Turkey must vote first on peace deal

UK: Accords aimed at burying a century of hostility between Turkey and Armenia must be voted on by the Turkish Parliament before Armenia’s Parliament will approve them, Armenia’s President said on Wednesday.

Serzh Sarksyan also warned that Armenia could break off the effort to normalise relations if Turkey dragged its feet. Armenia and Turkey agreed last year to establish diplomatic ties and open their common border within two months of parliamentary approval. The accords were signed with the endorsement of the United States, European Union and Russia, but the Armenian and Turkish governments have since accused each other of trying to re-write the texts, throwing the process into question.

Sarksyan said he would tell his staff on Wednesday to submit the accords to the Armenian parliament, but that Turkey’s parliament would have to be first to ratify them. London, Thursday, Reuters