EU urges Armenia, Turkey to speed up reconciliation

(YEREVAN) - Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos Tuesday urged Turkey and Armenia on behalf of the European Union to speed up stalled reconciliation efforts.

Moratinos -- whose country holds the six-month rotating EU presidency -- urged both countries to ratify two protocols they signed in October to establish diplomatic ties and reopen a shared border.

"The EU urges Armenia and Turkey to ratify the protocols in a reasonable time and without preconditions," Moratinos said after talks in Yerevan with Armenian counterpart Eduard Nalbandian.

The signing of the deals was hailed internationally as a key step in overcoming decades of enmity stemming from World War I-era massacres of Armenians under Ottoman Turks.

But ratification by both countries' parliaments has stalled as the two sides have traded accusations of trying to modify the deal.

Moratinos is on two-day visit to Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia on behalf of EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton.