TURKISH PM SOOTHES AZERBAIJAN’S CONCERNS OVER TURKEY-ARMENIA THAW

armradio.am
09.04.2009 17:35

Turkey said it will be difficult to overcome problems with Armenia
unless Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is resolved, in a bid to soothe
Azerbaijan’s concerns.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul late
Wednesday that his country faces difficulty stemming from an ongoing
process that has continued between Azerbaijan and Armenia for years,
Hurriyet Daily reported.

"It is difficult to overcome problems between Turkey and Armenia
unless the Azerbaijani-Armenian dispute is resolved. We hope that
the U.N. Security Council will acknowledge Armenia as an occupier in
Nagorno-Karabakh and make a decision to call on Armenia to withdraw
from the region. The Minsk Group has been trying to resolve that
dispute for more than 17 years," he said.

"The Azerbaijani-Armenian dispute should be resolved first. Then,
problems between Turkey and Armenia can be solved, too," Erdogan added.