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U.S. Backs Armenia In Suspending, Not Ending Turkey Rapprochement

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  • U.S. Backs Armenia In Suspending, Not Ending Turkey Rapprochement

    U.S. BACKS ARMENIA IN SUSPENDING, NOT ENDING TURKEY RAPPROCHEMENT

    RIA Novosti
    April 23, 2010
    YEREVAN

    The United States urges Armenia and Turkey to continue efforts at
    reconciliation and supports Yerevan's decision to put the process on
    hold, the U.S. Embassy in Armenia said on Friday.

    Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan signed a decree on Thursday
    that put the ratification of Armenian-Turkish protocols on hold,
    declaring that his country would wait until Ankara showed it was
    ready to normalize relations.

    "President Sargsyan's announcement makes clear that Armenia has not
    ended the process but has suspended it until the Turkish side is ready
    to move forward. We applaud President Sargsyan's decision to continue
    to work towards a vision of peace, stability, and reconciliation,"
    Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Gordon
    was quoted as saying on the embassy website.

    "We believe that the normalization process carries important benefits
    for Turkey and Armenia as well as the wider Caucasus region. We
    continue to urge both sides to keep the door open to pursuing efforts
    at reconciliation and normalization," Gordon added.

    Sargsyan said on Thursday that he had discussed the move with the
    French, U.S. and Russian presidents, as well as with other partners.

    "I won't hide that our partners called on me to continue the process,
    not to quit it," he said.

    He stressed that Armenia still wanted to establish full diplomatic
    relations with Turkey, and would return to the issue when there was an
    "appropriate atmosphere" and corresponding readiness in Ankara.

    Long strained relations between Armenia and Turkey took a major
    step forward on October 10, 2009, when Armenian Foreign Minister
    Eduard Nalbandyan and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Devutoglu signed
    protocols on establishing diplomatic relations and developing bilateral
    relations.

    The documents, signed in Switzerland, have to be ratified by both
    countries to come into force.

    The Armenian-Turkish border was closed in 1993 on Ankara's initiative.

    Bilateral relations between the countries are complicated by Turkey's
    support of Azerbaijan in its conflict with Armenia over Nagorny
    Karabakh and differing positions on the genocide of Armenians by the
    Ottoman Empire during World War I, which Ankara consistently denies.
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