Turkey And Armenia To Hold First Round Of Talks In Moscow Aimed At Normalising Ties

Reuters: Turkey, Armenia hold first talks on normalising ties in years 

ANKARA/MOSCOW (Reuters) -Turkey and Armenia on Friday said a first round of talks in more than ten years was "positive and constructive," raising the prospect that ties could be restored and borders reopened after decades of animosity. 

Turkey has had no diplomatic or commercial ties with its eastern neighbour since the 1990s. 

The talks in Moscow were the first attempt to restore links since a 2009 peace accord. 

That deal was never ratified and relations have remained tense. 

The Turkish and Armenian foreign ministries said on Friday the talks were held in a "positive and constructive" atmosphere, adding both sides were committed to a full normalisation without any pre-conditions.

They said special envoys had "exchanged their preliminary views regarding the normalisation process". 

The neighbours are at odds over several issues, primarily the 1.5 million people Armenia says were killed in 1915.  

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WNU Editor: Apparently the talks went well. Future talks are planned. 

Turkey And Armenia Hold First Round Of Talks To Normalize Ties  

Armenia, Turkey Hold First Round Of Talks On Normalizing Ties, Agree To Hold More -- RFE  

Armenian, Turkish envoys meet for first talks on normalizing relations -- Euraisanet   

Turkey and Armenia welcome 'constructive' efforts to mend relations -- France 24  

Turkey, Armenia talk normalising ties after decades of animosity -- Al Jazeera  

New hope for Turkey-Armenia to heal old wounds -- Asia Times

Armenia Rejects Talks With Turkey On Reconciliation

Armenia Halts Ratification Of Turkey Peace Deal -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Armenia on Thursday suspended ratification of peace accords with Turkey, setting back to square one U.S.-backed efforts to bury a century of hostility between the neighbors.

Christian Armenia and Muslim Turkey signed accords in October last year to establish diplomatic relations and open their land border, trying to overcome the legacy of the World War One mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks.

But the process was already deadlocked before Thursday's decision, with each side accusing the other of trying to re-write the texts and setting new conditions.

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More News On The Failure Of Armenian - Turkish Reconciliation

Armenian freezes Turkey pact ratification -- AP
Armenia suspends normalisation of ties with Turkey -- BBC
Armenia halts Turkey reconciliation -- Al Jazeera
Armenian parties reject talks with Turkey -- CNN
Armenia Suspends Ratification Of Turkey Deal -- Radio Free Europe
President Sarkisian Announces Suspension of Protocols -- Armenian Weekly
Turkey committed to protocols with Armenia, Erdogan says -- Focus

My Comment: When this treaty was agreed upon a few months ago, I voiced my skepticism that it will be ratified. Sadly .... with many issues that have not been resolved .... this is what has happened.

Turkish - Armenia Reconciliation Talks Reach A Roadblock

Armenia gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1990

Armenia Warns Of Breakdown In Turkey Reconciliation -- AFP

YEREVAN — Historic efforts to establish ties between Armenia and Turkey may break down, the Armenian foreign minister warned on Friday, blaming Ankara for obstructing the process.

"If Turkey is not ready to ratify the protocols, if it continues to speak in ultimatums, to set preconditions and to obstruct the process, then I do not exclude that negotiations will break down," Eduard Nalbandian said at a press conference.

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More News On Turkish - Armenian Relations

Armenia warns Turkey peace deal under threat -- Reuters
Armenia Blames Turkey for Delaying Vote on Deal to Open Border -- Business Week
From the Bosphorus: Straight - Disingenuous diplomacy in Turkey, Armenia -- Hurriyet
Turkey and Armenia at odds over protocols -- Financial Times
Turkey Calls Armenian High Court Ruling ‘Unacceptable’ -- Radio Free Europe

Obstacles Remain For Turkey-Armenia Thaw

Despite disagreements and delays, the signing eventually went ahead [AFP]

From The Telegraph:

Despite Saturday's historic signing of an accord to normalize relations between Turkey and Armenia, signs emerged over the weekend that the nearly century-old hostility between the two countries remains far from resolved.

Saturday's signing in Zurich nearly didn't happen due to a disagreement over language, but was salvaged by last minute intervention from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The agreement restores normal diplomatic relations between the two countries and commits them to opening up their border and "begin dialogue" over the killing of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire in 1915.

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More News On Turkey - Armenia Relations

Armenia's president to attend match in Turkey -- AP
Armenian President to Watch Football Match in Turkey -- Voice of America
Ending the Turkey-Armenia standoff -- Al Jazeera
Turkish statue fails to extend hand of friendship -- Irish Times
Turkey-Armenia accords aim to dispel hostility -- Financial Times
The Big Question: Is the bitter divide between Turkey and Armenia coming to an end? -- Independent

Armenia, Turkey Sign Landmark Pact

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu of Turkey, second from left, shook hands with Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian of Armenia after the signing ceremony on Saturday in Zurich. Fabrice Coffrini/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Armenia, Turkey Sign Landmark Accord Despite Tensions -- Voice of America

The former Soviet republic of Armenia and Turkey have signed an historic accord on normalizing relations after a century of hostility.

The signing on Saturday in Zurich, Switzerland came after a last minute delay caused by a dispute over the final statements the two nations would make. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton helped get the signing back on course. But the agreement has been met by protests in Armenia, where many people say it does not fully address the 1915 killing of over a million people.

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More News On Today's Historic Signing Between Turkey And Armenia

Turkey, Armenia sign historic accord -- Yahoo News/AP
After Hitch, Turkey and Armenia Normalize Ties -- New York Times
US says Armenia-Turkey deal overcomes decades of hostility -- AFP
Armenia and Turkey normalise ties -- BBC
Armenia, Turkey Reach Accord -- Washington Post
Armenia, Turkey sign historic agreement -- CNN
How Turks and Armenians see new ties -- BBC
Radical US Armenians protest Ankara-Yerevan protocol -- Hurriyet
Next Nobel Peace Prize: Turkey and Armenia? -- Christian Science Monitor

Turkey, Armenia Are Likely To Ease Conflict

Turkish President Abdullah Gul, left, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Obama chat in Baden-Baden, Germany, before the NATO summit. Fredrik von Erichsen / EPA

From The L.A. Times:

President Obama is to visit Turkey in a few days, and the expected deal would allow him to point to progress toward reconciliation.
Reporting from Washington -- Turkey and Armenia are likely to announce a deal soon aimed at easing their conflict, diplomats said Friday in a development that would sweeten President Obama's visit to Turkey next week.

The two countries are expected this month to announce an agreement to resume official contacts and reopen borders that have been closed since 1993, said the diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the subject.

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My Comment: I give it another 100 years before the scars of 1915 are "mostly" forgotten.

Turkish President To Travel To Armenia

President Abdullah Gul, seen here in August 2008, on Saturday becomes the first Turkish head of state to visit Armenia and Ankara hopes his trip to attend a football match will heal old wounds over the massacre of Armenians by Turkish forces. (AFP/File/Adem Altan)

From Yahoo News/AP:

ANKARA, Turkey - Turkish President Abdullah Gul will travel to Armenia to watch a soccer match between the countries' national teams, his office said Wednesday, in a sign of a thaw in relations between the two historic foes.

Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic relations because of Turkey's opposition to Armenia's occupation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.

The rivalry also stems from Armenia's insistence that the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million ethnic Armenians around the time of World War I be recognized as genocide. Turkey says the killings occurred at a time of civil conflict and that the casualty figures are inflated.

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My Comment: These two peoples have a terrible history. I guess a soccer game is a good place to start a dialogue.