Turkish FM reiterates conditions for rapprochement with ArmeniaFebruary 20, 2015 - 17:42 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkish Foreign Minister reiterated conditions Ankara set forth for normalization of ties with Armenia. As Mevlut Cavusoglu stated in an interview with Sabah, the Karabakh conflict settlement is essential to establish peace in the South Caucasus. "To normalize ties with Ankara, Yerevan must cede Karabakh territories," he said, accusing Armenia of taking no steps towards solving the Karabakh issue. President Serzh Sargsyan addressed a letter to the National Assembly speaker Galust Sahakyan on Feb 16 requesting to recall Armenian-Turkish protocols from the parliament's agenda, presidential press service reports. The presidential letter reads, "at the outset of the process of normalization of the Armenian-Turkish ties without preconditions, we were in full realization of all possible scenarios. We were similarly ready for comprehensive rapprochement through ratification of the protocols and their failure. We had nothing to conceal, as it would become clear to the international community which party was guilty of missing the chance to open the last closed border in Europe." As the president further noted, ever since the Protocols were signed, Armenia was consistent in its efforts to implement the document. In his letter, the Armenian leader also criticized the Turkish leadership over absence of political will, distortion of the essence of the protocols and attempts to lay down conditions, as well as intensified policy of denialism ahead of the Genocide centennial. “I repeatedly stated that we don’t have unlimited time for ratification of protocols. I regret that the message was left unheard by the Turkish leadership,” Sargsyan concluded. 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. Top stories Six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees. Friday night 8 trees were torched along the beautiful main entrance. The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. Freedom House concerned by mounting reports of police violence in Armenia Freedom House urged Armenian authorities to investigate this pattern of excessive force and inhumane treatment. CSTO recognizes Armenia’s sovereign right to withdraw Tasmagambetov has said that if Armenia decides to leave the organization, “it will be the sovereign right of Armenia.” |