Hürriyet
Monday, July 06, 2009 01:58

Russia visit timing vital, says minister

MOSCOW – Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoðlu said the
"normalization process" between Turkey and Armenia and the Minsk
Group’s efforts to solve the Azerbaijani-Armenian dispute have created
a positive atmosphere in the Caucasus.
Speaking to Turkish reporters following his meeting with Russian
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on Thursday, Davutoðlu said
that his visit’s timing was crucial.
"Since I assumed the post of Turkish foreign minister, I have tried to
visit countries to which we attach great importance. Accordingly, I
had talks in the United States and Germany. I visited Azerbaijan,
Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkish Cyprus. Within such a framework, I
paid a one-day working visit to Russia and had a chance to go over our
relations with Lavrov," Davutoðlu said.
Referring to Turkish-Russian ties, Davutoðlu stressed that there were
no political problems between the two countries. There is a will on
both sides to resolve certain technical and bureaucratic problems,
Davutoðlu said. "Russia is supporting normalization of the relations
between Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan with triple diplomatic
processes. But the Minsk Group is conducting the talks and we believe
that it would not be beneficial to open a new platform," he said. He
said a new round of talks between the leaders of Armenia and
Azerbaijan were being planned with the participation of Lavrov.
In response to a question on Cyprus, Davutoðlu said that Lavrov and he
discussed the issue of Cyprus. "Russia is a member of the United
Nations Security Council. We consider Cyprus to be a matter of the
United Nations and do not think that it would be appropriate to carry
Cyprus to another platform. Turkey and Russia share the same
viewpoints on Cyprus. The Russians also think that Cyprus should be
resolved within the boundaries of the United Nations," Davutoðlu said.