ERDOGAN: "SHAME IF EFFORTS MADE A VICTIM OF ARMENIAN DIASPORA"
Jan 30 2009
Turkey
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Armenian President
Serzh Sargsian on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey and
Armenia should take bold steps to boost stability across the region.
"It would be shame if all these efforts are made a victim of
(Armenian) diaspora’s works," Erdogan told a panel session during
the World Economic Forum meetings in Davos titled "The Great Game
Revisited" which was also attended by Azerbaijan’s President Ilham
Aliyev, Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Motaki and Armenian Foreign
Minister Eduard Nalbandian.
"The biggest challenge here is the diaspora," Erdogan said.
He blamed the Armenian diaspora for undermining steps taken by
Turkey and Armenia and said Turkey wanted to settle the problem in
the shortest time possible.
In September 2008, Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul paid a visit to
Armenia which was described as a "historic visit to build bridges
between the two countries." Gul invited his Armenian counterpart for
the return match to be played in October 2009 in Turkey.
At his visit, Gul said he hoped matches between Turkey and Armenia
would contribute to removing barriers to the rapprochement of two
peoples with a common history, and contribute to regional peace
and stability
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Armenian President
Serzh Sargsian on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The meeting between Erdogan and Sargsian lasted about 20 minutes.