OBAMA URGES FULL TURKISH-ARMENIAN RELATIONS

Voice of America
voa51.cfm
April 6 2009

Mr. Obama has hailed the steps taken by Turkish and Armenian leaders
to resolve their differences as "historic and courageous."

During his address to Turkey’s parliament Monday, the U.S. leader
said he supports full normalization of relations between the neighbor
states. He added that an open border would return people of both
nations to "a peaceful and prosperous coexistence."

Earlier, a reporter reminded Mr. Obama that he had called for
Turkey to acknowledge the early 20th-century killing of Armenians by
Ottoman Turks was genocide and asked if his position still stood. The
U.S. president said he had not changed his view, but said the issue
is a matter best resolved by the two nations involved, without outside
interference.

Turkey strongly rejects the assertion that the Armenians in Turkey were
victims of genocide. Turkish President Abdullah Gul said he welcomes
international participation in a joint commission of inquiry on the
subject, and pledged to accept the findings of such a review.

Mr. Obama said all democracies must face the issue of how to deal
with the past. He said the United States is still working through its
"darker periods" of slavery, and of ill treatment of Native Americans.

The U.S. president called on Turkey to play "a constructive role"
in resolving the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian
enclave in Azerbaijan. Turkey broke relations with Armenia over the
dispute, which is not yet settled, 15 years after open warfare in
the enclave ended.

Mr. Obama paid tribute to Turkey, saying it is poised to be the only
country in the region to have normal and peaceful relations with all
of the South Caucasus nations.