PROTOCOLS MUST BE RATIFIED WITHOUT BEING TIED TO OTHER ISSUES: MIROSLAV LAJIK

Tert.am
17:09 â~@¢ 18.03.10

Slovakia supports Armenia-Turkey rapprochement, said Slovakia’s
Minister of Foreign Affairs Miroslav LajÄ~Mák, who is in Yerevan
for a two-day visit, upon the invitation of his Armenian counterpart,
Edward Nalbandian.

"We support the processes which led to the signing of the
Armenia-Turkey Protocols. Of course, we would like those Protocols
to be ratified in the Armenian and Turkish parliaments without being
linked to other issues and without any preconditions," said LajÄ~Mák.

Referring to Turkey’s EU accession, LajÄ~Mák said: "Turkey is a
candidate for EU membership which awards it some status. On the other
hand, Turkey should clearly fulfill all the conditions and obligations
it has assumed in order for that process to succeed. Whether there
will be progess in that issue depends on how Turkey will behave."

LajÄ~Mák also said that EU is keeping a close eye on the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement process and backs the OSCE Minsk
Group efforts and the process itself, based on the Madrid Principles.