Turkey, Armenia resume secret talks – report
Turkey and Armenia have again met for secret talks,
CNN Turk TV channel reported.
The news report said discussions between diplomats of the two countries, which have long been at odds with each other, began after the New Year holidays - on January 5. The talks are reportedly being carried out confidentially, as requested by the Armenian side.
Some pundits say Turkey is seeking to see tangible results from its talks with Armenia by April 24, the day considered by Armenians as the date marking the genocide allegedly committed in the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century, and talks with Yerevan have therefore intensified anew.
Armenia and Turkey currently maintain no diplomatic ties and the border between the two countries has been closed since 1993 due to Ankara`s insistence in response to Armenia`s occupation of Azerbaijani territories and Armenian "genocide" claims. However, there have been recent signs of a warming in relations between Ankara and Yerevan. Following secret talks with Turkish and Armenian diplomats in Bern in July 2008, the two countries` leaders attended a 2010 World Cup qualifying soccer match together in Yerevan early in September when Abdullah Gul became the first Turkish president to visit Armenia. Further, Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian visited Turkey on November 24 and a trilateral meeting of the Azerbaijani, Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers was held in New York.
The news report said discussions between diplomats of the two countries, which have long been at odds with each other, began after the New Year holidays - on January 5. The talks are reportedly being carried out confidentially, as requested by the Armenian side.
Some pundits say Turkey is seeking to see tangible results from its talks with Armenia by April 24, the day considered by Armenians as the date marking the genocide allegedly committed in the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century, and talks with Yerevan have therefore intensified anew.
Armenia and Turkey currently maintain no diplomatic ties and the border between the two countries has been closed since 1993 due to Ankara`s insistence in response to Armenia`s occupation of Azerbaijani territories and Armenian "genocide" claims. However, there have been recent signs of a warming in relations between Ankara and Yerevan. Following secret talks with Turkish and Armenian diplomats in Bern in July 2008, the two countries` leaders attended a 2010 World Cup qualifying soccer match together in Yerevan early in September when Abdullah Gul became the first Turkish president to visit Armenia. Further, Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian visited Turkey on November 24 and a trilateral meeting of the Azerbaijani, Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers was held in New York.
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