Reporting of Armenia:Turkey Protocols
TURKEY AND ARMENIA SET FOR TIES
BBC NEWS
2009/09/01 10:05:49 GMT
Turkey and its neighbour Armenia have moved closer to establishing
diplomatic ties after decades of bitter mistrust on both sides.
They are to hold six weeks of domestic consultations on the move after
which their parliaments will vote on it, their foreign ministries
announced.
Negotiations on the mending of ties have been brokered by Switzerland.
The two countries remain deeply divided over the fate Armenians
suffered under Turkish Ottoman rule.
Turkey has resisted widespread calls for it to recognise the mass
killing of Armenians during World War I as an act of genocide.
Anticipation of a diplomatic breakthrough has been growing ahead of
a planned visit by Armenian President Serge Sarkisian to Turkey on
14 October.
He is due to attend the return leg of a World Cup qualifying football
match between the two countries.
'Border to open'
A roadmap for the normalisation of the relationship between the two
countries was agreed in April.
The foreign ministries said the two countries had agreed to start
internal discussions on two protocols: one establishing diplomatic
relations and the other developing bilateral ties.
"The political consultations will be completed within six weeks,
following which the two protocols will be signed and submitted to the
respective parliaments for ratification," their joint statement said.
Armenian President Serge Sarkisian told the BBC that Turkish
recognition of the killing of Armenians would be an important step
for justice, for overcoming the barrier between Turks and Armenians,
and for preventing "further genocides".
But, he added: "The recognition of the genocide itself is not viewed
as a precondition for normalising our relations with Turkey."
The Turkish-Armenian border - closed by Turkey in 1993 - would be
re-opened within two months of the protocols coming into force.
In a statement, the US said it welcomed the move and was ready to
work with both governments to support the normalisation of ties.
'Historical troubles'
Dr Taner Akcam, a professor of History at Maryland's Clark University
in the US, said the "historic breakthrough" was due to increased
democratisation in Turkey, the reduced influence of the military in
the political sphere, as well as increased international attention on
the Caucasus, particularly on the issue of opening borders for trade.
After first establishing normal relations, he added, the two countries
would then be able to discuss historical troubles.
Dr Akcam said Turkey had seen a shift in attitudes since the start
of an investigation into an alleged ultra-nationalist plot to bring
down Turkey's government.
Such killings as the 2007 assassination of the prominent Turkish
Armenian journalist Hrant Dink - who been given a six-month suspended
sentence in 2005 for writing about the Armenian "genocide" - had also
prompted a change in Turkish attitudes, he added.
Modern Armenia, which took shape as a Soviet republic in 1920, has
only had diplomatic relations with Turkey as part of the USSR.
Since declaring independence in 1991, it has pressed for recognition
of what it says was genocide.
Relations have also been complicated by Turkish support for Azerbaijan
in its armed conflict with Armenia over the disputed territory of
Nagorno-Karabakh.
BBC NEWS
2009/09/01 10:05:49 GMT
Turkey and its neighbour Armenia have moved closer to establishing
diplomatic ties after decades of bitter mistrust on both sides.
They are to hold six weeks of domestic consultations on the move after
which their parliaments will vote on it, their foreign ministries
announced.
Negotiations on the mending of ties have been brokered by Switzerland.
The two countries remain deeply divided over the fate Armenians
suffered under Turkish Ottoman rule.
Turkey has resisted widespread calls for it to recognise the mass
killing of Armenians during World War I as an act of genocide.
Anticipation of a diplomatic breakthrough has been growing ahead of
a planned visit by Armenian President Serge Sarkisian to Turkey on
14 October.
He is due to attend the return leg of a World Cup qualifying football
match between the two countries.
'Border to open'
A roadmap for the normalisation of the relationship between the two
countries was agreed in April.
The foreign ministries said the two countries had agreed to start
internal discussions on two protocols: one establishing diplomatic
relations and the other developing bilateral ties.
"The political consultations will be completed within six weeks,
following which the two protocols will be signed and submitted to the
respective parliaments for ratification," their joint statement said.
Armenian President Serge Sarkisian told the BBC that Turkish
recognition of the killing of Armenians would be an important step
for justice, for overcoming the barrier between Turks and Armenians,
and for preventing "further genocides".
But, he added: "The recognition of the genocide itself is not viewed
as a precondition for normalising our relations with Turkey."
The Turkish-Armenian border - closed by Turkey in 1993 - would be
re-opened within two months of the protocols coming into force.
In a statement, the US said it welcomed the move and was ready to
work with both governments to support the normalisation of ties.
'Historical troubles'
Dr Taner Akcam, a professor of History at Maryland's Clark University
in the US, said the "historic breakthrough" was due to increased
democratisation in Turkey, the reduced influence of the military in
the political sphere, as well as increased international attention on
the Caucasus, particularly on the issue of opening borders for trade.
After first establishing normal relations, he added, the two countries
would then be able to discuss historical troubles.
Dr Akcam said Turkey had seen a shift in attitudes since the start
of an investigation into an alleged ultra-nationalist plot to bring
down Turkey's government.
Such killings as the 2007 assassination of the prominent Turkish
Armenian journalist Hrant Dink - who been given a six-month suspended
sentence in 2005 for writing about the Armenian "genocide" - had also
prompted a change in Turkish attitudes, he added.
Modern Armenia, which took shape as a Soviet republic in 1920, has
only had diplomatic relations with Turkey as part of the USSR.
Since declaring independence in 1991, it has pressed for recognition
of what it says was genocide.
Relations have also been complicated by Turkish support for Azerbaijan
in its armed conflict with Armenia over the disputed territory of
Nagorno-Karabakh.
ARMENIA, TURKEY MOVE TOWARD DIPLOMATIC TIES
By Hasmik Mkrtchyan
Reuters
Aug 31 2009
UK
YEREVAN (Reuters) - Armenia and Turkey moved closer to establishing
diplomatic ties and reopening their border on Monday, saying they
would sign accords within six weeks under a plan to end a century
of hostility.
The neighbors have no diplomatic ties, a closed border and a history
of animosity stemming from the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman
Turks during World War One.
Both sides said they would hold domestic consultations before
signing two protocols on the establishment of diplomatic relations
and development of bilateral relations.
"The political consultations will be completed within six weeks,
following which the two Protocols will be signed and submitted to
the respective Parliaments for the ratification on each side," the
foreign ministries of Armenia and Turkey said in a statement issued
jointly with Switzerland as mediator.
"Both sides will make their best efforts for the timely progression
of the ratification in line with their constitutional and legal
procedures."
Turkey rejects Armenian claims the World War One killings, a defining
element of Armenian national identity, amounted to genocide, and says
many people were killed on both sides of the conflict.
According to copies of the protocols seen by Reuters, the border --
closed by Turkey in 1993 -- will reopen within two months of the
protocol on the development of relations entering into force.
The plan to normalize ties was announced in April, but Monday's
statement marked the first real progress.
The U.S. State Department welcomed the joint statement, saying
normalization should take place without preconditions and within a
reasonable timeframe.
"We urge Armenia and Turkey to proceed expeditiously," State
Department spokesman Ian Kelly said in a statement. "We remain ready
to work closely with both governments in support of normalization, a
historic process that will contribute to peace, security and stability
throughout the region."
Anticipation has been growing ahead of a planned visit by Armenian
President Serzh Sarksyan to Turkey on October 14, when he is due
to attend the return leg of a World Cup qualifying football match
between the two countries.
RISKS ANGERING AZERBAIJAN
Sarksyan has said he will not travel to the game, the first leg of
which Turkish President Abdullah Gul watched last year in Yerevan,
unless the border has reopened or there are clear signs it is about
to open.
Turkey closed the frontier in 1993 in solidarity with Muslim ally
Azerbaijan, which was fighting Armenian-backed separatists in the
breakaway mountain region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
But since announcing the road map, Turkish government officials --
faced with a backlash from Azerbaijan -- have said the border will
not reopen until Armenia makes concessions on Nagorno-Karabakh.
Reopening the border and establishing ties with Armenia would improve
Turkey's clout in the region and aid its bid to join the European
Union. It would also give landlocked Armenia, reeling from the global
financial crisis, access to Turkish and European markets.
