Today’s Zaman
04 July 2009, Saturday
Armenia expects Turkish steps to normalize ties
Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandyan has stated that Armeina
expects Turkey to take concrete steps to start diplomatic relations in
a press conference in Yerevan.
‘We have reached a consensus to launch diplomatic relations without
any preconditions between Armenia and Turkey and to re-open the
Turkish-Armenian border. If Turkey is prepared to implement this, we
would applaud Turkey and expect concrete steps from it in this
direction,’ said the foreign minister and added that not only has
dialogue been established between the two countries but also serious
talks have been continuing since Sept. 2008.
Nalbandyan said the Turkish side has changed its previous policy of
imposing conditions for normalizing relations, explaining that these
conditions were related to Armenia’s Nagorno-Karabakh dispute with
Azerbaijan and Armenian efforts to bring international recognition to
Armenian claims of genocide at the hands of the late Ottoman Empire.
Turkey closed its border and severed its diplomatic ties with Armenia
in 1993 in protest of Armenia’s occupation of a section of Azerbaijani
territory in a dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh. The two countries have
been holding closed-door talks to restore their relations and
announced a framework agreement on normalizing ties in April.
04 July 2009, Saturday
TODAY’S ZAMAN ÝSTANBUL