Tigran Sargsyan: Turks were originally responsible for closing the borderDecember 19, 2009 - 16:55 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - "We very much hope the Turkish Parliament will not take a step that would mean a miscarriage of the agreements. If this happens, our parliament would [essentially declare] the protocols to be null and void. We would be back to square one," Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan told the Turkish daily Hu"rriyet in an interview.Touching upon Turkish side's statements on the impossibility of progress without settlement of Karabakh conflict, Armenian premier reiterated Armenia's position on the process being free of preconditions. "Our position has not changed. Judging from Prime Minister [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan's statements, it seems that the Turkish position has shifted, which means that the Turkish Parliament may propose certain preconditions. If Turkey comes up with preconditions, Armenia would be free to do so as well itself," Sargsyan said, emphasizing that the Turks were originally responsible for closing the border. "We are not playing games with Turkey; we are committed to an open and transparent foreign policy and do not make different statements to others. We do not see an alternative to this process," Armenian premier said, adding that if Turkey comes up with preconditions, Armenia will be free to do so as well. . With regard to the ratification of RA-Turkish Protocols, Head of Armenian Government said, "We are closely following this process. If we observe that the Turkish Parliament is not stalling the process, we will make our own conclusions." Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Power of One Dram sums up two-year program with Teach for Armenia Idram Junior also joined the companies during the visit, bringing with it a fascinating intellectual game for children Yerevan Mayor to travel to Paris on May 15-19 The official delegation headed by Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan will travel to Paris from May 15 to 19. Armenia, India hold first defense consultations The meeting was attended by Indian Ambassador Nilakshi Saha Sinha and Defense Attaché Brigadier General Naveen Nijhawan. Civil disobedience campaigns continue in Yerevan People demanding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation again blocked streets in Yerevan on May 15. |