Turkish politician confirms crossing Turkish-Armenian border

Head of Powerful Turkey Party Tuna Beklevic, who is currently in Armenia together with his party deputy head, said they will not pay a visit to the Armenian Genocide memorial in Yerevan – the Tsitsernakaberd.

Beklevic also said they don’t want the Genocide issue to be related to the opening of the border.

“In the first stage we require the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border. Other topics will continue to be discussed in the course of time, but we don’t want to discuss other issues at this stage,” said Beklevic.

Asked by an Armenian journalist whether he shares the Turkish denialist viewpoints about the Armenian Genocide, Mr Beklevic said that “the 1915 losses are big both for Armenians and for Turks.”

Further he confirmed having crossed the Armenia-Turkey border with his supporters. Even more, Mr Beklevic also pinpointed the location they crossed the border.

“We have crossed ed [the border] via a three-flight bridge located in the ruins of Ani,” said he.

Tuna Beklevic and some of his party members crossed the Armenian-Turkish border in early October in the vicinities of Akhurian River flowing across Armenia’s north-western border with Turkey.

Russian front troops later denied any border crossing in the region.

Also Mr Beklevic said that instead of trying to find out the details of their crossing of the border in an attempt to prove that they were telling lies, the Armenians should be interested in other key issues.

“We did not flee. Nor did we do it with bad intentions. This was an action with which we condemned the activities of the two states. We don’t consider this an illegal action, but rather a call to the world for the border to be opened,” said he.

In his words the closure of the border is a wound for both nations.

“I don’t know what the Russian front guards think, but the wound of our societies is quite different,” explained Beklevic, adding that he can show the journalist the exact place they entered Armenia, if need be.