BAKU: Turkey calls on Armenia to open all archives and negotiate f2f

Trend, Azerbaijan
March 5 2010

Turkey calls on Armenia to open all archives and negotiate face to
face (UPDATED)

Turkey calls on Armenia to open all archives and not to exert pressure
through the U.S. Congress, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu
said.

"The adoption of the resolution on the Armenian genocide is comical,
as the difference in one voice seems very strange," he added.

U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs adopted Thursday a resolution
recognizing the so-called Armenian genocide with 23 votes to 22.

Armenia claims that the Ottoman Empire committed genocide against
Armenians living in Anatolia in 1915. Making greater efforts to
promote the issue internationally, Armenians have achieved its
recognition by parliaments of some countries.

Signing the protocols with Armenia, Turkey sought to bequeath to
future generations of peace and stability among nations, but the
adoption of this resolution by the U.S. Congress committee shows that
Yerevan does not act openly in this matter, he added.

The minister considers the view that the adoption of the resolution
could put pressure on Ankara to ratify the Armenian-Turkish protocols
erroneous.

"The fact is that Turkey has taken a decision on this issue ten years
ago, Armenia only four months ago," he said.

The intervention of a third party, in this case the United States, in
the relations between Armenia and Turkey complicates the process of
reconciliation between the countries, he said.

The adoption of a resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide
indicates that the U.S. Congress is very weak in developing a future
political strategy, the Turkish minister said.