Trend, Azerbaijan
April 23 2010

Turkish ruling party member: Yerevan’s decision puts Ankara in
beneficial position

Azerbaijan, Baku, April 23 / Trend U. Sadikhova /

Yerevan was wrong in making the decision to freeze the process of
normalizing ties with Turkey, ex-Turkish Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis
said. Armenia hoped to increase pressure on Turkey, but inadvertently
did the exact opposite, he said.

"Armenia contributed to reducing pressure on Turkey. In the case of
the ratification of the protocols in the Armenian parliament, Turkey
would be in a difficult position," Turkish MP of the ruling Justice
and Development Party told Trend over phone from Ankara.

On Thursday, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan signed a decree
suspending the ratification of the Armenian-Turkish protocols on
normalizing relations between Yerevan and Ankara.

Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers Ahmet Davutoglu and Edward
Nalbandian signed the Ankara-Yerevan protocols in Zurich Oct. 10.

Diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey were broken due to
Armenian claims of an alleged genocide and its occupation of
Azerbaijani lands. Their border closed in 1993.

Sargsyan’s message to the public said Armenia has decided not to exit
the normalization process, but rather only to suspend the ratification
of the protocols.

The Turkish MP thinks Armenia’s decision to freeze the ratification
process is due to pressure by the Armenian diaspora.

"By launching this process, Turkey intended to bring the conflict to
an end. The protocols were signed for this purpose. But now, after
Armenia’s decision, we do not have anything that can contribute to the
continuation of these processes. Armenia failed to resist the
diaspora’s games and pressure," Yakis said.

He said Turkey is in a better position now, as it has avoided the
pressure in accelerating processes of normalization.

"We should not continue this process until Armenia states its position
publicly," Yakis said.

Turkey’s position on the normalization of ties with Armenia remains
unchanged, the Turkish MP said. The borders will not be reopened
without significant advances in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, even if
the item is not indicated in the potocols, he said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994.

The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the United
States – are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the
occupied territories.