September 17, 2002 - 22:47 AMT
TURKEY PLANNED INCURSION TO ARMENIA AND GEORGIA IN 1993, EX-AMBASSADOR OF GREECE TO RA STATES
In 1993 Turkey intended to make an incursion into Armenia and Georgia. As "Mediamax" agency reports, Greek ambassador to Canada Leonidas Chrysanthopoulos, who was the Greek ambassador to Armenia 1993-1994, stated this sensational statement in his memoirs. In the book named "The Caucasian chronicle: the establishment of state and diplomacy in Armenia, 1993-1994" that was issued the other day in the USA, Chrysanthopoulos states that in 1993 when the tension between president of Russia Boris Yeltsin and the parliament of the state reached a summit, Russian Speaker of that time Ruslan Khasbulatov concluded covert treaties with Turkish Premier Tansu Chiller. According to those treaties, in case of victory over Yeltsin, Khasbulatov promised to call off the Russian frontier troops from the Caucasus. "He would also let Turkey make some sorties to the territory of Armenia - under pretence of settlement the Kurd issue, as well as to the territory of Georgia aiming at ensuring security of Abkhazia", the Greek ambassador states. Stating about this episode, Khrizantopulis cites military information that French ambassador handed him and that was confirmed by US ambassador to Armenia Harry Gilmore. According to the Greek diplomat, the Armenian leadership was informed about the possible provocation and the Army was brought to alertness by the Security Council of the State.