Nagorno-Karabakh will be one of the main issues on the agenda of the Russian president’s visit to Ankara, the Turkish foreign minister has said.
’Dmitry Medvedev is expected to visit in the near future. The problem with the Azerbaijani territories will be one of the main issues. We consider that topic as our own and always keep it on the agenda. From now on, Turkey and Azerbaijan will coordinate their steps. No development can affect the relationship between Turkey and Azerbaijan. Everybody should bear this in mind,’ Davutoglu told the Turkish parliament yesterday.
’Relations between Armenia and Turkey will normalize. We do want it,’ the minister said, referring to rapprochement between Armenia and Turkey. He expressed hope that the conflict between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh would also be resolved.
Davutoglu said that the ’Turks and Armenians have co-existed for centuries. Wherever in the world they meet, they should learn to share not only each other’s pain, but also each other’s history’.
’They have lived together and will do so in the future,’ he said, adding that Turkey did not want the status quo to be preserved in the Caucasus.
’We are interested in whatever happens in Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan. Any approach by Russia and Iran towards the Caucasus is directly related to us. For that reason we do not want this status quo in the Caucasus. The status quo in the Caucasus is beneficial neither for Turkey, nor for Armenia, nor for any other country,’ Davutoglu said.
’Turkey-Armenia relations will become normalized,’ he said. ’In parallel, the occupation of Azerbaijani land will end and the dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia will be resolved. The border between Azerbaijan and Armenia will open. It means a corridor from Erzurum (a province in the east of Turkey) will open throughout Central Asia,’ he said.
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