Sargsyan's proposal found a positive response in Ankara

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan's open call to Turkey to launch "a fresh start" in relations between the estranged neighbors has found a positive response in the Turkish capital, Today's Zaman reports.



"The time has come for a fresh effort to break this deadlock, a situation that helps no one and hurts many. As president of Armenia, I take this opportunity to propose a fresh start - a new phase of dialogue with the government and people of Turkey, with the goal of normalizing relations and opening our common border," Sargsyan said in an opinion piece published Wednesday in The Wall Street Journal.



In response to a question at a weekly press conference held in Ankara, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Burak Ozugergin said firstly that Ankara has received Sarksyan's formal invitation to President Abdullah Gul via official channels to visit Yerevan for a soccer match in September.



"We will assess the invitation," Ozugergin said.



Armenia and Turkey will play against each other in the Armenian capital of Yerevan on Sept. 6 in a qualifying match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, scheduled to be held in South Africa.



"We are heeding normalization concerning relations with Armenia. The Armenian president has had certain statements resound in the international community," Ozugergin said when reminded of the content of the opinion piece by Sargsyan.



"We have learned that he said that there is no other alternative than normalization of the two countries' relations. If this statement is so, we agree with these suggestions. As a matter of fact, there had been exchange of letters right after the elections in Armenia. These elements are also in those letters. Accordingly, if it [the statement by Sargsyan] is true, then we are responding with pleasure these statements by Sargsyan," Ozugergin said.



"There is no real alternative to the establishment of normal relations between our countries. It is my hope that both of our governments can pass through the threshold of this new open door. … We cannot expect tangible progress without such structured relations. Only through them can we create an effective dialogue touching upon even the most contentious historical issues," the Armenian President said in his opinion piece.