TURKISH OFFICIALS DO NOT RULE OUT POSSIBILITY OF ACCEPTANCE OF ARMENIAN PRESIDENT’S INVITATION BY THE TURKISH PRESIDENT

ArmInfo
2008-07-18 17:52:00

Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan confirms direct talks with
Armenian officials to boost dialogue between two neighboring countries

As Turkish ‘Hurriyet’ daily reported, Turkish and Armenian officials
had met in Switzerland on July 8.

"Turkey is a country which recognizes Armenia. We hold meetings
and consultations with our Armenian interlocutors from time to
time," Ali Babacan told in a joint news conference with his Iranian
counterpart. Turkey and Armenia held a series of secret meetings
in the capital of Switzerland on July 8. A high-level official
from the Foreign Ministry headed the Turkish delegation during the
talks which led to a positive atmosphere between the two countries,
according to a report in Hurriyet daily. This meeting came after
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s proposal for "a fresh start"
with the goal of normalizing relations with Turkey and opening the
border. Sargsyan also invited Turkish President Abdullah Gul to watch
a football match between the two country’s national teams on Sept 6 to
mark "a new symbolic start in the two countries’ relations". Turkish
officials told Hurriyet the invitation has been evaluated and did
not rule out accepting it since it would not be an official visit.