Ankara demands legal guarantees from Yerevan

PanARMENIAN.Net -
Turkey anticipates legal guarantees from Yerevan over RA Constitutional Court’s decision on Armenia-Turkey Protocols. Ankara plans to launch juridical consultations with United States and Switzerland to enshrine in the documents a clause that RA CC decision will not influence the contents of the Protocols, Zaman reports.



As diplomatic sources told the newspaper, Turkey has already informed all countries involved in the current normalization process (including EU and OSCE Minsk Group) that it will make no step towards ratification of Protocols unless it receives written guarantees.



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 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.