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REPORT: GUL CONGRATULATES ARMENIA ON ITS INDEPENDENCE DAY
Today's Zaman
Sept 22 2011
Turkey
Turkish President Abdullah Gul has sent a message of congratulations
to his Armenian counterpart, Serzh Sarksyan, on the celebration of
the 20th anniversary of Armenia's independence from the Soviet Union,
a statement from Sarksyan's office said on Wednesday.
Armenian media said Sarksyan's office did not publicize the content
of the congratulatory message from Gul. There was no information
regarding the message on the website of the Turkish president, either.
President Gul played a key role in the currently stalled efforts to
normalize bilateral relations between the two estranged neighbors. In
September 2008, hopes for reconciliation emerged when President
Gul visited Armenia to watch a football game between the national
teams of the two countries. Gul became the first Turkish leader to
visit Yerevan.
The two countries signed a landmark peace accord in October 2009,
but the protocols were held hostage to the domestic politics of both
countries. After Turkey called for resolution of the issues surrounding
Nagorno-Karabakh as a condition for pushing the protocols through
the Turkish Parliament, Armenia suspended the ratification process
of the protocols, accusing Turkey of backtracking on its pledge to
normalize relations without preconditions.
Turkey and Armenia have had no formal ties since 1993, when Turkey
closed its border and severed diplomatic ties with the country to
show solidarity with Azerbaijan, which was fighting a war with Armenia
over the Nagorno-Karabakh region at the time.
Today's Zaman
Sept 22 2011
Turkey
Turkish President Abdullah Gul has sent a message of congratulations
to his Armenian counterpart, Serzh Sarksyan, on the celebration of
the 20th anniversary of Armenia's independence from the Soviet Union,
a statement from Sarksyan's office said on Wednesday.
Armenian media said Sarksyan's office did not publicize the content
of the congratulatory message from Gul. There was no information
regarding the message on the website of the Turkish president, either.
President Gul played a key role in the currently stalled efforts to
normalize bilateral relations between the two estranged neighbors. In
September 2008, hopes for reconciliation emerged when President
Gul visited Armenia to watch a football game between the national
teams of the two countries. Gul became the first Turkish leader to
visit Yerevan.
The two countries signed a landmark peace accord in October 2009,
but the protocols were held hostage to the domestic politics of both
countries. After Turkey called for resolution of the issues surrounding
Nagorno-Karabakh as a condition for pushing the protocols through
the Turkish Parliament, Armenia suspended the ratification process
of the protocols, accusing Turkey of backtracking on its pledge to
normalize relations without preconditions.
Turkey and Armenia have had no formal ties since 1993, when Turkey
closed its border and severed diplomatic ties with the country to
show solidarity with Azerbaijan, which was fighting a war with Armenia
over the Nagorno-Karabakh region at the time.