NALBANDIAN-DAVUTOGLU PHONE CONVERSATION: ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY RESPONDS

Tert.am
11:39 ~U 21.01.10

Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Press and Information Department
issued a statement yesterday concerning the phone conversation which
took place between Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

In the release it states that the phone conversation took place
upon Nalbandian’s initiative. The Armenian minister expressed his
bewilderment at the January 18 response by Turkey’s foreign ministry on
the RA Constitutional Court’s decision. Nalbandian noted that finding
preconditions and contradictions with the Protocols’ main purpose
in the Court’s decision that the Armenian-Turkish Protocols do not
contradict Armenia’s Constitution is surprising, to say the least.

The Armenian foreign minister also expressed concern that he hasn’t
seen any progress in the Protocols ratification process in Turkey
since October 2009. Furthermore, said Nalbandian, Turkey’s continuing
and evident attempts to bring forward preconditions creates an
impression of searching for pretenses and places the entire process
of establishing Armenia-Turkey relations at risk.

The Armenian minister, praising the fact that Turkey, with its January
18 Ministry of Foreign Affairs announcement, re-affirmed the danger
of putting forth preconditions, proposed to his Turkish counterpart
to remain loyal to the spirit and essence of the Protocols and to
move forward swiftly.

Nalbandian added that the ratification process in Armenia is
progressing along the path that’s been set out and without unnecessary
delays, of which the RA Constitutional Court’s decision is proof –
having been made one month earlier than the established deadline.

The Armenian foreign minister confirmed that it’s necessary to pursue
the immediate ratification and implementation of the Protocols,
abstaining from a manner of proposing fictitious pretenses aimed at
the failure of the process.