ARMENIA WELCOMES TURKEY PLAN FOR TALKS ON REGIONAL SECURITY

Interfax
Aug 20 2008
Russia

Armenia welcomes Turkey’s plans to start talks on regional cooperation
and security.

"Armenia has always advocated dialog and talks, especially over
issues of cooperation and security in our region," Armenian Foreign
Minister Edvard Nalbandian said in answer to questions from the
Turkish newspaper Zaman.

"We welcome the Turkish prime minister’s statement on the plans to
start talks with Armenia on these issues," Nalbandian said, according
to the Armenian Foreign Ministry’s press service.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan said that the events in South
Ossetia necessitate the creation of a platform of peace and cooperation
in the Caucasus region.

Tbilisi and Moscow spoke positively of the Turkish initiative. The
Turkish prime minister flew to Baku on Wednesday for talks with the
Azeri president.

Meanwhile, Armenia and Turkey do not maintain diplomatic relations,
and the Armenian-Turkish border has been closed since 1993 on Armenia’s
initiative.