Union.

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