Babacan: Turkey has never been closer to normalizing ties with Armenia

January 17, 2009 - 16:48 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey's Foreign Minister has warned Barack Obama's incoming administration that any U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide could derail reconciliation efforts between the two neighbors, Hurriyet Daily News reports.



"It would not be very rational for a third country to take a position on this issue... A wrong step by the United States will harm the process," Ali Babacan said late Friday.



"Turkey has never been closer to normalizing ties with Armenia, its eastern neighbor, and a breakthrough could be secured in 2009."



Babacan said the dispute was among the issues that Ankara and Yereven had been discussing since reconciliation efforts gathered steam in September when Turkish President Abdullah Gul paid a landmark visit to Armenia.



Turkey and Armenia have had no diplomatic relations since 1993, when Turkey closed the border with Armenia to support Azerbaijan in the Nagorno Karabakh issue.
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