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Armenian president not to attend NATO summit in Istanbul
Turkish Daily News
May 11 2004
ANKARA - Turkish Daily News -- Armenian President Robert Kocharian
will not attend a NATO summit in Istanbul on June 28-29, a spokesman
for Kocharian was quoted as saying on Monday.
The decision not to take part in the historic summit is "explained
by the current state of Armenian-Turkish relations," Presidential
Press Secretary Ashot Kocharian said in an interview with Russia's
ITAR-TASS news agency.
No progress in bilateral relations was seen in 2003," the press
secretary said. "Armenia reiterates its readiness to improve relations
with Turkey without preliminary conditions," he said.
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan will represent the country
at Istanbul's summit.
Heads of state or government of some 46 countries, including U.S.
President George W. Bush are to attend the NATO summit in Istanbul,
which will welcome seven new members in the alliance's biggest ever
enlargement.
Armenia is working with NATO as part of the alliance's Partnership
for Peace program with some of the former Soviet republics.
Turkey became one of the first countries to recognize the independent
Armenia in the early 1990s following the collapse of the Soviet Union
but relations with this country has been severed after Armenian
forces occupied Azeri territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. As part of a
trade blockade against Armenia, Turkey also keeps its border gate
with Armenia closed for the last ten years.
Turkey's conditions for normalization of relations with Armenia are
withdrawal of Armenian troops from Nagorno-Karabakh, Yerevan's stopping
to support Armenian diaspora efforts aimed at international recognition
of allegations of an Armenian genocide at the hands of late Ottoman
Empire and its renouncing territorial claims on Turkey's eastern part.
Turkish Daily News
May 11 2004
ANKARA - Turkish Daily News -- Armenian President Robert Kocharian
will not attend a NATO summit in Istanbul on June 28-29, a spokesman
for Kocharian was quoted as saying on Monday.
The decision not to take part in the historic summit is "explained
by the current state of Armenian-Turkish relations," Presidential
Press Secretary Ashot Kocharian said in an interview with Russia's
ITAR-TASS news agency.
No progress in bilateral relations was seen in 2003," the press
secretary said. "Armenia reiterates its readiness to improve relations
with Turkey without preliminary conditions," he said.
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan will represent the country
at Istanbul's summit.
Heads of state or government of some 46 countries, including U.S.
President George W. Bush are to attend the NATO summit in Istanbul,
which will welcome seven new members in the alliance's biggest ever
enlargement.
Armenia is working with NATO as part of the alliance's Partnership
for Peace program with some of the former Soviet republics.
Turkey became one of the first countries to recognize the independent
Armenia in the early 1990s following the collapse of the Soviet Union
but relations with this country has been severed after Armenian
forces occupied Azeri territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. As part of a
trade blockade against Armenia, Turkey also keeps its border gate
with Armenia closed for the last ten years.
Turkey's conditions for normalization of relations with Armenia are
withdrawal of Armenian troops from Nagorno-Karabakh, Yerevan's stopping
to support Armenian diaspora efforts aimed at international recognition
of allegations of an Armenian genocide at the hands of late Ottoman
Empire and its renouncing territorial claims on Turkey's eastern part.