"LE MONDE" COMMENTS ON BABACAN’S MESSAGE TO ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER
By H. Chaqrian
AZG Armenian Daily
24/04/2008
Armenia-Turkey
"Sabah" newspaper on April 22 informed that "Le Monde" newspaper,
France, commented on Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan’s call upon
Armenian authorities to start dialogue with Turkey. "Le Monde" also
drew attention to the fact that the Turkish side made that statement
right on the eve of April 24.
"Le Monde" noted that Babacan’s initiative was not a novelty and
reminded of Prime Minister Erdogan’s proposal to establish a joint
Armenian-Turkish commission for studying the 1915 events. Then
the newspaper continues, "At that time Turkey offered Armenia two
preconditions for starting dialogue.
Armenia was supposed to stop agitating foreign states to adopt the
Genocide and to return to Azerbaijan the occupied territories adjacent
to Karabakh. No information is available, whether the last message
of Babacan contained any preconditions or no. Armenia in its turn
never offered turkey any preconditions."
And finally the French newspaper concluded, "One day after the
presidential elections in Armenia President of Turkey Abdullah Gul
surprised all the international observers by being among the first
to congratulate Serge Sarkisian".