"We expect support from third countries in this process, but wrong steps might hurt the process," he said, while addressing the press at the closing of the second Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), which took place in Istanbul on April 6-7.
Babacan was answering a reporter's question regarding US President Barack Obama's call on Turkey to address the killings of Armenians in eastern Anatolia nearly a century ago. In his address at the Turkish Parliament on Monday, however, Obama gave clear signs that he would stay out of the debate, saying it is up to Turkey and Armenia to deal with history.
Upon questions about Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's absence from the forum despite being invited, Babacan said Aliyev informed Turkey that he had a busy schedule. Babacan added that Aliyev's daughter, Leyla Aliyeva, was present at the forum's activities, particularly at the youth forum. Aliyeva is Azerbaijan's chief coordinator for the Islamic Conference Youth Forum for Dialogue and Cooperation (ICYF-DC). The Azerbaijani delegation included Hidayet Orucov, chairman of the Committee for Cooperation with Religious Communities; Sevda Mehmetaliyeva, deputy minister of culture and tourism; and Elmar Kas?mov, deputy minister of education.
In response to a question from Today's Zaman regarding the reopening of a Greek Orthodox seminary which was directly addressed by Obama in his speech in Ankara, Babacan said this matter had been on Turkey's agenda for some time and that there are several dimensions to it, including legal and constitutional. He added that it is a decision Turkey is "independently" going to make.
Babacan also congratulated the new NATO chief, former Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, and reminded journalists present that he was chosen by a consensus of all NATO members, including Turkey. "His presence at the forum pleased us," Babacan said and responded to journalists by saying that the future will show the direction of relations with the new NATO chief.
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