Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian has responded to an October 13 open letter from the President of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, William Schabas. In the letter, addressed to both Sarkisian and Turkish President Abdullah Gul, Schabas, said: “Acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide must be the starting point of any ‘impartial historical commission,’ not one of its possible conclusions.”

Turkish troops in Afghanistan will not engage in combat with the Taliban, Turkey’s defense minister and diplomats emphasized on Thursday in reaction to the United States’ request for extra soldiers for ‘flexible’ missions.

On May 12, I wrote an article titled “Obama Alienates Armenian Americans,” in which I presented the reaction of Armenian leaders and commentators to what the community views as the continuous stream of blows from the Obama Administration in recent weeks. In the two days following the posting of the article on the Armenian Weekly website, many readers posted their views on Obama’s “betrayals” and their suggestions about the road ahead.

It is becoming increasingly evident that the so-called “roadmap” discussions with Turkey are proceeding with preconditions, despite continuous claims by Armenian authorities that they are not. The Armenian leadership should immediately withdraw from the “roadmap” talks and pursue a policy—vis-à-vis both Karabakh and Turkey that guarantees Armenian national interests and security.

YEREVAN (Combined Sources)–Armenia and Turkey said on Wednesday night that they have agreed on a “roadmap” for normalizing bilateral relations after an almost year of intensive negotiations mediated by Switzerland. It remained unclear, however, whether they will establish diplomatic relations and open their border anytime soon.
“The two parties have achieved tangible progress and mutual understanding [...]

Simply put, while in Turkey President Obama’s expressed statements and maintained position elevated the Armenian Genocide recognition issue to a political level as opposed to Turkish efforts of confining it to the historical context.

ISTANBUL (Combined Sources)–U.S. President Barack Obama urged the foreign ministers of Turkey and Armenia during a meeting late Monday to complete talks aimed at restoring ties between the two neighbors.
Ankara and Yerevan are engaged in high-level negotiations to end nearly a century of hostility, including the reopening of the border — a move which could [...]

“Well, my views are on the record and I have not changed those views,” President Obama told a joint news conference with Turkish President Abdullah Gul. “I want to focus not on my views right now, but on the views of the Turkish and Armenian people. If they can move forward and deal with a [...]

Prospects are high for a US recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the incoming administration of president elect Barack Obama, a leading member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation said Tuesday, reiterating his party’s calls for Yerevan not to buckle under Turkish pressure by accepting a package deal that would see, among other things, the establishment of a joint study on the genocide in exchange for normal ties.

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–In what is seen as the first step towards establishing direct trade links between Yerevan and Ankara, a senior Armenian government official has announced his side’s readiness to start supplying electricity to neighboring Turkey as early as next March.
Armen Movsisian, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, told reporters on Monday that under the [...]

ANKARA (Combined Sources)–Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to a three-way meeting to continue discussion on the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Turkey’s foreign minister Ali Babacan said Wednesday.
Armenia’s foreign ministry, in response to an inquiry on the Babacan announcement only said that Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian was scheduled to visit Istanbul for the upcoming [...]

ANKARA (Hurriyet)–The energy commissioner of the European Union started his visit to Ankara on Thursday, a day after the Azerbaijani leader, as the U.S. signals it wants the process of the Nabucco project to be accelerated.
Andris Piebalgs met high-level Turkish officials, including President Abdullah Gul and Pprime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and was expected to [...]

ANKARA (ArmRadio)–Turkish President Abdullah Gul has invited the editors of two prominent Armenian newspapers based in Istanbul to a reception at the President’s office for the 85th anniversary or the establishment of the Turkish Republic.
The two editors, Ara Gochunyan of “Jamanak,” and Etienne Mahchupian of “Agos” were sent invitations from Gul’s office early this week.
Gochunyan [...]

ANKARA (Hurriyet)–The European Union will praise President Abdullah Gul for his conciliatory role in politics but criticize the government for not presenting a comprehensive reform plan despite its repeated commitmen’s to the EU reform process.
In an annual progress report due to be released on Nov. 5 the European Union Commission also complains the military [...]