But it risks angering Azerbaijan, an oil and gas supplier to the West
and Europe's key for gas supplies for the planned Nabucco pipeline. The
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains unresolved, with Azeri and ethnic
Armenian forces facing off over a tense frontline 15 years since
agreeing a ceasefire.
Under the protocol on bilateral relations, Turkey and Armenia agree
to "implement a dialogue on the historical dimension with the aim to
restore mutual confidence between the two nations."
(Additional reporting by Zerin Elci in Istanbul, and JoAnne Allen in
Washington; writing by Matt Robinson; editing by Ralph Boulton)
By Hasmik Mkrtchyan
Reuters
Aug 31 2009
UK
YEREVAN (Reuters) - Armenia and Turkey moved closer to establishing
diplomatic ties and reopening their border on Monday, saying they
would sign accords within six weeks under a plan to end a century
of hostility.
The neighbors have no diplomatic ties, a closed border and a history
of animosity stemming from the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman
Turks during World War One.
Both sides said they would hold domestic consultations before
signing two protocols on the establishment of diplomatic relations
and development of bilateral relations.
"The political consultations will be completed within six weeks,
following which the two Protocols will be signed and submitted to
the respective Parliaments for the ratification on each side," the
foreign ministries of Armenia and Turkey said in a statement issued
jointly with Switzerland as mediator.
"Both sides will make their best efforts for the timely progression
of the ratification in line with their constitutional and legal
procedures."
Turkey rejects Armenian claims the World War One killings, a defining
element of Armenian national identity, amounted to genocide, and says
many people were killed on both sides of the conflict.
According to copies of the protocols seen by Reuters, the border --
closed by Turkey in 1993 -- will reopen within two months of the
protocol on the development of relations entering into force.
The plan to normalize ties was announced in April, but Monday's
statement marked the first real progress.
The U.S. State Department welcomed the joint statement, saying
normalization should take place without preconditions and within a
reasonable timeframe.
"We urge Armenia and Turkey to proceed expeditiously," State
Department spokesman Ian Kelly said in a statement. "We remain ready
to work closely with both governments in support of normalization, a
historic process that will contribute to peace, security and stability
throughout the region."
Anticipation has been growing ahead of a planned visit by Armenian
President Serzh Sarksyan to Turkey on October 14, when he is due
to attend the return leg of a World Cup qualifying football match
between the two countries.
RISKS ANGERING AZERBAIJAN
Sarksyan has said he will not travel to the game, the first leg of
which Turkish President Abdullah Gul watched last year in Yerevan,
unless the border has reopened or there are clear signs it is about
to open.
Turkey closed the frontier in 1993 in solidarity with Muslim ally
Azerbaijan, which was fighting Armenian-backed separatists in the
breakaway mountain region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
But since announcing the road map, Turkish government officials --
faced with a backlash from Azerbaijan -- have said the border will
not reopen until Armenia makes concessions on Nagorno-Karabakh.
Reopening the border and establishing ties with Armenia would improve
Turkey's clout in the region and aid its bid to join the European
Union. It would also give landlocked Armenia, reeling from the global
financial crisis, access to Turkish and European markets.
But it risks angering Azerbaijan, an oil and gas supplier to the West
and Europe's key for gas supplies for the planned Nabucco pipeline. The
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains unresolved, with Azeri and ethnic
Armenian forces facing off over a tense frontline 15 years since
agreeing a ceasefire.
Under the protocol on bilateral relations, Turkey and Armenia agree
to "implement a dialogue on the historical dimension with the aim to
restore mutual confidence between the two nations."
(Additional reporting by Zerin Elci in Istanbul, and JoAnne Allen in
Washington; writing by Matt Robinson; editing by Ralph Boulton)
TURKEY, ARMENIA AGREE TO ESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC TIES
By Suzan Fraser
Associated Press Writer
31, 2009 07:33 PM
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - Armenia and Turkey agreed Monday to establish
diplomatic relations, overcoming a seemingly intractable rift that
dates to the early 20th century and was marked by massacres of
Armenians under Ottoman rule.
The neighboring countries will be setting up and developing relations
for the first time, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Burak Ozugergin
said. It is unclear, however, if the talks will touch on the dispute
over the World War I-era killings.
