Washington, September 01: The United States on late Monday welcomed the plan by Armenia and Turkey to establish diplomatic ties, saying it was “ready to work closely” with both sides in support of improved relations.
“The United States warmly welcomes the joint statement made today by Turkey and Armenia,” said State Department spokesman Ian Kelly, referring to the plans to establish diplomatic relations and re-open their border in a bid to end decades of mutual distrust and resentment.
“It has long been and remains the position of the United States that normalization should take place without preconditions and within a reasonable timeframe,” Kelly said in a statement.
“We remain ready to work closely with both governments in support of normalization, a historic process that will contribute to peace, security and stability throughout the region.”
The two countries have a long history of hostility rooted in massacres of Armenians under the Ottoman Turks during World War I.
Ankara and Yerevan said they would hold six weeks of domestic consultations before signing two protocols on establishing diplomatic ties and developing bilateral relations.
–Agencies