TURKISH PM SLAMS SUSPENSION OF PROTOCOLS RATIFICATION BY ARMENIA

Interfax
May 18 2010
Russia

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticized Yerevan’s
decision to suspend the ratification of the protocols normalizing
relations between Turkey and Armenia, which were signed in Zurich on
October 10, 2009.

"The signed protocols have been left hanging in the air because of
Armenia. As you know, we in Turkey have already forwarded them to
parliament," Erdogan said at a news conference after a meeting with
Azeri President Ilham Aliyev in Baku on Monday.

"We have a very open position regarding the normalization process
protocols submitted to parliament. We have said that it is impossible
to expect the Grand National Assembly of Turkey to make a positive
decision on the issue until the Nagorno-Karabakh problem and the
Azeri-Armenian problem are resolved," the Turkish PM said.

"Our position on this matter is very open. We have already informed all
three states co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group of it. In this situation,
they [the OSCE Minsk Group chair countries] will be required to pay
greater attention to this issue and to explain its importance to
Armenia," he said.

Turkey and the states co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group have already
discussed the Madrid principles for the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process,
Erdogan said.

"But, to our regret, we have not seen any reaction from Armenia.

Four months have already passed since [the January 25 meeting of the
Russian, Azeri and Armenian presidents in] Sochi, but no positive
development has been observed in this process," he said.