Summing up his assessment of 2009, Christian Democratic Party President Khosrov Harutyunyan stated, “2009 will go down in the annals of our people’s history as a year of the boldest initiatives.” Mr. Harutyunyan noted that long-term prospects for peaceful development in Armenia had always been contingent on the political disposition of neighbours and consequently, what is needed is to normalize relations with Armenia’s neighbours. The politician pointed out that in this context, the normalization of ties with Turkey had strategic significance. He argues that Turkey was pursuing designs to become the most influential player in the region but that such an aim wouldn’t be acceptable to international public opinion unless it could normalize its ties to its neighbours. “The signed protocols truly contain no preconditions and resolve no issues. They merely provide the possibility for the formulation of a process to tackle the very complicated but very important issues between the two nations,” Mr. Harutyunyan said. He stated that he was sure that the protocols would be ratified by Armenia and Turkey since it is in their best interest to do so. “Not to ratify the documents would be a slap in the face to the international community,” argued the Christian Democratic Party leader.