Responses on Recalling the Armenian-Turkish Protocols from RA NA

• 02.17.2015, 14:47
•  Region,  World,  Armenia

On February 16, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan addressed a letter to Armenian Parliament Speaker Galust Sahakyan notifying about his decision to recall the Armenian-Turkish protocols from the parliament. "I have said on many occasions that time is not inexhaustible. I last did it from the podium of the UN General Assembly in September 2014. It’s a pity that this call failed to reach the Turkish leadership", - said president in his letter to Galust Sahakyan.

President Serzh Sargsyan’s decision to withdraw protocols from parliament has been evaluated as a positive step by the majority of Armenians. In Turkey the situation was just the opposite. In Turkish mass media Armenian President’s decision was considered as "a step backward from normalization" of relations. Even some official sources of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs qualified this decision as a "wrong and failed step". But in general Turkish mass media just recorded the fact, without any comments.

Besides reactions from Turkey, there were also some responses from international society. The Deputy Chairman of the International Committee of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation Vladimir Dzhabarov, for example, noted that the decision of President Sargsyan will not deteriorate the relations between the two states and that by this action official Yerevan expects steps from Ankara for the settlement of diplomatic relations: "The President of Armenia calls Turkey to step up," – Dzhabarov said.

In 2008, with the initiative of the President of Armenia a new phase of Armenian-Turkish relations was started. The result of a new stage were the protocols to normalize ties between Turkey and Armenia signed in Zurich on October 10, 2009 with the aim of establishing diplomatic relations and opening the border between the two states. However, after signing protocols, Turkey rejected to implement the agreements within a reasonable timeframe and without any preconditions.