THE AGREEMENT WILL BE SIGNED ON OCT. 10, TURKISH PM SAYS
armradio.am
07.10.2009 11:21
"The agreement will be signed on Oct. 10," Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan told The Wall Street Journal – provided, he said,
that Armenia doesn’t ask for changes to the text.
An earlier attempt to sign the protocol in April stalled when
Mr. Erdogan said it could go forward only after the Karabakh conflict
was resolved.
The parliaments of Armenia and Turkey need to ratify the protocol for
it to take force, something Mr. Erdogan said he couldn’t guarantee, as
parliamentarians in Ankara would have a free vote in a secret ballot.
Mr. Erdogan also said the two processes – a resolution of the
Karabakh conflict and rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia –
remain linked, and that a positive outcome at this week’s talks,
to be held in Moldova, would help overall.
The Turkish leader said the only obstacle to signing the deal Saturday
would come if Armenia seeks to alter the text.
"This is perhaps the most important point – that Armenia should not
allow its policies to be taken hostage by the Armenian Diaspora,"
Mr. Erdogan said in an exclusive interview with the Wall Street
Journal.