DEVELOPMENT OF TURKEY-EU RELATIONS WILL AFFECT YEREVAN-ANKARA RELATIONS

Pan Armenian News
05.05.2005 09:40

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The arrangement of the relations between Turkey
and the EU will affect the Ankara-Yerevan relations, EU Special
Representative for the South Caucasus Heikki Talvitie stated at a
joint press conference with Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian
today. “However, Armenia should not sit on its hands, but it should
act. Armenia should not wait until Turkey suggests proper formulas
to solve the problem before the Turkey-EU relations are continued,”
he stated. When commenting on the correspondence between the Armenian
President and the Turkish Premier, Talvitie noted that just now the
Armenian-Turkish dialogue has begun. However, he simultaneously noted
that the EU does not have an official stand regarding the proposal
of Turkish Prime Minster Recep Tayyip Erdogan over forming a joint
historical commission to study the events of 1915. In his words, if the
parties reach a consensus, the EU will not object to their decision. He
also noted that the opening of the Armenian border by Turkey would
have been an important move, however time is necessary to that end.