ANKARA REFUSES US CALL TO OPEN ARMENIAN BORDER

YEREVAN, MARCH 20. ARMINFO. The Turkish government responded negatively
once again to a demand from the United States to open the Armenian
border, Zaman reports.

An envoy from the United States brought the Mountainous Karabag
(Karabagh) region to the agenda in search of a resolution as they asked
the Turkish government to reevaluate the Armenian border. On Thursday,
Turkish foreign ministry officials met with Assistant Secretary of
States Daniel Friend of the United States as well as with Ambassador
Steven Mann, a United States negotiator assigned to find a resolution
to the Mountainous Karabagh question. Fried addressed the demand to
open the Armenian border, according to reporters. Ankara, however,
acted unenthusiastically to the issue at hand. Turkish officials
classified the Armenian cessation of its invasion of the Karabagh
region as one of the three requirements for the appeasement of
relations between Turkey and Armenia. Turkey is also pushing Armenia
to disavow its allegations of genocide and to remove from the Armenian
constitution the anti-Turkish clauses.

Another topic at the meeting was the demand to ease the administration
in North Cyprus off economic isolation. The United States envoy
preferred to give priority to diplomacy in handling with Iran,
reporters said, although the US administration reserves the possibility
of a military operation as well.