YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — President Serge Sargisian urged Turkey on Tuesday to comply with its fence-mending agreements with Armenia, warning that any further delay could roll back the “historic” rapprochement between the two nations.
In a message sent to his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul, Sargisian said, “now the time has come to show determination to take the next major step and leave to the coming generations a stable and secure region.”
It was a clear reference to the mandatory ratification by the Turkish Parliament of the two “protocols” that commit Ankara and Yerevan to establish diplomatic relations and open the Turkish-Armenian border. Turkish leaders have repeatedly made the ratification conditional on a breakthrough in the protracted international efforts to settle the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict.
They also cite a recent ruling on the protocols handed down by Armenia’s Constitutional Court as another obstacle to the implementation of the deal strongly backed by the international community. Yerevan has responded by accusing the Turks of seeking more “artificial excuses” to avoid an unconditional normalization of bilateral ties.
“We can achieve results only if there are trust, resolve and unfaltering stance,” said Sargisian. “A situation when words are not supported by deeds gives rise to mistrust and skepticism, providing ample opportunities to counteract for those, who oppose the process.”
“We should be mindful of the fact that in this particular case, the time is working not for but against the process,” he warned.
