GURGEN ARSENYAN WELCOMES ANY STEP THAT WOULD REDUCE THE TENSION IN ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS

armradio.am
01.10.2008 17:17

"I welcome any step that will allow to reduce the tension in
the Armenian-Turkish relations and raise the level of possible
cooperation," leader of the United Labor Party Gurgen Arsenyan told
a press conference today, assessing Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s
visit to Armenia. He welcomed Serzh Sargsyan’s initiative targeted
at bringing the process of the Karabakh conflict settlement to a more
productive phase.

According to him, the latest Russian-Georgian event showed that
the normalization of relations with Turkey is of vital importance
for Armenia.

"Armenia’s economy would be at the threshold of paralysis if the
war lasted another 10 days," he said. It’s necessary to normalize
the relations between the two countries and establish economic,
political and public ties.

Asked whether Turkey’s activeness can play a negative role in the
Karabakh conflict resolution, Gurgen Arsenyan said it’s necessary
to apply diplomatic flexibility to avoid that danger. "If Turkey’s
activeness can bring any danger, the leadership of the country should
be able to neutralize it with its diplomatic tools: it’s already the
task of the diplomats," Gurgen Arsenyan said.