A top European Union official has called on Armenia and Turkey to progress with their troubled normalization efforts without any preconditions, while emphasizing the importance attached to this normalization process by Brussels in relation to Turkey's accession into the 27-nation bloc.
“Good relations with neighbors are very important in the framework of any country's entry to the European Union,” EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Füle was quoted as saying by the Armenian media on Tuesday during a visit to Yerevan.“The EU must also make efforts to help both sides end this deadlock,” Füle, whose portfolio also covers European neighborhood policy, added, while speaking at a joint press conference with Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian.
Last October, Armenia and Turkey signed two protocols in Zurich on establishing diplomatic ties and re-opening their border. But, the ratification of the protocols by the two countries' parliaments has stalled, with both sides accusing the other of trying to rewrite the deals.
Noting that he welcomed the protocols signed between the two countries, Füle added that the EU supported the ratification of the protocols without any preconditions within a reasonable timeframe. He reiterated that the EU is ready to assist in finding solutions to trans-border problems after the ratification.
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