July 8, 2008 - 15:03 AMT
France welcomes initiatives for normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations
France welcomes the initiatives for normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations, French Ambassador to Armenia said.

"France always stresses the necessity to normalize relations between Armenia and Turkey," Ambassador Serge Smessov told a news conference in Yerevan.

When in Astana, RA President Serzh Sargsyan invited his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul to Armenia to watch a soccer qualifying game between Armenian and Turkish teams.

Asked to comment on Turkey's EU bid, the Ambassador said, "The EU-Turkey accession talks are underway but no serious changes are expected in the near future."