Davutoglu claims Turkey supports reconciliation with Armenia

"We all must make an effort to build a new world for peace," he told a press conference during his visit to London on Tuesday. 

Davutoglu said Turkey shares the suffering of Armenians and, with patience and resolve, is endeavouring to re-establish empathy between the two peoples. 

"Only by breaking taboos can we hope to begin addressing the great trauma that froze time in 1915. For its part, Turkey has transcended this critical threshold and relinquished the generalizations and stereotypical assertions of the past," he added. 

Davutoglu praised the prominent Turkish-Armenian journalist, Hrant Dink, who was assassinated in front of his office in Istanbul on January 19, 2007. Dink was one of the founders of the bilingual Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos. 

The premier said Dink “sought to help find the ways and means through which Turks and Armenians may build a common future". 

Davutoglu urged Armenians to pay more visits to Turkey and do away with prejudices. 

“Two ancient nations can demonstrate the wisdom to understand each other”, he said. 

There are currently no diplomatic relations established between Turkey and Armenia: official Ankara closed the border in 1993. The uneasy relationship between the countries is caused particularly by Ankara’s support to Azerbaijan on Karabakh problem and Turkey’s overreaction to international recognition of the 1915 Armenian genocide in Ottoman Empire. 

Some reconciliation in the relations started in autumn 2008 initiated by Armenia’s president Serzh Sargsyan. Foreign ministers of Armenia and Turkey signed protocols about establishing diplomatic relations in Zurich on October 10 2009 to be ratified by the parliaments. On April 22 2010 Armenia’s president Sargsyan suspended the ratification process saying Turkey was not ready to continue the process. Ratification of the protocols has been frozen. –0--