19 April 2004 -- Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul today said that Turkey will not reopen its border with Armenia.
Gul made the remark in Ankara, days after visiting Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. The decision to keep the border with Armenia closed is seen as a reinforcement in Turkish-Azerbaijani ties.
Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 to support Azerbaijan in its war against Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, a mostly Armenian-populated region of Azerbaijan.
Nagorno-Karabakh came under Armenian control after a 1994 cease-fire, but remains a source of dispute between Baku and Yerevan.
Gul also called for three-way talks between Turkey, Armenia, and Azerbaijan to settle the dispute.
(Reuters/AFP)
Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 to support Azerbaijan in its war against Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, a mostly Armenian-populated region of Azerbaijan.
Nagorno-Karabakh came under Armenian control after a 1994 cease-fire, but remains a source of dispute between Baku and Yerevan.
Gul also called for three-way talks between Turkey, Armenia, and Azerbaijan to settle the dispute.
(Reuters/AFP)