Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb. 10 / Trend R.Hafizoglu /
Even if the Armenian parliament ratifies the Armenian-Turkish protocols, we can hardly expect an equivalent response from the Turkish parliament, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute at Johns Hopkins University Director Svante Cornell said.
"Even if the Armenian parliament ratified the Armenian-Turkish protocols, we can hardly expect an equivalent response from the Turkish Parliament, as the ratification of the protocol by Turkey is directly linked to advances in resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," he told Trend over the telephone.
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has today tasked its administration to send the Armenian-Turkish protocol to the parliament for ratification in the coming days.
The Armenian President informed about this in his speech at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, the Mediamax special correspondent reported from London.
According to Cornell, one must take into account the fact that if the Armenian parliament ratified the protocols, it will be another step to increase pressure on Turkey, which seeks Yerevan.
"Pressure on Turkey will grow, but despite this, Ankara is unlikely to continue the process of normalization of the Turkey-Armenia relations without solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," he said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the occupied territories.
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