Mustafa Akyol: demands to establish relations with Armenia awaken in Turkey

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia and Turkey should improve relations, said Mustafa Akyol, observer of the Turkish Daily News.



Stressing the necessity of establishing diplomatic relations and dialogue with Armenia, he said, "Historical dispute and the Armenian tragedy of 1915 should not hamper efforts aiming at reconciliation. Unfortunately, we do not succeed in comprehending that. In addition, we do not forget the problems between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno Karabakh. Azerbaijan presses on the Turkish government against opening dialogue with Armenia and establishing diplomatic relations with this country," Mr Akyol told RFE/RL.



"There are individuals and organizations in Turkey demanding to establish relations with Armenia, And, in my opinion, the incumbent Turkish government, formed by AKP, is more loyal than previous ones and can launch a dialogue. However, the resolution recently adopted by the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee and other decisions and political approaches do not contribute to reconciliation. On the contrary, they make Turkey more nationalistic and isolated," he continued.



"Turkish leaders attend to economic problems and see the profits that can be derived from establishment of relations with Armenia," Akyol resumed.