Ankara Refuses US Call to Open Armenian Border

March 18, 2006
zaman.com
By Suleyman Kurt

The Turkish government responded negatively once again to a demand from the United States to open the Armenian border.

An envoy from the United States brought the Mountainous Karabag (Karabagh) region to the agenda in search of a resolution as they asked the Turkish government to reevaluate the Armenian border. On Thursday, Turkish foreign ministry officials met with Assistant Secretary of States Daniel Fried of the United States as well as with Ambassador Steven Mann, a United States negotiator assigned to find a resolution to the Mountainous Karabagh question.

Fried addressed the demand to open the Armenian border, according to reporters. Ankara, however, acted unenthusiastically to the issue at hand. Turkish officials classified the Armenian cessation of its invasion of the Karabagh region as one of the three requirements for the appeasement of relations between Turkey and Armenia. Turkey is also pushing Armenia to disavow its allegations of genocide and to remove from the Armenian constitution the anti-Turkish clauses.

Is this an example of largesse by Turkey? Turkey still thinks that it can impose conditions before it dialogues with Armenia. What happened to good old diplomacy?

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