TURKEY DEMANDS LEGAL GUARANTEES FROM ARMENIA

News.am
12:41 / 01/27/2010

Turkey has decided to get legal guarantees from Armenia as it considers
some points in the RA Constitutional Court’s verdict unacceptable.

The Turkish Zaman reports that the Turkish Foreign Office has started
working at such guarantees with the United States and Switzerland,
which acts as mediator in the Armenia-Turkey reconciliation.

Despite Armenia’s statements that the Constitutional Court’s verdict
will not affect the process, Ankara wants to receive a legal document
from Yerevan. Turkey is preparing a document on the incompatibility
of the verdict with the Armenian-Turkish protocols.

Ankara wants the U.S. and Switzerland to join the process.

Talking to RA Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, Turkish Foreign
Minister Ahmet Davutoglu pointed out that Turkey will not ratify the
protocols without legal guarantees from Yerevan.

Ankara also plans to apply to the OSCE Minsk Group and European Union.

Turkey will try to show Armenia’s attempts to avoid ratifying the
protocols. The Constitutional Court’s verdict obliges the Armenian
authorities to continue the process of international recognition of the
Armenian Genocide, which point was incorporated in the Declaration of
Independence and met with Ankara’s sharp reaction. Turkish diplomats
believe this point runs counter to the letter and spirit of the
protocols and demand commitment to the text.

Diplomatic sources give assurances that the protocols contain a point
on a joint historical subcommittee to study the events that happened in
Turkey early in the 20th century. In this respect the RA Constitutional
Court’s verdict runs counter to the protocols as well, writes Zaman.