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TURKISH FM FACES PROTESTS IN LANDMARK YEREVAN VISIT
Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
dec 12 2013
YEREVAN
A group of people protested Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu
in the Armenian capital Yerevan on Dec. 12, according to Dogan
News Agency.
The group had gathered to demand that Turkey officially recognize
the mass killings of Armenians in 1915 as a genocide.
Davutoglu is paying a one-day visit to Yerevan today to attend the
Organization of Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) meeting, making
him the highest-level Turkish official to visit Armenia since 2009.
Davutoglu described the BSEC as an organization which performs for
peace, prosperity and economic prosperity in the region.
"I hope that my visit to Yerevan will contribute to comprehensive
peace and stability efforts in the BSEC region and the Caucasus,"
Davutoglu wrote on his Twitter account. "As Turkey, we will continue
to make efforts to solve conflicts in the periphery."
Turkish FM protested in Yerevan
Turkish diplomats underlined that they would have no hesitation in
holding talks with their host if they received an invitation from
Armenia.
"Former Foreign Minister Ali Babacan visited Yerevan in 2009 to attend
the BSEC summit. And he held a meeting with his Armenian counterpart
then," Turkish diplomats recalled.
At the time, Turkey and Armenia signed two protocols to normalize
their relations and open the sealed borders, but neither succeeded
in accomplishing the process for different reasons. Turkey's current
position vis-a-vis Armenia is to wait for its eastern neighbor to
resolve its problems with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Armenia's potential and partial withdrawal from occupied
Nagorno-Karabakh would accelerate the normalization process of Armenia
with both Turkey and Azerbaijan.
Meetings between Azeri and Armenian officials over the last two
months boosted hopes for a meaningful negotiation process to restart
between the two countries. This latest set of Azeri-Armenian talks
made Davutoglu more willing to attend the BSEC meeting in Yerevan.
The Turkish foreign minister's decision to go to Yerevan was welcomed
by the United States and leading European countries. According to
information gathered by the Hurriyet Daily News, European and American
diplomats deemed Davutoglu's visit and potential bilateral meeting
a very promising move. They also advised Armenia "not to miss the
opportunity" created by the visit.
However, Turkish diplomats did note that this visit should not be
regarded as a new opening toward Armenia.
"We are emphasizing and reiterating our call for a stable, prosperous
South Caucasus. We always underline that we have no prejudices towards
Armenia," the diplomats said.
They underlined that Davutoglu's attendence at the BSEC meeting was
another indication of Turkey's intention to build regional cooperation,
and Armenia was certainly a part of this sphere.
December/12/2013
Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
dec 12 2013
YEREVAN
A group of people protested Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu
in the Armenian capital Yerevan on Dec. 12, according to Dogan
News Agency.
The group had gathered to demand that Turkey officially recognize
the mass killings of Armenians in 1915 as a genocide.
Davutoglu is paying a one-day visit to Yerevan today to attend the
Organization of Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) meeting, making
him the highest-level Turkish official to visit Armenia since 2009.
Davutoglu described the BSEC as an organization which performs for
peace, prosperity and economic prosperity in the region.
"I hope that my visit to Yerevan will contribute to comprehensive
peace and stability efforts in the BSEC region and the Caucasus,"
Davutoglu wrote on his Twitter account. "As Turkey, we will continue
to make efforts to solve conflicts in the periphery."
Turkish FM protested in Yerevan
Turkish diplomats underlined that they would have no hesitation in
holding talks with their host if they received an invitation from
Armenia.
"Former Foreign Minister Ali Babacan visited Yerevan in 2009 to attend
the BSEC summit. And he held a meeting with his Armenian counterpart
then," Turkish diplomats recalled.
At the time, Turkey and Armenia signed two protocols to normalize
their relations and open the sealed borders, but neither succeeded
in accomplishing the process for different reasons. Turkey's current
position vis-a-vis Armenia is to wait for its eastern neighbor to
resolve its problems with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Armenia's potential and partial withdrawal from occupied
Nagorno-Karabakh would accelerate the normalization process of Armenia
with both Turkey and Azerbaijan.
Meetings between Azeri and Armenian officials over the last two
months boosted hopes for a meaningful negotiation process to restart
between the two countries. This latest set of Azeri-Armenian talks
made Davutoglu more willing to attend the BSEC meeting in Yerevan.
The Turkish foreign minister's decision to go to Yerevan was welcomed
by the United States and leading European countries. According to
information gathered by the Hurriyet Daily News, European and American
diplomats deemed Davutoglu's visit and potential bilateral meeting
a very promising move. They also advised Armenia "not to miss the
opportunity" created by the visit.
However, Turkish diplomats did note that this visit should not be
regarded as a new opening toward Armenia.
"We are emphasizing and reiterating our call for a stable, prosperous
South Caucasus. We always underline that we have no prejudices towards
Armenia," the diplomats said.
They underlined that Davutoglu's attendence at the BSEC meeting was
another indication of Turkey's intention to build regional cooperation,
and Armenia was certainly a part of this sphere.
December/12/2013