ABDULLAH GUL: "NEW STAGE HAS BEGUN IN THE CAUCASUS FOR THE SETTLEMENT OF THE FROZEN CONFLICTS"

Azeri Press Agency
Sept 11 2008
Azerbaijan

Baku – APA. "New stage has begun in the Caucasus for the settlement
of the frozen conflicts. Either all will pass over the opportunity
without doing anything, or we will improve this opportunity," Turkish
President Abdullah Gul told journalists on board the plane from Ankara,
APA reports.

Gul underlined that tense diplomatic activity was observed in
connection with the Caucasus Development and Cooperation Platform
initiated by Turkey and the whole world was following the diplomatic
processes in the region.

The president expressed his hope that Russia would have positive
approach to the platform and said he had discussed bilateral and
regional issues with Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev
in Antalya.

Abdullah Gul said Foreign Minister of Turkey Ali Babacan might meet
with Azerbaijani and Armenian Foreign Ministers within the framework
of UN session in New York and mentioned that such a meeting was held
when he was Foreign Minister.

Noting that the visit to Armenia put an end to the freezing relations
between the two countries Gul underlined the necessity of finding
ways of settlement.

"We should be realists. We do not trivialize the issues, but we should
not dream, either," he said.

Asked whether Turkish, Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents would have
trilateral summit, Gul "One should make effort for the solution of
the problems. I think it is high time for this. Minsk Group has been
working on it for 17 years, but no results have been produced yet. We
should know what happens after 17 years. We wish the problem to be
solved," said.