COUNCIL OF EUROPE IS READY TO HELP ARMENIA AND TURKEY IN PROCESS OF RAPPROCHEMENT
ArmInfo
2009-11-19 11:18:00
ArmInfo. The Council of Europe (COE) hopes Armenian-Turkish
rapprochement will help settling the Karabakh conflict, said Thorbjorn
Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, in a press
conference on Wednesday after the Switzerland took over the Chair of
the Committee of Ministers from Slovenia, Trend reported.
Following the agreement between Armenia and Turkey, Thorbjorn
Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, made the
following statement: "I congratulate the Governments of Armenia and
Turkey on the agreement to restore diplomatic relations and re-open
the frontier between the two countries. This is a historic step,
which should bring about a lasting reconciliation between the two
countries and reinforce the stability of the South Caucasus region
as a whole. I would like to pay tribute to the Swiss government –
as well as the European Union, Russia, France and the United States –
for their crucial role in negotiations that led to this event. No-one
doubts that the full implementation of the yesterday’s agreements
will require time and sustained commitment from both parties. The
Council of Europe is ready to help in this process, within its fields
of expertise, and in full co-operation with the governments of Armenia
and Turkey," the COE website reports.