TURKISH AND ARMENIAN PRESIDENTS TO MEET IF BORDER IS OPENED: SERZH SARGSYAN

Trend
Aug 31 2009
Azerbaijan

The Turkish and Armenian Presidents will meet if the border is opened
or countries are close to make this decision, the Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan said in an interview with BBC’s Russian service.

"I will go to Turkey for this football match if our border is opened
or we are on the eve to achieve it," Sargsyan said.

Term ‘football diplomacy’ appeared a year ago when the Turkish
President Abdullah Gul arrived in Yerevan. A formal cause was a
football match between teams of both countries.

It gave cause to think that the border between Turkey and
Armenia will be opened and the countries will launch a process of
reconciliation. However, Yerevan has recently accused Ankara of
freezing this process.

A football match will be held in Turkey in mid. of October. The
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan is likely to attend the match.

"We have agreements. I think that a normal, correct way for sides to
fulfill their agreements. Unfortunately, I have not seen any great
wiling or strive to fulfill these agreements," Sargsyan said.

He said that the Armenian side’s willing to establish interrelations
without preliminary terms remains.

"We have not considered recognition of genocide as a preliminary term
to establish interrelations, Sargsyan said.