TURKISH PREMIER DISCONTENTED WITH OSCE MG

news.am
April 19 2010
Armenia

In his interview with Kanal 24 (Turkey) Turkish Premier Recep Erdogan
disclosed the details of his meeting with RA Presidents Serzh Sargsyan
during the Global Nuclear Security Summit in Washington.

According to 1news.az, Erdogan pointed out that the Armenian President
proposed reopening the Armenian-Turkish border without linking the
Nagorno-Karabakh problem to the Armenian-Turkish reconciliation
process. In his turn, the Turkish Premier asked the Armenian leader
about the reason why the border was closed in 1993. "I reminded him
that the border was closed because the Azerbaijani territories had
been occupied. The protocols will not go to Turkish Parliament until
this cause has been done away with," he said.

The Turkish Premier pointed out that the ratification of the protocols
requires a consensus of all the political forces. As regards the
possibility of the U.S. recognizing the Armenian Genocide, Erdogan
pointed out that he does not "expect any problems in this respect."

If the Nagorno-Karabakh problem is resolved, the reopening of the
Armenian-Turkish border will not encounter any problems. So the OSCE
Minsk Group should step up its efforts, he said.

Erdogan pointed out he had discussed the issue with the U.S., French
and Russian Presidents during his visit to Paris. However, they have
not yet achieved any results over the past 20 years, he said.

The Turkish Premier was critical of official Washington for not having
invited Azerbaijan to the Global Nuclear Security Summit.

Erdogan had plainly said to the U.S. administration representatives
that meetings with the participation of six states – including the
OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs — would have been possible if Azerbaijan
had been invited to the Summit. But the U.S. officials answered that
the Summit organizers considered the fact of nuclear-power stations
operating in the states. The Turkish Premier reminded them that
the Armenian NPP was actually Russian property. Further, what was
the reason for inviting Georgia to the Summit, asked Erdogan. They
explained it was a misunderstanding, and the U.S. Secretary of State
explained the situation to the Azeri leader over the phone.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress