Mending Turkish-Armenian ties to drag on for years: Crisis Group rep
Hopes for a speedy normalization of strained
relations between Turkey and Armenia, marred by history-long
tensions, have been shattered, says a representative of an
international group working to prevent conflicts worldwide.
CNN Turk TV channel quoted Sabine Freizer, the International Crisis Group (ICG) Europe Program Director, as saying that relations between the two countries were to normalize by August 2009. However, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan`s comments during a visit to Baku May 12-13 that Turkey will not open up its border with Armenia before the occupation of Azerbaijani territories ends had somewhat set back the normalization process, she believes.
According to Freizer, Erdogan`s statement appears to conclude that the mending of Ankara-Yerevan ties will be prolonged for several more years.
Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 due to its occupation of Azerbaijani territories and its claims on alleged World War I-era genocide. However, there have lately been signs of normalization in Ankara-Yerevan ties. The two countries` leaders attended a 2010 World Cup qualifying soccer match together in Yerevan in September 2008. Since then, diplomatic efforts aimed at mending ties intensified, and some reports circulated earlier that Turkey would soon open its border with Armenia, sparking an outcry in Azerbaijan.
CNN Turk TV channel quoted Sabine Freizer, the International Crisis Group (ICG) Europe Program Director, as saying that relations between the two countries were to normalize by August 2009. However, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan`s comments during a visit to Baku May 12-13 that Turkey will not open up its border with Armenia before the occupation of Azerbaijani territories ends had somewhat set back the normalization process, she believes.
According to Freizer, Erdogan`s statement appears to conclude that the mending of Ankara-Yerevan ties will be prolonged for several more years.
Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 due to its occupation of Azerbaijani territories and its claims on alleged World War I-era genocide. However, there have lately been signs of normalization in Ankara-Yerevan ties. The two countries` leaders attended a 2010 World Cup qualifying soccer match together in Yerevan in September 2008. Since then, diplomatic efforts aimed at mending ties intensified, and some reports circulated earlier that Turkey would soon open its border with Armenia, sparking an outcry in Azerbaijan.
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