OSKANIAN UNDERLINED THE NEED FOR REOPENING OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH BORDER

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.10.2007 18:59 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Turkish and Armenian Foreign Ministers, Ali
Babacan and Vartan Oskanian met in New York to discuss bilateral
relations.

During the meeting, Minister Oskanian underlined the need for the
reopening of the Turkish-Armenian border, while Babacan said that
Turkey and Armenia are still engaged in trade through third countries
like Iran and Georgia.

Babacan also raised the matter of the Armenian Genocide resolution
submitted to the U.S. Congress.

Babacan reiterated Turkey’s position, saying, "history cannot be
rewritten through the votes of politicians in parliaments."

"Armenians were victims of widespread chaos and governmental breakdown
as the 600-year-old empire collapsed in the years before Turkey was
born in 1923," he said.

Babacan showed Oskanian pictures of Akhtamar Church in Van, which
recently underwent renovation.

Diplomatic sources said the ministers agreed to keep in touch and
create opportunities for more meetings in the future, the Anatolia
news agency reported.