SERZH SARGSYAN: ARMENIA WILL RATIFY PROTOCOLS AS SOON AS TURKEY DOES

news.am
Feb 10 2010
Armenia

Armenia did not hurry to launch the Armenia-Turkey reconciliation
process and id ready to continue it, "and if the clock of history
could be turned back, I would have initiated the process again,"
RA President Serzh Sargsyan stated at his meeting with journalists
at the Royal Institute of International Affairs "Chatham House"
in London, on February 10, NEWS.am correspondent reported.

"We should ask Turkey if it is ready to continue the process. I am
surprised why Turkey has focused its attention on the verdict of the
Armenian Constitutional Court. It does not contain any preconditions,
only Turkey sees them," the Armenian leader said.

Serzh Sargsyan pointed out that the Armenian Parliament will ratify
the Armenian-Turkish protocols as soon as Turkey does it. "Otherwise,
we can find ourselves in a situation when we ratify, but they do not.

The unpredictability of the Turkish Parliament’s decision is a subject
of continuous talks in Turkey," the Armenian leader stated.

Responding to a remark made by a representative of the Turkish Embassy
in Great Britain that the RA Constitutional Court’s verdict still
contains preconditions that are an obstacle to the process, President
Serzh Sargsyan said: "There are not preconditions. If Turkey thinks
we will give up the Armenian Genocide problem or agree to unacceptable
concessions on Nagorno-Karabakh – we did not promise that."

It is noteworthy that, while introducing the Armenian President at
the Chatham House, the NATO former Secretary General George Robertson
stated that the Armenian leader boosted hopes for peace and stability
in the Caucasus by his football diplomacy. He stressed he is looking
forward to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s participation in the
reopening ceremony of the Armenian-Turkish border, which was promised
by the Armenian President. On behalf of everybody, Robertson voiced
hope for Armenian-Turkish reconciliation.

RA President Serzh Sargsyan arrived for a working visit to Great
Britain on February 9. Speaking at the Royal Institute of International
Affairs "Chatham House" in London, the Armenian leader gave a detailed
account of the Armenia-Turkish reconciliation process.

He pointed out that the RA Constitutional Court’s verdict is presently
at his disposal, and all the relevant documents are ready to be
submitted to Parliament. He stated that, after his meeting at the
Chatham House, he would order the RA presidential staff to send the
documents to the Armenian Parliament for ratification.