Protestors Rally Against Davutoglu in Yerevan

A protest against a visit by Ahmet Davutoglu, Turkey’s Foreign Minister took place on December 12, in the center of Yerevan, reported the Armenian media.

Rally participants included the student union of the "Faction" party, and the youth wing of the "Heritage" party. The participants demanded that Turkey recognize the genocide of Armenians in early 20th century and pay compensation.

Participants of the rally said that Davutoglu should "immediately leave our homeland, to return to his Ankara and not pollute our air."

The rally was held in front of the hotel «Marriott Armenia», where foreign ministers of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) are to meet on December 12. The Turkish minister arrived in Yerevan to participate in this meeting. There were many police officers near the hotel during the event.

In 2009, authorities of the two countries expressed their intention to restore diplomatic relations and open their borders. The principles of rapprochement that were outlined in the Protocols were rather vague. However, they were not ratified in parliament. Turkey declared that normalization of relations with Armenia is possible after the settlement of the conflict between Baku and Yerevan. -02D-