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ARMENIA, TURKEY ANNOUNCE NO DEAL AFTER YEREVAN TALKS
Gaziantep Haber 27
April 17 2009
Turkey
Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan gave no indications of an
impending breakthrough in his country's relations with Armenia on
Thursday as he visited Yerevan to attend a meeting of the Black Sea
Economic Cooperation (BSEC) organization 17 Nisan 2009 Cuma 16:24
His Armenian counterpart, Eduard Nalbandian, insisted, nonetheless,
that Ankara and Yerevan may still normalize their historically strained
relations "soon."
Babacan refrained from making any public statements during the one-day
trip which ended with a meeting with President Serzh Sarkisian. A short
statement by Sarkisian's office gave no details of the talks. Babacan
also took part in a separate group meeting between Sarkisian and
participants of the BSEC session.
While in Yerevan, Babacan also met with Russia's Foreign Minister
Sergey Lavrov and Azerbaijan's Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmud
Mamedguliev.
Recent reports in Turkish and Western media said that the two
governments could use the BSEC meeting to announce agreement on a
gradual normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations. However, Turkey's
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ruled out such possibility,
repeatedly stating this month that Ankara will not establish diplomatic
relations with Yerevan and reopen the Turkish-Armenian border before
a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Babacan appeared to reaffirm that linkage as he spoke to CNN-Turk
television on his way to Yerevan. According to "Hurriyet Daily
News," he said the Turkish-Armenian dialogue must run parallel with
international efforts to settle the Karabakh conflict.
"Today we have no intention to sign any document regarding the
normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations," Nalbandian told
journalists after the BSEC meeting. "Negotiations continue. We have
made progress and believe that we can really be very close to solving
those issues soon."
Nalbandian also made clear that Yerevan remains opposed to direct
Turkish involvement in international efforts to settle the Karabakh
dispute. "Turkey will not play the role of a mediator in the Karabakh
peace process," he said.
The Armenian minister was speaking at a joint news conference with
Mamedguliev, whose country assumed the BSEC's rotating presidency
from Armenia at the Yerevan meeting. Mamedguliev, a rare Azerbaijani
official visiting Armenia, reaffirmed Baku's strong opposition to the
normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations before Karabakh peace. "Our
position is the following: the restoration of links between Turkey
and Armenia may only be conditional on the resolution of the conflict
between Armenia and Azerbaijan," he said.
By contrast, Lavrov welcomed the Turkish-Armenian rapprochement. "First
of all, this is the bilateral affair of Armenia and Turkey," he said
after the talks with Babacan. "We welcome all steps leading to the
normalization of relations between any countries of the region."
Gaziantep Haber 27
April 17 2009
Turkey
Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan gave no indications of an
impending breakthrough in his country's relations with Armenia on
Thursday as he visited Yerevan to attend a meeting of the Black Sea
Economic Cooperation (BSEC) organization 17 Nisan 2009 Cuma 16:24
His Armenian counterpart, Eduard Nalbandian, insisted, nonetheless,
that Ankara and Yerevan may still normalize their historically strained
relations "soon."
Babacan refrained from making any public statements during the one-day
trip which ended with a meeting with President Serzh Sarkisian. A short
statement by Sarkisian's office gave no details of the talks. Babacan
also took part in a separate group meeting between Sarkisian and
participants of the BSEC session.
While in Yerevan, Babacan also met with Russia's Foreign Minister
Sergey Lavrov and Azerbaijan's Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmud
Mamedguliev.
Recent reports in Turkish and Western media said that the two
governments could use the BSEC meeting to announce agreement on a
gradual normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations. However, Turkey's
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ruled out such possibility,
repeatedly stating this month that Ankara will not establish diplomatic
relations with Yerevan and reopen the Turkish-Armenian border before
a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Babacan appeared to reaffirm that linkage as he spoke to CNN-Turk
television on his way to Yerevan. According to "Hurriyet Daily
News," he said the Turkish-Armenian dialogue must run parallel with
international efforts to settle the Karabakh conflict.
"Today we have no intention to sign any document regarding the
normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations," Nalbandian told
journalists after the BSEC meeting. "Negotiations continue. We have
made progress and believe that we can really be very close to solving
those issues soon."
Nalbandian also made clear that Yerevan remains opposed to direct
Turkish involvement in international efforts to settle the Karabakh
dispute. "Turkey will not play the role of a mediator in the Karabakh
peace process," he said.
The Armenian minister was speaking at a joint news conference with
Mamedguliev, whose country assumed the BSEC's rotating presidency
from Armenia at the Yerevan meeting. Mamedguliev, a rare Azerbaijani
official visiting Armenia, reaffirmed Baku's strong opposition to the
normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations before Karabakh peace. "Our
position is the following: the restoration of links between Turkey
and Armenia may only be conditional on the resolution of the conflict
between Armenia and Azerbaijan," he said.
By contrast, Lavrov welcomed the Turkish-Armenian rapprochement. "First
of all, this is the bilateral affair of Armenia and Turkey," he said
after the talks with Babacan. "We welcome all steps leading to the
normalization of relations between any countries of the region."