Pan Armenian News

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT RESPONSE TO TURKISH PREMIER’S LETTER

26.04.2005 08:59

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian President Robert Kocharian has answered the
letter of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan proposing to form a
joint Armenian-Turkish commission for studying the fact of the Armenian
Genocide, the Press Service of the Armenian leader reported. The letter
specifically says: «Dear Mr. Prime Minister, I have received your letter.
Actually, as neighbors, we should try to find ways to leave peacefully today
and in the future. Just due to that reason we proposed establishment of
normal relations, opening the borders and starting a dialogue between the
countries and the peoples. There are neighbor states – specifically in the
European continent – whose past was hard and opinions over it do not
coincide. However, it does not prevent them from opening borders, having
diplomatic relations, representatives in the capitals, simultaneously
discussing disputable issues. Your proposal to address the past cannot be
efficient if it does not refer to the present and the future. To get
involved in an efficient dialogue we need to form a favorable political
atmosphere. Governments are responsible for development of bilateral
relations and we do not have the right to delegate historians. Thus, we have
proposed and we again proposed establishment of normal relations between our
countries without preconditions. Just within that context an
intergovernmental commission may be formed to discuss any issue or issues
available between our countries aiming at solving them and coming to mutual
understanding.»