Turkey to voice concern in U.S. over Armenia
Turkey will send its senior diplomat to Washington to discuss the
current state of affairs in the process of normalizing its strained
relations with Armenia and express its concern over the recent
Armenian court ruling on the 2009 reconciliation agreement that
Ankara earlier labeled as unfair, CNN Turk TV channel reported.
Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu is scheduled to leave for the United States on Saturday to hold talks in the State Department, during which he is also expected to state Turkey’s concern over the planned discussion at a US congressional committee of a bill on the alleged 1915 genocide of Armenians.
Following discussions with US officials, the Turkish diplomat is expected to hold meetings with representatives of Russia and France, two other countries which facilitated the signing of the Turkish-Armenian protocols on October 10, 2009 in Zurich.
Earlier this month Sinirlioglu held talks with officials in Switzerland, which is brokering the process of reconciling Turkey and Armenia.
The protocols, signed by Turkey, Azerbaijan’s ally, and Armenia, with whom Azerbaijan faces a long-standing conflict over Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh, seek to establish diplomatic relations and reopen the two countries’ sealed borders. The move was an attempt to break the ice in normalizing Ankara-Yerevan relations, marred by decades of hostility due to Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territory and Yerevan’s claims on World War I-era mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. On January 12, Armenian Constitutional Court ruled that the protocols signed in Zurich were in line with the introductory part of the country’s Constitution and the declaration of independence. The declaration of independence, however, levels territorial claims against Turkey and calls the neighboring country’s eastern provinces "Western Armenia". Moreover, the declaration says achieving international recognition of the alleged genocide is a task facing the Armenian government. The Turkish government has criticized the ruling, saying it contained pre-conditions that run counter to the premise of the reconciliation accord.*
Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu is scheduled to leave for the United States on Saturday to hold talks in the State Department, during which he is also expected to state Turkey’s concern over the planned discussion at a US congressional committee of a bill on the alleged 1915 genocide of Armenians.
Following discussions with US officials, the Turkish diplomat is expected to hold meetings with representatives of Russia and France, two other countries which facilitated the signing of the Turkish-Armenian protocols on October 10, 2009 in Zurich.
Earlier this month Sinirlioglu held talks with officials in Switzerland, which is brokering the process of reconciling Turkey and Armenia.
The protocols, signed by Turkey, Azerbaijan’s ally, and Armenia, with whom Azerbaijan faces a long-standing conflict over Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh, seek to establish diplomatic relations and reopen the two countries’ sealed borders. The move was an attempt to break the ice in normalizing Ankara-Yerevan relations, marred by decades of hostility due to Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territory and Yerevan’s claims on World War I-era mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. On January 12, Armenian Constitutional Court ruled that the protocols signed in Zurich were in line with the introductory part of the country’s Constitution and the declaration of independence. The declaration of independence, however, levels territorial claims against Turkey and calls the neighboring country’s eastern provinces "Western Armenia". Moreover, the declaration says achieving international recognition of the alleged genocide is a task facing the Armenian government. The Turkish government has criticized the ruling, saying it contained pre-conditions that run counter to the premise of the reconciliation accord.*
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