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'I Repeat, No Preconditions': US Assistant Secretary Of State On Arm

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  • 'I Repeat, No Preconditions': US Assistant Secretary Of State On Arm

    'I REPEAT, NO PRECONDITIONS': US ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE ON ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS

    Tert.am
    30.09.09

    Summing up U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's meetings with the
    foreign ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey, U.S. Assistant
    Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Gordon
    referred to the establishment of Armenian-Turkish relations, states
    the US Department of State official website.

    Speaking on the Armenian-Turkish Protocols, Philip Gordon reconfirmed
    U.S. assistance to the process.

    "We support the process that is designed to lead to normalization
    between Turkey and Armenia -- establishment of diplomatic relations,
    opening a border. This is a difficult process that faces some political
    opposition in both places, and it's hard for both governments. And so
    when we say reasonable timeframe, we mean just that: that it's not just
    the process that we want to see, but we also want to see a conclusion
    to the process, and that's what we're underscoring when we say that.

    "And as you know, the Armenian Government itself has long underscored
    that this should move ahead without preconditions and in a reasonable
    timeframe. So that is their view of it, as it is ours."

    In answer to the question if "without preconditions" implies that
    Armenians don't stipulate that Turkey recognizes the genocide, Philip
    Gordon said "no preconditions means no preconditions on either side."

    "There are lots of things that one could try to link this process to,
    and what we are saying is that the process is inherently valuable,
    that we think that Turkey-Armenian normalization is a good thing,
    and it shouldn't wait for other things to get done or be linked to
    other things; it should go ahead," Gordon said.

    He also added that "Armenia, without an open border with Turkey,
    is isolated. We saw during the war in Georgia in August 2008 that
    it could be even further isolated when negative things happen in the
    region. And a normal relationship with Turkey would hat would benefit
    the people of both countries today. It would facilitate trade between
    them. And so we actually do think that there is a historic opportunity
    in the region."

    In answer to a comment stating that "there's no immediate benefit
    for Nagorno-Karabakh," Philip Gordon said, "What we've said -- and
    that's, again, this issue of no linkages and no preconditions -- we
    think Turkey-Armenia would benefit the two countries in and of itself."
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