Turkey and Armenia sign landmark agreement
Related articles
Turkey and Armenia signed a landmark agreement to establish diplomatic relations and open their sealed border after a century of enmity, as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton helped the two sides clear a last-minute snag.
The contentious issue of whether the killing of up to 1.5 million Armenians during the final days of the Ottoman Empire amounted to genocide is only hinted at in the agreement.
"There were several times when I said to all of the parties involved that this is too important," Mrs Clinton said.
"This has to be seen through. We have come too far. All of the work that has gone into the protocols should not be walked away from."
The Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers signed the accord in the Swiss city of Zurich after a dispute over the final statements they would make.
In the end, the signing took place about three hours later than scheduled and there were no spoken statements.
Mrs Clinton and mediators from Switzerland intervened to help broker a solution, US officials said.
Better ties between Turkey, a regional heavyweight, and poor, landlocked Armenia have been a priority for President Barack Obama, and Mrs Clinton had flown to Switzerland to witness the signing, not help close the deal.
Mrs Clinton told reporters travelling later on the plane with her to London that both sides had problems with the other's prepared statement and that the Armenian foreign minister had to call his president several times.
She said it became important just to approve the accord and not have the sides make speeches that could be interpreted as putting legal conditions on the document. She told each country that could be done later, "but let the protocols be the statement because that was what we were there to sign."
The accord is expected to win ratification from both nations' parliaments and could lead to a reopening of their border within two months. It has been closed for 16 years.
But nationalists on both sides are still seeking to derail implementation of the deal.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called the signing a "historic decision" that "constitutes a milestone toward the establishment of good neighbourly relations," spokeswoman Michele Montas said in New York.
-
Serena Williams apologises after comment that rape victim 'shouldn't have put herself in that position'
-
Bankers could face jail after report urges the Government to introduce new criminal offence for reckless management
-
Feat of engineering: Incredible photographs show construction beneath New York's Second Avenue
-
World news in pictures
-
Google challenges US surveillance gagging order
- 1 Serena Williams apologises after comment that rape victim 'shouldn't have put herself in that position'
- 2 Disability campaigners celebrate 'victory' after government rethink over plans to make it more difficult to claim disability benefits
- 3 Bankers could face jail after report urges the Government to introduce new criminal offence for reckless management
- 4 Breaking the Silence: In the reality of occupation, there are no Palestinian civilians – only potential terrorists
- 5 We never knew Nigella Lawson - and we still don’t
How will you make today delicious?
Tell us how you plan to make today delicious and you could win a £50 M&S gift card.
Win a Nook® Simple Touch eReader
Find out how Nook® is supporting the Evening Standard's Get Reading campaign - and your chance to win one.
Free reading festival for families
Follow The Standard's campaign to get London's children reading - and experience this unique event at Trafalgar Square on 13 July.
Enter the latest Independent competitions
Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.
Business videos from commercial thought leaders
Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.
Independent Dating
iJobs General
FX Options Front Office Java / C# Developer
£500 - £600 per day: Orgtel: FX Options Front Office Java / C# Developer - Ba...
Project Manager - Front Office - Regulatory IT
£600 - £700 per day: Orgtel: Project Manager - Front Office - Regulatory IT C...
Lighting Design Engineer
£33000 - £35000 Per Annum: The Green Recruitment Company: The Green Recruitmen...
Are you an Primary NQT looking for your first role in Essex?
£21000 - £22000 per annum: Randstad Education Chelmsford: NQTs required now fo...
Day In a Page
First night: The Cripple of Inishmaan
Scandi-geeks descend on Nordicana for fan-convention
Female aristocrats battle to inherit the title







Comments