The proposed amendments concern the suspension or termination of procedures related to the signing of international treaties and agreements.
Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian spoke about planned changes in the law last December. He emphasized then that Armenia “will resort to corresponding steps” if Turkey, with which it signed diplomatic agreements last October, attempts to protract their ratification.
Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharian presented the bill to the parliamentary foreign relations committee.
“I want to clarify to avoid creating the impression that the meaning of the changes is that there is a decision that we should quickly quit [the process],” Kocharian explained.
“The Armenian side sincerely seeks to implement the protocols. On the other hand, we will never tolerate this whole process being used for advancing preconditions,” he warned.
It also became known on Friday that the Armenian-Turkish protocols on establishing diplomatic ties and developing bilateral relations are included in the agenda of the four-day session opening on February and that the parliament speaker may put them for discussion at any moment.
The head of the foreign relations committee, meanwhile, has formally requested the speaker not to bring up the protocols for discussion until the parliament receives his committee’s conclusions. Armen Rustamian, a senior lawmaker from the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), one of the key critics of the protocols, said Hovik Abrahamian has not yet provided a clear response to the request.
During preliminary discussions of the protocols on Friday the key parliamentary committee dominated by pro-government lawmakers decided to set up a five-member group to work out, within a week, a procedure in which the protocols will be discussed by the body.
Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian spoke about planned changes in the law last December. He emphasized then that Armenia “will resort to corresponding steps” if Turkey, with which it signed diplomatic agreements last October, attempts to protract their ratification.
Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharian presented the bill to the parliamentary foreign relations committee.
“I want to clarify to avoid creating the impression that the meaning of the changes is that there is a decision that we should quickly quit [the process],” Kocharian explained.
“The Armenian side sincerely seeks to implement the protocols. On the other hand, we will never tolerate this whole process being used for advancing preconditions,” he warned.
It also became known on Friday that the Armenian-Turkish protocols on establishing diplomatic ties and developing bilateral relations are included in the agenda of the four-day session opening on February and that the parliament speaker may put them for discussion at any moment.
The head of the foreign relations committee, meanwhile, has formally requested the speaker not to bring up the protocols for discussion until the parliament receives his committee’s conclusions. Armen Rustamian, a senior lawmaker from the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), one of the key critics of the protocols, said Hovik Abrahamian has not yet provided a clear response to the request.
During preliminary discussions of the protocols on Friday the key parliamentary committee dominated by pro-government lawmakers decided to set up a five-member group to work out, within a week, a procedure in which the protocols will be discussed by the body.