Armenian News
TURKEY, ARMENIA ENTER SERIOUS NEGOTIATIONS FOR RECONCILIATION
Cansu Camlibel
Turkish Daily News
July 19 2008
Turkey and Armenia have moved closer to a round of negotiations to normalize relations, creating new hope for a long-awaited reconciliation between the two nations. Positive signals from Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan since he took office after elections in February have encouraged Ankara to pursue a fresh round of informal talks. Though Foreign Minister Ali Babacan tried to play down the seriousness of recent talks, the Turkish Daily News has learned that the contacts of last three months mark an important stage for future relations.
Undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry Ertugrul Apakan and his deputy Unal Ceviköz headed the Turkish delegation during the first round, which took place in May, and the second round in July, the TDN has learned. Both rounds were carried out in Bern, Switzerland, which
is considered an impartial country that has hosted similar secretive talks on issues like Cyprus and Iran.
Babacan, down played the significance of the talks, kept secret until now while admitting yesterday that from time to time officials from his ministry have contacts with their Armenian counterparts. "These contacts are important for normalization of relations. There are problems and also disagreement over events of 1915, but we favor a constructive approach and dialogue to overcome these," he said. Armenia calls "genocide" World War One mass killings of Armenians at the hand of the Ottomans, an allegation strickly denied by Turkey.
A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, Burak Ozugergin, issued a similar written response, noting that Turkey recognized Armenia in 1991 and since then there have been contacts between Ankara and Yerevan. "There is no need to attribute different meanings to these
contacts," Ozugergin added.
The timeline of the secretive negotiations, coinciding with some recent positive statements by Sargsyan, stands out, however, as a strong sign for improving the conditions in the run up to substantial solutions. The Armenian president has proposed a fresh start with Turkey with the goal of normalizing relations and opening the border between the two countries, which has been closed for almost 15 years. In his article published July 6 in The Wall Street Journal's online edition, Sargsyan said he expected to "announce a new symbolic
start in the two countries' relations" with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul whom he invited to Armenia to watch a football game between the countries' national teams this September.
Diplomatic sources said setting up different committees to discuss different aspects of bilateral ties is a mutually considered option for a fresh start. "There are other vital questions to be discussed primarily, before the events of 1915," noted the same sources. A previous offer of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to establish a committee of historians to study events of 1915 was rejected by former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan. This time a more comprehensive approach is reportedly being considered.
Closed border key issue
The opening of the border between Turkey and Armenia continues to be a key issue for reconciliation. "A more prosperous, mutually beneficial future for Armenia and Turkey and the opening up of a historic East-West corridor for Europe, the Caspian region and the rest of the world are goals that we can and must achieve," Sargsyan wrote in his article, underlining Armenian expectations for border opening.
Meanwhile Babacan also emphasized the border issue Wednesday, saying because Armenia is a landlocked country it needs Turkey to open up to the world. "Although the borders are closed with Yerevan, trade is ongoing through indirect routes. Turkey is a door of life for Armenia,"
he noted.
The Turkish side is still evaluating Sargsyan's invitation to Gul, while diplomatic sources say developments until the game on September 6 will determine Ankara's decision.
Although Turkey recognized Armenia as an independent state after the demise of the Soviet Union it has never established diplomatic relations due to the conflict in Nagorno Karabagh, an Azeri territory claimed by Yerevan.
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GUL TO SEND MESSAGE TO YEREVAN WITH ARMENIA BORDER VISIT
Today's Zaman
July 19 2008
Turkey
photo: Ani is an uninhabited medieval Armenian city in the province of Kars on the Armenia border.
President Abdullah Gul will send neighboring Armenia a conciliatorymessage wrapped in a warning over regional isolation when he visits the Turkish-Armenian border next week.
Gul will visit Ani, an uninhabited medieval Armenian city in the province of Kars on the Armenia border, on July 23, during a visit to the region to attend a ceremony to inaugurate the construction of the Turkish part of a regional railway passing through Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan; the line excludes Armenia. The presidents of Azerbaijan and Georgia will also attend the inauguration ceremony,
scheduled for July 24.
Despite Turkish efforts to deepen cooperation with other regional countries at the expense of landlocked Armenia, Gul's visit to Ani is a sign of readiness to improve ties with Yerevan. [really??] Armenia wants Turkey to restore medieval churches in Ani and Turkish authorities began renovation works in the city early this year.
The president's visit to Kars comes as the two estranged neighbors exchange warm messages, raising hopes for dialogue. Foreign Minister Ali Babacan yesterday appeared to confirm a report in the Turkish media that Turkish and Armenian officials had secret talks in Switzerland earlier this month. The report in the Hurriyet daily said the officials met for a few days starting on July 8 and that a senior Foreign Ministry official headed the Turkish delegation.
"Such talks are held from time to time," Babacan told reporters. In a statement, the Foreign Ministry also said there had been occasional contacts between Turkey and Armenia -- noting that Turkey had recognized the neighboring state since it declared independence from
the now-defunct Soviet Union in 1991 -- but warned that no specific conclusion should be drawn from them. "Meetings between members of the foreign ministries of the two countries are part of these contacts. We believe no different meaning should be attributed to these meetings."
In 2005, Turkish and Armenian officials were reported to have had similar meetings. Turkey recognizes Armenia but severed its diplomatic contact with the landlocked country after it occupied Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan. Ankara says normalization of ties hinges on Armenian withdrawal from Nagorno-Karabakh as well as Armenian recognition of
the current border and a change of Yerevan's policy on claims of an Armenian genocide at the hands of the late Ottoman Empire. Ankara denies claims that Armenians were subject to genocide and says both Armenians and Turks died in a civil conflict that erupted after Anatolian Armenians revolted against the Ottoman Empire for independence during the World War I years.
"We have problems about current issues and disagreements about the 1915 events. It is essential that these problems are handled through dialogue," Babacan said.
Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan proposed "a fresh start" in relations with Turkey in an article published in The Wall Street Journal earlier this month. "The time has come for a fresh effort to break this deadlock, a situation that helps no one and hurts many. As president
of Armenia, I take this opportunity to propose a fresh start -- a new phase of dialogue with the government and people of Turkey, with thegoal of normalizing relations and opening our common border," he said.
Sarksyan also invited Gul to a World Cup qualifying match between Armenian and Turkish teams in September. Officials say the invitation is still under consideration and that the president will decide according to developments.
In the absence of a solution to problems with Armenia, Turkey has taken steps to deepen regional cooperation on energy, transportation and trade with Azerbaijan and Georgia. The planned Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway will link the three countries and revive the historical Silk
Road by connecting Central Asia and the Far East to Europe via Turkey.
Construction of the Georgian section of the railway, expected to begin operation in 2011, began in November. Gul joined Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the inauguration ceremony then. Some 1.5 million people and 6.5 million tons of cargo are expected to be transported through the railway in the first year following its launch. The project is estimated to cost $450 million.
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Gul: Sarksyan's invitation being considered
President Abdullah Gul has said he is contemplating Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan's formal invitation to visit Yerevan for a soccer match in September.
When Gul received Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki in Ankara on Thursday, journalists asked if he would go to Yerevan, and Gul replied: "You will see when the time comes. The offer is being considered." Armenia and Turkey will play against one another in the Armenian capital on Sept. 6 in a qualifying match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in South Africa.
Sarksyan's call to Turkey to launch "a fresh start" in relations between the estranged neighbors has been met with a positive response in the Turkish capital.
However, sources said Ankara's response greatly depends on Yerevan's attitude regarding resolutions in other countries' parliaments to consider the killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War I as "genocide." If Armenia continues to support such resolutions, relations will remain strained, the same sources noted. Ä°stanbul Today's Zaman with wires.
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Today's Zaman
July 19 2008
Turkey
photo: Ani is an uninhabited medieval Armenian city in the province of Kars on the Armenia border.
President Abdullah Gul will send neighboring Armenia a conciliatorymessage wrapped in a warning over regional isolation when he visits the Turkish-Armenian border next week.
Gul will visit Ani, an uninhabited medieval Armenian city in the province of Kars on the Armenia border, on July 23, during a visit to the region to attend a ceremony to inaugurate the construction of the Turkish part of a regional railway passing through Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan; the line excludes Armenia. The presidents of Azerbaijan and Georgia will also attend the inauguration ceremony,
scheduled for July 24.
Despite Turkish efforts to deepen cooperation with other regional countries at the expense of landlocked Armenia, Gul's visit to Ani is a sign of readiness to improve ties with Yerevan. [really??] Armenia wants Turkey to restore medieval churches in Ani and Turkish authorities began renovation works in the city early this year.
The president's visit to Kars comes as the two estranged neighbors exchange warm messages, raising hopes for dialogue. Foreign Minister Ali Babacan yesterday appeared to confirm a report in the Turkish media that Turkish and Armenian officials had secret talks in Switzerland earlier this month. The report in the Hurriyet daily said the officials met for a few days starting on July 8 and that a senior Foreign Ministry official headed the Turkish delegation.
