YEREVAN EXPECTS TURKISH STEPS TOWARDS SETTLING BILATERAL RELATIONS – MINISTER
Interfax
Nov 24 2008
Russia
Armenia and Turkey are equally interested in the establishment of
bilateral relations, Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian
said in an interview with the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet before an
Istanbul visit.
"The establishment of bilateral relations meets the interests of
both countries. Turkey does not make a gift for Armenia by opening
borders. Turkey has a large interest in that. Both countries need
open borders, so artificial obstacles are inappropriate," he said.
"Armenia is ready to settle bilateral relations [with Turkey] without
preconditions. We expect the same from Turkey. That is the goal of
our negotiations. The negotiations are not a goal in itself, we want
to achieve particular results," Nalbandian said.
He said Armenia implied diplomatic relations and borders opened
without preconditions when it spoke of normalized relations.
Nalbandian will pay a one-day visit to Istanbul on Monday, as Armenia
is the chair of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization.
There are no diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey at
present. Ankara closed the border with Armenia in 1993. Turkey wants
Armenia to stop insisting on the international recognition of Armenian
genocide in the Ottoman Empire in 1915 and to withdraw forces from
Karabakh in order to resume bilateral relations.
Armenia has said many times that it wishes to establish diplomatic
relations with Turkey without preconditions.