EU SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR SOUTH CAUCASUS: THE LAST DOCUMENT QUALIFIED TO INITIATE TALKS BETWEEN ARMENIA AND TURKEY IS TURKISH PRIME MINISTER’S LETTER

arminfo
2007-12-19 23:32:00

ArmInfo. The last document qualified to initiate talks between Armenia
and Turkey is Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s letter
to the Armenian president, EU Special Representative for the South
Caucasus Peter Semneby told journalists after the parliamentary
hearings "Armenian-Turkish relations: problems and prospects",
Wednesday.

He noted that he is not familiar with Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan’s letter of response to Ergogan, in which the Armenian
president offered to set up an intergovernmental commission, which
would cover the whole range of issues concerning Armenia-Turkey
relations. To note, in his letter to Kocharyan, the Turkish prime
minister offered to set up a commission of scientists and historians
to study the events of the past. Nevertheless, Semneby expressed EU’s
viewpoint, saying that the existing problems between Armenia and
Turkey should be discussed in any case. These are issues regarding
history and opening of the Armenian-Turkish border. Asked why Turkish
representatives took no part in the December 19 hearings, Semneby
supposed that they failed to come to Armenia because of their main
religious holiday – Novruz Bayram. At the same time, he expressed
hope that similar hearings with participation of Armenia and Turkey
will continue.