Volkan Vural: Ankara should establish diplomatic relations with Yerevan without wasting timeSeptember 15, 2008 - 17:12 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The recent visit of Turkish President Abdullah Gul to Armenia can serve as a basis for further development of relations between the two states, said Volkan Vural, the Turkish Ambassador to Armenia in 1991-93. "Diplomatic relations between the two countries must be established, without wasting any time," he said, adding that the opening of the border with Armenia would not only benefit Armenia, but also Turkey. The former ambassador said that Turkey lost a golden opportunity to establish relations with Armenia when the Soviet Union collapsed. "If Turkey had established diplomatic relations with Armenia in 1991, perhaps it would have averted the Karabakh conflict," he said. Vulral added that the establishment of diplomatic relations would also benefit Azerbaijan. "As to territorial claims, Turkey has an army equal in amount to the entire population of Armenia. So, we must feel safe," he said, Taraf Turkish newspaper reports. Volkan Vural was the only Turkey's ambassador to Armenia with residence in Moscow while Yerevan wasn't represented in Ankara even at the level of Charge d'Affaires. Presently, Karen Mirzoyan, Armenia's representative to the BSEC (residence in Istanbul), is the only Armenian diplomat in Turkey. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | International cybercrime ringleaders arrested in Armenia, Ukraine Europol, Europe's crime agency, has arrested four ringleaders of several cybercrime networks that used botnets. Armenia skips CSTO Defense Ministers meeting A meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization countries began in Almaty. Armenian, Iranian foreigh policy chief talk over the phone The Foreign Minister of Armenia once again expressed condolences to his counterpart on the death of the President of Iran. Armenia, U.S. customs authorities to boost assistance with new deal The government has approved an agreement with the U.S. government on mutual assistance between the customs authorities. |