Sargsyan and Erdogan may determine timescale for protocol ratification in Washington

Today President Serzh Sargsyan will leave for Washington, in order to attend the global nuclear security summit taking place next week, reports RIA Novosti citing the Armenian President's press service.

Sargsyan will visit Washington at Barack Obama's invitation. A bilateral meeting of the Presidents is to take place during the visit. Serzh Sargsyan will also meet with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, at the suggestion of the Turkish side.

According to some political observers, Sargsyan and Erdogan may sign a road map for ratification of the Armenian-Turkish protocols during a meeting in Washington. Thus, the timescale for ratification may be fixed. In an interview with the French newspaper Le Figaro on March 11, Serzh Sargsyan said that the protocols wouldn't be signed if the Turkish authorities used the process of the Armenian-Turkish settlement for extraneous purposes.

Sargsyan said that recent statements made by Turkey probably indicate that the protocols would not be ratified in the foreseeable future.