Trend, Azerbaijan
Dec 26 2009

Most probable date of protocols ratified by Turkey is February-April
2010: Armenian expert Alexander Iskandaryan
26.12.2009 09:01
Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 25 / Trend News E. Tariverdiyeva /

The process of normalization the relations between Turkey and Armenia
has already been launched. There are prospects for ratification of the
protocols in 2010, the Armenian Caucasus Institute director Alexander
Iskandaryan said.

"The prospect of ratification is not full. But it is real. The
protocols are likely to be ratified by the Turkish parliament,
Iskandaryan told Trend News.

The most probable date of ratification of protocols by Turkey, if this
happens, is the second half of February – April 2010, he said.

The Armenian parliament will discuss and finally clarify its position
on the Armenian-Turkish protocols only after the Turkish parliament
will make a decision on these documents, the Speaker of the Armenian
Parliament, Republican Hovik Abrahamyan said at a press conference on
Dec. 24.

If the Turkish Parliament ratifies the documents without preconditions
in a reasonable time, we will do the same, otherwise, in this case we
will act the same," the speaker of the Armenian legislative body said.
He stressed that Armenia is interested in ratifying the protocols by
the Turkish Parliament.

If the protocols are ratified by the Turkish legislative body, the
Armenian parliament will not have the problems with the approval of
the documents, Iskandaryan said.

"Configuration of the coalition parties and the opposition in the
parliament allows me to think so," he added.

The Turkish parliament can ratify the protocols or not. But it is
impossible to change them legally, the expert said.

Of course, the Nagorno-Karabakh problem has a direct impact on the
situation in the region. It affects Georgia, and oil and energy
projects. This question was raised in the statements of Turkish
officials, Iskandaryan said.

"I think their statements differ as opposed to the audience for which
they are planned," he said.

Time will tell about the results, Iskandaryan said.

Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers signed the Ankara-Yerevan
protocols in Zurich Oct. 10. Diplomatic relations between Armenia and
Turkey were broken in 1993.