YEREVAN (A.W.)—On Dec. 12, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu visited Yerevan to attend the 29th meeting of the Foreign Ministers’ Council of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) organization. Davutoglu also met with his Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandian.
According to a statement released by the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two discussed the future activities of the BSEC. Nalbandian also “reaffirmed Armenia’s principled position of Armenia on the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations without any preconditions”—a statement Nalbandian repeated later to journalists, adding, “Turkey linking normalization with other issues makes no sense and won’t yield any results.”
The meeting between Nalbandian and Davutoglu reportedly lasted well over an hour.
Attendees to the BSEC meeting discussed cooperation in various areas, including transportation, trade, energy, education, and communication.
Following the meeting, Davutoglu gave a press conference to only Turkish media representatives, who quoted him as saying that it had been “quite a warm and open atmosphere.” Despite some disagreements, he added, it was important for them to meet more frequently.
“Turkey and Armenia are neighbors, so we would like the relations to be on a high level to enable the sides to establish friendly relations,” Davutoglu was quoted as saying.
Prior to his departure to Yerevan, Davutoglu Tweeted about his visit. “I hope that my visit to Yerevan will contribute to comprehensive peace and stability efforts in the BSEC region and the Caucuses,” he wrote. “As Turkey, we will continue to make efforts to solve conflicts in the periphery.”
Protest against Davutoglu
Protesters gathered in front of the Marriott Hotel in Republic Square, where the meetings took place, forcing Davutoglu to enter through a back door. They held signs that read, “Stop occupation of Armenian lands,” “Stop denial of Turkish history,” “Recognition,” and “Reparation.”
The protest, organized by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Nigol Aghbalian Student Organization, attracted a diverse group of Yerevan residents. The protesters sang patriotic songs and shouted slogans urging Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide and to make reparations for the crime.
Artur Ghazarian, a member of the ARF’s Yerevan office said Davutoglu’s visit to Armenia was an opportunity to remind Turkey “of our claims—recognition, condemnation and reparations.”
“Turkey proved yet again that it is scared to face its own history; it’s afraid to look into the eyes of the heirs of Armenian Genocide survivors,” said Gerasim Vardanyan, chairman of the ARF Nigol Aghbalian Student Organization.
“By this action the [youth and student] organizations express their protest saying STOP genocide, STOP denialism, STOP falsification of history, and STOP injustice,” said an action-alert by the ARF Student Organization.
It is very hard to believe Turkey who got the Armenians by plots in the first place.
I am a Turk and i condemn Mr. Davutoğlu on his visit to Ermenistan while Ermenian army is still in Azerbaijan land Karabagh.
Wast of time.
your condemnation of FM Davutoğlu is duly noted.
also duly noted is that RoA FM Nalbandian told FM Davutoğlu to go pound sand, when the latter mentioned our sacred NKR.
furthermore, we condemn wily Turkish Foreign Minister’s use of the denialist phrase “Just Memory” in Yerevan, only a few miles from the Armenian Genocide Memorial complex.
As to the so-called “Azerbaijan land Karabagh”: the land of nomadic invading Turks is in Uyguristan.
Historic Armenian lands of Artsakh aka Nagorno-Karabagh were liberated from nomadic Turkic invaders.
Rest of historic Armenian Artsakh, Lowlands Karabagh, is awaiting Liberation.
Rest of historic Armenian Nakhichevan is awaiting Liberation.
Necati, why is PM Erdogan threatening to expel our US Ambasador, Mr Ricciardone causing the US Embassy to respond with, “all allegations in news stories (in Turkey’s “massive corruption probe”) are downright lies and slander” and “has nothing to do with the United States”? He went on to proclaim that, “You are watching collapse of an empire” (Turkey). I can’t say we’re sad about it but it now looks like Mr Bagis has been hysterically drawn into the investigations but Mr Davutoglo has (at present) remained above the fray.
It took some courage to go to Armenia even if he didn’t “show his respect for the dead” there.
Since you once commented that you were a “devouted Christian”, Merry Christmas.
Ahmed Oghloo, never mind “Gharehbagh”… Davood is interested about the solution of Armenian Genocide and Western “Ermanistan”… you and most of Turkic oghloos are in deep sleep and have no idea what is going on in the real world of politics..I blame your AKP party leadership who keep you people always in dark side!!
Necati, why is PM Erdogan threatening to expel our US Ambasador, Mr Ricciardone causing the US Embassy to respond with, “all allegations in news stories (in Turkey’s “massive corruption probe”) are downright lies and slander” and “has nothing to do with the United States”? He went on to proclaim that, “You are watching collapse of an empire” (Turkey). I can’t say we’re sad about it but it now looks like Mr Bagis has been hysterically drawn into the investigations but Mr Davutoglo has (at present) remained above the fray.
It took some courage to go to Armenia even if he didn’t “show his respect for the dead” there.
Since you once commented that you were a “devouted Christian”, Merry Christmas.
“Our US Ambassador” ?
I thought Ermenistan was in co-operation with Russia and Iran against NATO/USA…
No amount of talking will bring in normalcy as long as Armenians invade and occupy ethnically cleansed lands of a UN member state and a critical ally of Turkey. Ball has always been Armenia corner. Neither esteemed Davutoglu nor anyone else can kick it for them!
Turkey invaded, occupied and ethnically cleansed 40% of UN member state Cyprus. There are 40,000 Turk troops still occupying 40% of Cyprus, almost 40 years on.
Turkic tribes, originally from Uyguristan, invaded and ethnically cleansed Asia Minor of its indigenous inhabitants over a period of centuries. Culminating in complete elimination of same via Genocide starting around 1890s and reaching its peak around 1915-1923.
In 1991, Azerbaijan SSR declared independence from USSR: on that day its legal mandate to _administer_ NKAO ended.
Shortly after, NKAO declared independence and became NKR.
AzeriTatarTurks invaded NKR and attempted to ethnically cleanse and exterminate its 150,000 indigenous, native Armenians.
TatarTurk invaders were soundly defeated and thrown out of Armenian NKR.
Additional historic Armenian lands of Artsakh aka Nagorno-Karabagh were liberated from nomadic Turkic invaders.
Rest of historic Armenian Artsakh, Lowlands-Karabagh, is still under occupation of foreign invaders, TatarTurks.
look who’s talking… a Turk, whose genocidal nation has occupied the sovereign UN member-state of Cyprus. what a hypocrisy and what stupid comparison with NK Armenians’ self-determination quest and the return of native Armenian lands given to a newly-created nation of AzerBEYjan in the early 1920s. will you, Turks, ever learn, or you’re just too blinded with Turkophilia and intolerance towards older and nobler nations that waged wars of liberation from your shackles?
Necati,
Raki, melon, and goat cheese, during Christmas time, isn’t….Armenia is accepted by all powers of the world, US, Russia and EU, and even by Persians, Arabs, Chinese, and Japanese, because of our unique constant contribution toward world civilization..even some of our contribution toward Turkic tribes is well documented, the basic contribution is your sweet Turkic language alphabets, who created by an Armenian, where every morning millions praying to Allah almighty in Turkey…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agop_Dila%C3%A7ar
Remember, Turkey’s inability to distract the world opinion and bury The truth of Armenian Genocide (and Christian Genocide of Turkey) with Turkish delights, will never going to happen!!