Late Monday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy's office issued a statement saying France encourages Turkey and Armenia to "redouble their efforts so they can quickly sign an accord... which will be an historic event and contribute to stability in the region," France 24 reported.

The Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Turkey have agreed to start their internal political consultations on the two protocols - the "Protocol on the establishment of diplomatic relations" and the "Protocol on the development of bilateral relations" - which have been initiated in the course of their efforts under Swiss mediation.

The two Protocols provide for a framework for the normalization of their bilateral relations within a reasonable timeframe. The political consultations will be completed within six weeks, following which the two Protocols will be signed and submitted to the respective Parliaments for the ratification on each side. Both sides will make their best efforts for the timely progression of the ratification in line with their constitutional and legal procedures.