US WELCOMES RULING OF ARMENIA’S CONSTITUTIONAL COURT

Noyan Tapan
Jan 26, 2010

YEREVAN, JANUARY 26, NOYAN TAPAN. The Unites States welcomed the RA
Constitutional Court’s ruling that the Armenia-Turkey protocols do not
conflict with the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia. "We view
the court decision as a positive step forward in the ratification
process of the normalization protocols between Turkey and Armenia,"
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Philip Gordon told Radio Liberty.

According to him, "the court decision permits the protocols, as they
were negotiated and signed, to move forward towards parliamentary
ratification, and does not appear to limit or qualify them in any
way." P. Gordon expressed confidence that Turkey and Armenia "take
their commitment to the protocols seriously" and called for timely
ratification of the protocols by both countries.

It was mentioned that this repsonse of the U.S. State Department
followed a phone conversation between U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. The Anatolia
news agency reported that A. Davutoglu reiterated Turkish claims
that the RA Constitutional Court’s ruling contradicts the "essence
and substance of the protocols".