POLAND TO HELP TURKEY AND ARMENIA?

PAP Polish Press Agency
November 20, 2006 Monday

The Polish foreign ministry has offered to mediate in talks between
Turkey and Armenia in a move to help establish dialogue between the
two countries to end the two-year-long conflict.

Once the offer is accepted the Polish diplomacy will score a great
success, writes Gazeta Wyborcza Daily on Monday.

Polish diplomats told the daily they would not dare to engage Poland
in solving conflicts in the region of Caucasus and that the idea to
invite Turks and Armenians to Warsaw for a conference was born still
under Foreign Minister Stefan Meller at the start of this year.

According to Piotr Iwaszkiewicz from the foreign ministry eastern
policy department Poland would like to share its experience from the
reconciliation process with Germany as the conflict between Turkey
and Armenia also involves genocide, apart from other ailing problems.

In August the Polish side presented another proposal offering Polish
embassies in respective countries to represent Armenian interests
in Turkey and Turkish interests in Armenia but the proposal has been
left unanswered.