TURKISH DEFENSE MINISTER: ONE OF THE MAIN OBSTACLES TO NORMALIZATION OF TURKEY-ARMENIA RELATIONS IS OCCUPATION OF NAGORNO KARABAKH

Today.Az
cs/52760.html
June 2 2009
Azerbaijan

"The main obstacles to normalization of the Turkey-Armenia relations
are the occupation of Nagorno Karabakh and inactivity of the Minsk
process.

I think that you jumped to the conclusion", Turkish Defense Minister
Vecdi Gonul told APA US bureau exclusively. Turkey undertook within
the roadmap to improve relations with Armenia. According to some
reports, the final result of this agreement should be the opening
of the borders. However Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in
Baku that the borders wouldn’t be opened. "If Armenia fulfills its
obligations within the roadmap, would you face difficulties to keep
promise to Azerbaijan?" , APA correspondent asked Gonul. The Defense
Minister said: "How can you tell that the borders should be opened
according to the roadmap? Don’t rush to prejudge".

Turkish delegation of leading political and business figures headed
by Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul is attending the 28th US-Turkey
conference in Washington. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Chief of
General Staff Ilker Basbug also joined the three-day conference. The
participants held consultations on energy and defense issues on the
first day of the conference. Vecdi Gonul said in his address to the
conference that the United States lent serious assistance to the
realization of Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan project. "Turkey insists to carry
out other regional projects due to this support", said Gonul.

The US-Turkey conference is organized annually by the American-Turkish
Council and Turkish-American Business Forum. Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu will address the conference tomorrow.

The foreign minister also attended the UN Security Council meeting
in New York on June 1 where Turkey took the Council Presidency for
a month.