The New Anatolian, Turkey
Jan 27 2007

Ankara slams Armenian proposal to open ties without preconditions

The New Anatolian / Ankara
27 January 2007

Both the Turkish Foreign Ministry and Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan
late Thursday slammed Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Arman
Karakosian’s proposal to begin relations with Turkey without
preconditions.

While the Foreign Ministry dismissed the offer as "including nothing
new," Erdogan urged Yerevan to act in a "genuine" manner.

The ministry said that Armenia has been making various statements
from time to time and that the latest doesn’t lead to any new
opening.

Stressing that Turkey maintains its willingness to develop ties based
on mutual trust and respect with all neighbors, the ministry added
however that the development and strengthening of bilateral and
regional cooperation can’t only depend on Turkey’s steps, but can
only be realized through the will and positive steps of all concerned
sides. "In relation to our country’s will to further develop dialogue
with Armenia, Turkey has taken constructive and concrete steps," the
statement continued. "The Turkish suggestion to set up a joint
commission of Armenian and Turkish historians to study the events of
1915 (Armenian genocide claims) is an example of the country’s will."

Similarly Premier Erdogan, in his response to the Armenian deputy
foreign minister’s proposal to establish relations without
preconditions, stated that Armenia should first give a response to
the Turkish suggestion to set up a joint commission to study the
disputed events. "They haven’t responded to my suggestion. These
statements don’t show good will. Therefore I don’t find their manner
genuine," Erdogan added.

Erdogan made the remarks during his meeting with European Union
members states’ ambassadors in Ankara late Thursday, in response to
German Ambassador Eckart Cuntz saying, "History might open some
windows of opportunity. Could (Hrant) Dink’s murder lead to positive
events in Turkish-Armenian relations and in Article 301 (of the
Turkish Penal Code)?"

In the closed-door session of the meeting, sources quoted Erdogan as
replying to Ambassador Cuntz’ remarks as saying, "There is no
relation between Article 301 and Dink’s murder. The murder is a
criminal act committed by a young man."

Ankara has urged Yerevan to abandon the Armenian genocide claims, to
give up claims of domination over Turkish territory (which were
stated in Armenia’s independence manifesto in 1991), to withdraw from
the Nagorno-Karabakh region without preconditions and to give
permission for the opening of a corridor between Azerbaijan and
Nakhchivan in order to establish diplomatic relations with the
country.