ARMENIA SAYS PROTOCOLS WILL FAIL IF NOT RATIFIED BY MARCH

Asbarez
Dec 18th, 2009

YEREVAN (Hurriyet)-Time is running out for Ankara to ratify agreements
signed in October to normalize relations between Armenia and Turkey,
an assistant to the Armenian President warned on Friday during a
press conference in Yerevan with visiting Turkish journalists, the
Turkish Hurriyet daily reported.

Vigen Sarkisian said Armenia will withdraw from the process if
progress does not occur by March. "In March, there will be a point of
no return. January is the best timeframe. After that, every morning
it will be more difficult to do this than the day before."

"The whole world has supported these protocols and they should be
approved at once," Nalbandian was quoted by Hurriyet as saying. He
expressed frustration that the deal has become embroiled with Turkish
demands for Armenia to capitulate to a pro-Azerbaijani settlement of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Armenia’s parliament has yet to ratify the protocols and, according
to Hurriyet, officials in Yerevan said Friday they would do so only
if the Turkish Parliament does so first.

During the course of the press conference, Nalbandian was asked whether
Armenia would make a symbolic step on the Karabakh front to appease
Turkey and move the ratification process forward. Nalbandian insisted
that the Karabakh issue is an absolute non-starter for Armenia, adding
that the Karabakh peace process and the Turkey-Armenia rapprochement
are two distinct and "parallel," issues that cannot be coupled.

"There can be no preconditions – in the protocols there are absolutely
no preconditions," Nalbandian said, adding that he was "saddened
that three journalists have now asked the same question about Armenia
taking a step on Nagorno-Karabakh."

He said the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents have met repeatedly
on the matter, and that is where any discussion of Nagorno-Karabakh
must remain.

He said it would be inappropriate for him to comment on the domestic
politics of Turkey behind Erdogan’s declarations but said if the
border-opening initiative dies, it will be the next generation of
Turks and Armenians who will have to resolve their differences.

"Turkey and Armenia have been divided for nearly 100 years," he said.

"Let’s not live this for another 100 years."