DAVUTOGLU TRYING TO WIN OPPOSITION’S SUPPORT FOR PLANS TO NORMALIZE RELATIONS WITH ARMENIA
armradio.am
16.09.2009 11:25
In a bid to win the opposition’s support of the government’s plans
to normalize relations with neighboring Armenia, Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutoglu on Tuesday held talks with several political party
leaders and reassured them that Turkey’s move to normalize relations
with Yerevan would not harm its friendly ties with Baku at all.
Davutoglu visited main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP)
leader Deniz Baykal, Democratic Left Party (DSP) leader Masum Turker
and Felicity Party (SP) leader Numan KurtulmuÅ~_. The minister had
already met with Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Å~^ahin last week. Yet,
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli, a strong critic
of the plans to restore relations with Armenia, rejected Davutoglu’s
request for a meeting.
All three political leaders with whom Davutoglu met tied the
normalization of relations between Ankara and Yerevan to the resolution
of the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute, Today’s Zaman reports.
"We won’t take a step which will sadden our Azerbaijani brothers. They
are being informed of the entire process imminently and it will go
on as before," Davutoglu told the leaders in response.
"There is an image that the process is under the control of the
Armenian side. We don’t find it appropriate. The proces s should
be taken out of the control of the Armenian side," KurtulmuÅ~_
told Davutoglu.
In response, the minister said: "Yes, as you said, the image is like
that. But this is not true. Nobody has been controlling the process."
Davutoglu and KurtulmuÅ~_, who said his party would not support the
process as long as the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute is not resolved,
agreed to meet once more after the Eid al-Fitr holiday.
Davutoglu is paying visits and requesting meetings with all leaders
whose political parties won at least 1 percent of the vote in the July
2007 general elections. Today Davutoglu is scheduled to hold talks
with Grand Unity Party (BBP) leader Yalcın Topcu and Democrat Party
(DP) leader Husamettin Cindoruk. He is expected to meet with Democratic
Society Party (DTP) leader Ahmet Turk after the Eid al-Fitr holiday.