I. Berkan: “The Turkish President knotted himself to Azerbaijan”

“I don’t think that without solving the Karabakh issue it will be possible to open the Armenian – Turkish border. Only if Armenia and Azerbaijan will be able to sign a memorandum Turkey will be able to think about opening the border. The blockade will be ceased if an agreement will be signed, as Turkey had closed the border for Azerbaijan”, - said Ismet Berkan, the editor of Turkish “Radical” newspaper.

On the interview with the Armenian journalists he said that everyone knows that besides the protocols during the development of the Armenian – Turkish relations Karabakh issue will be touched.

“As an editor I think that the Turkish President knots himself to Azerbaijan with the statements made y him. There is not a word about Karabakh in the protocols because it’s not the issue for Turkey, but it’s Armenia’s and Azerbaijan’s problem. On each meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents something happens. I think soon an agreement will be signed too”, - Berkan said.

According to him Russia too is for the regulation of the relations in the region, which makes the editor to think that the day of signing Armenian – Azerbaijani agreement is close.

In the same time Ismet Berkan said he didn’t think that any changes will be noticed in the Armenian – Turkish relations till April 24, 2010.

On the other hand the Turkish editor encouraged: “You should do something. It’s not only the Turkish side who should think about it. The important thing is that the Turkish government is inclined positively in solving the problems.”

The editor also mentioned that the Armenian issue is not one of the important issues for Turkey: “It’s not that the government is not sleeping day and night and is thinking only about the problem of solving the problems with Armenia. But it is important for Turkey as our country wishes to settle his relations with all his neighbors”, - Ismet Berkan sated.

“I have never heard the Armenians complaining of Turkish people. That means that the opening of the border has only political background, as the real borders are open long before”, - he continued saying that he doesn’t understand how the people can be against the regulation of the relations.

He also got surprised why they speak about the Genocide while the issue of opening the border is touched. Then he added that it’s normal to speak about the Genocide but also to be for the regulation of the relations.

And the funniest thing that the Turkish editor said was that in Turkey the people do not know that the borders between Armenia and Turkey are closed or that Turkey has a neighbor called Armenia.

At the end of the interview Ismet Berkan told the journalists that the singer Arto Tunjboyajyan is the uncle of his wife: “He is a good and famous person in Turkey. I remember how one day “The Armenia Navy Band” arrived to Turkey; they called me from the government and said that there was an army group arrived from Armenia and asked me whether I needed a small group of army when they learnt that I was going to meet them. It turned out that the government had understood it wrongly taking the “Armenian Navy Band” for an army group. That day we really laughed a lot when we learnt that Arto was claimed in bringing an a troop to Turkey.”