FRIENDSHIP WITH ARMENIA TO HELP TURKEY JOIN EU
news.am
May 10 2011
Armenia
YEREVAN. – Establishment of normal relations between Yerevan and Ankara
will contribute to Turkey’s joining the EU, said Wilfried Martens,
President of European People’s Party (EPP).
The main goals of joining the EU are not only economic criteria but
free movement of citizens within the EU, he told a briefing in Yerevan
on Tuesday.
“It is one of the main criteria,” he noted expressing disappointment
with slowdown in Armenia-Turkey reconciliation process.
In October 2009 Armenia and Turkey signed protocols in Zurich to
normalize diplomatic relations between the states. The documents had
to be ratified in both parliaments. However, Ankara set preconditions
and linked the reconciliation process to resolution of the Karabakh
conflict. In 2010 the Armenian president suspended the process due
to Turkey’s non-constructive stance.
From: A. Papazian