BREAKING: Armenia's President withdraws ‪‎Armenian-‎Turkish protocols from Parliament

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 16, ARMENPRESS. The President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan has sent a letter to the Chairman of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Galust Sahakyan informing him about his decision on withdrawing the Armenia-Turkey protocols from the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia. The Mass Media and Public Relations Department of the Armenian President’s Office informed “Armenpress” that the letter particularly runs as follows:

“Dear Mr. Sahakyan,

We have clearly imagined all the possible options of the future developments while beginning the process of regulation of the Armenia-Turkey relations without preconditions. We were ready for both the comprehensive regulation of the ties via ratification of the protocols and the possibility of their failure, as we had nothing to hide and it would become clear for the international community whose fault it actually was that the last closed border of Europe was not opened and the chance was missed.

It has been six years since the signing of the Armenia-Turkey protocols. During this entire period Armenia has shown a consistent standpoint in the issue of realization of the protocols.

Notwithstanding, one should mention the lack of political will of the Turkish authorities, distortions of the protocols’ letter and spirit, and continuously putting forward preconditions. The policy of denialism and editing history has simultaneously received a new impetus on the threshold of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

I have stated for a number of times that time is not endless. I reflected on this issue in September 2014 and at the UN General Assembly. That’s a pity that this call of Armenia fell on deaf ears of Turkey’s leadership.

Hence, I have made a decision on withdrawing the “Protocol on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Turkey” and “Protocol on Development of Relations between of the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Turkey” from the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia.”

In 2008, at the initiative of the President of Armenian a new phase of Armenian-Turkish relations was started. As a result on October 10, 2009 in Zurich the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the two countries signed the “Protocol on the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Turkey” and “Protocol on development of relations between of the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Turkey”. However, after the Protocols were signed, Turkey abruptly changed its position and rejected to implement the agreements on the normalization of the relations within a reasonable timeframe and without any preconditions, linking the ratification of the Protocols in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

Taking into account the situation created by Turkey, as well as the call of the Political Council of the parties-members of the ruling coalition, on April 22, 2010 the President of the Republic of Armenia signed a decree on the suspension of the process of ratifications of the Protocols.