ARMENIA AND TURKEY WILL ESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS

Qatar News Agency
September 1, 2009 Tuesday 4:35 PM EST

Ankara, September 1 (QNA) — Armenia and Turkey will establish
diplomatic relations and exchange diplomatic missions in less than
one month and a half.

This is envisaged by a protocol which is already initialled and will
be signed upon the conclusion of inter-political consultations in
both countries, reported the Russian /Itar-Tass/ News Agency Tuesday.

Its text was published here on Monday by the press and information
department of the Armenian Foreign Ministry simultaneously with a
statement of the two countries’ Foreign Ministries, as well as the
Swiss Foreign Ministry which was a mediator in normalizing relations
between Yerevan and Ankara.

Armenia and Turkey confirmed their "mutual recognition of the existing
border between the two countries by an agreement in accordance with
international law" and underlined the importance of their decision
to open the Armenian-Turkish border.

Yerevan and Ankara announced their "resolution to refrain from pursuing
the policy which doesn’t correspond to the spirit of good-neighbourly
relations." The sides stated their striving to "develop bilateral
cooperation in the political, economic, cultural and other spheres."

Yerevan and Ankara spoke out in favour of "formation and support
between the two countries of the atmosphere of trust, strengthening
of peace, security and stability in the whole region, abstention from
the use of force or the threat of use of force, peaceful resolution
of arguments."

It is envisaged that diplomatic relations will be established as of the
moment of signing of the protocol. It comes into force simultaneously
with the protocol on bilateral relations between Armenia and Turkey
since the first day of the month following the date of exchanging of
instruments of ratification. (QNA)