The issue is a major stumbling block to Turkey's aspirations to
join the European Union and has strained ties with the United
States. Historians estimate that, in the last days of the Ottoman
Empire, up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks in
what is widely regarded as the first genocide of the 20th Century.
Turkey denies that the deaths constituted genocide, contending the
toll has been inflated and that the casualties were victims of civil
war. It says Turks also suffered losses in the hands of Armenian gangs.
Turkey and Armenia also disagree about Armenian forces' control
of the Arzerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Turkey is a close
ally of Azerbaijan and back Baku's claims to the region, which has
a high number of ethnic Armenian residents but is located within
Azerbaijan's borders.
Turkey was one of the first countries to recognize Armenia's
independence in 1991, but the two countries never established
diplomatic relations and their joint border has been closed since 1993.
Ties began to improve after a so-called soccer diplomacy campaign
last year, when Turkish President Abdullah Gul attended a World Cup
qualifier in Armenia.
Armenia's President Serge Sarkisian has said he wants significant
progress on reopening their shared border before he will agree to
attend a World Cup qualifying match in Turkey on Oct. 14.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said the upcoming talks, agreed to after
mediation by Switzerland, should last about six weeks.
Armenian political commentator Artyom Yerkanian, speaking during a
special TV broadcast, suggested the agreement to establish ties could
be signed at the October soccer match.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy welcomed the announcement, saying
in a statement that "normalizing relations between Armenia and Turkey
wouldconstitute an event of historic import that would contribute to
regional stability." Sarkozy opposes Turkey's entry into the EU.
Establishing ties with Armenia is important for Turkey - a country
that is playing an ever increasing role as a regional mediator and
powerbroker.
Turkey has mediated indirect talks between Syria and Israel, and
hosted Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as well as EU leaders
separately for talks on proposed pipeline projects to bring energy
supplies to the West.
Earlier Monday, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu visited Iraq and
Syria to try and defuse diplomatic tensions over Baghdad's demand that
Damascus extradite two suspects wanted in a recent suicide attacks
on government ministries.
By Suzan Fraser
Associated Press Writer
31, 2009 07:33 PM
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - Armenia and Turkey agreed Monday to establish
diplomatic relations, overcoming a seemingly intractable rift that
dates to the early 20th century and was marked by massacres of
Armenians under Ottoman rule.
The neighboring countries will be setting up and developing relations
for the first time, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Burak Ozugergin
said. It is unclear, however, if the talks will touch on the dispute
over the World War I-era killings.
The issue is a major stumbling block to Turkey's aspirations to
join the European Union and has strained ties with the United
States. Historians estimate that, in the last days of the Ottoman
Empire, up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks in
what is widely regarded as the first genocide of the 20th Century.
Turkey denies that the deaths constituted genocide, contending the
toll has been inflated and that the casualties were victims of civil
war. It says Turks also suffered losses in the hands of Armenian gangs.
Turkey and Armenia also disagree about Armenian forces' control
of the Arzerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Turkey is a close
ally of Azerbaijan and back Baku's claims to the region, which has
a high number of ethnic Armenian residents but is located within
Azerbaijan's borders.
Turkey was one of the first countries to recognize Armenia's
independence in 1991, but the two countries never established
diplomatic relations and their joint border has been closed since 1993.
Ties began to improve after a so-called soccer diplomacy campaign
last year, when Turkish President Abdullah Gul attended a World Cup
qualifier in Armenia.
Armenia's President Serge Sarkisian has said he wants significant
progress on reopening their shared border before he will agree to
attend a World Cup qualifying match in Turkey on Oct. 14.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said the upcoming talks, agreed to after
mediation by Switzerland, should last about six weeks.
Armenian political commentator Artyom Yerkanian, speaking during a
special TV broadcast, suggested the agreement to establish ties could
be signed at the October soccer match.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy welcomed the announcement, saying
in a statement that "normalizing relations between Armenia and Turkey
wouldconstitute an event of historic import that would contribute to
regional stability." Sarkozy opposes Turkey's entry into the EU.
Establishing ties with Armenia is important for Turkey - a country
that is playing an ever increasing role as a regional mediator and
powerbroker.
Turkey has mediated indirect talks between Syria and Israel, and
hosted Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as well as EU leaders
separately for talks on proposed pipeline projects to bring energy
supplies to the West.
