The negotiations on Karabakh should not be linked to the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations, according to the French ambassador to Armenia.
Serge Smessow told an Arminfo correspondent that that the processes are different, and the ball is now in Turkey’s court. “We hope that a goodwill gesture will allow the Protocols to be ratified in both Turkey and Armenia,” Smessow said. “Optimism is premature but the fact that the Constitutional Court approved these Protocols seems to me to be a step forward.”
Smessow said that the procedure for adopting the Protocols is simpler in Turkey than in Armenia and hoped that Turkey’s notorious political complexities would not stand in the way. “We hope that Turkey will be able to overcome these obstacles and will move forward on the ratification of the Armenian-Turkish Protocols,” Smessow said.
