A window of opportunity that recently opened up in the region should be used by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey without losing time, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said yesterday, warning that this opportunity should not be wasted.
Babacan, speaking at a joint press conference following his talks with visiting Romanian Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu, was asked about the agenda of his upcoming bilateral meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian, scheduled to take place when Nalbandian comes to ?stanbul on Monday to attend a meeting of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC).
"Our goal along the process of dialogue is full normalization. However, there is a need for mutual steps to reach that point," he said, while noting that talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan and talks between Armenia and Turkey have been assumed on two separate lines. Armenia is the current holder of the BSEC presidency. Babacan and Nalbandian had three-way talks together with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov in September to discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute.
Babacan said he has learned about the positive results of a meeting between the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents, hosted in Moscow earlier this month.
"There is a new climate in the region for the resolution of problems. This is an important window of opportunity. However, I believe that this window of opportunity should be used positively," he added. "All parties should rush for the rapid normalization of relations both between Armenia and Azerbaijan and between Turkey and Armenia -- while this window of opportunity is still open."
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