ARMENIAN LEADERSHIP DEMONSTRATES SERIOUS ASPIRATION TO SETTLE PROBLEMS: TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER

Trend News Agency
Sept 10 2008
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku, 10 September /Trend News/ Foreign Minister of
Turkey, Ali Babajan, stated that the Armenian side demonstrates
strong political will for the solution of Turkish-Armenian and
Azerbaijani-Armenian problems.

In his interview for the Turkish television channel NTV, the Foreign
Minister of Turkey, Ali Babajan, stated that the bases of new period
and high-speed dialogue were laid in the relations between Turkey and
Armenia. Remembering many problems, which exist between his country and
Armenia, the Turkish Minister stated that in response to the occupation
of Nagorno-Karabakh, Turkey shut borders with Armenia in 1993. Babajan
said that the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict will positively affect the Turkish-Armenian relations.

The Foreign Minister of Turkey said that the Armenian side accepted
the suggestion on joint meeting of the foreign ministers of the
three countries to discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He added
that discussing the problems within the trilateral platform in such
a small region as Caucasus will simplify their solution.

Saying that the meeting of the three Presidents is not on agenda
currently, Babajan mentioned the possibility of holding such meeting
in available time on the base of agreement of the three sides.

Answering the question on possibility of settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh problem in the near future, Babajan said that Turkey
does all the best to settle the conflict.

Babajan said that the talks on the settlement of the Turkish-Armenian
and Azerbaijani-Armenian problems will be accelerated.

He said that the leadership of Armenia possesses political will –
important factor for the solution of these problems.