Turkish-Armenian deals can only be ratified after the Nagorny Karabakh issue is resolved, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said at a meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov in Athens Tuesday.
“Davutoglu… noted that ratification of Armenian-Turkish protocols… is only possible after Armenia leaves the occupied Azerbaijani territories,” the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said.
In October, Turkey and Armenia signed historic accords on diplomatic relations and on development of bilateral ties. The documents have yet to be ratified by the country”s parliaments, and face opposition from nationalist parties in both countries.
Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in a show of support for Azerbaijan, a predominantly Muslim, Turkic-speaking ally of Ankara, following a bloody conflict over Nagorny Karabakh between the two republics.
