August 19, 2009 - 16:15 AMT
Kiro Manoyan: Turkey torpedoed Armenian-Turkish normalization process
Armenia should have long ago declared its unwillingness to be present in football match between Armenian and Turkish national teams since Ankara failed to keep its promise, thus torpedoing Armenian-Turkish normalization talks, ARFD Hay Dat Bureau Director Kiro Manoyan told today a news conference. According to him, Turkey wants to pretend it is "conducting a dialogue" with Armenia, while Yerevan is required to announce that Turkey torpedoed talks and there's no dialogue between two states.

«Turkey torpedoed the process, changing the game rules,» Manoyan said. Armenian-Turkish border will not open till October 14 as Yerevan and Ankara will not manage to sign agreement by then. Document formulation and agreement signing will take much time, whereas match is going to take place in 60 days.

During the joint conference with his Serbian counterpart Boris Tadić, President Sargsyan said he'd go to Trukey to watch Armenia-Turkey return football match only in case the border is open or parties are in the run-up to lifting the blockade.

Return match between Armenian and Turkish national football teams is scheduled for October 14, in Bursa, in the football stadium after Atatürk.