AzerNews Weekly, Azerbaijan
Nov 19 2009

Minister: Turkey-Armenia ties possible only with Garabagh settlement
19-11-2009 06:06:48

Turkey-Armenia relations could normalize and be permanent only as a
result of a settlement reached to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper
(Nagorno) Garabagh conflict, Turkish Anatolian news agency has quoted
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu as saying.
Davutoglu emphasized that the status quo in Garabagh settlement has
persisted for 17 years.
`We attach great importance to defending Azerbaijani territories,’ the
minister said. `If we don’t try to alter the status quo in the next
ten years, the current situation will persist endlessly. Our goal is
to change the regional situation by diplomatic means.’
Davutoglu said the OSCE Minsk Group brokering the peace process has
lately stepped up effort, and meetings between the Azerbaijani and
Armenian presidents have become more frequent.
`Technical issues have been expedited. We hope that we will also play
a role in restoring sustainable and comprehensive peace in the South
Caucasus this way,’ he said.
Davutoglu noted that the Garabagh problem had topped the agenda of the
meetings held by Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan with US President Barack Obama. `Turkey sees this
situation as an unfair one and wants it to be resolved in the soonest
time possible.’
Armenia and Azerbaijan waged a war over the mountainous region of
Upper Garabagh in the early 1990s which claimed some 30,000 lives.
Armenia has been occupying over 20% of Azerbaijan’s territory since
then, despite UN resolutions on unconditional pullout of its armed
forces and condemnation by a number of other international
organizations. One million Azerbaijanis have been displaced as a
result of ethnic cleansing.
Davutoglu said the ultimate goal of the protocols that Turkey signed
with Armenia in October is to normalize bilateral relations and pursue
a policy based on respect for the borders of countries and good
neighborliness ties. He said Ankara was looking to take a fresh look
at Turkish-Armenian relations while distancing from the historical
elemental approach; to counter Armenian claims about the alleged 1915
genocide in the Ottoman Empire; to launch a new era between Turkish
and Armenian societies, and to establish a commission of historians to
research the World War I developments and resolve the Garabagh
conflict as part of these efforts.
The protocols, signed by the Turkish and Armenian governments in
Zurich on October 10, seek to forge diplomatic ties and open the
sealed border, following decades of hostility caused by the Armenian
occupation of Azerbaijani territory and genocide claims.*

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress