Turkish and Armenian PMs exchange letters

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan expressed his hope that with the election of Tigran Sarkisyan Turkish-Armenian relations "will enter a new period, which would contribute to peace, stability and welfare in the region," Yerevan-based Mediamax agency reported. Armenia was ready to start dialogue with Turkey on improving relations if Ankara does not set preconditions to talks, Sarksyan wrote in his response letter.

The letter exchange between the two countries' prime ministers came after Turkish people and the government showed strong reaction to the Armenian provocation during a so-called "genocide" commemoration last week. In the official ceremonies, Armenians walked over and burnt the Turkish flag. A deputy chairman of the ruling AKP said Armenia "should apologize" for the incidents.          ^Â

Last week Turkey's foreign minister said he had sent Armenia a letter calling for dialogue. Turkey's calls for dialogue or proposal to form a committee to investigate the so-called "genocide" clams have continually received a cold response from Yerevan.

However some think the recent letter exchanges between two countries could be a step towards a warming of relations. "I confirm the readiness of the government of Armenia to engage in constructive dialogue and establish relations without preconditions," Sarksyan wrote in a letter to Turkey.

Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic links after Ankara severed ties in protest against Armenian control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which Armenia invaded in a war with Azerbaijan in the early 1990s. The border between Turkey and Armenia has been closed.
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"I assure you that our efforts will be aimed at ensuring peace, tolerance and stability in our region," Sarksyan added in the letter.

Armenia's genocide claims are another problem in two countries' relations. Armenia, with the backing of the diaspora, claims up to 1.5 million of their kin were slaughtered in orchestrated killings in 1915.

Turkey rejects the claims, saying that 300,000 Armenians along with at least as many Turks died in civil strife that emerged when the Armenians took up arms for independence in eastern Anatolia.

Turkey is of the view that parliaments and other political institutions are not the appropriate forums to debate and pass judgment on disputed periods of history. Past events and controversial periods of history should be left to historians for their dispassionate study and evaluation.

In 2005, Turkey has officially proposed the establishment of a joint commission comprised of historians and other experts from both sides to study the events of 1915, utilizing not only Turkish and Armenian archives, but also those of relevant third-party countries and to share their findings with the public. Armenia has not responded positively to this initiative, as yet.   Â