TURKISH AND ARMENIAN RECONCILIATION EFFORTS HIT FRESH OBSTACLES

PanARMENIAN.Net
20.01.2010 13:16 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish and Armenian efforts to overcome a century of
hostility hit fresh obstacles this week, as Ankara protested against a
ruling by Armenia’s constitutional court on their bilateral agreement
to normalize relations, Financial Time reports.

Paragraph 5 of the Armenian Constitutional Court argumentation
affirms that the protocols "cannot be interpreted…in a way that
would contradict the provisions of the preamble to the Republic of
Armenian constitution and the requirements of Paragraph 11 of the
[1990] Declaration of Independence of Armenia." Paragraph 11 of the
Declaration reads that "the Republic of Armenia stands in support of
the task of achieving international recognition of the 1915 genocide
in Ottoman Turkey and Western Armenia."

The Protocols aimed at normalization of bilateral ties and opening of
the border between Armenia and Turkey were signed in Zurich by Armenian
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and his Turkish counterpart Ahmet
Davutoglu on October 10, 2009, after a series of diplomatic talks
held through Swiss mediation.

On January 12, 2010, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of
Armenia found the protocols conformable to the country’s Organic Law.

Commenting on the decision of the Armenian Constitutional Court, the
Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the decision contains
preconditions and restrictive provisions which impair the letter and
spirit of the Protocols.

"The decision undermines the very reason for negotiating these
Protocols as well as their fundamental objective. This approach
cannot be accepted on our part. Turkey, in line with its accustomed
allegiance to its international commitments, maintains its adherence
to the primary provisions of these Protocols.

We expect the same allegiance from the Armenian Government," the
Ministry said.