APA, Azerbaijan
March 6 2010

Deniz Baykal: The Turkish government must withdraw the protocol signed
with Armenia from the parliament

[ 06 Mar 2010 17:36 ]

Baku ` APA. Chairman of Republican People’s Party (CHP) of Turkey
Deniz Baykal demands the withdrawal of the protocols signed with
Armenia from the Turkish parliament, APA reports quoting Turkish
media.

Commenting on the passage of the so-called Armenian genocide
resolution by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs CHP chairman said
in response to that injustice the protocols must be withdrawn from the
agenda.

Deniz Baykal said by signing the protocol with Armenia the Turkish
authorities hoped that they would be able to soften the position of
the US concerning the so-called Armenian genocide.
`The hopes have not come true. The protocols are not effective in
terms of eliminating the `genocide discussions between Turkey and US,
establishing friendly relations between Turkey and Armenia, regulating
relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan,’ he said.

At the meeting of his party in Malatya Baykal mentioned that 20
percent of the Azerbaijani territories had been occupied by Armenia
and Turkey’s signing of the protocols with Armenia was not right.
`In 1993 after the occupation Turkey closed its borders with Armenia.
The borders remained closed for 16 years. In 2009 super powers said to
the Turkish government `Open the borders with Armenia’. As a result of
the pressures, Turkish government was obliged to sign the protocols
with Armenia in Switzerland. At that time we demanded the government
not to sign the protocols. They ignored us. But the recent
developments in the House Committee on Foreign Affairs have shown that
the US is not satisfied with the protocols envisaging opening of the
borders with Armenia on condition that the occupied Azerbaijani
territories are released. Now the Turkish government is thinking what
to do. The government must immediately withdraw the protocols from the
parliament,’ he said.