SERJ SARGSYAN: "IF ABDULLA GUL VISITS ARMENIA, WE WILL ANNOUNCE A NEW SYMBOLIC START IN OUR RELATIONS"

Azeri Press Agency
July 9 2008
Azerbaijan

Armenian president Serj Sargsyan thinks that if his Turkish counterpart
Abdullah Gul visits Armenia to enjoy the match between Armenian and
Turkish national teams together with him, thus they will announce a
new symbolic start in the relations between the two countries.

"Whatever our differences, there are certain cultural, humanitarian
and sports links that our peoples share, even with a closed border",
said Sargsyan in his interview with Wall Street Journal. "Establishing
normal political relations would enable us to create a commission
to comprehensively discuss all complex issues affecting Armenia and
Turkey. Only through them can we create an effective dialogue touching
upon even the most contentious historical issues". Sargsyan said
Turkish president Abdullah Gul was among the first heads of states,
who congratulated him on the winning of presidential elections and
Prime Minister Receb Tayib Erdogan valued this step as a new door to
the dialogue. He said many Armenians used charter flights from Yerevan
to Istanbul and Antalya and Armenians traveled to Turkev by buses and
taxis via the Georgian territory and even carried out mutual trade
by containers. "Armenia and Turkey shouldn’t be permanent rivals".