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AZG Armenian Daily #015, 27/01/2007
TURKISH JOURNALIST URGES TURKISH GOVERNMENT TO ACCEPT SUGGESTION OF ARMENIA
A leading Turkish journalist Mehmet Ali Birand urged today his
government to accept Armenia's proposal for unconditional
establishment of diplomatic relations. RA Deputy Foreign Minister
Arman Kirakosian repeated this proposal on Wednesday saying that
Armenia is prepared to establish diplomatic ties with Turkey without
any pre-conditions. Kirakosian made the announcement after visiting
the family of the murdered Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink in
Istanbul.
Birand argued that Turkey's willingness to start normalization of
relations with Yerevan may force the U.S. Congress to postpone debates
on a resolution demanding recognition of the Armenian genocide. "It
(normalization of relations) will also force French parliament to put
aside a bill on criminalizing the denial of the Armenian
genocide. Everyone will be waiting to see what Turkish-Armenian
dialogue would produce,' he said. According to Birand, the only
obstacle to starting improvement of ties with Armenia is Ankara's
relations with Azerbaijan, whose government would not be pleased by
this prospect.
Birand argued that the official Baku may go as far as to stop supplies
of oil via Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. "Turkey should be capable of
persuading Azerbaijan and to explain to it that a Turkey with
diplomatic relations with Armenia would have more influence on
Armenia's policy which would eventually benefit Azerbaijan,' he said.
TURKISH JOURNALIST URGES TURKISH GOVERNMENT TO ACCEPT SUGGESTION OF ARMENIA
A leading Turkish journalist Mehmet Ali Birand urged today his
government to accept Armenia's proposal for unconditional
establishment of diplomatic relations. RA Deputy Foreign Minister
Arman Kirakosian repeated this proposal on Wednesday saying that
Armenia is prepared to establish diplomatic ties with Turkey without
any pre-conditions. Kirakosian made the announcement after visiting
the family of the murdered Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink in
Istanbul.
Birand argued that Turkey's willingness to start normalization of
relations with Yerevan may force the U.S. Congress to postpone debates
on a resolution demanding recognition of the Armenian genocide. "It
(normalization of relations) will also force French parliament to put
aside a bill on criminalizing the denial of the Armenian
genocide. Everyone will be waiting to see what Turkish-Armenian
dialogue would produce,' he said. According to Birand, the only
obstacle to starting improvement of ties with Armenia is Ankara's
relations with Azerbaijan, whose government would not be pleased by
this prospect.
Birand argued that the official Baku may go as far as to stop supplies
of oil via Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. "Turkey should be capable of
persuading Azerbaijan and to explain to it that a Turkey with
diplomatic relations with Armenia would have more influence on
Armenia's policy which would eventually benefit Azerbaijan,' he said.