TURKEY CAN INITIALLY OPEN BORDER WITH ARMENIA ONCE A MONTH
PanArmenian News
April 22 2009
Armenia
On April 28 National Security Council of Turkey will discuss the
border opening with Armenia. They say council will also discuss
amnesty for the members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party
(PKK) and deployment of Turkish troops in Afghanistan.
The meeting will take place under the leadership of President Abdullah
Gul. They will focus on relations with Azerbaijan and border opening
with Armenia. Until recently, Ankara said Armenian withdrawal from
Nagorno Karabakh is a precondition for the restoration of ties with
Yerevan. For the last several months, Ankara and Yerevan are engaged
in closed-door negotiations to normalize relations.
The General Staff and the government agree that Turkey should not
open its border with Armenia without the settlement of the Nagorno
Karabakh dispute. As the first step for normalization, Ankara has
asked Yerevan to allow Azerbaijanis who were displaced from five
settlements in Karabakh to return to these places. The formation
of a security corridor in Karabakh is among the proposals of the
Turkish government. If Armenia accepts preconditions, Turkey will
initially open the Turkish-Armenia border once a month and then twice
a month. Once there are established ties with Armenia and the area
is secure, the border gate will be open 24 hours a day, Zaman reports.