TURKEY HOPES FOR KAZAKH HELP ON KARABAKH

news.az
Feb 15 2010
Azerbaijan

Ahmet Davutoglu Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said
Kazakhstan might get involved in the solution of the Karabakh conflict,
as the chair of the OSCE.

Davutoglu who is on an official visit to Kazakhstan told Anatolia
News Agency that he was confident that Kazakhstan would take important
steps for the solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue between Azerbaijan
and Armenia.

Davutoglu said he discussed the issue with his Kazakh counterpart Kanat
Saudabayev, who is chairman-in-office of the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe, and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

"As far as I know, Mr Saudabayev will be visiting both Baku and
Yerevan in the next few days. We communicated our position to them.

Kazakhstan may make a significant contribution on Nagorno-Karabakh. We
are hopeful for the future," Davutoglu said.

Referring to Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s call to Turkey to
reveal its intentions on Karabakh, Davutoglu said Turkey had made
its intention clear to all parties.

"Turkey will support all steps taken toward the establishment of
peace," Davutoglu said.

Sargsyan said in an address to the Royal Institute of International
Affairs in London last week that Turkey had made Karabakh a
precondition for the approval of the normalization protocols with
Armenia. