Is the border opening?

[hitite]

http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/world/9846530.asp?scr=1

Turkish, Armenian foreign ministers agree to normalize relations
The Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers have agreed to normalize bilateral relations during a late-night meeting held in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, after the Turkish president's landmark visit, Hurriyet daily wrote on Monday.

Turkish, Armenian foreign ministers agree to normalize relations

Armenia's Eduard Nalbandian and Turkey's Ali Babacan have agreed on several issues; including the opening of closed borders, the establishment of diplomatic relations and entering a normalization process, in Saturday night's meeting, Hurriyet reported.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul paid a landmark visit to Yerevan after Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan invited him to watch a 2010 World Cup qualifying match between the two countries' national teams. A Turkish delegation, including Babacan, accompanied Gul during his historical visit.

Turkey is among the first countries that recognized Armenia when it declared its independency in the early 1990s. However there is no diplomatic relations between two countries, as Armenia presses the international community to admit the so-called "genocide" claims instead of accepting Turkey's call to investigate the allegations, and its invasion of 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory despite U.N. Security Council resolutions on the issue.

The Turkish and Armenian delegations, headed by the two foreign ministers, held talks regarding Turkey's proposal for a new regional forum in the Caucasus, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and other regional issues, Hurriyet wrote.

Babacan told Nalbandian that Turkey supported the Minsk process for the solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and added that his country favored the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all countries in the region, according to the report in Hurriyet.

Both foreign ministers were careful to avoid contentious issues, such as the so-called Armenian genocide, the report added.

Armenia, with the backing of the diaspora, claims up to 1.5 million of their kin were slaughtered in orchestrated killings in 1915. Turkey rejects the claims, saying that 300,000 Armenians along with at least as many Turks died in civil strife that emerged when Armenians took up arms for independence in eastern Anatolia.

In 2005, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan took a first step towards resolving the issue by proposing that a joint commission of historians launch an investigation and publish their conclusions, but the proposal was rejected by Yerevan.

Armenia also announced Sunday that the foreign ministers of both countries will meet formally on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York later this month.

[salutetrk]

I am very happy that our president's visit to Armenia passed so smoothly. I was worried that there might be heavy protests which will make radicals in both sides more encourged on their rigid ideas as we all know. Nations' memories not only keep mutual sadness but also keep mutuall hapiness as well. Although we have experienced so unfortunate events in last 100 years we have also lived together peacefully for another 800 years.

Today I have just watched TV interview of a Turkish news channel with poeople of Yereven and saw that a middle aged Armanian woman told in Turkish meaning I hope border will be opened which affected me really deep. She was using the word "insallah" sincerely.

I hope we will not loose another generation before these two nations can be as close as we were once upon a time.

[phantom]

I read some of the interview comments by Gul. He seems genuinely and personally pleased and happy about his visit to Armenia. I think this is an amazing development. The Turkish press is also surprisingly very positive over the whole thing. Also, I think the Turks who went to Yerevan saw first hand that what they were told about the "poverty stricken Armenia" isn't the reality, and that it's a nice place with nice people. I think they were surprised by that.

I hope the two governments keep the momentum moving in the right direction and that the Azeris and Russians don't throw a wrench into the whole thing.

[bell-the-cat]

I read some of the interview comments by Gul. He seems genuinely and personally pleased and happy about his visit to Armenia.

He is just like any politician - when they have problems at home they try and enhance their status by appearing more statesmanlike through going on foreign trips. Nothing he says will mean anything in the long term unless it is backed up by actual actions - he is probably just pleased that as a result of the visit he thinks his own political status has increased somewhat at home. Russia's actions in Georgia will have had a more positive effect in getting Turkey to think seriously about the border opening - but even that won't be enough, I think.

[salutetrk]

Turkey has closed the border in order to support Azerbayjan in Karabag conflict. It is not Turkish benefit or Armenian to keep the border closed. On the other hand Gul took a political risk by visiting Armenia since comunity devided into two before his visit. Opposition parties claimed that he should not go since Armenia did not make any concrete step after border is closed in any of the knows issues between two countries. He will receive even more critisim when border is opened if Armenian side does not do anything but I belive that border will be open anyhow.

More steps should be taken after that we should build relations like neighbours in goverments and nations level. Economic relations should be increased. There are approximately 30000 Armenia citizen working here. Their status must be legalized, visa issues must be solved. there are lots of things we should concentrate our energy first.
We know that you are a grieved nation for sure. Therefore you have every right to be emotional on our mutual past without denying , forgeting and provoking lets try to make something better then previous generations for our childen.