Two rounds of talks between Armenian and Turkish officials during past three months mark an important stage for future relations, Turkish Daily News reports.

Undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry Ertugrul Apakan and his deputy Unal Cevikoz headed the Turkish delegation during the first round, which took place in May, and the second round in July. Both rounds were carried out in Bern, Switzerland, which is considered an impartial country that has hosted similar secretive talks on issues like Cyprus and Iran.

Babacan, down played the significance of the talks, kept secret until now while admitting yesterday that from time to time officials from his ministry have contacts with their Armenian counterparts. "These contacts are important for normalization of relations. There are problems and also disagreement over events of 1915, but we favor a constructive approach and dialogue to overcome these," he said.

A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, Burak Ozugergin, issued a similar written response, noting that Turkey recognized Armenia in 1991 and since then there have been contacts between Ankara and Yerevan. "There is no need to attribute different meanings to these contacts," Ozugergin added.