DAVUTOGLU STRESSES KARABAKH LINK AT OSCE SUMMIT

Asbarez
Dec 2nd, 2009

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

ATHENS (RFE/RL)-Addressing the OSCE ministerial council in Athens
on Wednesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu stressed the
importance of a Nagorno-Karabakh settlement acceptable to Azerbaijan
for the normalization of his country’s relations with Armenia.

He spoke instead about international efforts to broker a solution to
the Karabakh dispute. Respect for Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity
"must constitute the bedrock" of such a solution, he said.

"Turkey is of the view that efforts aimed at the resolution of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the creation of an environment of
durable peace and stability in the region are mutually reinforcing
and have a direct impact on one another. The two processes cannot be
seen in isolation," Davutoglu added in a clear reference to Ankara’s
demands on Yerevan to make heavy concessions in the Karabakh conflict
for normal relations with Turkey.

Davutoglu and his Armenian counterpart, Edward Nalbandian, held talks
on the sidelines of the OSCE meeting late Tuesday. Official Armenian
and Turkish sources said the talks focused on the implementation of the
recently signed protocols envisaging the establishment of diplomatic
relations between the two states and the reopening of their border.

The official Turkish Anatolia news agency said the Karabakh issue was
also on the agenda, a claim denied by Nalbandian. "We didn’t discuss
the Karabakh issue," he told journalists on Wednesday.

In a speech at the forum earlier in the day, Nalbandian warned Ankara
against delaying the mandatory parliamentary ratification of the
protocols. "Unjustified delays and preconditions, including a drive to
link the issue with the Karabakh conflict, can harm both processes,"
he said.

President Serzh Sarkisian issued a similar warning over the weekend.

He implied that Yerevan could walk away from the agreements if Ankara
fails to implement them within a "reasonable time frame."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress