RUSSIA A KEY PLAYER IN SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH CONFLICT – TURKISH PM

news.az, Azerbaijan
Jan 15 2010

Recep Tayyip Erdogan It will be difficult to settle the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Karabakh without Russia, Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erodgan has said.

He was speaking to reporters from eight newspapers on the plane as he
returned from Moscow to Istanbul, Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reported
on Thursday.

"We have repeatedly stated that the normalization of Armenian-Turkish
relations depends on the resolution of the Karabakh conflict,"
Erdogan told the reporters.

"The borders between Armenia and Turkey were closed due to the
conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the opening of borders
must be preceded by the establishment of peace and the end of the
occupation of Azerbaijani lands. If Yerevan really wants to normalize
relations with us, it should first quit the occupied lands and only
then is the normalization of our relations possible," Erdogan said.

"I said this openly to Putin and Medvedev and asked them to intensify
the work of the OSCE Minsk Group because Russia has the strongest
influence on Armenia and if Russia is not active on this issue,
settlement of the conflict will be difficult," Erdogan said.

"We have made enough concessions to Armenia, we have opened air
communications with Yerevan. However, the opening of land borders is
different," Erdogan said.

Hurriyet 1news