ARMENIAN-TURKISH PROTOCOLS NOT TO BE RATIFIED BY TURKISH PARLIAMENT

news.az
Feb 22 2010
Azerbaijan

Turkish parliament If Armenia has any claims regarding the signed
protocols, it should have declared about it earlier during the
discussions.

After the changes introduced by the government and the Constitutional
Court of Armenia, the Armenian-Turkish protocols will not be ratified
by the Turkish parliament, said Yashar Yakish, chairman of the CE
Compliance Commission and former foreign minister of Turkey.

"If Armenia hopes that Ankara will adopt changes made by the
Constitutional Court to the protocols signed with Turkey, it is
mistaken. Ankara will never adopt them", Yashar Yakish said.

The international practice has no rule that after signing any
international document it can be introduced some changes from the
side of the internal legislative body, Yakish said.

The Turkish government has signed protocols not with the Constitutional
Court but with the Armenian government and the decision taken by the
said body is an internal affair of Yerevan that has no attitude to
Turkey, he added.

He said if Armenia has any claims regarding the signed protocols,
it should have declared about it earlier during the discussions.

Even if the Turkish prime minister puts the issue of ratification
of these protocols for discussion in the parliament, the Turkish
deputies will not confirm them unless there is a positive achievement
in the Karabakh issue. "If the deputies of the Turkish parliament have
declared that they will not ratify the Armenian-Turkish protocols
unless the Karabakh issue is settled and their decision cannot be
changed by the prime minister, the foreign minister or the president
of the country", Yakish said.

As for the efforts taken by the United States and Russia that are
co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group, Yakish said Washington is currently
more interested in the resolution of the Karabakh conflict as the
delay in this issue may have a negative influence on the relations
with such US ally as Turkey.