Uncertainty remains over when the protocols signed between Turkey and Armenia in Zurich on Oct. 10 will reach the Turkish Parliament.
The protocols, which were expected to be discussed in Parliament on Oct. 21, will remain on the shelf for some more time due to an increase in tensions between Turkey and Azerbaijan. Turkey plans to simultaneously submit the protocols to Parliament with Armenia. The decision to ban Azerbaijani flags at the stadium during the Turkey-Armenia soccer game held in Bursa on Oct. 14 drew reaction from Azerbaijan. Turkish flags at a cemetery of Turkish soldiers were taken down in Baku, forcing Turkish authorities to deliver a note to Azerbaijan for the first time.
The tension between the two countries has resulted in the delay of the Turkish Parliament discussing the protocols. As a result of the delay in Turkey, Armenia has started to act slowly on ratifying the protocols as well. The current situation suggests it will take some time before the protocols are approved in Parliament.
Even if the protocols are referred to Parliament next month, it seems unlikely that they will be approved quickly unless the government exerts extraordinary effort to ensure that they are passed. It is for this reason that the submission and ratification of the protocols will take a long time. Once the protocols reach Parliament, the speaker will send them to the Foreign Affairs Commission. Whether the commission will be able to immediately evaluate the protocols and agreements depends on the determination of the government, which holds the majority of seats on the commission. Examination of previous work schedules reveals that there are no examples of a protocol or agreement being sent to the commission within a month or two after reaching Parliament. Once the protocols are approved by the Foreign Affairs Commission, they will be discussed by the General Assembly. Protocols that are approved by the General Assembly go into effect upon being published in the Official Gazette.
A closer look at the Foreign Affairs Commission’s agenda reveals that there are bilateral agreements and protocols that have been waiting for approval for 26 years. The oldest draft bill and agreement waiting at the commission is a law dated Dec. 14, 1983 on the overseas organization of public agencies and institutions and an agreement between Turkey and Iraq on building mutual consulates.
Although the agreement has been pushed aside after every election period over the last 26 years, each government resubmits it to the commission for consideration. There are currently 148 drafts and proposals waiting to be approved by the commission.
A social security agreement with Sweden, a law on scientific and technical cooperation in agriculture with Libya and a plant protection cooperation agreement with Argentina have been waiting at the commission for debate since 2004.
In addition to these, various agreements signed with 95 countries including Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Slovenia, Malawi and Burkina Faso are also waiting to be discussed by the commission. Azerbaijan and Syria top the list of countries with which Turkey has signed the most agreements. The Foreign Affairs Commission has yet to address more than 20 agreements signed with these two countries. While 95 of the 148 items on the commission’s agenda are agreements signed with different countries, 42 are agreements signed with international agencies and institutions.
Among the international agreements that have been awaiting approval since 2005 is a draft bill on ratifying a 2005 protocol related to another protocol on preventing illegal actions threatening the safety of fixed platforms on the continental shelf, a law approving an agreement on building a high-performance railway network in southeastern Europe and a draft bill on approving a supplementary protocol of a
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