[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 50 (Friday, March 17, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4149-S4150]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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             ARMENIA AND TURKEY MOVE TOWARDS RECONCILIATION

 Mr. SIMON. Mr. President, occasionally, there is good news. We 
tend to concentrate on the negative news.
  I am on the mailing list for the Armenian Information Service 
publication, New Watch, and in their March 8, 1995 edition the lead 
article is an Associated Press story of March 1, 1995 with that title, 
``Armenia and Turkey Move Towards Conciliation.''
  I hope that turns out to be reality.
  That is my hope for the sake of both Armenia and Turkey and stability 
in the region.
  Everyone ends up a winner if this turns out to be true.
  I commend the leaders of Armenia and Turkey for moving toward 
reconciliation.
  And I ask that the item be printed in the Record.
  The article follows:

         [From the Armenian Information Service, Mar. 8, 1995]

              Armenia And Turkey Move Towards Conciliation

       Turkey and Armenia seem on the verge of opening a new era 
     in their relations. Turkey and Armenia appear willing to 
     normalize ties, basically for mutual economic benefits, 
     despite a history of diplomatic and historical conflict. 
     ``Turkey is ready to contribute to regional peace with 
     confidence-building measures,'' Ferhat Ataman, the foreign 
     ministry spokesman, said in regard to Armenia. He did not 
     elaborate. But a government official, speaking on the 
     condition of anonymity, said Turkey might consider opening 
     its air space to Armenia ``especially after Armenia's recent 
     gestures to please Turkey.'' The official was referring to 
     Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrossian's decision to close 
     down a major opposition party, the Dashnaks, which demands an 
     apology from Turkey for an alleged genocide and claims 
     territory in eastern Turkey. ``An Armenian envoy told us that 
     Ter-Petrossian and the Armenian people were willing to 
     normalize ties with Turkey,'' Ataman said. Jirair Libaridian, 
     Ter-Petrossian's chief advisor, was in Ankara last week on 
     the invitation of the Foreign Policy Institute, which works 
     closely with the foreign ministry. ``Normalization of ties 
     will be the most natural move,'' Libaridian said then.
       The roots of Turkish-Armenian conflict go back 100 years. 
     Armenians accuse the Turks of killing 1.5 million of their 
     people during World War I. Turks say about 300,000 Armenians 
     perished during their deportation as a result of killings, 
     famine or disease.
      Although Armenia has suffered more from Turkey closing its 
     borders and airspace, Turkey also feels the pinch. ``My 
     city is suffering a total economic collapse. If we were 
     allowed to have at least limited border trade with Armenia 
     it would provide some sort of relief,'' said Mayor Tuncay 
     Mutluer from the eastern border city of Kars. Ankara has 
     bigger financial concerns at stake. When Washington threw 
     its support behind a pipeline project from Central Asia 
     through Turkey, it pointed to Armenia as a possible route. 
     Glen Rase, director for international energy policy at the 
     U.S. State Department, told a conference in London this 
     week that ``a route through Armenia might well prove to be 
     the most attractive from a foreign policy standpoint if it 
     had the effect of moving Armenia and Azerbaijan closer to 
     peace.''
       Turkey's close historical and cultural ties with Azerbaijan 
     remain an obstacle in the process of improving ties with 
     Armenia. Azerbaijan already feels uneasy about a Turkish-
     Armenian rapprochement. ``It will be a betrayal of Baku,'' 
     said Vefa Gulizade, Azerbaijan's presidential advisor, during 
     a visit to Ankara last week. ``It is necessary to 
     [[Page S4150]] see the realities rather than being 
     emotional,'' Ataman responded. Turkey rules out diplomatic 
     relations with Armenia unless Azerbaijan's territory is set 
     free. But Ankara apparently feels the pressure from 
     Washington for better relations with Armenia. ``On Turkey-
     Armenian relations, which are so frayed with history, 
     emotion, misunderstanding and conflicting views of history, 
     our view is very simple Your two countries must work 
     together, must find ways to move on to the future,'' Richard 
     Holbrook, Assistant U.S. Secretary of State, said last 
     month.
     

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