Anadolu Agency, Turkey
Oct 21 2009

Turkey’s foreign minister briefs parliament on Armenian deal

Ankara, 21 October: Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on
Wednesday that ways to normalization process would be paved in case
Armenia fulfilled its obligations.

Briefing the Parliament on the protocols signed between Turkey and
Armenia, Davutoglu said the protocol in question included the
expression ‘respect to territorial integrity and territorial
immunity’.

"Kars and Moscow agreements arrange borders between Turkey and
Armenia. The protocol made references to those agreements," Davutoglu
said.

"Thus, it is also reaffirmed by Armenia that the claims that Turkey
and Armenia have border disputes and Armenia demands territories do
not have any legal validity. Both the Kars Agreement and Moscow
Agreement says Sevres Treaty was not accepted."

Davutoglu said the protocol texts included many provisions regarding
on which principles the relations would be carried out in case
relations were established between Turkey and Armenia.

Davutoglu said there were also provisions pertaining to establishment
of Joint History Commission.

Davutoglu further said that the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan
was as valuable as Turkey’s territorial integrity.

"There is not any other country than Turkey which exerted that much
effort on this issue," added Davutoglu who addressed Turkish
Parliament and gave information about the protocols signed by Turkey
and Armenia on October 10 to establish diplomatic ties and develop
bilateral relations.

Davutoglu said that one of the targets of the protocols was to
establish a general normalization basis in Caucasus.

He recalled that many paragraphs in the protocols were making a
reference to normalize bilateral relations and thus to advance peace,
security and stability in the region.

Noting that Turkey’s efforts for the territorial integrity of
Azerbaijan would continue without any disruption, Davutoglu said that
he, President Abdullah Gul and Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan always
told that the basic issue in this subject was Karabakh issue.

He added that Turkey would exert efforts to solve the conflict about
Karabakh regardless of international, regional and bilateral
conjuncture.