Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sent Turkey’s top diplomat to Armenia to discuss snags in efforts to normalize relations between the two countries, AFP reported.
Feridun Sinirlioglu, the undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry, will meet with Armenian President Serge Sarkisian and Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian on April 7, a Foreign Ministry source said.
He is to discuss disagreements holding up the deal that Turkey and Armenia signed in October 2009.
Sinirlioglu “will reassert Turkey’s commitment to the [reconciliation] process but will also convey our concerns,” the official, who requested anonymity, told AFP.
The envoy will discuss “steps that need to be taken to ensure that the process moves forward,” said a senior diplomat, who also declined to be named. He will also explore the possibility of arranging a meeting between Erdogan and Sarkisian on the sidelines of a nuclear security summit in Washington next week, the sources said.
The Turkish-Armenian deal—comprising two protocols—needs parliamentary ratification in both countries to take effect, but the process has been held up by mutual accusations that the other side is not truly committed to the terms of the agreement.
Ankara is irked by a January ruling of Armenia’s Constitutional Court that upheld the legality of the protocols, but said it could not contradict Yerevan’s official position that the mass killing of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire was genocide.
Yerevan, for his part, has protested Ankara’s position that the Turkish Parliament is unlikely to ratify the accord without progress in the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, a close Turkish ally.
This is a nice “balanced” article. Could have been written by the Economist magazine or Hurriyet. Maybe it was.
Dude, if you really read it, you’d see it’s an AFP report.
True, Ara. In fact, I read the news item earlier today. Here’s the original A quick look will show how it was way more “balanced” before.
***
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has sent Turkey’s top diplomat to Armenia to discuss snags in reconciliation efforts between the two estranged neighbors, Turkish officials said Wednesday.
Feridun Sinirlioğlu, undersecretary of the foreign ministry, was to meet Wednesday with Armenian President Serge Sarkisian and Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, a Foreign Ministry source said.
He was to discuss disagreements holding up a historic deal that Turkey and Armenia signed in October in a bid to end decades of hostility, establish diplomatic ties and open their border.
Sinirlioğlu “will reassert Turkey’s commitment to the [reconciliation] process but will also convey our concerns,” the official, who requested anonymity, told AFP.
The envoy will also discuss “steps that need to be taken to ensure that the process moves forward,” said a senior diplomat, who also declined to be named.
He will also explore the possibility of arranging a meeting between Erdoğan and Sarkisian on the sidelines of a nuclear security summit in Washington next week, the sources said.
The Turkish-Armenian deal — comprising two protocols — needs parliamentary ratification in both countries to take effect, but the process has been held up by mutual accusations that the other side is not truly committed to the terms of the agreement.
Ankara is irked by a January ruling of Armenia’s constitutional court that upheld the legality of the protocols but said they could not contradict Yerevan’s official position that the mass killings of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire was genocide — a label Turkey fiercely rejects.
Yerevan, for his part, has protested Ankara’s position that the Turkish Parliament is unlikely to ratify the accord without progress in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, a close Turkish ally.
The peace process has been marred also by resolutions adopted last month by a U.S. House of Representatives committee and the Swedish parliament that branded the World War I massacres of Armenians as genocide, infuriating Ankara
Hye, Turkey is desparate, and all their ‘actions’ now are indicative of this.
Turks are using more and more PLOYS – continuing their policies to distract, delay, of course, the denials of perpetrating the Turkish Genocide of the
Armenian nation 1915-1923, still into today 2010. All these PLOYS are for their efforts to impress nations of the world that a Turkey is trying… but trying what?
Don’t ever trust the Turk. Which nations are they ‘allied’ with – for how long?
All the Genocides against the Greeks, Syrians, Assyrians, Kurds, the Armenian nation, and more, were all to give a Turkey for Turks ONLY.
The Turks, still in the Ottoman mentality to this day, still, are incapable of joining and living with the civilized nations of the world.
As it was with Nazi Germany after WW2, the total replacements of their leadership, and their admission of the Nazi guilts, brought Germany back to join
its European neighbors and the world as well. Turkey has a long way to go…
Fool me once… Fool me twice… Oh, my!
Manooshag
Manooshag
Armenian Government officials should not meet with any Turkish officials in April. The Turks are again trying to sabotage the Genocide Commemorations.
Well put Manooshag, turkey has not changed it’s mentality for 200 years. The same tactics are being used today as were before and during the Genocide. Deception, delaying and eroding the minorities until the opportunity presents itself to attack and destroy (mainly the weak and defenseless) while covering their real intentions of pan-turkism. Modern civilisations can do without this mentality.
Wake up everybody… have you forgotten how the turks operate? There are only few days left for April 24… remember last year same time what happened?
I do hope that this time our president is not cheated with the sweet talk…
Vtiger, Manooshag, Melik, Ourfatsi, you are absolutely correct.
Turks are doing the SAME THING.. trying to stir everyone away from April 24th recognition of the Genocide.. I say NEVER EVER try to host their request, ESPECIALLY in the month of APRIL.. we all know their game…
Why are we so blind, and why do we always fall into the same trap? like the test mice.. our govt should wake up and taste the bitter air when it comes to trusting Turkey’s diplomatic approaches.. i just hope Armenia rejects this vist..
TO THE ARMENIAN GOVT: stop this ignorance, and nonsense..we are tired of it…
Gayane
I DONT’ KNOW WHOM TO ADDRESS,MANOUSHAG,TIGER ,OURFATSI,MELIK.
COMPTRIOTS!!!! INDEED GREAT TURKEY IS VERY MUCH CONCERNED,ALARMED,LEST TERM GENOCIDE BE USED BY U.S. PRESIDENT,WHICH IS A LEGAL TERMINOLOGY AND ATOMATICALLY MAES CULPABLE RESPONSBLE FOR CRIME.THENCE ALL THESE MANEUVRINGS..
I RECALL(though I don’t hold the man in esteem,i.e., LTP) whe he met Turgut Ozal-ex -pres. of Turkey.it was reported in Paris’s “Haratch Daily,then…that Mr. Ozal(read, or can also read Gozal-means pretty,though he was a very ugly ma),.let us get to the point.He told LTP, “forget about the Genoice and let us get on and we can be very friendly with you…”to that effect.To which LTP-Levon Ter etrossian a very Camaleon type person..at lesat had that much gutts or brians to reply”EVEN IF I GIVE IN AND ACCEPT WHAT YOU PROPOSE, MY PEIOPLE WLL NOT..”he knew of curse that the arseille, B-Aires, Boston,.S.Fracsco, L.A. Sydney,Beirut, Tehran ,Lyon Paris. Hayortis would unanimously STAND UP AND TELL HIM OFF..SO THIS IS THE SITUATION NOW …MORE OR LESS…
INSTEAD OF MR. OZAL the powers that be,especially in D.C. have not grasped as yet-unfortuately…that the millions of Armenians whether in Ra or all above cities and yet rovinces …will not give up GENOCIDE RECOGNITION BY -ESPECIALLY-GREAT TURKEY,WETHER IT TAKES A YEAR, TEN OR 20, IT IS THERE…TO BE PUSED THROUGH AND CULPABLE BROUGHT TO J U S T I C E…
FOR THE WORLD OWES US JUSTICE……
SO DO NOT BE ALRAMED,PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA WILL NOT DO THAT EITHER…IF LTP DID NOT DO SO…