Today’s Zaman, Turkey
July 11 2008

Ankara welcomes Sarksyan’s proposal for gradual normalization

Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan’s open call to Turkey to launch "a
fresh start" in relations between the estranged neighbors has found a
positive response in the Turkish capital.

"The time has come for a fresh effort to break this deadlock, a
situation that helps no one and hurts many. As president of Armenia, I
take this opportunity to propose a fresh start — a new phase of
dialogue with the government and people of Turkey, with the goal of
normalizing relations and opening our common border," Sarksyan said in
an opinion piece published Wednesday in The Wall Street Journal. In
response to a question at a weekly press conference held in Ankara,
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Burak Ã-zügergin said
firstly that Ankara has received Sarksyan’s formal invitation to
President Abdullah Gül via official channels to visit Yerevan
for a soccer match in September.

"We will assess the invitation," Ã-zügergin said.

Armenia and Turkey will play against each other in the Armenian
capital of Yerevan on Sept. 6 in a qualifying match of the 2010 FIFA
World Cup, scheduled to be held in South Africa.

"We are heeding normalization concerning relations with Armenia. The
Armenian president has had certain statements resound in the
international community," Ã-zügergin said when reminded
of the content of the opinion piece by Sarksyan.

"We have learned that he said that there is no other alternative than
normalization of the two countries’ relations. If this [statement] is
so, we agree with these suggestions. As a matter of fact, there had
been exchange of letters right after the elections in Armenia. These
elements are also in those letters. Accordingly, if it [the statement
by Sarksyan] is true, then we are responding with pleasure these
statements by Sarksyan," Ã-zügergin said.

"There is no real alternative to the establishment of normal relations
between our countries. It is my hope that both of our governments can
pass through the threshold of this new open door. ¦ We
cannot expect tangible progress without such structured
relations. Only through them can we create an effective dialogue
touching upon even the most contentious historical issues," Sarksyan
said in his opinion piece.