Davutoglu Speaks Out Against Deporting Armenians Living in Turkey Without Status

To deport citizens of Armenia living illegally in Turkey means to give a “winning card” to those countries who come out against Turkey, said Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmet Davutoglu during a closed-door meeting of the foreign affairs committee of Turkey’s Grand National Assembly, responding to opposition People’s Republican Party MP Canan Arıtman’s earlier statements which suggested deporting all Armenian citizens.

“Such a step would become a winning card in the hands of those countries who are against us. In addition, all of the world’s countries’ papers will publish articles about deported Armenians. A nationalist image would form, [and] Turkey will be in a more difficult situation,” said Davutoglu.

As for the signed protocols, he noted that Ankara does not intend to withdraw them from parliament, reports News.az.

“Everything is good in its time. We should not make decisions that may further harm our interests. But we will protect our national interests more energetically and let everyone know about it. We will use these protocols as a tool,” said Davutoglu, according to Turkish news source Sabah.

The foreign minister also spoke out against closing t he US military base in Incirlik, saying that such a step in today’s changed political landscape and state of affairs will have no effect whatsoever.