TURKEY WELCOMES PEACE PROGRESS OF AZERBAIJAN, ARMENIA
Xinhua
May 8 2009
China
ANKARA, May 8 (Xinhua) — Turkey on Friday welcomed the progress
made in a meeting between Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders who have
agreed on basic peace principles concerning the contested region of
Upper Karabakh.
Newly-appointed Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu made the
remarks at a joint press conference with his Finnish counterpart
Alexander Stubb in Ankara.
"I would like to say that Turkey had welcomed with great pleasure the
progress the two leaders made in their talks in Prague. The important
thing is that peace and stability can be restored in the region,"
said Davutoglu.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his Armenian counterpart Serzh
Sargsyan reached an agreement Thursday over "basic concepts of peace"
in the dispute, mediators of the Prague meeting said.
Davutoglu also called for concerted effort to encourage a settlement
in the shortest possible time, which he said would "set an example
in overcoming frozen disputes" in the region.
"We have always been in favor of a settlement in the Karabakh dispute
within the confines of the international law and Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity. Such a settlement will bring peace to the
Caucasus and it will present a model for resolving other frozen
disputes," Davutoglu said.
Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in support of Azerbaijan
during its conflict with Armenia over the Upper Karabakh region.