FRANCE WARMLY WELCOMES THE JOINT ANNOUNCEMENT BY TURKEY, ARMENIA AND SWITZERLAND OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF A "ROADMAP"
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April 24 2009
France warmly welcomes the joint announcement by Turkey, Armenia and
Switzerland of the development of a "roadmap" aimed at normalizing
relations between Akara and Yerevan.
It hopes that this new stage in the work undertaken by Armenia and
Turkey, States that are both friends of France, will make it possible
to show to the world that reconciliation can be achieved through
openness and dialogue.
Turkish-Armenian dialogue is vital for peace and security in the South
Caucasus region. This is a key area of concern for the European Union
and France.
It is important that this rapprochement be used to facilitate
negotiations relating to Nagorno Karabakh. France will assume the
co-chairmanship of the Minsk group together with the United States and
Russia and will actively continue its efforts to achieve a balanced
and negotiated political solution to the conflict.
What is your reaction to the normalization of relations between
Turkey and Armenia and do you think it will have an impact on Turkey’s
European Union accession process?
You will have seen the statement that I have just made.
France has always encouraged the normalization of Turkish-Armenian
relations. This normalization should lead to positive developments
towards settling the continuing conflicts in the region, particularly
in the Upper Karabagh region.
Good-neighbor relations form part of the process that is on going
between the European Union and Turkey.