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REPORT: TURKEY PREPARING TO OPEN ITS ARMENIA BORDER
Cihan News Agency (CNA), Turkey
July 4, 2014 Friday
ISTANBUL (CIHAN)- The Turkish government is preparing to open the
Alican border gate with Armenia, possibly in September of this year,
as part of its efforts to normalize ties with the neighboring country,
the Taraf daily reported on Friday.
Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity with
Azerbaijan after Armenian-backed armed forces occupied 20 percent of
Azerbaijan in 1992, including the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
According to Taraf, opening the border with Armenia will be the second
step on the way to normalizing Turkish-Armenian relations, following
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's April 23 statement extending
condolences to the grandchildren of Armenians who were killed in 1915.
Erdogan's surprising statement came just one day before April 24,
when Armenians commemorate the events they describe as genocide.
Ankara's policy is that the 1915 events do not amount to genocide, and
Turkey argues that both Turks and Armenians were killed when Armenians
revolted against the Ottoman Empire during World War l in collaboration
with the Russian army, which was then invading eastern Anatolia.
Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has been looking
ways to improve relations with Armenia before the year 2015 -- the
100th anniversary of the "Armenian Genocide." According to Taraf,
the Erdogan government is preparing to open the border gate as part
of a move to try to anticipate the expected campaign for recognition
of the "genocide" by Armenians.
The daily also reported that the Highways General Directorate has
asphalted seven kilometers of road leading to the Alican border. The
official opening timing has not yet been determined, but Taraf reports
that the gate may well be open in September of this year.
Ankara is aiming to improve problematic areas in its foreign policy
this year in the hope of reducing Western criticism -- particularly
from the US -- regarding issues of democracy and freedom in Turkey.
Improving ties with Armenia is one of these steps, along with resuming
the negotiations in Cyprus and normalizing ties with Israel.
A Turkish Foreign Ministry official who spoke to Today's Zaman on
Friday on condition of anonymity said the report is baseless, but
chose not to elaborate further.
Attending a reception on April 23 after he issued his condolences,
Erdogan said that without a solution to some issues, such as the
Nagorno-Karabakh dispute, Turkey will not consider opening the border.
The status of Nagorno-Karabakh -- a disputed enclave overwhelmingly
populated by ethnic Armenians -- and seven adjacent provinces is
a seemingly intractable problem in the South Caucasus. Diplomatic
efforts to find a lasting solution to the conflict have failed for
the past 20 years, after Armenia occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijani
territory in the early 1990s, including Nagorno-Karabakh, Turkey
closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity with Azerbaijan.
The issue of Armenia's withdrawal from the area surrounding
Nagorno-Karabakh is of importance to Ankara, which has frequently
signaled that this step would ease the way for the reopening of the
border with Armenia.
Speaking to journalists at the same reception, Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutoglu said the prime minister's statement was not issued
under pressure from anyone and that it should be seen as a "call" to
Armenians. Stressing that Turkey is attempting to share the pain of
Armenians, Davutoglu expressed his hope that Armenians would respond
positively to the prime minister's call so that Turks and Armenians
can build a future and make history together.
From: A. Papazian
Cihan News Agency (CNA), Turkey
July 4, 2014 Friday
ISTANBUL (CIHAN)- The Turkish government is preparing to open the
Alican border gate with Armenia, possibly in September of this year,
as part of its efforts to normalize ties with the neighboring country,
the Taraf daily reported on Friday.
Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity with
Azerbaijan after Armenian-backed armed forces occupied 20 percent of
Azerbaijan in 1992, including the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
According to Taraf, opening the border with Armenia will be the second
step on the way to normalizing Turkish-Armenian relations, following
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's April 23 statement extending
condolences to the grandchildren of Armenians who were killed in 1915.
Erdogan's surprising statement came just one day before April 24,
when Armenians commemorate the events they describe as genocide.
Ankara's policy is that the 1915 events do not amount to genocide, and
Turkey argues that both Turks and Armenians were killed when Armenians
revolted against the Ottoman Empire during World War l in collaboration
with the Russian army, which was then invading eastern Anatolia.
Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has been looking
ways to improve relations with Armenia before the year 2015 -- the
100th anniversary of the "Armenian Genocide." According to Taraf,
the Erdogan government is preparing to open the border gate as part
of a move to try to anticipate the expected campaign for recognition
of the "genocide" by Armenians.
The daily also reported that the Highways General Directorate has
asphalted seven kilometers of road leading to the Alican border. The
official opening timing has not yet been determined, but Taraf reports
that the gate may well be open in September of this year.
Ankara is aiming to improve problematic areas in its foreign policy
this year in the hope of reducing Western criticism -- particularly
from the US -- regarding issues of democracy and freedom in Turkey.
Improving ties with Armenia is one of these steps, along with resuming
the negotiations in Cyprus and normalizing ties with Israel.
A Turkish Foreign Ministry official who spoke to Today's Zaman on
Friday on condition of anonymity said the report is baseless, but
chose not to elaborate further.
Attending a reception on April 23 after he issued his condolences,
Erdogan said that without a solution to some issues, such as the
Nagorno-Karabakh dispute, Turkey will not consider opening the border.
The status of Nagorno-Karabakh -- a disputed enclave overwhelmingly
populated by ethnic Armenians -- and seven adjacent provinces is
a seemingly intractable problem in the South Caucasus. Diplomatic
efforts to find a lasting solution to the conflict have failed for
the past 20 years, after Armenia occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijani
territory in the early 1990s, including Nagorno-Karabakh, Turkey
closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity with Azerbaijan.
The issue of Armenia's withdrawal from the area surrounding
Nagorno-Karabakh is of importance to Ankara, which has frequently
signaled that this step would ease the way for the reopening of the
border with Armenia.
Speaking to journalists at the same reception, Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutoglu said the prime minister's statement was not issued
under pressure from anyone and that it should be seen as a "call" to
Armenians. Stressing that Turkey is attempting to share the pain of
Armenians, Davutoglu expressed his hope that Armenians would respond
positively to the prime minister's call so that Turks and Armenians
can build a future and make history together.
From: A. Papazian