Turkey, Armenia sketch out new relationship

PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey and Armenia sketch out a new relationship with the road map to open the border and re-establish diplomatic relations, the Wall Street Journal reports.



"The road map sets out a "sequence of steps" that the historical foes must take toward restoring diplomatic relations and reopen the last closed international border of Europe.



The statement was a breakthrough because for the first time both sides have gone on the record saying they had agreed to a framework for reconciliation. No time frame has been agreed upon. Wednesday night statement said nothing on Karabakh, however experts find this issue also has to progress to support border opening.



Turkey insists that the enormous civilian Armenian death toll during World War I was the result of the chaos and necessities of war, and not of a policy to eliminate ethnic Armenians.



For their part, Armenian officials were anxious to ensure that Turkey said on the record that it has agreed to a framework for reconciliation before Mr. Obama's statement. Armenia worried that if he were to use the word genocide, Turkey would simply deny it was involved in any serious talks with Armenia, and walk away.



Should the border with Turkey reopen, Armenia's main crossing would be at Akhurik, near its second-largest city, Gyumri. The road leading to the border post is mud-surfaced. Artillery and tanks still point at Turkey from concrete bunkers," Marc Champion wrote in his article.