TURKISH PRESIDENT REPLIES TO ARMENIAN COUNTERPART`S LETTER
Ankara, February 11 (AZERTAC). Turkey and Armenia must show political courage and honor their commitments to bury a century of hostility, Turkey`s president said on Thursday, after the two countries accused each other of trying to rewrite the accords.
Four months after Turkey and Armenia signed an historic deal to open their border with the endorsement of the United States, the European Union and Russia, the process has been thrown into question by the weight of still-unresolved disputes.
"We have to be aware that concluding this historic process will require honoring our commitments in their entirety as well as displaying adequate political courage and vision," Turkey`s President Abdullah Gul said in a letter addressed to his Armenian counterpart Serj Sarksyan.
"Overcoming long-established prejudices and nurturing mutual understanding and trust among our two neighboring peoples were our main objectives when endorsing the process of normalization between our countries. You should have no doubt that our determination to move these objectives forward is intact, provided this resolve and commitment remains reciprocal."
On Wednesday, Sarksyan said the accords must be voted on by the Turkish parliament before Armenia`s parliament would approve them, and warned that Armenia could break off the effort to normalize relations if Turkey dragged its feet.
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