TURKEY, ARMENIA TO CARRY ON PROCESS WITH REGULAR MEETINGS

WorldBulletin.Net
APril 13 2010
Turkey

The two leaders agreed to carry on the rapprochement process through
regular meetings between their foreign ministers.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Armenian President
Serzh Sargsian who met in Washington D.C. on Monday discussed the
letter Erdogan sent to Sargsian in details.

Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu, assigned as
special representative by Erdogan, earlier conveyed the letter to
Sargsyan.

The two leaders got together on the sidelines of the nuclear security
summit hosted by U.S. President Barack Obama.

During the one and a half hour meeting, Turkish Foreign Minister
Davutoglu and his Armenian counterpart Nalbandian plus their
undersecretaries were in attendance.

"Regular meetings"

Premier Erdogan put his views on the Caucasus at first hand and
Turkish standpoint on the Upper Karabakh dispute has been expressed
to the Armenian side.

Erdogan and Sargsyan also took up contents of Turkish Prime Minister’s
letter that was handed to the Armenian leader.

Erdogan’s letter expresses Turkey’s uneasiness over revival of
Armenian allegations in parliaments of third countries, also affirming
discomfort with Armenian Constitutional Court ruling.

The document also urges to leave the matter to historians and notes
that tete a tete meetings could accelerate the process.

The two leaders agreed to carry on the rapprochement process through
regular meetings between their foreign ministers.

"Preconditions"

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Sargsyan said that Armenia
has not accepted any preconditions.

Sargsian claimed that Turkey talked a language of preconditions with
Armenia and Armenian people in the rapprochement process.

Sargsian who visited the grave of 28th U.S. President Woodrow Wilson
addressed American-Armenians gathered around him.

He told the crowd that Armenia’s position regarding the "genocide"
issue did not change at all, claiming that he did "not believe Turkey
could play a constructive role in the solution of the upper Karabakh
issue."

Turkey and Armenia signed protocols on October 10, 2009 to normalize
their bilateral ties and establish diplomatic relations.

However the rapprochement process was hampered as the Foreign Relations
Committee of the United States House of Representatives adopted a
resolution on March 4 that supported Armenian allegations regarding
the incidents of 1915.