Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said the “normalization process” between Turkey and Armenia and the Minsk Group’s efforts to solve the Azerbaijani-Armenian dispute have created a positive atmosphere in the Caucasus.
Speaking to Turkish reporters following his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on Thursday, Davutoğlu said that his visit’s timing was crucial.
“Since I assumed the post of Turkish foreign minister, I have tried to visit countries to which we attach great importance. Accordingly, I had talks in the United States and Germany. I visited Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkish Cyprus. Within such a framework, I paid a
Referring to Turkish-Russian ties, Davutoğlu stressed that there were no political problems between the two countries. There is a will on both sides to resolve certain technical and bureaucratic problems, Davutoğlu said. “Russia is supporting normalization of the relations between Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan with triple diplomatic processes. But the Minsk Group is conducting the talks and we believe that it would not be beneficial to open a new platform,” he said. He said a new round of talks between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan were being planned with the participation of Lavrov.
In response to a question on Cyprus, Davutoğlu said that Lavrov and he discussed the issue of Cyprus. “Russia is a member of the United Nations Security Council. We consider Cyprus to be a matter of the United Nations and do not think that it would be appropriate to carry Cyprus to another platform. Turkey and Russia share the same viewpoints on Cyprus. The Russians also think that Cyprus should be resolved within the boundaries of the United Nations,” Davutoğlu said.
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