The Ankara -Yerevan protocol will be signed before Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan's visit to Turkey, Turkish Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davudoglu, said at a news conference, the Turkish CNN Turk TV channel reported.
The Turkish-Armenian protocol will be signed before Sargsyan's visit to Turkey," the minister added.
The protocol's final version will be signed by foreign ministers of Armenia and Turkey, Ahmet Davudoglu and Edward Nalbandian on Oct.10 or Oct.11, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Trend in an exclusive interview.
On Aug. 31, Turkey and Armenia in the talks mediated by Switzerland reached an agreement to launch "internal political consultations" to sign the Protocol on Establishment of Diplomatic Relations and Protocol on Development of Bilateral Relations, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.
"Political consultations will be completed within six weeks, and following that two protocols will be signed and submitted to the two countries' parliaments for approval," the ministry said.
There are no diplomatic relations between Turkey and Armenia and the borders have been closed since 1993.
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.
According to Davudoglu, the work to normalize the Ankara -Yerevan relations will continue regardless whether Sargsyan visits Turkey to attend a football match or not.
"During his visit to Armenia, the Turkish president has not put forward any condition. The work on the normalization of the Ankara -Yerevan relations will continue irrespective whether Sargsyan will arrive in Turkey for a football match," the minister said.
The signing of the protocol and its ratification by the parliament are different issues, Davudoglu said. The protocol is expected to be discussed in the parliament after its signing, Davudoglu added.