No positive shifts in Armenian-Turkish relations due to Ankara’s destructive conduct – foreign ministry

YEREVAN, JANUARY 29, ARMENPRESS. No positive movement was seen in the Armenian-Turkish relations because of the destructive stance of Turkey, the Armenian foreign ministry said in a report on the 2017 activities.

“The international community continued support to the principled stance of settlement of the Armenian-Turkish relations without pre-conditions. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan said in his speech at the 72nd General Assembly of UN in September of 2017 that Armenia has never made the recognition of the Armenian Genocide a precondition for settling the bilateral relations with Turkey, and the government of Turkey is putting forward absurd preconditions for ratifying the Zurich protocols. In the same speech the President of Armenia stated that in conditions of absence of positive movements by Turkey in the process of ratifying the protocols, Armenia will declare these protocols null and void and will enter spring of 2018 without these protocols. The ministry of foreign affairs of Armenia made a statement regarding the Armenian-Turkish relations”, the report says.

The international recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide, as well as Armenia’s active involvement in the efforts of the international community in preventing genocides and crimes against humanities remained among the priorities of Armenian diplomacy in 2017.

“Events commemorating the 102nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide were held in numerous countries with the participation and organization of Armenian diplomatic representations. On April 25, the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic adopted a resolution condemning the Armenian Genocide. The number of US States to recognize the Armenian Genocide reached 48 in 2017, with Wyoming, Texas, Iowa, Indiana recognizing. Local self-governance bodies of several countries also recognized and condemned the Armenian Genocide in the reporting period”, the report said.