Turkey to consider Armenia's call to fix relations

By Sinan Uslu

ANKARA

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on Friday expressed willingness to consider Armenia's will to re-establish diplomatic relations.

Yildirim's remarks came after a question on Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s statement on May 9 that “Armenia is ready to establish diplomatic ties with Turkey without preconditions.”

“If Armenia is leaving behind its years of hostile stance against Turkey, its threat against our territorial integrity, negative attitude towards our borders, leaving behind everything and wanting to open a new page, then we will see the details regarding this and respond accordingly,” Yildirim said.

He reaffirmed Turkey's determination to “increase its friends and decrease the number of its foes,” and said: "We do not desire to be hostile with anyone, especially our neighbors."

Diplomatic relations between Turkey and Armenia have been strained over Armenia’s “genocide” allegations.

Turkey's position on the events of 1915 is that deaths of Armenians in eastern Anatolia in 1915 occurred after some sided with invading Russians and revolted against Ottoman forces. A subsequent relocation of Armenians resulted in numerous casualties.

Ankara does not accept the alleged "genocide" but acknowledges there were casualties on both sides during World War I.

Turkey objects to the presentation of the incidents as “genocide” but describes the 1915 events as a tragedy for both sides.

Ankara has repeatedly proposed the creation of a joint commission of historians from Turkey and Armenia plus international experts to tackle the issue.