“The process [of ratification] will proceed according to developments in the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute,” Bekir Bozdağ, an AK Party deputy parliamentary group chairman, told Today's Zaman.
The Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers signed the two protocols on Oct. 10 in Zurich, but they must be ratified in order to go into effect. The protocols call for the opening of the border, closed since 1993, and the restoration of diplomatic relations. Turkey closed the border and severed its diplomatic ties with Armenia in a show of solidarity with Azerbaijan, who fought a war with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh. About one-fifth of Azerbaijani territory has been under Armenian occupation since then.
The documents are eventually expected to be passed in Parliament, but it is not clear when lawmakers will vote on them. There is no timetable on the ratification, and such documents can wait for years before being put to vote. One such document was the Kyoto protocol on climate change, which waited for 17 years before it was eventually ratified earlier this year by Turkey's Parliament.
Foreign Minister Davutoğlu, who has visited the opposition parties to inform them of the protocols and lobby for their support, will address Parliament on Wednesday regarding the documents. “As to when they will be ratified, this is up to our Parliament,” he told a press conference on Monday.
The opposition parties have criticized the protocols, saying they hurt the interests of Azerbaijan, a regional ally and a key energy supplier. “The government says it wants zero problems with the neighbors, but we ended up creating problems with a country that we had excellent relations with,” said Onur Öymen, deputy chairman of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), who is expected to deliver a speech in Parliament on Wednesday expressing his party's stance.
“We have said that these protocols harm Azerbaijan's interests. We will express our regrets and concerns in our speech on Wednesday,” seconded Oktay Vural, a deputy parliamentary group chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).
