STEP FORWARD FOR ARMENIAN TURKISH RELATIONS

RFI
100407-step-forward-armenian-turkish-relations
Apr il 7 2010
France

The leaders of Turkey and Armenia agreed Wednesday to meet for talks
next week in a bid to restart a process of reconciliation between
the two countries. The Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
and the Armenian president Serzh Sarkisian have arranged to meet on
the sidelines of a nuclear summit in Washington starting on 12 April.

Turkey’s top diplomat was in Yereven for talks Wednesday to end
the impasse the two countries have reached in trying to establish
diplomatic relations. Both confirmed their commitment to the
reconciliation process, which ran into problems almost as soon as a
deal was signed in October.

The foreign ministry undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu held talks
with Sarkisian and his foreign minister Eduard Nalbandian. Armenia
has signed its part of October’s deal but refuses to contradict
its line that Armenia was a victim of genocide under the Ottoman
Empire. This annoys Turkey, while Armenia is rankled by Turkey’s
refusal to to ratify the accord unless it makes progress in its
conflict with Azerbaijan.

Last month the US House of Representatives and the Swedish parliament
both ruled that the Armenian massacre during World War I was genocide.