U.S. stands for soonest normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations

PanARMENIAN.Net - The U.S. would like soonest normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations and opening of the border, U.S. Charge d'Affaires in Armenia Joseph Pennington told a news conference in Yerevan.



"We call on governments of both states to open dialogue and the sooner it happens the better. We also insist on cancellation of article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, which restricts freedom of speech and expression," he said.



Ankara closed the Armenian-Turkish border in 1993 to support Azerbaijan in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. There are no diplomatic relations between the two states. Turkey urges Armenia to stop pressing for international recognition of the Armenian Genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Empire in 1915, when 1.5 million of Armenians were slaughtered.