Zurich Protocols
2009 failed attempt to normalize relations between Armenia and Turkey / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Zurich Protocols refer to two bilateral protocols signed in 2009 by Armenia and Turkey that envisioned starting the process of normalizing relations between the two countries.[1] The Protocols included provisions for the establishment of formal diplomatic relations, the opening of the Turkish-Armenian border (which has been closed since 1993), and the establishment of a joint historical commission on the Armenian genocide issue.[2] The agreement, which later proved to be ineffectual, had been brokered by the United States, Russia and France.[3]
On 10 October 2009, the foreign ministers, Ahmet Davutoğlu for Turkey and Eduard Nalbandyan for Armenia, signed in Zurich the two protocols in a ceremony attended also by then U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana, French Minister of Foreign Affairs Bernard Kouchner and Foreign Minister of Russia Sergey Lavrov.[4]
The Protocols required ratification from parliaments of both countries. In an effort to de-link issues, the protocols did not mention the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh. They also did not include a deadline for ratification.[5]
On 12 January 2010, the Constitutional Court of Armenia approved the Protocols while making a number of observations that the Turkish side viewed as containing "preconditions and restrictive provisions which impair the letter and spirit of the protocols".[6][7] The Turkish side also began to tie the normalization process with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stating that the Turkish-Armenian border would not be opened without the withdrawal of Armenian forces from Azerbaijani territory.[6]
The Protocols faced immense criticism in both countries, with some Armenians accusing their government of selling out and some in Turkey upset that the Protocols did not refer to the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.[5] Meanwhile, Azerbaijan reacted negatively to the Protocols and applied pressure on Turkey not to go forward with the rapprochement with Armenia.[6][2] Thus, the Protocols languished in both nations' parliaments without ratification after its signing.
In February 2015, the Armenian part, represented by President Sargsyan, recalled the protocols from parliament, citing the "absence of political will" on the Turkish side.[3][8] Then, in December 2017 citing lack of any "positive progress towards their implementation" by Turkey, the Armenian side vowed to declare them void and null,[9] which Armenia formally did on 1 March 2018.[10]
Despite the bitterness resulting from the stalling of the normalization process, some authors think that the Zurich Protocols could still represent a way forward for the Armenia-Turkey normalization process.[5]