VARDAN OSKANIAN REAFFIRMS ARMENIAN POSITION CONCERNING NORMALIZATION OF RELATIONS WITHOUT PRECONDITIONS DURING MEETING WITH TURKISH PRIME MINISTER

Noyan Tapan
Jun 26 2007

ISTANBUL, JUNE 26, NOYAN TAPAN. On June 25 Vardan Oskanian, the
RA Minister of Foreign Affairs, took part in the summit of the
organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation where he made
a speech.

According to the information provided to Noyan Tapan by the RA
Foreign Ministry’s Press and Information Department, the RA Minister
of Foreign Affairs had a number of bilateral meetings within the
frameworks of the summit. At the meeting with Abdullah Gul, the Prime
Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, Vardan Oskanian
reaffirmed Armenia’s position concerning the normalization of relations
without preconditions. The interlocutors also discussed the recent
developments of the negotiations concerning the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict settlement. Abdullah Gul said that Turkey is interested in
a quick and fair settlement of the conflict.

Development prospects of bilateral relations, regional problems, as
well as the regulation processes of Kosovo’s and Nagorno Karabakh’s
conflicts were discussed during the meeting with Vuk Geremich, the
newly-elected Prime Minister of Serbia.

Vardan Oskanianhad also had short meetings with Gela Bezhuashvili,
the Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Dora Bakoyanis, the
Foreign Minister of Greece.

V. Oskanian’s press conference took place within the framework of
the summit and approximately fourty representatives of the Turkish
and international press took part.

The day before Vardan Oskanian visited Archbishop Mesrop Mutaphian,
the Armenian Patriarch in Constantinople. Community issues were
discussed, and the Patriarch introduced the state and the tasks of
the community during their meeting. A reception was organized in the
patriarchate in honour of the Armenian Minister after the meeting,
and representatives of community structures took part.