Turkey, Armenia willing to develop bilateral ties – ministers

Anatolia news agency, Ankara
28 Jun 04

Istanbul: Abdullah Gul, foreign minister and deputy prime minister,
has met with Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan within the
framework of the bilateral contacts he is holding during the NATO
summit.

According to information obtained, Oskanyan said: “We want to develop
our relations.” He added that his government has the will power on the
issue.

Oskanyan further expressed his pleasure over the flights initiated
between Turkey and Armenia.

Gul also stated that Turkey has the same will power to develop
relations. Gul added that, however, there are certain issues over
which both the Turkish and Armenian public opinion are sensitive and
that this is the reason why an infrastructure has to be established.

Noting that a certain amount of time is needed to resolve problems,
Gul then showed Cyprus as a example adding that the problems should be
left behind with the same understanding.

At the meeting it was also noted that a rapprochement between the two
countries will contribute to the implementation of the stability plan
NATO has prepared for the Caucasus.

Furthermore, the two sides shared the view that the meetings being
held at the foreign ministerial level among Turkey, Azerbaijan, and
Armenia should also be held outside the framework of international
summits.