Armenian-Turkish normalization should take place without preconditions, U.S. says

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian met in New York with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.



"I am very pleased to have this opportunity to meet with the foreign minister. He and I have talked on the phone. I have watched his very diligent and effective efforts over the last months that I've had the privilege of being the Secretary of State. And I want to reiterate our very strong support for the normalization process that is going on between Armenia and Turkey, which we have long said should take place without preconditions and within a reasonable timeframe," Secretary Clinton said during a briefing.



"We will continue to work closely with the foreign minister and, of course, with his president and the Government of Armenia. And we also are very committed to the democratic development of Armenia. We want to be a partner and a friend in increasing prosperity and economic development as well. So this is a comprehensive relationship. We are very focused on this challenge of normalization which Armenia has demonstrated great commitment to, yet our relationship is much broader and much deeper in addition to that," she said.



For his part, Minister Nalbandian thanked Mrs. Clinton for having a good opportunity to discuss a wide range of the issues on the bilateral agenda and international issues and Turkish-Armenian normalization.