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DAVUTOGLU'S YEREVAN VISIT MAY BE PRELUDE FOR NORMALIZATION TALKS
Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Dec 10 2013
ANKARA
Officials in Ankara have cautioned against high expectations for
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's upcoming visit by to
estranged neighbor Armenia, but indicated that there was a chance for
"normalization" to follow in the future.
Even if it does not yield any concrete outcomes, the trip will still
mark a watershed, as it will be Davutoglu's first visit to Yerevan
since the failure of efforts to normalize ties four years ago.
The Dec. 12 visit will take place on the occasion of a meeting of the
Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), so is not
a bilateral initiative. However, it is still attracting attention as
it will be the first meeting since October 2009, when moves to open
diplomatic ties and reopen the border failed.
Turkish officials, speaking to the Hurriyet Daily News on Dec. 9, said
it was still not clear whether Davutoglu and his Armenian counterpart,
Edward Nalbandian, would hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines
of the BSEC gathering.
"We are not going there with a specific proposal," a senior Turkish
diplomat told the Daily News, in an apparent reference to several
news reports in the Turkish media suggesting that Turkey would offer
a proposal to the Armenian side in exchange for reopening the border.
"Furthermore, such a proposal would also be premature and wrong,"
added the diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"However, if such a bilateral meeting takes place, we will explain
our vision with regard to regional peace, including normalization of
our bilateral relations. Then, the steps that could be taken may come
on the scene," he said. Meanwhile, officials also said Davutoglu had
no plans to visit a monument dedicated to the memory of victims of
mass killings of Anatolian Armenians during World War I, while on
the visit to Yerevan.
"The minister is going to Yerevan within the framework of a BSEC
meeting. Visiting the monument is not on his agenda," the diplomat
said.
The need for such an explanation came from reported remarks by Armenian
Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan, who recently recommended
that Davutoglu "visit the Armenian Genocide Memorial to pay a silent
tribute to the memory of the victims."
December/10/2013
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/davutoglus-yerevan-visit-may-be-prelude-for-normalization-talks.aspx?pageID=238&nID=59294&NewsCatID=338
From: A. Papazian
Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Dec 10 2013
ANKARA
Officials in Ankara have cautioned against high expectations for
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's upcoming visit by to
estranged neighbor Armenia, but indicated that there was a chance for
"normalization" to follow in the future.
Even if it does not yield any concrete outcomes, the trip will still
mark a watershed, as it will be Davutoglu's first visit to Yerevan
since the failure of efforts to normalize ties four years ago.
The Dec. 12 visit will take place on the occasion of a meeting of the
Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), so is not
a bilateral initiative. However, it is still attracting attention as
it will be the first meeting since October 2009, when moves to open
diplomatic ties and reopen the border failed.
Turkish officials, speaking to the Hurriyet Daily News on Dec. 9, said
it was still not clear whether Davutoglu and his Armenian counterpart,
Edward Nalbandian, would hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines
of the BSEC gathering.
"We are not going there with a specific proposal," a senior Turkish
diplomat told the Daily News, in an apparent reference to several
news reports in the Turkish media suggesting that Turkey would offer
a proposal to the Armenian side in exchange for reopening the border.
"Furthermore, such a proposal would also be premature and wrong,"
added the diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"However, if such a bilateral meeting takes place, we will explain
our vision with regard to regional peace, including normalization of
our bilateral relations. Then, the steps that could be taken may come
on the scene," he said. Meanwhile, officials also said Davutoglu had
no plans to visit a monument dedicated to the memory of victims of
mass killings of Anatolian Armenians during World War I, while on
the visit to Yerevan.
"The minister is going to Yerevan within the framework of a BSEC
meeting. Visiting the monument is not on his agenda," the diplomat
said.
The need for such an explanation came from reported remarks by Armenian
Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan, who recently recommended
that Davutoglu "visit the Armenian Genocide Memorial to pay a silent
tribute to the memory of the victims."
December/10/2013
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/davutoglus-yerevan-visit-may-be-prelude-for-normalization-talks.aspx?pageID=238&nID=59294&NewsCatID=338
From: A. Papazian