  U.S. stands for soonest normalization of Armenian-Turkish relationsDecember 17, 2007 - 17:11 AMT 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.   Top stories Grigoryan added that the situation around the world and particularly in the region is very difficult. The Armenian Defense Ministry has denied Azerbaijan's accusations of violating the ceasefire. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan took to social media to thank his Lithuanian counterpart for the contribution. President of the Armenian parliament Alen Simonyan met with the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova.   Partner news |  Related sections Latest news Viva sees growing demand for cloud services  In recent years, medical institutions are starting to make use of Viva’s cloud servicesTurkey replacing term "Central Asia" with "Turkestan" in textbooks The Turkish Ministry of Education is replacing the term "Central Asia" with "Turkestan" in textbooks.Armenian, German presidents meet in Berlin Armenian and German Presidents Vahagn Khachaturyan and Frank-Walter Steinmeier met in Berlin.Armenia assumes presidency of Mediterranean Network of Regulatory Authorities The Commission on Television and Radio of Armenia said it expects productive cooperation in various formats. |
