EU SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR SOUTH CAUCASUS: FORMATION OF NEW TURKISH GOVERNMENT CREATES FAVORABLE PROSPECTS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF YEREVAN-ANKARA RELATIONS

ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Sept 28 2007

ArmInfo. It is very difficult to predict how the Yerevan-Ankara
relations will develop after the Turkish government is changed,
EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby told
ArmInfo correspondent.

"I do hope that with the new government in Turkey with a very strong
political mandate there will be possibilities to open the bilateral
relationships," P.Semneby said. He added that this will require
political decisions of both Turkish and Armenian sides, but one
should assess the fundamental changes in Turkey from the viewpoint
of a favorable prospect for improvement of Armenia-Turkey relations.

"Both Armenia and Turkey are important partners for EU, we have good
relations with both," he noted. He thinks that this fact should be
considered in the context of EU’s possible impact on establishment of
the Armenian-Turkish political dialogue. P.Semneby expressed hope that
the new Turkish government will give a new impetus to establishment
of Yerevan-Ankara relations.