ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER’S CALLS ON TURKEY TO OPEN BORDERS IN VAIN
Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
June 26 2007
Armenian Foreign Minister, Vardan Oskanyan, urged after the meeting
with his Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gul, that Turkey should open
the borers with Armenia, according to the reports of Turkish media.
In his interview with journalists Oskanyan noted the necessity to
begin economic cooperation between the two countries. He voiced his
hope that after parliamentary elections in Turkey to be held on 22
July the new Government will review its position regarding the borders.
Turkey closed the borders with Armenia in 1993 as a protest to
Armenia’s occupation of some 20% of Azerbaijani territory. There are
disagreements between Ankara and Yerevan on the fictitious genocide
of Armenian people which according to official Yerevan was committed
by Turks in 1915.
Ankara informed of impossibility to open the borders until Armenia
vacates the occupied Azerbaijani territories. Turkey proposed to
establish joint commission on study of the events of 1915.
According to Oskanyan, Armenia will view establishment of a commission
provided that normal diplomatic relations are established between
the countries, according to Reuters. Oskanyan criticized Turkey’s
proposal on establishment of a commission and said that the proposal
was an attempt to prevent parliaments from recognition of the events
of 1915 as genocide of Armenians.