“The prospects for ratification of the Armenian-Turkish protocols are neither at the zero nor at the 100 per cent level,” Alexander Iskandaryan, Director of the Institute of Caucasus, told reporters.

He pointed out that the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations will bring stability and changes to the region and said that such developments are not to Georgia’s advantage. The reason is, Iskandaryan said, that it will cause a 30-40 decrease in the cargo transit through that country. Azerbaijan will not benefit either: its influence over the region will diminish.

On the other hand, Iskandaryan said, the Armenian-Iranian relations will develop.

As to when the Turkish Parliament will ratify the Armenian-Turkish protocols, Iskandaryan advanced a number of arguments. The issue is most likely to be “shelved” by the Turkish Parliament for a long time. Also, the ratification may be delayed until next April.

“In any case, the Armenian side’s position is to ratify the protocols after the Turkish parliament has ratified them. The right decision, but it is interesting to see what would happen if we did it before Turkey thereby driving Turkey into a corner,” Iskandaryan said.