ARMENIA TO EMBARRASS TURKEY BY RATIFYING PROTOCOLS

ArmInfo
2010-02-18 16:42:00

ArmInfo. Today Armenia has only one way to influence the obvious crisis
in the process of normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations –
to ratify the Protocols and thereby embarrass Turkey, Director of
the Caucasus Institute, political expert Alexander Iskandaryan told
journalists, Thursday.

"The matter is that ratification of the Armenian-Turkish Protocols by
the Turkish Parliament is getting less and less probable. If they fail
to do this within the next few months, the process may be suspended
and everything will have to be done anew. Moreover, the USA sponsors
the process and is trying to exert pressure on Turkey to develop
the process. In addition, Russia and European Union also come out
for normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations, they simply have
different roles and tools",- he said. Thus, the USA influences Turkey
in strategic spheres, Europe influences, making advantage of Ankara’s
striving to become part of EU, and the Russian-Turkish cooperation
is restricted to the economic sphere.

On 12 January the Constitutional Court of Armenia acknowledged the
commitments fixed in the Armenian- Turkish Protocols as complying with
the Armenian Constitution. In its decision, the Court stated that the
commitments fixed in the Protocols are of mutual interstate nature and
cannot concern the third countries. The Court also pointed out that the
priority provision of the Protocols is opening of the Armenian-Turkish
border, and all the other commitments acquire a legal force only in
case of open borders. Afterwards, the Turkish Foreign Ministry made
a statement that the decision of the Constitutional Court of Armenia
contains preconditions and restrictive provisions which do not comply
with the Protocols signed in Zurich on 10 Oct 2009. To come into force,
both documents should be ratified by both countries parliaments.