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TURKEY, ARMENIA AGREE TO OPEN FORMAL TALKS ON THREE DISPUTED ISSUES
Hurriyet
April 3 2009
Turkey
ISTANBUL - Turkey and Armenia have agreed to open formal talks on a
number of issues, including opening their joint border, in a step
towards the normalization of relations, the Wall Street Journal,
or WSJ, reported Thursday.
The two neighbors, who have not had diplomatic relations for more than
a decade, will open talks on opening borders, restoring diplomatic
relations and setting up commissions to deal with historical disputes,
the report said citing diplomats.
The Turkish and Armenian governments could soon announce the deal,
diplomats told the paper, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The diplomats, who said the timing of the deal is being choreographed
to coincide with the schedule of U.S. President Barack Obama's visit
to Turkey on Sunday, added that one date under discussion for signing
the agreement with Armenia is April 16, the WSJ suggested.
Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic relations and their border
has been closed for more than a decade over Armenia's invasion of 20
percent territory of Azerbaijan. Armenia's attempts, with the backing
of the diaspora, to have the international community to admit its
claims regarding the 1915 incidents instead of accepting Turkey's
call to investigate the allegations, are other disputed topics between
the two neighboring countries.
Both countries have however been engaged in a normalization process
since Turkish President Abdullah Gul paid a landmark visit to Yerevan
last year to watch a World Cup qualifying football match between the
countries national teams.
Normalizing relations between Turkey and Armenia would "create a new
and positive dynamic" alliance in the region, "as well as developing
the economic and transport links that we have been pursuing since the
collapse of the former Soviet Union," U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary
of State Matthew J. Bryza, the State Department's point man in the
Caucasus, told the paper.
Bryza traveled to Azerbaijan Thursday to discuss how a
Turkish-Armenian agreement could help revive efforts for a settlement
on Nagorno-Karabakh, the report added.
Any move by Turkey to open the border with Armenia is likely to
be unwelcomed by Azerbaijan, as recently signaled by high-level
officials. Azeri officials have expressed concerns over the prospect
and some media reports suggested that Baku might even go one step
further in halting the sale of natural gas to Turkey.
Hurriyet
April 3 2009
Turkey
ISTANBUL - Turkey and Armenia have agreed to open formal talks on a
number of issues, including opening their joint border, in a step
towards the normalization of relations, the Wall Street Journal,
or WSJ, reported Thursday.
The two neighbors, who have not had diplomatic relations for more than
a decade, will open talks on opening borders, restoring diplomatic
relations and setting up commissions to deal with historical disputes,
the report said citing diplomats.
The Turkish and Armenian governments could soon announce the deal,
diplomats told the paper, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The diplomats, who said the timing of the deal is being choreographed
to coincide with the schedule of U.S. President Barack Obama's visit
to Turkey on Sunday, added that one date under discussion for signing
the agreement with Armenia is April 16, the WSJ suggested.
Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic relations and their border
has been closed for more than a decade over Armenia's invasion of 20
percent territory of Azerbaijan. Armenia's attempts, with the backing
of the diaspora, to have the international community to admit its
claims regarding the 1915 incidents instead of accepting Turkey's
call to investigate the allegations, are other disputed topics between
the two neighboring countries.
Both countries have however been engaged in a normalization process
since Turkish President Abdullah Gul paid a landmark visit to Yerevan
last year to watch a World Cup qualifying football match between the
countries national teams.
Normalizing relations between Turkey and Armenia would "create a new
and positive dynamic" alliance in the region, "as well as developing
the economic and transport links that we have been pursuing since the
collapse of the former Soviet Union," U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary
of State Matthew J. Bryza, the State Department's point man in the
Caucasus, told the paper.
Bryza traveled to Azerbaijan Thursday to discuss how a
Turkish-Armenian agreement could help revive efforts for a settlement
on Nagorno-Karabakh, the report added.
Any move by Turkey to open the border with Armenia is likely to
be unwelcomed by Azerbaijan, as recently signaled by high-level
officials. Azeri officials have expressed concerns over the prospect
and some media reports suggested that Baku might even go one step
further in halting the sale of natural gas to Turkey.