NUMBER OF PROTOCOLS SUPPORTERS DWINDLING AS NORMALIZATION PROCESS DRAGS OUT: SARGSYAN
Tert.am
11:35 ~U 12.03.10
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has suggested that Turkey will not
normalize relations with Armenia without preconditions anytime soon
and again threatened to annul the universally welcomed agreements
signed by the two nations last October, reports Asbarez.com.
In an interview with the French daily Le Figaro published on Thursday,
Sargsyan also warned that Ankara’s reluctance to ratify them is
swelling the ranks of Armenians opposed to his conciliatory policy
on Turkey.
"Our desire to establish normal relations is great," he said.
"However, recent statements from Turkey make me think that they will
not ratify the protocols in the foreseeable future.
"We had warned that if we become convinced that the Turks are
using the normalization process for other purposes we will take
appropriate steps. In that case, we will withdraw our signature from
the protocols."
According to Sargsyan, the two governments agreed to put the
protocols into practice "within a reasonable time frame and without
preconditions" when they inked the deal in Zurich in October 2009.
"We have said that Armenia would ratify the protocols immediately after
their ratification by Turkey," he said. "And yet Turkey keeps putting
forward preconditions for their ratification, the most important of
them relating to Nagorno-Karabakh."
Sargsyan again avoided setting any deadlines for the Turkish
ratification. Officials from his administration implied earlier
that the Turkish leadership has until the end of March to endorse
the agreements or face their unilateral repeal by Armenia. However,
the latest indications are that Yerevan is ready to wait at least
until April 24.
Sargsyan told Le Figaro that his Turkish policy has caused "a great
deal of concern among Armenians around the world." "As a result of the
dragging out of the normalization process, the number of [Armenian]
supporters of the protocols is increasingly dwindling," he warned.
The Armenian leader also reaffirmed Yerevan’s strong support for the
passage of a US congressional resolution recognizing the Armenian
massacres as genocide.
"But the US Congress and State Department hardly make decisions based
on our views or wishes," he added.