APA, Azerbaijan
April 17 2010

Assistant Secretary of State Philip J. Crowley: Turkish-Armenian
normalization process has stalled from last fall when the countries
signed the protocols on normalization

[ 17 Apr 2010 11:28 ]

Washington. Isabel Levine – APA. `The United States are supporting the
Minsk process regarding Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh’, Philip J.
Crowley, Assistant Secretary of State said at the Daily Press
Briefing, Washington, DC, on April 16.

According to APA’s Washington correspondent, speaking of Azerbaijan’s
concerns over the Turkey-Armenian normalization, the representative of
State Department said:

`We continue to work to see how we can ` I mean, there are things that
both countries have committed to do. There are difficult processes
working with their respective parliaments. We have the same experience
in this country where the Executive Branch can make a commitment that
has to work with Congress in terms of implementing that or getting
ratification of that. We know this is a difficult process. We know it
involves emotion on both sides, risk on both sides, and we will
continue to work constructively with Armenia and Turkey to try to see
this process through.

Answering to a question about Turkish-Armenian normalization process
developments, Mr. Crowley stated the following.

`The process has stalled from last fall when the countries signed the
protocols on normalization. We want to see Turkey and Armenia ratify
those protocols, normalize relations, open borders. That has
significant benefits for both countries. And we continue to work with
both to see if we can find the right formula, the right timing to see
ratification and the benefits that come with ratification.