OUR EFFORTS ARE NOT AGAINST OUR BROTHER AZERBAIJAN: ERDOGAN

News.am
13:24 / 09/28/2009

"Azerbaijani interests were always important for us. We will never
betray Azerbaijan," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated
in the interview with Azerbaijani agency Trend News.

"We expressed a wish to re-establish relations with Armenia. The
normalization talks moved into a very sensitive phase. The
protocol guiding the establishment and development of relations
between our countries will be sent to the Turkish Parliament next
month for ratification. We reached a significant agreement under
Swiss mediation and I believe we can send the initialed document
to Parliament if we do not face any prejudice and steps are not
taken by thinking just about the internal politics. However, I would
like to especially explain that — our efforts are not against our
brother Azerbaijan. We will not agree upon any step conflicting with
Azerbaijani interests. We can approach the agreement but it definitely
depends on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement," Erdogan said.

Armenian and Turkish Foreign Ministers will meet on October 10 or 11,
2009 to sign the draft document. Ahmet Davutoglu and Edward Nalbandyan
will ink two Protocols, the texts of which had been agreed earlier
and internationally hailed as an important breakthrough, Erdogan added.

Speaking of Karabakh conflict settlement prospects Turkish Premier
outlined: "I think it would be easier if the OSCE Minsk Group — tasked
to find a solution to the dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan over
the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh — took more active measures. U.S. as
the co-chair of MG must follow its duties. I told Mr. Obama that
if it is solved that it will turn on the greenlights for regional
cooperation, including our relationship with Armenia. There was need
for dialogue that would bring together regional countries, referring
to Turkey’s proposal of a stability and cooperation platform in the
Caucasus. Turkey aimed to make the region a basin of peace and wanted
to solve Azerbaijan-Armenia, Turkey-Armenia and Russia-Georgia problems
through this platform."