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Minister Oskanian's Comments on Turkish Minister Gul's Remarks

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  • Minister Oskanian's Comments on Turkish Minister Gul's Remarks

    MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
    ------------------------------------------ ----
    PRESS AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
    Government House # 2, Republic Square
    Yerevan 0010, Republic of Armenia
    Telephone: +37410. 544041 ext 202
    Fax: +37410. 562543
    Email: [email protected]
    www.armeniaforeignministry.am

    PRESS RELEASE
    04-11-2006
    Minister Oskanian Comments on
    Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul's Recent Remarks

    We remain amazed that a letter sent by President Kocharian to Prime
    Minister Erdogan in April 2005 remains ignored, simply because the Turkish
    authorities did not like the response contained therein, and do not wish
    to broaden the scope of discussion beyond history.

    President Kocharian clearly said to Prime Minister Erdogan that the
    "suggestion to address the past cannot be effective if it deflects from
    addressing the present and the future. In order to engage in a useful
    dialog, we need to create the appropriate and conducive political
    environment. It is the responsibility of governments to develop bilateral
    relations and we do not have the right to delegate that responsibility to
    historians. That is why we have proposed and propose again that, without
    pre-conditions, we establish normal relations between our two countries."

    In that context, President Kocharian said, "an intergovernmental
    commission can meet to discuss any and all outstanding issues between our
    two nations, with the aim of resolving them and coming to an
    understanding."

    Foreign Minister Gul's recent comments to RadioLiberty, insisting that the
    existence of flights between Armenia and Turkey, and of Armenian citizens
    in Turkey, is evidence that 'the borders are essentially open' is
    disingenuous. First, the number of Armenians from Armenia living and
    working in Turkey do not approach the numbers he claims. Second, open
    borders assumes direct contacts between peoples, unobstructed relations
    across the border and a functioning transport infrastructure.

    We stand by our response which we consider to be a positive one and we
    wonder whether the Turkish insistence on a historical commission is
    genuine. After all, we have in fact agreed to discussions on all issues,
    in the context of open borders.
    Further, so long as Article 301 which criminalizes mere discussion of the
    genocide topic remains on the books in Turkey, an invitation to open
    dialogue cannot be taken seriously. Finally, outside Turkey, scholars -
    Armenians, Turks and others - have studied these issues and have reached
    their own independent conclusions. The most notable among these is the May
    2006 letter to Prime Minister Erdogan by the International Assn of
    Genocide Scholars wherein they collectively and unanimously affirmed the
    fact of the Genocide and called on the Turkish government to acknowledge
    the responsibility of a previous government.

    In light of these complex realities, we can only repeat our readiness to
    enter into dialogue and normal relations with our neighbor.
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