Yerevan warns against Ankara’s ‘delaying’ approval of reconciliation deal
Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian has warned that
Yerevan would retaliate if Turkey "delays" parliamentary approval
of the recent agreement on establishing bilateral relations.
"If Turkey delays the process of ratifying the protocols, Armenia will deliver an immediate response, as required by international law," he claimed. "At the same time, I repeat that we will work to advance the initiative that has been put forward. I have already asked Armenia’s Constitutional Court to determine to what extent the Armenian-Turkish protocols comply with our Constitution."
Armenia and Turkey have been at odds for decades, and the border between the two countries has been closed, since 1993, due to Armenia’s policy of occupying Azerbaijani territory and continuing Armenian claims of World War I-era genocide in Ottoman Turkey. In a bid to end hostility, the two governments signed protocols in Zurich on October 10 to establish diplomatic relations and reopen their borders. However, the documents require parliamentary ratification, and Ankara has made clear that it could normalize ties with Yerevan only after the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict has been fairly settled.
In a speech before the ruling Republic Party, Sarkisian also reiterated Yerevan’s claims on the alleged genocide.
"I want the whole world to know that signing protocols and forging ties with Turkey does not mean that Armenia has forgotten the genocide or is backing down on the issue. On the contrary, I am confident that a rapprochement with Turkish society and establishing relations will expedite the process of recognizing the genocide by Turkey and the whole world," the Armenian leader alleged.
Sarkisian added that, despite valid concerns over developing his country’s ties with Ankara, Armenia "should not be afraid and back down from forging ties." *
"If Turkey delays the process of ratifying the protocols, Armenia will deliver an immediate response, as required by international law," he claimed. "At the same time, I repeat that we will work to advance the initiative that has been put forward. I have already asked Armenia’s Constitutional Court to determine to what extent the Armenian-Turkish protocols comply with our Constitution."
Armenia and Turkey have been at odds for decades, and the border between the two countries has been closed, since 1993, due to Armenia’s policy of occupying Azerbaijani territory and continuing Armenian claims of World War I-era genocide in Ottoman Turkey. In a bid to end hostility, the two governments signed protocols in Zurich on October 10 to establish diplomatic relations and reopen their borders. However, the documents require parliamentary ratification, and Ankara has made clear that it could normalize ties with Yerevan only after the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict has been fairly settled.
In a speech before the ruling Republic Party, Sarkisian also reiterated Yerevan’s claims on the alleged genocide.
"I want the whole world to know that signing protocols and forging ties with Turkey does not mean that Armenia has forgotten the genocide or is backing down on the issue. On the contrary, I am confident that a rapprochement with Turkish society and establishing relations will expedite the process of recognizing the genocide by Turkey and the whole world," the Armenian leader alleged.
Sarkisian added that, despite valid concerns over developing his country’s ties with Ankara, Armenia "should not be afraid and back down from forging ties." *
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