RESERVATION SET BY ARMENIAN CONSTITUTIONAL COURT ARE DUE TO SICK PUBLIC CONSCIOUSNESS IN ARMENIA

Today
Jan 22 2010
Azerbaijan

Day.Az interview with Azerbaijani political expert Zardusht Alizade.

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry is discontent with reservations the Armenian
Constitutional Court has made to the Turkey-Armenia protocols. What
is the reason behind the Armenian Constitutional Court’s move?

Armenia’s Constitutional Court has no right to make changes to the
protocols signed by the country’s Foreign Ministry. It can express
its opinions which may be considered by the Armenian parliament while
ratifying the protocols. The parliament may also propose changes
taking into account the CC opinion. But in this case, the Armenian
foreign minister will have to negotiate a new text of the protocol
with his Turkish counterpart. With regard to Turkey’s consent to this,
I think that it would be against it.

The Constitutional Court can only express its opinion and the Foreign
Ministry will decide whether to take into account the CC views or not.

In your opinion, how it will impact further dialogue between Turkey
and Armenia?

I think it will pose some extra difficulties in work of the Armenian
Foreign Ministry, especially because Turkey’s Foreign Ministry has
already expressed its negative opinion about attempts to convert the
text of the protocols signed.

May ratification of the Turkey-Armenia protocols fail at this stage?

In fact, it is possible. But I think both Armenian and Turkish
governments want to see progress in normalization of relations which
will help to overcome difficulties sooner or later.

The reservations set by the Armenian Constitutional Court are due
mainly to features of the Armenian national thinking and sick public
consciousness in Armenia.

The Turkish leadership links opening borders with a possible progress
in the settlement of the Karabakh conflict …

This is Turkey’s position which is not reflected in the text of
the protocols. This is Turkey’s desire. The Armenian government has
clearly stated that it sees no links between the Armenian-Turkish
normalization and resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The
U.S. and Russia also support this position.

I think now it is up to the Azerbaijani authorities to prove that
such a link exists.

Given the current situation of the dialogue between Ankara and Yerevan,
can today’s trend impact the Karabakh negotiations? Is it appropriate
to says that the Armenian Constitutional Court decision will impact
settlement of the Karabakh conflict?

In principle, I think that the Armenian CC said nothing new on the
Nagorno-Karabakh issue. I think that the situation has not changed.

The parties are still committed to their original positions.

This will have no impact on Karabakh talks and once again shows that
Armenia’s position is unchanged.

Maybe, Armenia tries to protract ratification of the protocols?

I think that it does not. Armenia simply takes into account the
domestic situation and tries to make ratification of the protocols
possible in the national parliament.

N. Abdullayeva

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