Armenia’s Territorial Claims To Turkey Prevent From Establishing Dip

ARMENIA’S TERRITORIAL CLAIMS TO TURKEY PREVENT FROM ESTABLISHING DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS – TURKISH AMBASSADOR TO RUSSIA

Regnum, Russia
Oct 30 2007

"After Armenia appeared as a result of the collapse of the USSR
in 1991, Turkey was the first country to recognize it," Turkey’s
Ambassador to the Russian Federation Kurtulus Taskent announced at
a news conference in Moscow today, a REGNUM correspondent informs.

"However, Armenia’s Independence Declaration contains a number of
articles that present Armenia’s claims for eastern Turkish territories,
after that the events in Karabakh occurred, during which Armenia
occupied about 20% of the Azerbaijani territory. Those facts prevented
from establishing diplomatic relations between our countries," the
ambassador believes.

"Meanwhile, there are about several thousands illegal labor migrants
in Turkey from Armenia; Turkey gives its air passage for air links
between Armenia and European countries," Kurtulus Taskent noted,

"To establish normal diplomatic relations with Turkey, Armenia must
eradicate from its Independence Declaration and the constitution
those articles containing claims for territories of other countries,"
the Turkish ambassador to Russia concluded.