TURKISH DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER: TURKEY’S POSITION ON KARABAKH PROBLEM WILL CONTINUE AS BEFORE, NOTHING HAS CHANGED

APA
March 16 2009
Azerbaijan

Baku – APA. "The United States and Turkey have common targets on
a number of issues, including Caucasus," Turkey’s Deputy Foreign
Minister, former Turkish ambassador to Azerbaijan Ahmet Unal Chevikoz,
who ended his visit to Washington, said in his interview to Turkish
service of the Voice of America, APA reports.

Chevikoz had high-level meetings with the U.S. officials in Washington
and discussed President Barack Obama’s forthcoming visit to Ankara.

"Obama’s visit is very important. The relations between the two
countries were discussed during the recent visit of the Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton to Ankara. We saw that the two countries had
very significant foreign policy targets. We have a common agenda on
a number of issues, including our relations with Iraq, Afghanistan,
Caucasus and Russia," he said.

Commenting on Turkey’s policy with respect to Armenia Chevikoz said
the whole world witnessed everything.

"After September 6 visit of President Abdullah Gul to
Yerevan, high-level warm relations were formed between the two
countries. Foreign Ministers met seven times. The ways to improve
Turkey-Armenia relations were discussed at the meetings. We hope the
relations will normalize soon and it will be continuous. There are some
preparations in this respect and these preparations will be realized
with support of the Foreign Ministers of the two countries," he said.

Ahmet Unal Chevikoz also commented on Azerbaijan’s attitude towards
Ankara-Yerevan relations.

"Being our nearest neighbor in the region Azerbaijan is attentively
observing normalization of the relations between Turkey and Armenia. On
the other hand, there is unsolved Karabakh conflict between Armenia
and Azerbaijan. It is normal that Azerbaijan is observing these
processes. But Azerbaijan need not worry or doubt anything. Turkey’s
position on Karabakh problem will continue as before, nothing has
changed. Of course, normalization of the relations between Turkey and
Armenia is parallel to the process of settlement of Nagorno Karabakh
problem," he said.

Turkish diplomat said his country was not mediator, but played an
easing role in the settlement of the conflicts in the region.

Ankara has offered opportunities for contacts between Afghanistan
and Pakistan, Israel and Palestine and played an easing role in
Israel-Syria and Syria-Lebanon dialogues and European Union’s contacts
with Iran.

"All this is sourced from everybody’s confidence in Turkey," he said.