VARTAN OSKANIAN: ARMENIA IS PREPARED TO DISCUSS ANY ISSUE WITH TURKEY AFTER OPENING THE BORDER AND ESTABLISHMENT OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS

Noyan Tapan
Feb 20 2007

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 20, NOYAN TAPAN. There have been some contacts
between Armenia and Turkey recently. The German Foreign Minister
Frank-Walter Steinmeier stated this in Yerevan on February 20. He
assessed positively the fact that the Armenian side attended Hrant
Dink’s funeral in Turkey. The German foreign minister expressed
a hope that these contacts will promote the relations between the
two countries.

The Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian in his turn noted that
these contacts should not be attached much importance as there have
been precedents, even direct contacts between the foreign ministers
of the two countries.

"The problem is simple for us: Armenia has no preconditions for
establishing relations with Turkey," he said. Quoting the country’s
president, V. Oskanian said that Armenia is prepared to discuss
any issue with Turkey at the governmental level if there are normal
relations between the two countries. He underlined that after opening
the border and establishment of diplomatic relations, Armenia will
be ready to discuss all the problems that Turkey wants to raise.