TURKISH PRESIDENT’S VISIT "OF MAJOR REGIONAL IMPORTANCE" – ARMENIAN PUNDIT
ArmInfo News Agency (in Russian)
Sept 8 2008
Armenia
Yerevan, 8 September: Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s visit to Armenia
was of major regional importance, the president of the Analytical
Centre for Globalization and Regional Cooperation, Stepan Grigoryan,
said at the international conference "Situation in the Caucasus:
Role of NATO and the EU" held in Yerevan today.
"I am sure that it is impossible not to describe the Turkish
president’s visit to Yerevan as a political action, even though during
his meeting with [Armenian President] Serzh Sargsyan, Gul did not
utter a single word about politics," he noted.
According to the pundit, along with a political component, the Turkish
president’s visit to Yerevan also had a psychological component, as
despite everything, Gul’s reception was normal and the fact that our
[national football] team lost [the match with Turkey attended by the
two presidents] did not have an impact on our fans. People did not
show any aggression and "everyone just went home disappointed".
"In addition, I am sure that the recent events in Georgia without
fail gave an impetus to Gul’s visit to Yerevan, as Turkey and all
countries in the region felt significant changes in the geopolitical
situation in the region. Correspondingly, new trends emerged in the
political directions of Turkey’s foreign policy," Grigoryan concluded.