YEREVAN (RFE/RL)—Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian has agreed to meet with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip in Washington next week, his office said on Thursday.
Erdogan proposed such a meeting in a written message that was taken to Yerevan by a high-ranking Turkish diplomat on Wednesday.
The presidential press secretary, Armen Arzumanian, told RFE/RL’s Armenian service that Sarkisian accepted the proposal. He said no concrete date for the talks has been set yet.
The two leaders are due to attend a nuclear security summit that will take place in Washington on April 12-13.
Feridun Sinirlioglu, the Turkish Foreign Ministry undersecretary, discussed with Sarkisian and Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian the current state of the Turkish-Armenian normalization process. According to official Armenian sources, Sinirlioglu was told that Yerevan expects Ankara to take “practical steps” towards an unconditional ratification of the fence-mending protocols signed by the two governments last October.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was reported to describe Sinirlioglu’s talks in Yerevan as “positive and constructive.” “We sincerely believe our relations with Armenia will be normalized in accordance with the protocols’ letter and spirit,” he said, according to “Hurriyet Daily News.”
A separate statement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry said the sides “confirmed mutually their commitment to the (normalization) process and their understanding that, despite the difficulties, this window of opportunity should not be missed.”
Sinirlioglu proceeded to Baku and was due to meet there with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Thursday.
“We gave a clear message of our loyalty to the normalization process during the talks in Armenia,” an unnamed Turkish diplomatic source was quoted by “Hurriyet Daily News” as saying. “Now, we need to share our impression with the Azerbaijani side.”
“Once again, we will affirm that Turkey is sharing Azerbaijani concerns over the Karabakh conflict,” the diplomatic source added.
Armenia has repeatedly rejected the Turkish linkage between protocol ratification and a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that would satisfy Azerbaijan.
SIRELI NAKHAGHAH PARUN SARGSYAN , BOLOR HAYERI SRTUM VAKH KA……….. SHAT ZGHOOSH PETKE LINEK VOR NOREN DZEZ CHE KHAPEN … DER MER MOTI “HENDKAHAVERE” DZER MOTI “HNDKAHAVERITS” AVELI SHOOT KAROGH YEN IRENTS GHUYNE POKHEL ….
It seems that never be a shortage in somebody of the Turkish ruling elite re-approving that the concept of human rights and respect of human freedom is in infancy in Turkey. The amazing demonstrations provided by Davitoglu were goldmouthed by Erdogan. The international diplomatic community still stomaching that pearl, is now given another by a prominent member of Turkish Parliament Canan Artman. Why prominent? She is known saying:”It is time to show this Armenians their proper place”.
Same C. Artman decided to challenge now German state concerning what German people are allowed and are not allowed to watch and to hear.
She has used her right to challenge FM of Turkey (I copied from News.am) by demanding that Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu provide written explanations for the demonstration of the 90-minute-long documentary Aghet-Ein Völkermord (Tragedy of Genocide) shown by the ARD TV channel.
Aritman raised the following questions:
1. Why was not the German Ambassador to Turkey summoned to the Turkish Foreign Office on the occasion?
2. Why weren’t the German authorities informed that the film might cause damage to the German-Turkish relations?
3. Why at his meeting with the German Chancellor last week the Turkish Premier did not voice his concern over the documentary and did not demand that the demonstration be prohibited?
4. Why did the Turkish Foreign Minister take a passive position on the Armenian Genocide resolutions approved by different Parliaments, as well as on the demonstration of films there?
5. Is the Turkish State’s silence in response to statements on the Armenian Genocide its political concept?
Does she consider also A. Merkel to send her explanations?
Dear president Sarkisian, like Ishkhan said before me, please do be careful when talking and agreeing with the Turks. They always speak with both ends of their mouth: meaning they say one thing and they do another. All they want is to deceive Armenia and Armenians altogether. Not one sentimeter of land from our Karapakh must be given back to the enemy Azeris; like you know very well already that we won the war, thank God. Please don't sign the protocols agreeing the borders of Turkey when their lands are stolen lands from Armenia and Armenians. Thank you and may God be with you president Sarkisian.