FM TALKS NAGORNO- KARABAKH IN BAKU

Hurriyet
Feb 10 2009
Turkey

ISTANBUL – Bilateral relations, regional developments and the
Nagorno-Karabakh dispute were high on Foreign Minister Ali Babacan’s
agenda yesterday when he met with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Elmar
Mammadyarov and President Ilham Aliyev in Baku.

Babacan met Saturday with his Armenian counterpart, Edward Nalbandian,
and President Serge Sarkisian on the sidelines of the 45th Munich
Security Conference. Babacan said talks to normalize relations between
Ankara and Yerevan were productive.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Burak Ozugergin told the Anatolia News
Agency that during his talks in Baku, Babacan highlighted the
importance of finding solutions to disputes to ensure stability
in the region."Babacan said the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute should be
resolved peacefully in line with international law and by protecting
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity," he said. Mammadyarov said the
Caucasus Cooperation and Stability Platform, initiated by Turkey,
was important for the region and efforts should be intensified to
realize it.

The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia began in 1988 on Armenian
territorial claims over Azerbaijan. Both countries have continued
with fruitless peace negotiations. The OSCE Minsk Group, co-chaired
by the United States, Russia and France, is engaged in efforts to
end the conflict peacefully.

Nagorno-Karabakh has been standing at the center of Azerbaijan-Armenia
and Turkey-Armenia relations. Turkey closed its borders with Armenia
due to Yerevan’s aggression toward Azerbaijan.

The proposal to create a stability pact to address security
concerns in the Caucasus aims at helping improve Turkish-Armenian
ties amid diplomatic contacts between the two neighbors. The pact
aims at bringing together Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Russia and
Georgia. After concluding his talks in Baku, Babacan returned to
Turkey where he met his Ethiopian counterpart, Seyoum Mesfin.