"Such talks are held from time to time," Babacan told reporters. In a statement, the Foreign Ministry also said there had been occasional contacts between Turkey and Armenia -- noting that Turkey had recognized the neighboring state since it declared independence from
the now-defunct Soviet Union in 1991 -- but warned that no specific conclusion should be drawn from them. "Meetings between members of the foreign ministries of the two countries are part of these contacts. We believe no different meaning should be attributed to these meetings."
In 2005, Turkish and Armenian officials were reported to have had similar meetings. Turkey recognizes Armenia but severed its diplomatic contact with the landlocked country after it occupied Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan. Ankara says normalization of ties hinges on Armenian withdrawal from Nagorno-Karabakh as well as Armenian recognition of
the current border and a change of Yerevan's policy on claims of an Armenian genocide at the hands of the late Ottoman Empire. Ankara denies claims that Armenians were subject to genocide and says both Armenians and Turks died in a civil conflict that erupted after Anatolian Armenians revolted against the Ottoman Empire for independence during the World War I years.
"We have problems about current issues and disagreements about the 1915 events. It is essential that these problems are handled through dialogue," Babacan said.
Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan proposed "a fresh start" in relations with Turkey in an article published in The Wall Street Journal earlier this month. "The time has come for a fresh effort to break this deadlock, a situation that helps no one and hurts many. As president
of Armenia, I take this opportunity to propose a fresh start -- a new phase of dialogue with the government and people of Turkey, with thegoal of normalizing relations and opening our common border," he said.
Sarksyan also invited Gul to a World Cup qualifying match between Armenian and Turkish teams in September. Officials say the invitation is still under consideration and that the president will decide according to developments.
In the absence of a solution to problems with Armenia, Turkey has taken steps to deepen regional cooperation on energy, transportation and trade with Azerbaijan and Georgia. The planned Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway will link the three countries and revive the historical Silk
Road by connecting Central Asia and the Far East to Europe via Turkey.
Construction of the Georgian section of the railway, expected to begin operation in 2011, began in November. Gul joined Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the inauguration ceremony then. Some 1.5 million people and 6.5 million tons of cargo are expected to be transported through the railway in the first year following its launch. The project is estimated to cost $450 million.
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Gul: Sarksyan's invitation being considered
President Abdullah Gul has said he is contemplating Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan's formal invitation to visit Yerevan for a soccer match in September.
When Gul received Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki in Ankara on Thursday, journalists asked if he would go to Yerevan, and Gul replied: "You will see when the time comes. The offer is being considered." Armenia and Turkey will play against one another in the Armenian capital on Sept. 6 in a qualifying match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in South Africa.
Sarksyan's call to Turkey to launch "a fresh start" in relations between the estranged neighbors has been met with a positive response in the Turkish capital.
However, sources said Ankara's response greatly depends on Yerevan's attitude regarding resolutions in other countries' parliaments to consider the killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War I as "genocide." If Armenia continues to support such resolutions, relations will remain strained, the same sources noted. Ä°stanbul Today's Zaman with wires.
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Azerbaijani TV station ANS
July 19 2008
TURKISH EMBASSY IN AZERBAIJAN ON SECRET TALKS WITH ARMENIAN DIPLOMATS
The Turkish embassy in Azerbaijan has just circulated a statement regarding secret meetings between the Ankara government and Armenian diplomats [in Switzerland's Bern between 8-11 July]. The embassy said in its statement that Turkey recognized Armenia as a state in 1991. There were contacts between the two sides from time to time within this framework. The contacts between the employees of the two countries' foreign ministries also refer to this, [the statementsaid].
The embassy believes that it is not worth to seek for a distinct meaning in such meetings between the Armenian and Turkish diplomats.
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July 19 2008
TURKISH EMBASSY IN AZERBAIJAN ON SECRET TALKS WITH ARMENIAN DIPLOMATS
The Turkish embassy in Azerbaijan has just circulated a statement regarding secret meetings between the Ankara government and Armenian diplomats [in Switzerland's Bern between 8-11 July]. The embassy said in its statement that Turkey recognized Armenia as a state in 1991. There were contacts between the two sides from time to time within this framework. The contacts between the employees of the two countries' foreign ministries also refer to this, [the statementsaid].
The embassy believes that it is not worth to seek for a distinct meaning in such meetings between the Armenian and Turkish diplomats.
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