Being one of the first countries to recognize the
independence of Armenia on 16 December 1991, Turkey
provided humanitarian assistance to this country which
was facing serious economic difficulties and actively
supported Armenia’s integration with regional and
Western organizations. In this regard, Turkey invited
Armenia to join the Black Sea Economic Cooperation
(BSEC) as a founding member. However, favorable
conditions to establish diplomatic relations with
Armenia have not been materialized.
Upon the occupation of Azerbaijan’s Kelbecer province
in 1993 by Armenia, the direct trade from Turkey to
Armenia; highway/railway and airway connections were
interrupted and the border between the two countries
was closed.
Within the framework of our will to normalize relations
with Armenia, and as a result of the process
facilitated by Switzerland, “Protocol on the
Establishment of Diplomatic Relations” and “Protocol on
the Development of Bilateral Relations” were signed in
Zurich on 10 October 2009. These two protocols provide
a framework for the normalization of bilateral
relations.
The Protocols were then submitted to the Grand National
Assembly of Turkey for approval. In Armenia, however,
the Protocols were sent to the Constitutional Court in
order to have their constitutionality to be approved.
Although finding the Protocols in conformity with the
Constitution of Armenia, the published grounds of the
decision of the Constitutional Court had preconditions
and restrictive provisions impairing the letter and
spirit of the Protocols. The decision undermined the
very reason for negotiating the Protocols as well as
their fundamental objectives. Later on, through a Note
sent to our Embassy in Tbilisi on 23 April 2010, the
Armenian side informed that it suspended the
ratification process of the Protocols. Subsequently,
President Sargsyan recalled the Protocols from the
Parliament of Armenia in February 2015 and declared the
Protocols null and void on 1 March 2018.
Furthermore, in order to show our commitment to
establish good neighborly relations with Armenia,
Turkey introduced numerous unilateral confidence
building measures to help restore confidence between
Turkey and Armenia. However, a similar constructive
approach was not seen from the Armenian side.
On the other hand, in the absence of any improvement in
the Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, any progress to be
achieved within the Turkish-Armenian normalization
process alone would remain insufficient and would not
be lasting and sustainable.