U.S. STANDS FOR SOONEST NORMALIZATION OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS

PanARMENIAN.Net
17.12.2007 17:11 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The U.S. would like soonest normalization of the
Armenian-Turkish relations and opening of the border, U.S. Charge
d’Affaires in Armenia Joseph Pennington told a news conference
in Yerevan.

"We call on governments of both states to open dialogue and the sooner
it happens the better. We also insist on cancellation of article
301 of the Turkish Penal Code, which restricts freedom of speech and
expression," he said.

Ankara closed the Armenian-Turkish border in 1993 to support Azerbaijan
in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

There are no diplomatic relations between the two states. Turkey
urges Armenia to stop pressing for international recognition of the
Armenian Genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Empire in 1915, when
1.5 million of Armenians were slaughtered.