"The relations between Turkey and Armenia can be restored only after liberation of Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia", deputy head of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party, Mehmet Ali Shahin said on April 24 in his interview with the country's TRT Haber TV channel. Turkey has repeatedly said this, according to the party's deputy head.
Trend quotes Mehmet Ali Shahin as saying, "Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says in all his statements that only after liberation of Azerbaijan's occupied territories, the normalization of relations and opening of Turkish-Armenian borders can be a topic of discussions."
To note, on 10 Oct 2009 Armenian and Turkish Foreign Ministers Edward Nalbandian and Ahmet Davutoglu signed protocols on establishment of diplomatic relations and development of the bilateral relations. The protocols envisaged creation of a joint committee of independent experts to inquire into the issue of the 1915 Armenian Genocide. However, the process of ratification of the protocols was frozen because Turkey laid down preconditions.