Yerevan was wrong in making the decision to freeze the process of normalizing ties with Turkey, ex-Turkish Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis said. Armenia hoped to increase pressure on Turkey, but inadvertently did the exact opposite, he said.
“Armenia contributed to reducing pressure on Turkey. In the case of the ratification of the protocols in the Armenian parliament, Turkey would be in a difficult position,” Turkish MP of the ruling Justice and Development Party told Trend over phone from Ankara.
On Thursday, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan signed a decree suspending the ratification of the Armenian-Turkish protocols on normalizing relations between Yerevan and Ankara.
Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers Ahmet Davutoglu and Edward Nalbandian signed the Ankara-Yerevan protocols in Zurich Oct. 10.
Diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey were broken due to Armenian claims of an alleged genocide and its occupation of Azerbaijani lands. Their border closed in 1993.
Sargsyan’s message to the public said Armenia has decided not to exit the normalization process, but rather only to suspend the ratification of the protocols.
The Turkish MP thinks Armenia’s decision to freeze the ratification process is due to pressure by the Armenian diaspora.
“By launching this process, Turkey intended to bring the conflict to an end. The protocols were signed for this purpose. But now, after Armenia’s decision, we do not have anything that can contribute to the continuation of these processes. Armenia failed to resist the diaspora’s games and pressure,” Yakis said.
He said Turkey is in a better position now, as it has avoided the pressure in accelerating processes of normalization.
“We should not continue this process until Armenia states its position publicly,” Yakis said.
Turkey’s position on the normalization of ties with Armenia remains unchanged, the Turkish MP said. The borders will not be reopened without significant advances in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, even if the item is not indicated in the potocols, he said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994.
The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the United States – are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the occupied territories.
Trend
