TURKISH FM: WASHINGTON’S "EXCESSIVE EFFORTS" HAMPER ARMENIAN-TURKISH RAPPROCHEMENT

Yerkir
08.02.2010 12:56
Yerevan

Washington’s excessive efforts hamper the Armenian-Turkish
rapprochement, Turkish FM Ahmed Davutoglu has told Turkish journalists,
when commenting on a US House penal to schedule vote on the Armenian
Genocide resolution.

"They should not blackmail us with April 24. If someone wants to put
pressure on us, it will be useless. Turkey is an independent state and
it takes the decisions considering its national interests", he said.

"If Americans use such methods, we declare officially that the process
of the Armenian-Turkish rapprochement will fail. This does not meet
the interests of either Washington, or Yerevan or Ankara. Therefore,
the United States should be more attentive to this issue and not hamper
this process by excessive efforts. Everyone should know that Turkey
is not a country that can be spoken with in a language of pressure,"
he added.

Davutoglu also accused the Armenian side of insincerity, because it
raises the issue of "genocide" despite the normalization of process.

"They start raising the issue of ‘genocide’ every time before April
24, like Greeks do when they raise old problems before the EU-Turkish
summits".