U.S. DIPLOMAT URGES ARMENIA AND TURKEY TO MEND THEIR RELATIONS
ARMENPRESS
Dec 17 2007
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS: U.S. charge d’affaires in Armenia,
Joseph Pennington, said today his government would like Armenia and
Turkey to step up the dialogue that would lead to normalization of
ties between the two nations, establishment of diplomatic relations
and opening of their sealed borders.
Speaking at a news conference the U.S. diplomat said that would
benefit not only Turkey and Armenia but the entire region.
"We have called on Turkey’s and Armenian governments to move in this
direction,’ he said.
He also said the U.S. government has clearly asked the government in
Ankara to abolish a notorious article 301 of the criminal code which
is used by the authorities to persecute and prosecute prominent voices
for alleged denigration of ‘Turkishness’.
Before moving to Armenia Joseph Pennington had served for U.S. embassy
in Ankara for 4 years. He said he hopes that the experience he has
gained in the region will help him to be as useful as possible for
promoting Armenian-American partnership.
Joseph Pennington said also the USA and its cochairman in the OSCE
Minsk Group (Mathew Bryza) do not think there is a military option
for ending the Armenian-Azerbaijani dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh.
The American diplomat said negotiations to seek a mutually acceptable
peace formula go on within the frameworks of Minsk Group. He said
the U.S. is committed to continue the process.
"Serious progress has been registered and we are hopeful that this
progress will lead to a (peace) agreement," he said.
The Minsk Group co-chairs will pay another visit to the region in
mid-January to learn the reaction of Armenian and Azeri leaderships
to a package of their proposals on basic principles for peaceful
settlement of the conflict.
The package was handed to Armenian and Azeri foreign ministers in
Madrid in late November.