Turkish Press
May 10 2005

Erdogan: If Armenia Fulfills Its Duties, Turkey Will Do What Is
Required For A Fair Solution

ANKARA (AA) – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, ”if
Armenia fulfills its duties, Turkey will do what is required for a
fair and lasting solution in terms of balances in the region.”
Erdogan arrived in Russian capital Moscow late on Sunday to
attend ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of end of the World
War II upon the official invitation of Russian President Vladimir
Putin.
Prior to his departure for Russia, Erdogan told reporters at the
airport that he would have meetings with Putin, and heads of state
and government who would participate in the ceremonies in Moscow.
When asked whether he would have a meeting with Armenian
President Robert Kocharian, Erdogan said, ”there is not a scheduled
meeting now. There is not such a demand.”
”As you know, Turkey is one of countries which recognized
Armenia after disintegration of the Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics. But there are no diplomatic relations between the two
countries. If Armenia fulfills its duties, Turkey will do what is
required for a fair and lasting solution in terms of balances in the
region,” he stressed.
Indicating that they opened Turkish air space to Armenia and
flights between Yerevan and Istanbul started, he said, ”we have a
positive attitude towards Armenian citizens in the country. We expect
Armenia to overcome its problems with Azerbaijan.”
Recalling that the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) which undertook the mission of
mediation in the process to solve the Upper Karabakh issue, Erdogan
said, ”we hope that they will reach positive results on this
issue.”