DAVID HARUTYUNYAN SAYS ARMENIA HAS NO ISSUE OF HASTING IN THE PROCESS OF RATIFICATION OF THE ARMENIAN-TURKISH PROTOCOLS

91462/lang/en
2010-02-23

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 23, ARMENPRESS: Armenia has no issue of hasting
in the process of ratification of the Armenian-Turkish protocols in
the NA, chairman of the parliament’s state-legal affairs standing
committee, member of the Armenian Republican Party David Harutyunyan
said today at the meeting with reporters, adding that any such step
must be agreed with the relevant political grounding.

"I do not see any grounding why we must implement active step in that
direction. We have already undertaken quite active steps. The coalition
parties have expressed their political position. It is enough for us
to see the intentions of the other party of the protocols in respect
of bringing them into life," he said.

In response to the question about ratification of protocols with
restrictions, the chairman of the committee said that restriction means
stepping back from the text. According to him, the way of restrictions
will not be right, and, moreover, "it will be more frank to refuse
to ratify than make bilateral restrictions in the agreements".

D. Harutyunyan said he does not see any restrictions in the ruling
of the Armenian Constitutional Court as the latter gave comments on
the texts of protocols so that "no one will try to divert".

"The CC has not distorted the protocols on the Armenian-Turkish
relations," he pointed out saying that in case of the ratification
of the protocols by the NA the ruling of the CC will serve as a basis.

In response to the question which is the reasonable timeframe for
ratification of the documents in the parliament, D. Harutyunyan
said that the question does not have an unequivocal response. He did
not want to predict the time especially in case that Turkey is not
displaying activeness.