Armenia denies media reports about possible purchase of Poland-made
trains to travel between Yerevan and Turkey

YEREVAN, September 11, /ARKA/. Transport and communications minister
Gurgen Sargsyan denied today media reports claiming that Armenia may
buy three Poland-made trains that would be running between Armenia and
Turkey, presumably after they normalize their relations.

Speaking at a news conference the minister said his ministry did not
possess such information. The reports were not confirmed by the South
Caucasian Railways (formerly the Armenian Railways), managed by state-
run Russian Railways.

In a joint statement released on August 31 night, the foreign
ministries of Armenia and Turkey as well as Switzerland said Ankara and
Yerevan have agreed to start `internal political consultations’ on two
bilateral protocols on the establishment of diplomatic relations and
reopening of their border.

According to the press release, the protocols provide for a framework
for the normalization of Turkish-Armenian bilateral relations within a
reasonable timeframe. `The political consultations will be completed
within six weeks, following which the two Protocols will be signed and
submitted to the respective Parliaments for the ratification on each
side. Both sides will make their best efforts for the timely
progression of the ratification in line with their constitutional and
legal procedures,’ it said.

Turkey and Armenia20have had no diplomatic ties since Armenia became
independent from the Soviet Union in 1991. Turkey closed its border
with Armenia in 1993 in a show of support for its ally, Azerbaijan,
which had a dispute with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, the ethnic
Armenian enclave of Azerbaijan.

There are several sensitive issues complicating the establishment of
normal relations between the two countries, particularly, Ankara’s
blatant support of Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
resolution process and Turkey’s refusal to acknowledge the mass
killings of Armenians in the last years of the Ottoman Empire as a
genocide.

The thaw in the strained relations began in 2008 September after
Turkish president Abdullah Gul arrived in Armenia, at his counterpart’s
invitation, to watch together with Serzh Sargsyan the 2010 World Cup
qualifying football game between the two countries’ national teams.
During that visit the two presidents discussed prospects for engaging
in dialogue and normalization of relations.-0-