Earlier Monday, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu visited Iraq and
Syria to try and defuse diplomatic tensions over Baghdad's demand that
Damascus extradite two suspects wanted in a recent suicide attacks
on government ministries.
ARMENIA, TURKEY MOVE TO RESTORE DIPLOMATIC TIES
France 24
Sept 1 2009
Armenia and Turkey have announced an agreed plan towards establishing
diplomatic relations and re-opening the border after almost a century
of distrust and resentment rooted in massacres of Armenians during
the First World War.
AFP - Armenia and Turkey said Monday they had agreed on a plan to
establish diplomatic ties and re-open their border, seeking to end
decades of distrust and resentment on both sides.
The two countries have no diplomatic relations, a closed frontier and
a long history of hostility rooted in massacres of Armenians under
the Ottoman Turks during World War I.
Ankara and Yerevan said they would hold six weeks of domestic
consultations before signing two protocols on establishing diplomatic
ties and developing bilateral relations.
"The political consultations will be completed within six weeks,
following which the two protocols will be signed and submitted to
the respective parliaments for ratification," the countries' foreign
ministries said in a joint statement with mediator Switzerland.
According to copies of the protocols released by the Armenian foreign
ministry, the two countries have agreed to re-open their common border
"within two months" of the deal taking effect.
The agreement also calls for the creation of a joint commission
to examine the "historical dimension" of their disagreements,
"including an impartial scientific examination of the historical
records and archives."
The two countries said in April that they had agreed to a road map
for normalising diplomatic ties after years of enmity.
Turkey has long refused to establish diplomatic links with Armenia
over Yerevan's efforts to have World War I-era massacres of Armenians
by Ottoman Turks recognised as genocide -- a label Turkey strongly
rejects.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kin were systematically killed
between 1915 and 1917 as the Ottoman Empire, Turkey's predecessor,
was falling apart.
Turkey categorically rejects the genocide label and says between
300,000 and 500,000 Armenians and at least as many Turks died in civil
strife when Armenians took up arms in eastern Anatolia and sided with
invading Russian troops.
Turkey also closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity with
ally Azerbaijan over Yerevan's backing of ethnic Armenian separatists
in the breakaway Nagorny Karabakh region.
Rare talks between the two neighbours gathered steam last September
when Turkish President Abdullah Gul paid a landmark visit to Yerevan
to watch a World Cup qualifying football match between the countries'
national teams. It was the first such visit by a Turkish leader.
Gul invited Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian to attend a rematch
in Turkey in October. Sarkisian said in July that he would not attend
unless Ankara took "real steps" at mending ties.
Washington has backed the reconciliation effort, with President Barack
Obama calling on Armenia and Turkey to build on fence-mending efforts
during a visit to Turkey earlier this year.
Late Monday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy's office issued a
statement saying France encourages Turkey and Armenia to "redouble
their efforts so they can quickly sign an accord... which will be an
historic event and contribute to stability in the region."
But Azerbaijan has demanded that any final deal be linked with the
withdrawal of Armenian forces from Nagorny Karabakh, which broke from
Baku's control during a war in the early 1990s.
Officials there have hinted that energy-rich Azerbaijan would consider
cutting gas supplies to Turkey if Ankara ignored the Karabakh issue
in its talks with Armenia.
The plan could also face domestic opposition in both countries, where
the issue of the Ottoman-era massacres continues to raise strong
emotions. One of Armenia's most influential political parties, the
Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), left the country's
governing coalition in April in protest over the talks with Ankara.
By AVET DEMOURIAN | Associated Press | August 31, 2009 - 3 hours, 11
minutes ago
Armenia and Turkey, bitter foes for a century, took a step toward
reconciliation Monday by announcing they would launch final talks
aimed at establishing diplomatic ties. But they won't discuss the
deepest source of their enmity: the World War I-era massacres of
Armenians under Ottoman rule.
Both sides said in a joint statement they expected the talks to take
six weeks and to end with an agreement setting up and developing
ties. The two countries, whose shared border is closed, are
U.S. allies and came under American and European pressure to move
toward peace.
The talks still face pitfalls, and will follow months of inactivity
after signs of promise earlier in the year when President Obama
appealed for reconciliation during a visit to Turkey.
The parliaments of the two countries must ratify a deal on diplomatic
normalization, and in Turkey, nationalist sentiment and suspicion
about Armenian intentions is particularly high.
Also, despite an agreement that the process should proceed without
preconditions, Turkey's prime minister has linked it to a resolution
of the dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh, an Azeri region that was
occupied by Armenian troops. The Turkish population shares close
cultural and linguistic relations with Azerbaijan, which is pressing
Turkey for help in recovering its land.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Monday that Turkey would
"guard" Azerbaijan's interest during its reconciliation with Armenia,
saying in comments broadcast by NTV television that "our aim is to
establish stability in the Caucasus."
Turkey, however, clearly seeks to enhance its growing image as a
regional statesman and a coveted ally of world powers in a strategic
and often unstable region. The rapprochement with Armenia coincides
with efforts to resolve a long-running feud with Turkey's Kurdish
minority _ issues that are vital to Turkish efforts to earn membership
in the European Union.
Turkey's Islamic-oriented government is not immune to domestic
pressure, especially from nationalists who believe Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan is trying to undermine secular principles. That
internal division has contributed to slow progress on the Armenian
issue.
"Turkey was perceived in Washington as the party that was dragging its
feet," said Omer Taspinar, director of the Turkey project at the
Brookings Institution in Washington. Taspinar said the announcement of
talks was positive, but that it might be more cosmetic than
substantive. "It's better than nothing," he said. "We have plenty of
reasons to be skeptical."
One of the biggest disputes between the neighboring countries is over
the World War I-era massacre of up to 1.5 million Armenians in the
last days of the Ottoman Empire, which historians widely regard as the
first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey denies that the deaths
constituted genocide, contending the toll has been inflated and that
the casualties were victims of civil war.
Armenian President Serge Sarkisian indicated the dispute would not be
a deal-breaker between the two neighbors.
"It's important that historical justice be restored. It's important
that our nations are able to establish normal relations," Sarkisian
said in an interview published Monday by the BBC Russian service. "But
we do not regard a recognition of genocide as a preliminary condition
for establishing relations."
Turkey was one of the first countries to recognize Armenia's
independence in 1991, but the two countries never established
diplomatic relations and their joint border has been closed since
1993.
Illustrating just how intractable the Armenia-Turkey dispute has been,
Israel and Germany managed to establish diplomatic relations in 1965,
just 20 years after the end of the Holocaust, in which German Nazis
and their collaborators murdered 6 million Jews. Today, the two
nations enjoy close ties. In contrast to Turkey, however, Germany
accepted responsibility for the genocide immediately after the war and
began paying reparations to Jewish survivors.
The joint statement released by the Armenian and Turkish foreign
ministries Monday said the two countries would start consultations to
sign two protocols _ one to establish diplomatic ties, the other to
develop relations. The talks, with continued mediation by Switzerland,
are to last six weeks.
In agreeing to move forward and normalize relations, landlocked
Armenia is eager for a reopening of the border and the trade
opportunities it would bring.
The border was closed after Armenian forces took control of the
Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Turkish foreign minister said, however, that opening the border
was out of the question for now. "A longer process is required for
that," Davutoglu said Monday, according to NTV.
Turkish-Armenian ties began to improve after a so-called soccer
diplomacy campaign last year, when Turkish President Abdullah Gul
attended a World Cup qualifier in Armenia.
Sarkisian in the past has said he wants progress on the reopening of
the border before he agrees to attend an Oct. 14 match in Turkey _
about six weeks away.
Armenian political commentator Artyom Yerkanian, speaking during a
special broadcast on Armenian television late Monday, suggested the
agreement to establish ties could be signed at the October match in
Turkey.
Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, a
major Jewish organization in the U.S., welcomed the announcement.
"Whatever historical pain and differences are, the best way to deal
with them is for the two governments to reconcile and establish
relationships and to deal with the past," he said. "If it happens, I
think it's good news."
French President Nicolas Sarkozy welcomed the announcement, saying in
a statement that "normalizing relations between Armenia and Turkey
would constitute an event of historic import that would contribute to
regional stability." Sarkozy opposes Turkey's entry into the EU.
___
Associated Press writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, and Josef
Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No comments:
Post a Comment