TURKEY CANNOT MEDIATE IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT – SERZH SARGSYAN

Interfax
Nov 7 2008
Russia

Turkey’s membership in the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group does not provide for Turkey to be a
mediator in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan said.

"Turkey cannot mediate in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Although
Turkey is an OSCE Minsk Group member, it is not its co-chairman,"
Sargsyan told a press conference held jointly with European Commission
President Jose Manuel Barroso.

Sargsyan recalled that he signed with the Russian and Azeri presidents
a joint declaration on the conflict settlement in Moscow on November 2.

"One of the provisions of this declaration said that the Nagorno-
Karabakh solution was expected in the format of the OSCE Minsk Group
co- chairmen," he said.

On Friday, a Turkish newspaper, Today’s Zaman, reported referring
to diplomatic sources that Turkish President Adbullah Gul intended
to organize a tripartite summit including the heads of Armenia and
Azerbaijan which would discuss Nagorno-Karabakh settlement and Turkish-
Armenian relations.

Gul informed Azeri President Ilham Aliyev on his initiative and Aliyev
reacted positively, the paper said. Given Armenian consent the date
and the place of the summit will be decided, it said.

Since 1992, the OSCE Minsk Group has been a major forum seeking a
solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The Minsk Group includes twelve nations [Russia, the U.S., France,
Belarus, Germany, Italy, Finland, Sweden, Turkey and three OSCE
countries, currently Spain, Finland and Greece].

The negotiating process is conducted under the aegis of the co-
chairmen of the Minsk Group holding agreed positions. From 1992,
the U.S. and France have become co-chairmen jointly with Russia.