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DEPORTATION OF ARMENIANS INHUMANE, DAVUTOGLU SAYS IN YEREVAN
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Dec 13 2013
13 December 2013 /ANKARA, TODAY'S ZAMAN
In the first high-level visit from Turkey to Armenia in five years,
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said Turkey has never supported
deportation, which is an inhumane act and impossible to approve of,
referring to the controversial events of 1915.
Paying a one-day visit to Yerevan to attend the Organization of the
Black Sea Economic Cooperation's (BSEC) 29th assembly of foreign
ministers, Davutoglu had an approximately two-hour-long meeting with
his Armenian counterpart, Eduard Nalbandyan, and gave positive signals
of restoring ties between Turkey and Armenia -- who have been at odds
over allegations of genocide and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict --
after their meetings.
"We never supported the deportation. This is an inhumane act and it
is not possible to approve of this," Davutoglu was quoted as saying
in the Turkish media on Friday, inferring the deportation of Armenians
in 1915 which is defined by Armenia as "genocide."
While responding to the questions of reporters after the bilateral
meeting, Foreign Minister Davutoglu said he had the opportunity to
have a long talk with Nalbandyan in a warm and candid atmosphere
after a long time.
"Our meeting has importance regarding overcoming the psychological
threshold. ... In that regard, it [the meeting] was useful,"
Davutoglu noted.
He said everyone knows the differences of opinion between Turkey
and Armenia but the important point is to come together despite the
dissention. "We want to have the highest-level relations with Armenia.
... Our government has extended efforts for this, as you can see. Our
proposal to create a peace basin in the Caucasus in parallel with
bilateral relations between Turkey and Armenia is still on our agenda,"
he said.
He also refuted the Turkish AkÅ~_am daily's report alleging that
Turkey would reopen its border with Armenia on the condition that
Armenia leaves two of Azerbaijan's occupied territories, saying he or
other government officials have never said or shared information on
anything of that sort. He defined such reports as speculative. "Our
priority is to build dialogue on a sound psychological basis and
continue on that," the foreign minister noted.
While addressing reporters, Davutoglu also spoke of cooperation
between Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan and underlined that Ankara wants
Yerevan to be one of the main partners of these economic projects.
He said during his meeting with Nalbandyan that the two discussed
bilateral ties and perspectives about the Caucasus region. He stated
that all problems cannot be resolved immediately, referring to the
Nagorno-Karabakh issue.
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Dec 13 2013
13 December 2013 /ANKARA, TODAY'S ZAMAN
In the first high-level visit from Turkey to Armenia in five years,
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said Turkey has never supported
deportation, which is an inhumane act and impossible to approve of,
referring to the controversial events of 1915.
Paying a one-day visit to Yerevan to attend the Organization of the
Black Sea Economic Cooperation's (BSEC) 29th assembly of foreign
ministers, Davutoglu had an approximately two-hour-long meeting with
his Armenian counterpart, Eduard Nalbandyan, and gave positive signals
of restoring ties between Turkey and Armenia -- who have been at odds
over allegations of genocide and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict --
after their meetings.
"We never supported the deportation. This is an inhumane act and it
is not possible to approve of this," Davutoglu was quoted as saying
in the Turkish media on Friday, inferring the deportation of Armenians
in 1915 which is defined by Armenia as "genocide."
While responding to the questions of reporters after the bilateral
meeting, Foreign Minister Davutoglu said he had the opportunity to
have a long talk with Nalbandyan in a warm and candid atmosphere
after a long time.
"Our meeting has importance regarding overcoming the psychological
threshold. ... In that regard, it [the meeting] was useful,"
Davutoglu noted.
He said everyone knows the differences of opinion between Turkey
and Armenia but the important point is to come together despite the
dissention. "We want to have the highest-level relations with Armenia.
... Our government has extended efforts for this, as you can see. Our
proposal to create a peace basin in the Caucasus in parallel with
bilateral relations between Turkey and Armenia is still on our agenda,"
he said.
He also refuted the Turkish AkÅ~_am daily's report alleging that
Turkey would reopen its border with Armenia on the condition that
Armenia leaves two of Azerbaijan's occupied territories, saying he or
other government officials have never said or shared information on
anything of that sort. He defined such reports as speculative. "Our
priority is to build dialogue on a sound psychological basis and
continue on that," the foreign minister noted.
While addressing reporters, Davutoglu also spoke of cooperation
between Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan and underlined that Ankara wants
Yerevan to be one of the main partners of these economic projects.
He said during his meeting with Nalbandyan that the two discussed
bilateral ties and perspectives about the Caucasus region. He stated
that all problems cannot be resolved immediately, referring to the
Nagorno-Karabakh issue.