TURKISH JOURNALISTS URGES HIS GOVERNMENT TO ACCEPT ARMENIAN PROPOSAL

 
ISTANBUL, JANUARY 26, ARMENPRESS: A prominent Turkish journalist Mehmet Ali Birand urged today his government to accept Armenia’s proposal for unconditional establishment of diplomatic relations.
Armenia’s deputy foreign minister Arman Kirakosian repeated this proposal on Wednesday saying that Armenia is prepared to establish diplomatic ties with Turkey without any pre-conditions. Kirakosian made the announcement after visiting the family of the murdered Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink in Istanbul.
Birand argued that Turkey’s willingness to start normalization of relations with Yerevan may force the U.S. Congress to postpone debates on a resolution demanding recognition of the Armenian genocide. “It (normalization of relations) will also force French parliament to put aside a bill on criminalizing the denial of the Armenian genocide. Everyone will be waiting to see what Turkish-Armenian dialogue would produce,’ he said.
According to Birand, the only obstacle to starting improvement of ties with Armenia is Ankara’s relations with Azerbaijan, whose government would not be pleased by this prospect. Birand argued that the official Baku may go as far as to stop supplies of oil via Baku-Tbilisi- Ceyhan pipeline.
“Turkey should be capable of persuading Azerbaijan and to explain to it that a Turkey with diplomatic relations with Armenia would have more influence on Armenia’s policy which would eventually benefit Azerbaijan,’ he said.