Should Armenia-Turkey rapprochement process fail, recommencing it will be possible in 5-6 years only, according to expert Artak Shakaryan.

As he told a news conference in Yerevan, failure of the process will deteriorate bilateral relations, making the situation even worse that it was before the signing of Protocols.

Ankara will undertake further steps to drag out the dialogue, being more interested in the process than in the result. “Ankara seeks to keep the Armenia-Turkey process half alive. Still, ratifying at least one of the protocols would be a smart move. Turkey could do so if only to demonstrate its intention to continue the process,” he said, adding that, obviously, Turkey participates in rapprochement process while under pressure.

“The outcome of the process mostly depends on the oncoming visit of Armenian President to Washington in April, where he’ll participate in global nuclear security summit,” the expert noted.

At the same time, Mr. Shakaryan stated that the failure of Armenia-Turkey reconciliation will not affect Turkey’s bid for EU membership. “Ankara has too many problems for a closed Armenia-Turkey border to affect its image,” he said.