The moment of normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations has come, and the Protocols of the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations provide a good opportunity, regardless of whether they would be ratified in the parliaments of two countries or not, Professor Catherine Kessedjian from the University of Pantheon-Assas, Paris told the third Forum on "Armenian-Turkish Protocols: reality and myth" held at George Washington University.

The forum was attended by both Armenian and Turkish, Azerbaijani, Russians, American students, diplomats. Catherine Kessedjian attached importance to the very fact of the Protocols. According to her, these documents clearly evidence that Armenia and Turkey pledge to adhere to international standards of peaceful solutions to the problems. "We, the Armenians and Turks should reach an agreement. That is why the protocols are so essential, " the professor said.

In regard to the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by Turkey, Catherine Kessedjian noted that there are at least psychological problems in Turkey to admit this fact. She recalled, the legal term "crime against humanity" was first used in respect to Armenian people. French professor expressed hope that in the coming years by the 100-year anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, certain processes to restore justice will start in international bodies.

The "The Armenian-Turkish Protocols: reality and myth" forum was organized by Policy Forum Armenia, American Society of International Law and the Faculty of Law at George Washington University. The first forum was held at George Washington University in November 2009, the second one was held on December 17 at Lincoln Center of Fordham University (New York). Policy Forum Armenia is an independent, nonprofit organization that aims to strengthen the discourse around the state policy of Armenia.

The protocols aimed at normalization of bilateral ties and opening of the common 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.

The Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Empire (1915-23) was the 21st century's first genocide characterized by the use of massacres, and deportations involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total one-and-a-half million number of Armenian deaths. The date of the onset of the genocide is conventionally held to be April 24, 1915, the day that Ottoman authorities arrested some 250 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in Constantinople. Thereafter, the Ottoman military uprooted Armenians from their homes and forced them to march for hundreds of miles, depriving them of food and water, to the desert of what is now Syria. To date, twenty countries have officially recognized the events of the period as genocide, and most genocide scholars and historians accept this view. The Armenian Genocide has been also recognized by influential authoritative media including The New York Times, BBC, The Washington Post, The Associated Press.