YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 17, ARMENPRESS.  Expert of Turkish studies Anush Hovhannisyan finds Armenian-Turkish reconciliation unrealistic. “Anyway, I believe the dialogue between the leading intellectuals of both countries is of key importance, since otherwise the gap between the relations will go deeper”, Hovhannisyan told “Armenpress”.

As a result of the current geopolitical developments the Turkish society has other problems to solve, therefore, the expert does not think that talks may resume in the near future. “The first attempt that took place in 2008 was a failure, but there is no need for disappointment, but vice the versa, further attempts should be made to break the wall”, Anush Hovhannisyan said.

In 2008, at the initiative of the President of Armenia a new stage of Armenian-Turkish relations launched as a result of which 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 conflict.

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 Armenia signed a decree on the suspension of the process of ratification of the Protocols.

President Serzh Sargsyan on February 16, 2015 sent a letter to Parliament Speaker Galust Sahakyan informing about his decision on retracting the Armenia-Turkey protocols from the Parliament of Armenia.