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Turkey and Armenia to sign protocol on establishment of diplomatic relations

01 September 2009 07:30 (UTC +04:00)

The Republic of Turkey and the Republic of Armenia have agreed to start their internal political consultations on the two protocols â€“ the â€œProtocol on the establishment of diplomatic relationsâ€ and the â€œProtocol on the development of bilateral relationsâ€ â€“ which have been initialled in the course of their efforts under Swiss mediation.

The two Protocols provide for a framework for the normalization of the bilateral relations within a reasonable timeframe. The political consultations will be completed within six weeks, following which the two Protocols will be signed and submitted to the respective Parliaments for the ratification on each side. Both sides will make their best efforts for the timely progression of the ratification in line with their constitutional and legal procedures.

The normalization of the bilateral relations will contribute to regional peace and stability. The Republic of Turkey and the Republic of Armenia are committed to pursuing their joint efforts with the assistance of Switzerland

On April 22, Foreign Ministries of Turkey and Armenia, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs issued a joint statement on roadmap envisaging normalization of the bilateral relations.

Diplomatic relations between Turkey and Armenia were cut off on the initiative of Ankara in 1993. The borders between the two countries have been closed since then. Its main reason is the occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia and the so-called genocide claims.

The first improvements in the bilateral relations began after Turkish President Abdullah Gul left for Yerevan to watch football match between the national teams of the two countries on September 6, 2008.