ARF Political Affairs Bureau Chief Giro Manoyan stated today that he didn’t believe the Turkish parliament would not ratify the Armenian-Turkish protocols before April 24, 2010, if there was no agreed to settlement regarding principles in the Karabakh conflict. “This has lead to an established reality in the minds of the people – that, yes, relations between Turkey and Armenia must be normalized and that Turkey must lift the blockade, but that Armenia is obliged to pay nothing in return,” the ARF official noted.

Mr. Manoyan stated that the ARF believes that the Armenian parliament must reject the protocols immediately and not wait to see what Turkey does. He said that the different interpretations of the protocols in the two countries, especially regarding the recognition of existing borders, only emphasizes the importance that they not be ratified. Turning to the issue of the international recognition of the 1915 Genocide, Mr. Manoyan argued that the president, parliament and foreign minister must intensify their efforts in this regard and show the world that the recognition of the Genocide is on Armenia’s foreign affairs agenda. “Our side must no longer remain silent. During the parliamentary hearings on the protocols, our foreign minister asked if we wanted him to make statements about recognizing the Genocide five times a day. My answer is that he should just speak out on the issue once a day, but at the correct time and to the right people. He shouldn’t stand in front of a mirror and mumble the words,” noted Mr. Manoyan.