Aram Sargsyan, head of Armenia's Democratic Party, stated today that there would be no progress in Armenian-Turkish relations even if the process wasn't linked to a settlement of the Karabakh conflict. "Turkey's interest in this process has froze-up not because of Azerbaijan's pressure but because Europe has basically rejected Turkey's admittance into the European Union. This is a fact. As soon as Sarkozy and Merkel made such declarations, Turkey changed its position," Mr. Sargsyan said. As to whether President Sargsyan would travel to Turkey this October, Mr. Sargsyan said that the president could go to Turkey as a mere fan of the Armenian team. However the Democratic Party leader said that President Sargsyan would have every right not to go, given that Turkey has violated the spirit of the original understanding between the two nations. Mr. Sargsyan noted that Russia and Turkey have recently signed a host of economic treaties and that Armenia must somehow find a way to profit from them. The politician stated that as far as he was concerned he would be satisfied with an opening of the railway in terms of improved Armenian-Turkish relations.