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No Border Opening Without Ratification of Armenia Protocols

19 April 2010 23:50 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. Turkish foreign minister on Monday said Turkey would not open its borders with Armenia until the ratification of two protocols the two countries signed to normalize their relations, APA reports quoting turkishny.com web-page. "It is out of the agenda of Turkey to open its border gate without the ratification of the protocols," Ahmet Davutoglu told a joint press conference with Iraqi Vice-President Tariq al-Hashimi after their meeting in Ankara, the Turkish capital.
Davutoglu was responding to a question over a remark made by Armenian president who reportedly said earlier that border crossing might be opened without the ratification of the protocols.
Turkey and Armenia signed two protocols in October 2009 in Switzerland to normalize their relations, including the reopening of a border crossing, and resume diplomatic relations.
Turkey shut down its border gate and cut off diplomatic ties with Yerevan in 1993 after Armenian army forces occupied Azerbaijan’s Karabakh region.
Davutoglu said "integrated steps" were needed to achieve a comprehensive settlement in the Caucasus that included Turkey-Armenia relations, adding that Turkey was committed to the implementation of the protocols and the normalization process.
The Turkish minister said his country was conducting close consultations with Azerbaijan over Ankara’s dealings with Armenia.
Turkey signed the protocols after "long and careful considerations," Davutoglu said ahead of a visit to Baku, Azerbaijan, where he was set to meet Azeri President Ilham Aliyev.
"We are positive on the process and we have full confidence that in the end it would lead us to a point," Davutoglu said.