YEREVAN—It has been four years since the signing of the Armenian-Turkish Protocols, yet the Turkish side continues to offer the “same old song”, says spokesman for the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Tigran Balayan, commenting on a recent statement from the Turkish Foreign Minister.
“This is nothing but a continuation of Turkey’s efforts to hide its failure to ratify and implement the protocols without any preconditions, something expected by the international community,” the spokesman said.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said Thursday that “Turkey is looking for creative ideas to develop relations with Armenia,” adding that Ankara is giving a lot of importance to the normalization of ties, the Hurriyet Daily News reports.
Coincidentally speaking in Switzerland, where both countries signed a landmark protocol four years ago to the day, Davutoğlu said Turkey would increase efforts on the issue in the coming months.
“We made serious efforts to put the protocol into effect four years ago. However, we were not able to implement it because of the decision of the Armenian Constitutional Court,” Davutoğlu said during a joint press conference in Bern with his Swiss counterpart, Didier Burkhalter.
He was referring to the Armenian supreme court’s decision to mandate that the protocol agreement not contradict Yerevan’s efforts to have the mass killings of Ottoman Armenians in 1915 recognized as genocide.
“Now we are looking to develop it and advance with creative ideas and new ways of thinking. We will increase our works in the coming period. When relations between Turkey and Armenia are normalized, most of the issues between Azerbaijan and Armenia will also be within the framework of a solution,” Davutoğlu said.
The 2009 protocol aimed to boost ties between Ankara and Yerevan with a series of measures, including the opening of the countries’ border, a move that Azerbaijan has repeatedly said must not happen until there is an agreement on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Davutoğlu said Turkey would increase efforts on the issue in the coming months ??? of course April 24 is not far from today.
Borders need to be closed, just expanded.
THE BEST THING THAT TURKEY CAN DO IS RECOGNISING ITS PAST MISTAKES AND GIVE BACK THE WESTERN ARMENIA TO ITS RIGHTUL OWNERS, RECOGNIZE THE GENOCIDE COMMITED BY THEIR FOREFATHERS. THEY ALMOST ANNIHILATE AN ENTIRE NATION MORE THAN MILLION AND HALF. WHERE IS JUSTIC?…… THIS ACCOUNT IS NOT CLOSED YET. WE KNOW YOU TURKS . NO MORE PROTOCOL B.S. THAT PEICE OF PAPER DOES NOT WORTH A PEENY.
By the time the Turks are ready to negotiate with Armenia, Armenia will already be in the process of negotiating with the Republic of Kurdistan the return of Western Armenia that will provide accecss to the Black Sea. As for Turkey, it will have to deal with the remaining minorities’ demands. By the way, ‘spring’ is not limited to the the Arab countries, Turkey needs re-birth too.
Obama enabling Neo-Ottoman Caliphate’s, little messenger!!
What ties is he referring to.Cultural,creative ideas,such as leaving it to historians to discuss and find a common denominator for Genocide.Or is he anxious to somehow bring up the protocols issue.
Latter,even if it is not as yet cancelled by the Armenian side,the Armenian public worldwide will not allow it to come to pass, without Genocide Recognition and restitution .No matter how long it take ,these issues are to be fairly and justly resolved and compensations made.NK*Artsakh independence is a fait a complit,Mr. Davutoglu knows it and will not insist upon that as a precondition.Fact is above he is placing priority upon ameliorating his country’s stance towards Armenia.or is it vice versa….
A Turkish FOX!
Wow, the Armenian Foreign Ministry is still trying to get Turkey to ratify the defeatist Armenia Turkey Protocols instead of discarding it in the trash? I guess “President” Serzh Sarkisian was hit in the head by the ball from his football diplomacy and he is still under concussion.
The protocols is a piece of dead paper. Thank God, the protocols are dead, the borders closed and turks out . We do not need turk marauders to loiter armenian towns and cities.