Turkish parliament not to pass papers on Armenia ties – speaker
Turkish Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Sahin has
pledged that the agreement on normalizing relations, earlier agreed
with Armenia, will not pass in the country`s parliament, which is
set to discuss the issue October 10-11.
Sahin said, during a meeting with President Ilham Aliyev in Baku on Saturday, that the Turkish Grand National Assembly would not approve the agreements until the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict has been settled.
Turkey and Armenia have been facing decades of hostility. Signs of a warming in bilateral relations were seen after Turkish President Abdullah Gul`s visit to Yerevan in September 2008. This past August, Ankara and Yerevan agreed to begin discussions on diplomatic ties and developing bilateral relations. The two governments announced they would complete domestic consultations over two possible agreements within six weeks, to be followed by their ratification at the Turkish and Armenian parliaments. The documents ultimately seek to open their shared border, which has been shut since 1993 due to Armenia`s policy of occupation of Azerbaijani territory and Armenian claims about the 1915 genocide.
The Turkish speaker told reporters Friday that the Azerbaijani people should be confident that Turkey will not take any steps contrary to the interests of Azerbaijan, its ally.
Sahin said ``normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia is a part of Turkey`s efforts towards achieving peace and stability in the South Caucasus.`` He said Turkey will never hurt ``our Azerbaijani brethren`` and regularly reports to the Azerbaijani government about the status of the negotiating process.
Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the agreements with Armenia, if approved, would be sent to his country`s parliament on October 10 or 11. Erdogan was quoted by the local Sabah (Tomorrow) newspaper as saying, during a Princeton University address in New York last week, that Turkish-Armenian relations have reached a crucial point. He added that these documents would be forwarded to the legislature ``if accusations are interrupted and not only steps aimed at domestic policy are taken.``
The timing for discussing the protocols has also been set in the Armenian parliament. According to Zarui Postanjian, an MP representing the Heritage faction, the hearings are scheduled for Thursday.
Postanjian said, further, that the party had suggested the government hold a referendum to determine whether or not the protocols should be approved and asked the Constitutional Court to organize a debate to legally assess the documents.
Sahin said, during a meeting with President Ilham Aliyev in Baku on Saturday, that the Turkish Grand National Assembly would not approve the agreements until the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict has been settled.
Turkey and Armenia have been facing decades of hostility. Signs of a warming in bilateral relations were seen after Turkish President Abdullah Gul`s visit to Yerevan in September 2008. This past August, Ankara and Yerevan agreed to begin discussions on diplomatic ties and developing bilateral relations. The two governments announced they would complete domestic consultations over two possible agreements within six weeks, to be followed by their ratification at the Turkish and Armenian parliaments. The documents ultimately seek to open their shared border, which has been shut since 1993 due to Armenia`s policy of occupation of Azerbaijani territory and Armenian claims about the 1915 genocide.
The Turkish speaker told reporters Friday that the Azerbaijani people should be confident that Turkey will not take any steps contrary to the interests of Azerbaijan, its ally.
Sahin said ``normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia is a part of Turkey`s efforts towards achieving peace and stability in the South Caucasus.`` He said Turkey will never hurt ``our Azerbaijani brethren`` and regularly reports to the Azerbaijani government about the status of the negotiating process.
Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the agreements with Armenia, if approved, would be sent to his country`s parliament on October 10 or 11. Erdogan was quoted by the local Sabah (Tomorrow) newspaper as saying, during a Princeton University address in New York last week, that Turkish-Armenian relations have reached a crucial point. He added that these documents would be forwarded to the legislature ``if accusations are interrupted and not only steps aimed at domestic policy are taken.``
The timing for discussing the protocols has also been set in the Armenian parliament. According to Zarui Postanjian, an MP representing the Heritage faction, the hearings are scheduled for Thursday.
Postanjian said, further, that the party had suggested the government hold a referendum to determine whether or not the protocols should be approved and asked the Constitutional Court to organize a debate to legally assess the documents.
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