Monday, 2 November 2009
Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian has stated that the improvement of Turkey-Armenia relations and the Nagorno-Karabakh issue are completely separate processes. Rejecting Turkish calls for concessions over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Nalbandian said that this would not be given in exchange for the recently signed rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia.
Speaking in an interview in Yerevan, the Armenian foreign minister stated that since the negotiations were over, both Yerevan and Ankara were obliged to open the border and move to establish diplomatic relations, as was agreed. “Why did we sign two protocols if we are not going to ratify and implement them?” Nalbandian asked. He continued, “I think the whole international community is waiting for quick ratification and implementation and respect for the agreements which are in the protocols…If one side will delay and create some obstacles in the way of ratification and implementation, I think it could bear all the responsibility for the negative consequences.”
The rapprochement protocols, signed October 10, caused trouble between Turkey and its ally Azerbaijan, which is embroiled in a conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh. According to those familiar with the situation, Turkey is hoping for at least some progress in the peace negotiations over the region. The international mediators involved in the conflict, the United States, Russia, and France, state that progress is being made between Yerevan and Baku, but the chance of an imminent solution is slim.
