U.S. urges Turkey to open up border crossing with Armenia

Xinhua News Agency, China
March 17 2006

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs
Daniel Fried urged Turkey to open up the border crossing with Armenia
as a step toward normalization of relations between the two countries,
local media reported Friday.

Fried, who is currently on a visit to Turkey, called upon Turkey to
open up the border crossing, which he said would contribute to building
up relations between Turkey and Armenia, semi-official Anatolia News
Agency reported.

The U.S. official also discussed with Turkish officials Iran’s nuclear
program and the Cyprus issue, the report added.

Turkey and the United States shared concern over the Iranian nuclear
issue, but officials from both sides agreed that it should be resolved
through diplomatic means, Anatolia said.

But meanwhile, Fried conveyed the message to Turkey that the military
alternative was still on the table, it added.

On the Cyprus issue, Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ali
Tuygan, who held talks with Fried, emphasized the importance of ending
the isolation of the Turkish Cypriot north.

Turkey has refused to establish diplomatic relations with Armenia on
the basis that Armenia claims that up to 1.5 million Armenians died
as a result of systematic genocide during the Turkish Ottoman period
between 1915 and 1923, a charge disputed by Ankara.