S. Sargsyan: Armenia not ready for new talks with Turkey

Armenia can continue the process of normalizing the relations with Turkey if only Turks ratify the Armenian-Turkish protocols without preconditions, President Serzh Sargsyan said in his interview to the Ekho Moskvy Russian radio station reminding of Turkey’s international commitments – the signed documents should be ratified and fulfilled.

“We are not ready for new talks or for introducing changes to the protocols. I mean we are not ready one-sidedly. If Turks try to make some changes, we will also try to,” S. Sargsyan said.

Armenia’s President thanked Russia, U.S. and France for unanimously stating that Armenian-Turkish relations should he established without preconditions.

Head of state noted that if the things go on like this, the only way out for Armenia may be to withdraw its signature from the protocols, so that even ratified by Turkey, the protocols would be invalid.

“Even now, with the ball in their field, they try to intervene in the Nagorno Karabakh process, some other processes, speak about some leadership in the region, about neo-Ottomanism,” President said. “A regional leader must have no problems with its neighbors. While the policy Turkey has announced, the policy of zero problems, is merely reduced to searches for solutions beneficial for Turkey.”

Serzh Sargsyan stressed that if Turkey wants to have a possibility of influencing some regional processes, it needs to be constructive.