Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Dec 8 2007
Armenia: No place for terror groups on Armenian soil
Armenia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Vladimir Karapetyan, on
Friday denied earlier reports in the Turkish media suggesting that
the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), faced with increasing
pressure to end its activities in northern Iraq, may be seeking to
re-establish its camps in the Armenian-controlled Nagorno-Karabakh
region of Azerbaijan.
Responding to reports in Today’s Zaman and other Turkish newspapers,
Karapetyan noted that Yerevan did not list the PKK and similar groups
as terrorist organizations because the Armenian capital hasn’t had a
particular list of terrorist organizations.
"Nonetheless, it is impossible for any armed group or terrorist
organization to get bases either in Armenia or in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The allegations are absurd and don’t reflect the truth," Karapetyan
said. He noted that a Kurdish population lives in certain regions of
Armenia. "There are villages on Armenian soil which are predominantly
Kurdish populated. Their population is around 50,000-60,000."
08.12.2007
Faruk Akkan, Yaºar Niyazbayev Moscow