Interfax, Russia
Jan 14 2010
No link between Karabakh, Armenia-Turkey normalization – Lavrov
YEREVAN Jan 14
There is no link between the Karabakh settlement process and
Armenian-Turkish normalization, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
told a Thursday press conference in Yerevan, following negotiations
with his Armenian counterpart Eduard Nalbandian.
"We see no relation between normalization of Armenian-Turkish
relations and the Karabakh settlement process," he said.
Russia supports the attempts of Armenia and Turkey to normalize
bilateral relations, he said.
"We are interested in that normalization," Lavrov said.
Russia is ready to assist the normalization process with joint
electric power and railroad projects, he said.
"The sooner relations are normalized, the better it will be for the
region," he said.
Lavrov denied claims that his Yerevan trip was allegedly related to
the recent Moscow visit of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan.
"This visit [to Yerevan] was planned a long time ago. The agreement
was reached over a month ago, and the Turkish premier expressed his
wish to visit Moscow only several days ago," he said.
"It is unrelated to the [Haiti] quake as well," the minister joked.
The Armenian defense minister is paying a visit to Moscow now. I must
say that this is also unrelated to the Russian visit of Prime Minister
Erdogan," he said.