Reservation set by Armenian Constitutional Court are due to sick public consciousness in Armenia

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry is discontent with reservations the Armenian Constitutional Court has made to the Turkey-Armenia protocols. What is the reason behind the Armenian Constitutional Court’s move?

Armenia’s Constitutional Court has no right to make changes to the protocols signed by the country’s Foreign Ministry. It can express its opinions which may be considered by the Armenian parliament while ratifying the protocols. The parliament may also propose changes taking into account the CC opinion. But in this case, the Armenian foreign minister will have to negotiate a new text of the protocol with his Turkish counterpart. With regard to Turkey’s consent to this, I think that it would be against it.

The Constitutional Court can only express its opinion and the Foreign Ministry will decide whether to take into account the CC views or not.

In your opinion, how it will impact further dialogue between Turkey and Armenia?

I think it will pose some extra difficulties in work of the Armenian  Foreign Ministry, especially because Turkey's Foreign Ministry has already expressed its negative opinion about attempts to convert the text of the protocols signed.

May ratification of the Turkey-Armenia protocols fail at this stage?

In fact, it is possible. But I think both Armenian and Turkish governments want to see progress in normalization of relations which will help to overcome difficulties sooner or later.

The reservations set by the Armenian Constitutional Court are due mainly to features of the Armenian national thinking and sick public consciousness in Armenia.

The Turkish leadership links opening borders with a possible progress in the settlement of the Karabakh conflict ...

This is Turkey’s position which is not reflected in the text of the protocols. This is Turkey’s desire. The Armenian government has clearly stated that it sees no links between the Armenian-Turkish normalization and resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The U.S. and Russia also support this position.

I think now it is up to the Azerbaijani authorities to prove that such a link exists.

Given the current situation of the dialogue between Ankara and Yerevan, can today’s trend impact the Karabakh negotiations? Is it appropriate to says that the Armenian Constitutional Court decision will impact settlement of the Karabakh conflict?

In principle, I think that the Armenian CC said nothing new on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. I think that the situation has not changed. The parties are still committed to their original positions.

This will have no impact on Karabakh talks and once again shows that Armenia's position is unchanged.

Maybe, Armenia tries to protract ratification of the protocols?

I think that it does not. Armenia simply takes into account the domestic situation and tries to make ratification of the protocols possible in the national parliament.

N. Abdullayeva