Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Jan 31 2009

Turkish, Armenian leaders hold ‘useful’ talks in Davos

Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan said he had a "positive signal"
Thursday from Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an
during a rare talk between the two estranged neighbors. Sarksyan
described the talk with ErdoÄ?an as "very useful."

"I’ve seen a willingness of the prime minister to solve our issues. I
think this is a positive signal," he told reporters after the two met
at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Sarksyan would not give details about the talks, which took place
before ErdoÄ?an walked off the stage after reproaching Israeli
President Shimon Peres over the Gaza offensive.

In 1993 Turkey shut its border with Armenia in a show of solidarity
with its close ally Azerbaijan, which was at war with Armenia over the
Nagorno-Karabakh region. Ankara wants Armenia to abandon its campaign
for the recognition of the killings as genocide and make progress in
its dispute with Baku before formal diplomatic relations can be
established.

Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan and Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip ErdoÄ?an.

Armenians claim that up to 1.5 million of their kin were slaughtered
in orchestrated killings during the last years of the Ottoman
Empire. Turkey categorically 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 and sided with the Russian troops that were invading Ottoman
territory.

A visit by President Abdullah Gül to Yerevan in early September
to watch a World Cup qualifying match between Turkey and Armenia’s
national soccer teams, upon an invitation by Sarksyan, broke the ice
between the two countries. The countries have also participated in
three-way talks with Azerbaijan on normalizing relations. Turkish and
Armenian diplomats have held secret talks on a potential normalization
of relations since Gül’s visit to Yerevan in September.

31 January 2009, Saturday
TODAY’S ZAMAN WITH WIRES ANKARA