PARLIAMENT TO DEBATE ARMENIA PROTOCOLS THIS WEEK

Turkey Today
October 19, 2009 Monday

The parliament will debate the protocols signed with Armenia
this week. On Oct 21, foreign minister Ahmet Davudoglu will brief
lawmakers on the accords and political parties will take the floor
to express their opinions. On Oct 10 in Zurich , Davudoglu and his
Armenian counterpart, Eduard Nalbandian, signed historic agreements
to establish diplomatic ties, development of bilateral relations
and reopen borders. The opposition parties CHP and MHP are against
the normalisation of the relations unless Armenia withdraws from the
disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Meanwhile, the rapprochement between
Turkey and Armenia apparently restrains relations with Azerbaijan .

Local media reports that Turkish flags were removed from a monument
in Baku while Azeri President Ilham Alivey ordered that the price of
the natural gas sold to Turkey should be reconsidered. The Turkish
authorities did not allow the Azeri flags during an official football
game between the national teams of Turkey and Armenia and the Azeri
government protested against the ban. Local daily Milliyet also reports
that Aliyev told cabinet ministers that Azerbaijan could not reach
an agreement with Turkey on the transport of natural gas to Europe
via Turkey thus an alternative route should be considered.