U.s. Calls Turkey For Opening Border With Armenia

[gamavor]

U.S. CALLS TURKEY FOR OPENING BORDER WITH ARMENIA

 

YEREVAN, JANUARY 15, NOYAN TAPAN. The United States calls Turkey for

opening the border with Armenia. Matthew Bryza, the American Co-chair

of the OSCE Minsk Group, stated on January 15, at the conference Wider

Black Sea Region: Prospects of International and Regional Security.

 

According to him, during the recent visit of Turkish President Abdullah

Gul to Washington, the leaders of the two countries declared the start

of a new stage of overcoming distrust and a new stage of strategic

relations between the parties. According to M. Bryza, the parties

registered a new approach over energy issues, as well as in connection

with the South Caucasus and Armenia. "It does not mean that Turkey has

assumed some commitments and the borders will be suddenly opened or new

pipelines and roads will pass through Armenia. However, this is our

purpose and it is not unrealistic," he mentioned. According to M.

Bryza, establishment of close relations between Ankara and Washington

creates a good historic possibility for Armenia and Turkey to improve

their relations, which will also result in the opening of the border in

the future. "We encourage our Turkish allies to make use of this

historic situation. Though Turkey has put forward some preconditions

for normalization of the relations, we hope that the moods are changing

and these preconditions will be withdrawn," M. Bryza said. According to

him, the Armenian party can also undertake some steps to withdraw these

preconditions by recognizing the current borders.

According to M. Bryza, the improval of the Armenian-Turkish relations

will be greatly conditioned by the process of Nagorno Karabakh

settlement. "I will not say that we are optimistic. However, the

negotiations are at a very important stage and it is time that the

parties reach an agreement over the main principles," the MG American

Co-chair said.

 

 

 

http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg216952.html

 

 

 

PS: Either my English is not good enough or Bryza is hallucinating again. On one hand he hails the "no preconditions" approach offered by the Armenian government, and on the other he says it will be positive if we recognize the current borders!!! Further on, he says again "no preconditions", but the improvement of Armeno-Turkish relations is conditioned by the peace process of NKR settlement.

 

Recognizing the current borders would mean gross violation of the International law, therefore any talks about recognizing something illegal shouldn't be used as precondition, because when the tree is ill it bares ill fruits.

 

Secondly on the NKR peace process - it is a conflict to which Turkey is not a party. In the same manner Armenia can put forward preconditions to Turkey after peaceful return of occupied parts of Cyprus.