Armenia-Turkey's "new climate": "extraordinary decisions" imminent?

Intrigue of The Day

(ARKA). Armenia is negotiating with Turkey on the opening of borders and establishing relations without any preconditions, said Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian at a press conference in Yerevan on Thursday.

"This means that establishment of relations does not depend on any preconditions, and there is no need to link this issue with the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict", - he said.

In the meantime, Today's Zaman reports: “We need to be constructive and supportive. Everything has changed in the Caucasus. Everybody is ready to review old attitudes. In my visit [to Armenia], I presented a new climate. When there is a new climate, problems can be solved,” he [Turkey's president Abdullah Gül] said in response to reporters’ questions as to whether he expects concrete steps to be taken between Turkey and Armenia following his visit to Armenia in September.

At a reception on the occasion of the Turkish Republic’s 85th birthday at the Çankaya presidential palace, Gül said he is hopeful and expects new developments.

Gül broke a taboo when he visited Armenia to watch a soccer match between national teams of the two countries. Talks between officials of Turkey and Armenia, which have had no formal ties since 1993, are under way to re-establish relations. Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian said this week that the two countries could announce “extraordinary decisions” at any time, emphasizing that there was no real barrier to efforts to normalize ties.

*/emphasis mine/