REPORT: TURKEY, ARMENIA SHOULD MOVE AHEAD
United Press International
April 14, 2009 Tuesday 4:53 PM EST
A plan to normalize the Turkish-Armenian relationship should move
forward to help stabilize the region, a report from the International
Crisis Group said.
The Belgium-based non-governmental organization released a report
Tuesday that called on leaders in Turkey and Armenia to capitalize
on years of work from academic and civil society leaders and move
forward on a plan to normalize the countries’ relations, the Crisis
Group reported.
The report said that with the current favorable political climate,
the two countries could bury long-held animosities over the Armenian
genocide and move to open up their shared border and establish
diplomatic relations.
Crisis Group officials also raised concerns that the stalemated
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh could derail forward
progress on the diplomatic deal between Turkey and Armenia.
Sabine Freizer, Crisis Group’s Europe program director, called
on Turkish and Armenian officials not to sacrifice the chance for
long-term stability in the region.
"Turkey and Armenia should finalize their agreement and
thus create new momentum for peace and cooperation in the South
Caucasus," Freizer said in a statement.
They should not wait until the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is settled.