Turkey is playing a leading role with Russia in attempts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, President Abdullah Gul has said.
President Gul said that closer ties between Ankara and Moscow had led to progress in resolving the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Interviewed by Reuters news agency on the sidelines of the OSCE summit in Astana, the Turkish president said he had discussed the Karabakh conflict with his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, at the summit.
"Even though there is no breakthrough point at the moment, there are some positive steps taking place," Gul told Reuters. "There is a silent, but very determined diplomacy."
Turkey's efforts since 2008 to normalise its own thorny relations with Armenia added to the complexities by fuelling a sense of insecurity in Azerbaijan.
"I sincerely believe that the de facto situation in the Caucasus is not in the interest of any one of us," Gul said. "Everyone should have perspective, cover the big picture."
Elsewhere in the interview, Abdullah Gul said that accession to the EU remained a priority and that Turkey would play a key role in future energy supplies to Europe. But he said his country is also playing an increasing role in ex-Soviet states.
He said Turkey was preparing to invest in Kyrgyzstan now there was a new government in place after the overthrow of the president and outbreak of ethnic violence earlier this year.
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