Sargsyan-Erdogan meeting possible in May or June, Richard Giragosian says

April 21, 2010 - 12:32 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Washington meeting between Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan may be eyed as an attempt to rescue the normalization process, according to Richard Giragosian, Director of the Armenian Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS).

“The Washington meeting was the first but not the last step,” Mr. Giragosian told reporters in Yerevan on April 21. “It’s possible that another meeting will take place late May or early June.”

The Armenian-Turkish Protocols

The Protocols aimed at normalization of bilateral ties and opening of the border between Armenia and Turkey were signed in Zurich by Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu on October 10, 2009, after a series of diplomatic talks held through Swiss mediation.

On January 12, 2010, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Armenia found the protocols conformable to the country’s Organic Law.

Commenting on the CC ruling, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that “it contains preconditions and restrictive provisions which impair the letter and spirit of the Protocols.” ”The decision undermines the very reason for negotiating these Protocols as well as their fundamental objective. This approach cannot be accepted on our part. Turkey, in line with its accustomed allegiance to its international commitments, maintains its adherence to the primary provisions of these Protocols. We expect the same allegiance from the Armenian government,” the Ministry said.