Do Not Expect Progress over Protocols Until April 24: Erdogan

There will be no progress in relation to the ratification of Armenia-Turkey Protocols before April 24, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told journalists at an airport in Ankara returning from Washington.

He also said Ankara would continue to be committed to the Protocols, adding that the Armenia-Turkey normalization mainly depends on the normalization of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations.

"Naturally, there is a provision in the Protocols signed in Zurich according to which the Karabakh conflict should not be linked to the opening of Armenia-Turkey border. Now we are asking: why was the border closed in 1993? The reason the border closed was the occupation, that is to say the occupation of Azerbaijani territories. And now we want that situation be normalized, In that case we will quicken our steps," said Erdogan.