Turkey displeased with RA Declaration on Independence?

PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey believes that the RA Constitutional Court's Jan.12 verdict conflicts with the essence and spirit of the Protocols on normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey, Milliyet newspaper said.



Paragraph 5 of the Armenian Constitutional Court argumentation affirms that the protocols "cannot be interpreted...in a way that would contradict the provisions of the preamble to the Republic of Armenian constitution and the requirements of Paragraph 11 of the [1990] Declaration of Independence of Armenia." 



The 11th paragraph of the Declaration reads that "the Republic of Armenia stands in support of the task of achieving international recognition of the 1915 genocide in Ottoman Turkey and Western Armenia.



Commenting on the decision of the Armenian Constitutional Court, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the decision 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.



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.

The Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Armenia was adopted on August 23, 1990.

It says, "The Supreme Council of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic expressing the united will of the Armenian people;

aware of its historic responsibility for the destiny of the Armenian people engaged in the realization of the aspirations of all Armenians and the restoration of historical justice;

proceeding from the principles of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the generally recognized norms of international law;

exercising the right of nations to free self-determination; based on the December 1, 1989, joint decision of the Armenian SSR Supreme Council and the Artsakh National Council on the Reunification of the Armenian SSR and the Mountainous Region of Karabakh;

developing the democratic traditions of the independent Republic of Armenia established on May 28, 1918;

Declares the beginning of the process of establishing of independent statehood positioning the question of the creation of a democratic society based on the rule of law."