The Examiner,
June 20 2009
Turkey says agreement reached with Armenia over roadmap to normalize
strained ties
By: SELCAN HACAOGLU (AP)
06/20/09 6:20 PM EDT ANKARA, TURKEY ‘ Turkey and Armenia have agreed
on a roadmap for normalizing relations and reaching reconciliation,
the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Wednesday, but it wasn’t immediately
clear how they would tackle their bitter dispute over Ottoman-era
killings of ethnic Armenians.
Turkish officials would not discuss that issue and the ministry
statement said only that the two countries had worked out a framework
for reaching a solution that would satisfy both sides. There was no
immediate comment from Armenia’s government.
Armenia says 1.5 million Armenians were slain by Ottoman Turks around
the time of World War I in what Armenians and several other nations
recognize as the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey vehemently
rejects the allegation, saying that the death toll was inflated and
that Armenians died in civil unrest as the Ottoman Empire collapsed.
The announcement came just weeks after President Barack Obama, during
a visit to Turkey, called on his hosts to come to terms with the past,
resolve its dispute with Armenia and reopen the border. The European
Union has also put pressure on Turkey, which is seeking to join the
bloc.
Obama avoided the term "genocide" when he addressed Turkish
lawmakers. But he said, in response to a question, that he had not
changed his views on the question. As a presidential candidate, Obama
said the killings amounted to genocide.
His call on this U.S. ally and predominantly Muslim country heated up
debate over what course Turkey should take in relations with
Armenia. The government had already been working to improve ties with
Armenia while facing deep-seated domestic antagonism toward its
neighbor over the genocide charge.
Turkey has long proposed to Armenia to establish a joint group of
historians to study the bloodsheds, saying it has opened its archives
for research.
The accord was announced hours after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Rodham Clinton praised what she described as bold reconciliation
efforts between Turkey and Armenia.
In its statement, the Foreign Ministration said the two nations "have
recorded solid progress and reached mutual understanding to normalize
ties in a way to satisfy both sides, agreeing on a comprehensive
framework. Within this framework, a roadmap has been determined."
Turkey wants its talks with Armenia to advance in parallel with
negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan over disputed territory
controlled by Armenia.
Turkey closed its border with Armenia during that nation’s conflict
with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Turkey backs
Azerbaijan’s claim to the disputed region, which has a high number of
ethnic Armenian residents but lies within Azerbaijan’s borders.
Clinton said the United States had assured Azerbaijan it would
intensify efforts to resolve the dispute.
ap/48684807.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress