Opening Turkish-Armenian border is on US administration agenda

07.08.03/ANKARA – John Ordway, U.S. Ambassador to Armenia’s Yerevan, said Tuesday that the opening of Turkish-Armenian border is still on the agenda of the United States administration.

As a sign of support to Azerbaijan, which was then experiencing a series of military defeats against Armenia in Karabakh, Turkey closed its eastern border in 1993, thus decreeing a de facto economic embargo against Armenia.

The European Union and the United States have repeatedly called on Turkey to lift this embargo against Armenia. The EU also indicated that Turkey should normalize its relations with its neighbors before starting accession talks with the Union by 2005.

Turkish officials say Ankara would not lift its embargo until Armenia stops campaigning for the international recognition of so-called Armenian genocide in 1915.

Turkey strongly denies claims that the Ottoman Empire carried out any “genocide” against the Armenians, backing up its defence with evidence of Armenian massacres of Turkish civilians in the years 1915 to 1918.

Ordway, speaking to press in Yerevan, said the U.S. administration is continuing to discuss the problem with Turkish officials.

Ordway also said the upcoming elections in Azerbaijan would not affect peace efforts. “We expect the peace efforts to continue on the basis that has been established up to now.”

“We are ready to work with the new Azerbaijani administration,” he stated.

A rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia started taking shape on the sidelines of a NATO ministerial meeting in Madrid on June 3-4. Emerging from talks with his Armenian counterpart, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said Ankara might consider reopening its eastern border soon.

Officially, there is no trade between Turkey and Armenia, but goods circulate freely between the two countries through Georgia and Iran.

Reportedly, a set of secret talks is continuing between the two countries’ officials before a NATO meeting to be held in the United States, which will be an occasion to gather Turkish, Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers.