If Turkey withdraws the Armenia-Turkey Protocols from parliament, it will look as an “emotional counter-reaction” and will be more harmful for Turkey than for Armenia, said Turkish Parliament's Commission on Foreign Affairs Chairperson Murat Mercan, who responded to statements in Ankara that Turkey must recall the Protocols from parliament to counter the passing of US House Resolution 252 on the Armenian Genocide.

According to Turkish daily Radikal, instead of recalling the Protocols, Mercan suggests freezing the ratification process, saying that practically there is no difference beween keeping the Protocols in the parliament’s Foreign Affairs Commission or sending them back to the government.

“Nothing hinders us from keeping the Protocols with the Commission; they can remain (there) for a long time, we do not have to hurry,” said Mercan, adding that they had two main issues to worry about: the ruling by the Constitutional Court of Armenia and the problems between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“On top of that, we have a third problem — the resolution adopted in US (Congress). I think it would not be correct to put the Protocols on the Commission’s agenda unless we see developments in those three issues which will be beneficial for our nation,” said Mercan.