Hurriyet, Turkey
Jan 15 2010

Protocol debate linked to Armenia, Azerbaijan ties

Friday, January 15, 2010
ANKARA – Anatolia News Agency
Relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan should be developed before a
debate is launched in a Turkish parliamentary committee regarding the
historic diplomatic protocols between Ankara and Yerevan, the head of
the committee has said.

`We are all eager to bring the protocols to the committee and the
Parliament floor, and we do want to see a normalization in relations,
but at this time it would be in vain to debate the issue that is
highly likely to be revoked by the committee," Murat Mercan, chairman
of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Turkish Parliament, told
reporters Friday.

Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic relations and their border has
been closed since 1993, after Armenia’s invasion of 20 percent of
Azerbaijani territory. And also by Armenia’s putting pressure on the
international community, with the backing of its diaspora, to gain
recognition of its `genocide’ claims instead of accepting Turkey’s
call to investigate the allegations.

"The Turkish people are very sensitive about the rapprochement between
Azerbaijan and Armenia as well as Azerbaijan’s rights. Efforts to
settle problems between [Baku and Yerevan] would help Turkey ratify
the protocols," Mercan said.