ARMENIAN PRESIDENT UPBEAT OVER AGREEMENT WITH TURKEY

RIA Novosti
18:3401/09/2009

YEREVAN, September 1 (RIA Novosti) – Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
said on Tuesday the agreement with Turkey to establish diplomatic
relations could boost bilateral ties.

Turkey and Armenia reached agreement on Monday to start "internal
political consultations" on re-establishing diplomatic relations and
opening their borders. The negotiations were mediated by Switzerland.

"The signing of the protocols has brought Armenia closer to the
possibility of settling bilateral ties with Turkey," Sargsyan said
at the opening of an annual meeting of the country’s diplomatic corps.

"We have made an attempt to settle relations with our neighbor in
a decent way, as befits the civilized 21st century. I think the
protocols do provide such a possibility," the Armenian president said.

Turkey and Armenia have for the past two years held talks behind closed
doors mediated by Switzerland to normalize bilateral relations. The
two countries agreed to a "roadmap" to normalize their relations
under Swiss mediation this April.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul first visited Yerevan, the capital
of Armenia, last September to watch a football match between the two
countries in their qualifying group for the 2010 World Cup.

Sargsyan, who is expected to travel to Turkey on October 14 to
attend the return match, previously said he would go if the border
has reopened or Turkey has lifted its economic blockade of landlocked
Armenia.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu urged on Tuesday a settlement
be found as soon as possible in the long-running conflict between
Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorny Karabakh, a mountainous region
in Azerbaijan with a largely Armenian population.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress