Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary makes rounds in Armenia and Azerbaijan

April 8, 2010 - 17:53 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - As Turkish and Armenian leaders prepare to meet with U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington, Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu is making the rounds in Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent Sinirlioglu as a special envoy to Baku on Friday to convey a letter to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. The Turkish diplomat previously held high-level talks in Yerevan on Wednesday.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu confirmed that Turkey would continue its efforts to secure peace and stability for the Southern Caucasus in the light of the normalization protocols signed between Turkey and Armenia in October.

“We need to overcome the existing difficulties together in accordance with this vision,” Davutoğlu said Friday during a press conference with Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas, Hurriyet reported.

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.