Armenian, Assyrian and Hellenic Genocide News

Armenian President Kocharian to Visit "Natural Ally" Greece
by Hrach Melkumian - RFE/RL Armenia Report - 11/20/00
Posted: Sunday, November 26, 2000 07:41 pm CST

Armenian President Robert Kocharian begins a three-day official visit to Athens on Tuesday to cement close ties between Armenia and Greece. The talks with Greek President Constantinos Stephanopoulos and Prime Minister Costas Simitis will focus on "prospects for the development of bilateral cooperation," a spokesman for Kocharian said on Monday The official, Vahe Gabrielian, told reporters that the visit will proceed "at the highest possible level".

In an interview with a Greek television channel on the eve of the visit, the Armenian leader described Greece as a "natural ally" of his country. He said the warm relationship between the two governments must be backed up by closer commercial ties. " Successful examples" of Greek investments in the Armenian economy bode well for more joint economic projects, Kocharian told the New Hellenic TV Network.

What the two countries see as "strategic partnership" has been marred with the uneasy relations between the Greek-owned Armentel monopoly and the Armenian government. It is not clear whether the issue will be on the agenda of Kocharian's talks. Official Yerevan had hoped to sort out its disagreements with the Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (OTE), majority owner and operator of Armentel, in time for the visit. However, negotiations between the OTE management and Armenian government officials have so far yielded no results. Yerevan has been pushing for the abolition of the 15 year monopoly in telecommunication services in Armenia granted to OTE in 1998 under the terms of its $142 takeover of Armentel.

"Our cooperation in international organizations is quite effective, and I must say that we consistently and regularly hold consultations on a number of issues," he said.

Greece and Armenia both have strained relations with Turkey largely based on centuries-old antagonisms. The stance taken by Greek members of the European Parliament was essential for the passage last week of a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire.

Kocharian, on his part, said Armenia supports the official Greek position in the Cyprus conflict, the main obstacle to improvement of relations between Athens and Ankara.

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