Turkish politician detained in Armenia, says party

A minor political party that is not represented in Parliament said on Friday that its leader has been detained in Armenia.

Tuna Bekleviç was detained by Armenian intelligence following a press conference he held in Yerevan, according to the Strong Turkey Party (GTP). Bekleviç recently entered Armenia from Turkey by crossing the Arpaçay River in protest of the two countries failing to take further action for a year after signing protocols in Zurich to normalize relations.

The GTP leader had headed to Armenia to hold a press conference about his party’s protest of the status quo in relations between the two countries. Turkey closed its border with its eastern neighbor in the early ‘90s in solidarity with Azerbaijan in its war with landlocked Armenia. An attempt at rapprochement was initiated last year, but very little progress has been made since then.

30 October 2010, Saturday

TODAY’S ZAMAN  İSTANBUL