TURKISH PRIME MINISTER: OUR RELATIONS CAN NOT BE NORMALIZED IF ARMENIA RAISES ISSUES BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES IN THE PARLIAMENTS OF THE THIRD COUNTRIES

arminfo
2007-11-14 14:28:00

ArmInfo. Our relations can not be normalized if Armenia raises issues
between the two countries in the Parliaments of the third countries,
Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an interview
with Azerbaijani APA news agency.

Expressing regret once again because of the fact that US House
Committee on Foreign Affairs approved the bill on the Armenian genocide
in October this year, Erdogan said US government’s decisive move to
prevent the House of Representatives from putting the unjust and
groundless bill on the agenda is praiseworthy. According to him,
the recent processes show that some members of the Congress, who
supported the bill, also understand anxiety and fair arguments of
the Turkish party. ‘In this regard, I would like to underline that I
believe the members of the Congress will act with the responsibility of
Turkish-American friendship and that we will continue our activity for
preventing the adoption of the bill, which may damage our relations
with the USA’, – Erdogan said and recalled that Turkey put forward
constructive proposals for revealing historical truths. ‘We offered
Armenia to establish a joint historical commission for investigating
the events of 1915, to search the archives in Turkey, Armenia and
third countries and inform the international community about the
results. We will not forget that instead of accepting our proposal,
which we believed will establish friendship and cooperation in the
region, Armenia pursues purposeful policy, directed towards the
adoption of the bill, both behind the curtains and openly’, – he
said. According to him, the fact that Armenia supported decision
of US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee ‘does
not coincide with neighborhood policy’. Maybe the fact that it is
already for ten years Turkey continues Armenia’s blockade coincides
with neighborhood policy. ‘We are taking several steps unilaterally,
but do not see its response. Can we hope in normalizing relations
in such a situation? Our relations can not be normalized if Armenia
raises issues between the two countries in the Parliaments of the
third countries’, – Erdogan said.