TURKISH FM HOLDS "POSITIVE" MEETING WITH OSKANIAN

The New Anatolian, Turkey
Oct 4 2007

Babacan holds "positive" meeting with Oskanian

Foreign Minister and Chief UE Negotiator Ali Babacan met the Armenian
Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian at the United Nations on Tuesday.

Diplomatic sources close to the Turkish foreign minister said that
the meeting between Babacan and Oskanian was very positive. Babacan
informed Oskanian that "Turkey is always open to dialogue."

Diplomatic sources indicated that the Babacan-Oskanian meeting was
designed to get the two ministers to know each other.

During the talks, Oskanian congratulated the Turkish government and
people over the recent successful general elections.

While Oskanian insisted that the Armenian-Turkish border be opened
up, Babacan in turn indicated that trade between Turkey and Armenia
takes place via third parties and that there is air link with
Armenia. Babacan stressed that hundreds of Armenian citizens work
in Turkey.

According to diplomatic sources, Babacan brought up the issue
of a resolution in the United States Congress on the incidents
of 1915 while talking to Oskanian. Babacan told Oskanian that
parliamentarians should not write history and that history should be
left to historians. Babacan reminded Oskanian that Turkey made an
offer to Armenia in 2005 to set up a joint historical committee to
study the incidents of 1915. The topic of Upper Karabagh also came
up during Babacan’s meeting with Oskanian. No details were given.

Diplomatic sources stressed that Babacan-Oskanian meeting took place
in a warm atmosphere. Both Babacan and Oskanian expressed a desire
to continue dialogue in the near future.

During the meeting with Oskanian, Babacan showed a picture of the
Akdamar Church, restored by the Turkish government, to Oskanian.

Following the meeting, Oskanian left without making any comments to
the press. Babacan-Oskanian meeting lasted nearly one hour.

Meanwhile, Babacan attended the Annual Coordination Meeting of
Foreign Ministers of Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC)
on Tuesday and also met the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh Iftekhar
Ahmed Chowdhury.

Babacan returned to Turkey on Wednesday.