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ANKARA: Report: Turkey Preparing To Open Its Armenia Border

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  • ANKARA: Report: Turkey Preparing To Open Its Armenia Border

    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
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