‘TURKISH-ARMENIAN BORDER SHOULD OPEN’
AZG Armenian Daily #088, 18/05/2005
Armenia-Turkey
Turkish Milliet newspaper published an article entitled “The
Turkish-Armenian Border Should Open” which highlighted the press
conference given by Vartan Oskanian, RA foreign minister in
Warsaw. According to the article, “on the eve of the meeting that
was expected to take place between Erdogan and Kocharian on May 16,
in response to the question put by Milliet RA foreign minister Vartan
Oskanian said that in case of improvement of relations with Turkey
we are ready to discuss the issue of the Armenian Genocide.
At the same time, RA foreign minister stated that he expects that the
envisaged inter-governmental committee will contribute to the opening
of the borders between the two countries. “If the committee discusses
the issue of improving the relations, we can wait for six months
more. But Armenia-Turkey border should opened,” Vartan Oskanian said.
In response to the question by Milliet whether the exchange of
letters between Erdogan and Kocharian helped to put forward various
suggestions and whether the creation of inter-governmental or the
historians~R committee is a priority, Oskanian said: “There may be
two committees. If the inter-governmental committee is created for
the improvement of the relations, we can already think of creating a
committee of historians. But opening of the borders is the required
precondition for improving the relations.”
RA foreign minister also added that no relations can be considered
normal if the borders remain blocked. “Though there exist the
issues of Cyprus and the Aegean Sea, Turkey and Greece still have
relations. While the blocked Armenian-Turkish borders create a strange
situation in the world,” Vartan Oskanian said.
By Hakob Chakrian