Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
Sept 13 2008

Presidents of Armenia and Turkey Go in Large Political Risk: OSCE
Minsk Grqoup Co-Chairman

13.09.08 12:02

The Presidents of Armenia, Serj Sarkisyan and Turkey, Abdullah Gul,
went to large political risk and displayed bravery, said the American
Co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group on Nagorno-Karabakh Settlement,
Matthew Bryza, commenting Gul’s recent visit to Yerevan and Turkey’s
initiative to establish Platform of Stability and Security in
Caucasus, Novosti Armenia reports.

According to him, the initiative of Turkey is very constructive. `I
welcome improvement in the relations between Armenia and Turkey,’ said
Bryza.

The President of Turkey, Abdullah Gyul, arrived in Yerevan at the
invitation of the Armenian President, Serj Sarkisyan, to watch the
match between the football teams of the two countries. During the
visit, the State Heads discussed the possibilities of establishing
bilateral relations

Diplomatic relations are absent between Armenia and Turkey, and the
Armenian-Turkish border has been closed since 1993.

Turkey makes a number of pre-conditions for establishing bilateral
relations, in particular Armenia’s giving up the policy of
international recognition of `genocide’ of the Armenians in the
Ottoman Empire during the years of the First World War, Armenia’s
recognition of borders of Turkey.

American Co-chairman of the OSCE emphasized that it needs to complete
the work on the base principles of conflict solution, despite that the
relations between Armenia and Turkey change.

`This is good that the relations between Armenia and Turkey are
improved because, in my view, such openness improves the climate and
means that Armenia can be more opened in the negotiations. Maybe I
make a mistakes, but I hope for this,’ said Bryza.