ANKARA KEEPS LAYING DOWN PRELIMINARY CONDITIONS FOR RENEWING DIALOGUE WITH YEREVAN

PanARMENIAN.Net - As we have already reported, the prospects of Armenian-Turkish relations were discussed among other questions in the course of U.S. State Secretary Colin Powell's meetings with Turkish President Ahmed Necdet Sezer, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and Foreign Minister Ismail Cem. At the press conference the day before yesterday Ecevit confirmed Ankara refuses to fulfill Washington's demand to refrain from laying down preliminary conditions for renewing dialogue with Yerevan. Answering the question whether the opportunity of lifting the blockade of Armenia had been discussed in the course of the meeting with Colin Powell, he answered, "I expressed our opinion that diplomatic relations between Turkey and Armenia will resume after Armenia stops occupation of Azerbaijani territory and the relations between these two states are settled."