US calls on Turkey, Armenia to ratify reapprochement protocols

A senior US diplomat yesterday urged Turkey and Armenia to move forward in ratifying and implementing protocols signed last October towards restoring diplomatic ties. "We believe this is an opportunity to overcome historic differences between the two countries in a way that would benefit both," Philip Gordon, assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, told a press conference. "To establish normalized relations between the two countries and open the border would contribute to peace and stability in the region, and we think that is true regardless of other issues – that it needs to move forward independently of other issues, simply because it is in the interest of the two countries." Gordon said the Obama administration is in touch with both governments and has encouraged them to move forward. "Turkey-Armenia normalization is a good thing in and of itself and it should move forward because of that," he added. Ankara has relayed its concerns to Yerevan over a recent Armenian Constitutional Court ruling that reiterates Yerevan's claims about the incidents of 1915, a possible sticking point in ratifying the protocols. In London last week, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and his Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandian agreed to hold more talks in the coming days.