Tweet
TURKEY, ARMENIA TIES IMPROVE
By Christopher Torchia
AP
3 April 09
ISTANBUL (AP) -- Ahead of a visit by President Barack Obama, Turkey's
leader said Friday that his country has taken steps toward improving
relations with Armenia but gave no ground on the contentious issue
of Ottoman-era genocide.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's comment came at a complicated
time for Obama, who seeks support for U.S. military goals in Iraq
and Afghanistan from a NATO ally that says any American recognition
of the genocide claims will severely damage U.S.-Turkish relations.
Turkey has refused to acknowledge that genocide occurred, despite
estimates that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed around the
time of World War I in what is widely viewed by scholars as the first
genocide of the 20th century.
Obama referred to the "Armenian genocide" during his presidential
campaign, and he will be under pressure from both sides of the debate
when he issues a statement to mark the annual Armenian remembrance day,
April 24.
At a Friday news conference in London, Erdogan said he had written
to the Armenian president in 2005, suggesting that the question of
whether a genocide occurred "be left to historians," but did not
receive a reply.
"The Armenian diaspora has an effort that it has been pursuing for
years concerning a so-called genocide. For Turkey, it is impossible
to accept a thing that does not exist," Erdoga n said.
He focused instead on Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh region, controlled
by Armenia since a war that broke out in the waning days of the Soviet
Union and ended in 1994.
"As long as the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is not resolved, it is not
possible for us to reach a healthy solution concerning Armenia,"
said Erdogan, who was attending a summit of leaders of the Group of
20 nations.
"We have taken steps toward such a decision" to improve ties, the
Turkish leader said. "We have made ourselves ready. We are also taking
steps to prepare the region as a whole. We have talked to our Azeri
friends, we are talking to Armenia."
Turkey backs Azerbaijan's claims to the region, which has a high
number of ethnic Armenian residents.
Erdogan urged Russia, France and the United States to assist in
resolution of the dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh.
The border between Turkey and Armenia has been closed since 1993
because of the territorial dispute. But in a goodwill gesture, Turkey
said this week that it had launched limited, Armenian-language radio
broadcasts ahead of Obama's visit.
Obama will seek Turkey's support for American plans to withdraw from
Iraq as well as bolster the NATO presence in Afghanistan. The United
States also sees Muslim Turkey as a stable mediator and facilitator
in an unstable part of the world, and reconciliation with Armenia
would contribute to that constructive role.
In Septem ber, Turkish President Abdullah Gul became the first
Turkish leader to visit Armenia, where he and Armenian President Serge
Sarkisian watched their countries' football teams play a World Cup
qualifying match. Sarkisian, who met the prime minister at the Davos
forum in Switzerland in January, said Erdogan had shown willingness
to solve disputes.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
By Christopher Torchia
AP
3 April 09
ISTANBUL (AP) -- Ahead of a visit by President Barack Obama, Turkey's
leader said Friday that his country has taken steps toward improving
relations with Armenia but gave no ground on the contentious issue
of Ottoman-era genocide.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's comment came at a complicated
time for Obama, who seeks support for U.S. military goals in Iraq
and Afghanistan from a NATO ally that says any American recognition
of the genocide claims will severely damage U.S.-Turkish relations.
Turkey has refused to acknowledge that genocide occurred, despite
estimates that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed around the
time of World War I in what is widely viewed by scholars as the first
genocide of the 20th century.
Obama referred to the "Armenian genocide" during his presidential
campaign, and he will be under pressure from both sides of the debate
when he issues a statement to mark the annual Armenian remembrance day,
April 24.
At a Friday news conference in London, Erdogan said he had written
to the Armenian president in 2005, suggesting that the question of
whether a genocide occurred "be left to historians," but did not
receive a reply.
"The Armenian diaspora has an effort that it has been pursuing for
years concerning a so-called genocide. For Turkey, it is impossible
to accept a thing that does not exist," Erdoga n said.
He focused instead on Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh region, controlled
by Armenia since a war that broke out in the waning days of the Soviet
Union and ended in 1994.
"As long as the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is not resolved, it is not
possible for us to reach a healthy solution concerning Armenia,"
said Erdogan, who was attending a summit of leaders of the Group of
20 nations.
"We have taken steps toward such a decision" to improve ties, the
Turkish leader said. "We have made ourselves ready. We are also taking
steps to prepare the region as a whole. We have talked to our Azeri
friends, we are talking to Armenia."
Turkey backs Azerbaijan's claims to the region, which has a high
number of ethnic Armenian residents.
Erdogan urged Russia, France and the United States to assist in
resolution of the dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh.
The border between Turkey and Armenia has been closed since 1993
because of the territorial dispute. But in a goodwill gesture, Turkey
said this week that it had launched limited, Armenian-language radio
broadcasts ahead of Obama's visit.
Obama will seek Turkey's support for American plans to withdraw from
Iraq as well as bolster the NATO presence in Afghanistan. The United
States also sees Muslim Turkey as a stable mediator and facilitator
in an unstable part of the world, and reconciliation with Armenia
would contribute to that constructive role.
In Septem ber, Turkish President Abdullah Gul became the first
Turkish leader to visit Armenia, where he and Armenian President Serge
Sarkisian watched their countries' football teams play a World Cup
qualifying match. Sarkisian, who met the prime minister at the Davos
forum in Switzerland in January, said Erdogan had shown willingness
to solve disputes.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress