Erdogan – Kocharian Meeting In Warsaw Uncertain

Turkish Press
May 19 2005

ANKARA (AA) – As it has not been certain whether Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Armenian President Robert Kocharian will
meet in Polish capital of Warsaw, diplomatic sources think that
Azerbaijani-Armenian negotiations can also have an impact on this
meeting.

According to information received from diplomatic sources, neither
Turkey nor Armenia have conveyed their demands regarding a possible
meeting between Erdogan and Kocharian, to the other side.

Sources said that Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Aras Azimov
visited Turkish capital of Ankara two days ago, and briefed Turkish
officials on the talks on Upper Karabakh held as part of the Minsk
process.

According to information given by Azimov, new formulas regarding
Armenia’s withdrawal from the occupied lands in Upper Karabakh are
being discussed at the moment. It has been learned that Azerbaijan
asks Armenia to totally withdraw from the occupied lands, while
Armenia is welcoming a gradual withdrawal formula.

Drawing attention to the possibility that Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev and Armenian President Kocharian could meet on the margin of
the Council of Europe summit to be held in Warsaw, diplomatic sources
said that a positive result could come out of this meeting. They
also stated that two leaders could agree on a document like a road
map even if a final agreement was not reached.

The same sources think that a positive meeting between Aliyev and
Kocharian can have a positive impact on a possible Kocharian-Erdogan
meeting. They also say that solution of the problems can equally
have positive effects on normalization of relations between Turkey
and Armenia.