ARMENIANS SKEPTICAL ABOUT FORGING TIES WITH TURKEY, POLL
AssA-Irada
October 2, 2008 Thursday
Azerbaijan
Armenians lack confidence in normalizing their countrys relations
with Turkey, with which it maintains no diplomatic relations and
faces long-standing differences, a recent public opinion poll has
found. 33 per cent of Armenian citizens polled by the National
Strategic Research Center, an influential local group, said making
amends with the neighboring country is impossible, while 43 per cent
of respondents said they doubted this scenario would materialize. Only
24 per cent of those polled believe it is possible to forge ties with
Turkey. Suzanna Barsegian, head of the center, said that, nonetheless,
64 per cent of the experts polled said establishing Armenian-Turkish
relations is possible. But the experts also said Armenia should proceed
with caution. We shouldnt forget that Turkey is our countrys enemy,
she said. The two countries have been at odds and the border between
the two countries has been closed since 1993 on Ankaras insistence
due to Armenias policy of occupation and the Armenian genocide claims.