TURKEY AGAIN LINKS ARMENIA MOVES WITH KARABAKH

AZG DAILY
13-10-2009

Armenia-Turkey

Turkey will not normalize relations with Armenia before a breakthrough
in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan said on Sunday, raising more questions about the implementation
of landmark Turkish-Armenian agreements signed the previous night,
Azatutyun reports.

"I want to reiterate once again that Turkey cannot adopt a positive
attitude unless Armenia withdraws from "occupied" Azerbaijani
territories," he was reported to tell a news conference held in Ankara
after a high-level meeting of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development
Party (AKP).

Erdogan made clear that an internationally brokered agreement on
Karabakh acceptable to Azerbaijan is critical for the ratification
by the Turkish parliament of the two Turkish-Armenian relations
envisaging that the establishment of diplomatic relations and opening
of the border between the two nations.

"If the problems between Azerbaijan and Armenia are solved, then it
will be easier for the Turkish community to embrace the normalization
of the relations between Turkey and Armenia. Also, it will make it
easier for the Turkish parliament to adopt the protocols," he said. The
parliament and the Turkish public will therefore be closely following
Armenian-Azerbaijani peace talks, he added.