ERDOGAN TELLS TURKS TO ‘FORGET ABOUT’ ARMENIAN BORDER OPENING

Asbarez
ticle=41654_4/20/2009_1
April 20, 2009

ANKARA (RFE/RL)–Turkey will not normalize relations with Armenia
before the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated over the weekend,
again dismissing recent reports to the contrary.

"Forget about the opening of the border with Armenia before the
settlement of the Karabakh problem," Haberturk.com quoted Erdogan as
saying during an unofficial visit to Germany.

Erdogan made similar statements on three separate occasions earlier
this month, pouring cold war on expectations of a breakthrough in
Turkish-Armenian relations. Recent media reports, most of them citing
unnamed Turkish government sources, said that the two neighboring
states could sign an agreement on the gradual establishment of
diplomatic relations and reopening of their border as early as
this month.

The reports sparked an uproar in Azerbaijan. Its government and
leading politicians have warned Ankara that an unconditional deal
with Yerevan would constitute a betrayal of its closest Turkic ally.

Armenian leaders insist that the Turks effectively dropped their
long-standing linkage between Turkish-Armenian reconciliation
and Karabakh when they embarked on a dialogue with Armenia last
year. Despite Erdogan’s tough talk, President Serzh Sarkisian and
Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian have sounded cautiously optimistic
about the success of that dialogue.

Sarkisian’s office on Monday declined to comment on the Turkish
premier’s latest statement. The Armenian Foreign Ministry also had
no comment.

Meanwhile, a senior U.S. official was due in Ankara on Monday to
discuss with Turkish leaders ways of kick-starting the fence-mending
talks with Armenia strongly backed by Washington. The issue was on
the agenda of Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza’s
brief visit to Yerevan late last week.