ARMENIAN INVITATION TO CONTRIBUTE SOLUTION TO PROBLEMS, TURKEY SAYS

Hürriyet
Aug 29 2008
Turkey

Turkish President Abdullah Gul said his Armenian counterpart’s
invitation to watch a football game in Yerevan is an example that shows
that a contribution to solving problems could come from every level,
adding he is still considering whether to accept the invitation or not.

"I think that (Armenian President Serz Sargsyan’s invitation) is an
example showing that the contribution to solving the problem and ending
the misunderstandings can be made at each level. Our assessments on
Mr. Sargsyan’s invitation are underway with taking every development
into account," Gul told Radikal daily on Friday.

Radikal conducted an interview with Sargsyan on Thursday, and Gul’s
comments came a day after the interview. Sargsyan said Gul’s visit
will boost the diplomatic ties between the two countries and open
new windows of opportunity, adding they want to establish diplomatic
relations.

Sargsyan has invited 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." Gul is yet to make a decision on
accepting the invitation.

"I sincerely support the recent efforts to ensure peace in the
region. I think that it is important to use the opportunities. Our
wish is this: We think it is very important to solve our problems
with our neighbors. We think it is very important the problems
should be solved through dialogue. We are a problem-solving country
in the region. We think peace, and stability is very important in
the Caucasus," Gul added.

Gul also said the frozen conflicts of the Caucasus, especially the
Nagorno-Karabakh problem, should be solved through dialogue, adding
he is still considering the invitation of his Armenian counterpart
to watch a football game in Yerevan.

Although Turkey is among the first countries to recognize Armenia when
it declared its independence, there are no diplomatic relations between
two countries as Armenia continues to press the international community
to admit the so-called "genocide" claims, instead of accepting Turkey’s
call to investigate the allegations, and its invasion of 20 percent
of Azerbaijani territory due to the Nagorno-Karabakh issue despite
U.N. Security Council resolutions on the issue.

Armenia, with the backing of the Diaspora, claims up to 1.5 million
of their kin were slaughtered in orchestrated killings in 1915. Turkey
rejects the claims, saying that 300,000 Armenians along with at least
as many Turks died in civil strife that emerged when Armenians took
up arms for independence in eastern Anatolia.

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