TURKISH FM HOPES FOR MOMENTUM IN GARABAGH TALKS

AssA-Irada
October 15, 2008 Wednesday
Azerbaijan

Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan has expressed hope that talks on
settling the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict would
be accelerated after the presidential elections held in Azerbaijan
on Wednesday. Babacan told Turkeys TRT-2 TV channel that peace talks
were accelerated after Serzh Sarkisian was elected president in
Armenia. He voiced confidence that the negotiating process would be
intensified after the Azerbaijani elections. The diplomat said Turkish
President Abdullah Gul held talks for several hours at the request
of the Armenian government during his recent visit to Yerevan. During
the talks, the Armenian leadership demonstrated political will for the
solution of outstanding problems, he said. Babacan said that Guls visit
had also provided conditions for turning diplomatic talks with Armenia
into political dialog. Ankara has stated that Turkey-Armenia relations
depended on the relations between Baku and Yerevan. The Upper Garabagh
issue is very important, and Azerbaijan and Armenia continue talks on
settling the conflict, he said. The Turkish minister said that if peace
talks were fruitful, Turkeys relations with Armenia might develop,
adding that he had expressed this opinion during a recent trilateral
meeting with his Azerbaijani and Armenian counterparts in New York.