August 11, 2010 - 18:21 AMT
Turkish Foreign Ministry confirms possible opening of border with Armenia during NATO exercise

Turkey will be among the NATO and partner countries taking part in Armenia 2010 exercise to be held by NATO’s Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Center (EADRCC) between Sept. 11 and 17 in Armenia.

The border between Turkey and Armenia may be opened “temporarily” for the exercise, Today’s Zaman quoted Turkish diplomatic sources as saying.

At the time, the Turkish Foreign Ministry confirmed that a possible border opening would only be for the purposes of the exercise. In a statement the Ministry said an “exceptional and temporary” opening of the border was under consideration, as Turkey is asked to allow the overland transfer to Armenia of materials to be used in the exercise. “Other comments and reports regarding this issue do not reflect the truth,” the statement said.