Members of the commission from the Republican People's Party (CHP) Canan Aritman, Ilhan Kesici, Onur Oymen and Shukru Elekdag demanded to discuss the issue of opening the borders with Armenia and to make decision on that. MHP members also supported them. CHP parliamentarians said AKP would make great mistake, if opened the borders with Armenia and Turkey would lost its only trump card and damage its national interests, its power and energy policy at the international arena. They stated that the borders couldn't be opened before Armenia's withdrawal from the Azerbaijani lands, recognition of Turkey's borders and refusal of genocide claims. CHP lawmakers proposed to submit their position to the commission as a draft resolution and to put it to vote. However commission's chairman from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Murat Mercan said he had no authority to put proposals to vote. After the CHP protest, he made no quorum excuses, but the oppositionists protested him saying that there is a quorum at the meeting. Then Mercan interrupted the meeting and left the room.
Canan Aritman (CHP) told journalists that Turkey can't hurt feelings of Azerbaijan to restore its relations with Armenia. "AKP is rushing to open the borders, but it will be a great mistake to open borders without lifting the factors preventing relations with Armenia, without concessions by Armenia and its withdrawal from the Azerbaijani lands".
Foreign Minister Ali Babacan will make report on the relations with Armenia to the parliament's commission for foreign affairs, APA reports quoting the Turkish newspapers.
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