Foreign minister: Armenia wishes to establish normal relations with Turkey

YEREVAN, September 10. /ARKA/. Armenia wishes to establish normal relations with Turkey, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan said at his meeting with Turkish journalists, who came to Armenia for a World Cup 2010 qualifier between Armenian and Turkish nationals.
He said it seemed Turkish leaders have a similar wish.

Nalbandyan qualified Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s visit to Armenia as a landmark event, which can give a powerful impetus for establishing relations between the two countries, and these relations will pave a way for stability, security and cooperation in the region.

Analyzing the outside reaction to the visit, the minister said that the two presidents’ meeting attracted international community’s attention and became top story in many media outlets. Remarkable is that term “football diplomacy” joined diplomatic lexicon.

Nalbandyan thanked Turkish journalists saying they contributed to the preparation for this visit and improvement of Armenian-Turkish relations by covering it positively.

Turkish journalists, in their turn, expressed gratitude to the minister for warm and sincere conversation and assured him that they will continue their efforts to develop friendly ties between the two nations.

Abdullah Gul arrived in Yerevan on Saturday at Armenian President Serge Sargsyan’s invitation for the football match. The return match will be held in Turkey on October 14, 2009. M.V.-0---