OSCE lauds 'historic' accord
The Chairman-in-Office of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Greece's prime minister and foreign minister George Papandreou, on Sunday welcomed the signing of an agreement between Armenia and Turkey for normalisation of their relations. "I welcome the historic agreement to normalize relations between Turkey and Armenia, and commend the effort and political will both leaders have invested to overcome differences and work towards a more secure and stable region, which is in all our interests," Papandreou said. The accords were signed in Zurich on 10 October following months of Swiss-mediated talks. A roadmap for normalizing relations between Turkey and Armenia was agreed in April. Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 because of its war with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh. The accords were signed on Saturday by Armenian foreign minister Edouard Nalbandian and his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu. Papandreou was sworn in as Greece's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister on October 6 and 7 respectively. The Foreign Minister of the country holding the Chairmanship serves as the OSCE's Chairman-in-Office. Caption: Armenia's Foreign Minister Edouard Nalbandian (L), and Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu at the signing ceremony of Turkey-Armenia peace deal in Zurich. (EPA)