FOREIGN MINISTER OF ARMENIA: WE WILL NOT NEGOTIATE JUST TO NEGOTIATE
ArmInfo
2010-04-27 11:58:00
ArmInfo. The Armenian Foreign Ministry informed Turkey of freezing of
the ratification procedure of the Armenian-Turkish Protocols by the
Parliament, Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said in an interview
with Real Politics program on the Armenian Public Television on
Monday. The minister mentioned that this procedure is accepted in
international practice and relevant written notification was sent
to the Turkish party on the day following Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan’s decree to suspend the ratification procedure.
The minister said that the Armenian party has no intention to negotiate
just to negotiate. "Armenia has launched the process, signed the
Protocols and now we are expecting their ratification," Edward
Nalbandian said. He said he sees no necessity for new negotiations
with Turkey, though the Turkish party had already made such efforts
before. Generally, the minister criticized Ankara’s manner of
negotiating i.e. agreeing and rejecting the achieved arrangements
ever and again. The minister believes that such behavior cannot be
unacceptable to Armenia and generally.
Nevertheless, the minister said, the Armenian party has expressed
readiness to move forward if there are colleagues in Turkey ready
to continue the process without any conditions, normalize relations
and implement the achieved agreements. "Whether it will be new or
old colleagues remains for Turkey to decide," the minister said. He
compared the recent period of time with a sandglass when both Armenia
and the world community were losing hope and confidence in Turkey
with every grain of sand. "If Turkey gives faithworthy words and
makes responsible actions, we will make relevant steps in response,"
Nalbandian said. Whereas possible conditions allegedly included in the
Armenian-Turkish non-ratified protocols, the minister said that only
some oppositionists in Armenia see such conditions. Even the Turkish
opposition is discontented with the protocols saying that they contain
no conditions to the Armenian party. Asked if the Armenian-Turkish
process faced a deadlock, Edward Nalbandian said: "The process was in
a deadlock, but it got out of it thanks to the initiative of Armenian
President Serzh Sargsyan." "We have passed certain way to normalize
the relations without any strings attached. Both Armenia and the world
community believe that this is the only right way. And the right ways
will never lead to a deadlock," E. Nalbandian said.