TURKEY SETS 1.5 TERMS FOR ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
11.12.2006 17:16 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Turkey has 1.5 terms for opening the
Armenian-Turkish border and normalization of relations between the two
states, these being the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
and formation of bilateral commission of historians on the events of
1915," Mensur Akgyun, head of the Foreign Policy program from TESEV
(Turkish economic and social studies foundation) stated in Yerevan. In
his words, Ankara enjoys special relations with Azerbaijan and would
not like to sacrifice them for normalization of relations with Armenia.

The Turkish political scientist remarked that presently the Turkish
public doesn’t deny the ‘tragedy of 1915.’ "I think that those events
do not match the Convention on Genocide adopted in 1948. Historians
should make out what really happened. The issue needs compromise,"
he said.

He considers that the Armenian-Turkish relations are not widely
discussed in Turkey. "Nevertheless Turkey should put an end to this
story by recognizing or not recognizing the events of 1915. We cannot
struggle against the whole world over the issue," he underscored
adding that Turkey is likely to appeal to the Hague International
Court to clarify the problem.

"Irrespectively of the court decision the issue will be removed from
the agenda," Mensur Akgyun said.