ANKARA CONDUCTS UNOFFICIAL DIPLOMACY WITH YEREVAN
By Suleyman Kurt, Ankara

Zaman Online, Turkey
Aug. 31, 2006

Talks between Ankara and Yerevan, which began last April when Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a ‘historic letter’ to
Armenian President Robert Kocharian, continue.

The Armenian side sent an unofficial document to Ankara last
month reiterating its proposals. While Ankara is examining the
document, diplomatic sources speaking to Zaman said that the Yerevan
administration restated its position in its unofficial response.

The Armenian administration does not agree with Turkey regarding
the establishment of an independent committee of historians to
investigate the so-called genocide allegations. "We should first
establish diplomatic relations," they said.

Armenian and Turkish diplomats met in Vienna three times last year
following the correspondence between Prime Minister Erdogan and
Armenian President Robert Kocharian.

According to Ankara, no progress has yet been made in the talks. In
order for the start of diplomatic relations, "a document should be
signed by both parties concluding that some problems between the two
countries, including the border dispute, have been resolved".

However, the parties failed to reach such an agreement in any of
the meetings in Vienna. In the letter that Erdogan sent to Kocharian
before April 24 last year, he said "A group of historians and experts
should investigate the incidents that happened in 1915." Kocharian
replied by saying, "We should first establish diplomatic relations.

Then, an inter-governmental commission can discuss the events."

Ankara did not send a response to this letter at that time.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress