IRANIAN MEDIATION IN ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS REMAINS VALID
By Hakob Chakrian

AZG Armenian Daily
31/07/2008

Iran-Armenia-Turkey

In its July 23 issue "Azg" daily informed under heading "Iranian
initiative in Armenian-Turkish relations" that Iranian Foreign Minister
Mannucher Mottaki while being on an official visit to Ankara on July
18 had a telephone conversation with his Armenian counterpart Edward
Nalbandian, and IRNA assessed the conversation as an initiative in
Armenian-Turkish relations.

CNN-Turk touched upon the issue while speaking of the Turkish Foreign
Minister Ali Babajan’s visit to Iran. Babajan left for Tehran to
discuss the details of the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinedzad’s
visit to Turkey on August 14.

What about the mediation, CNN-Turk cited from the speech of the
Co-chairman of Turkish-Armenian Business Union Kaan Soyak, who
highly qualified this initiative of Iran. According to Soyak, Iran
wants to contribute to the development of Armenian relations with
Turkey. Though a small but influential Armenian community exists
in Iran, and Iran does not want to be impartial to the political
developments of the region.

Underlining the unprecedented "new beginning" of Armenia-Turkey
relations Soyak added, "It’s first time that the regional countries
including Iran, OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs USA, Russia and France have
united through the common denominator of opening of Armenian-Turkish
border and settling of available issues, and they try to regulate
the relations of the two countries with joint efforts".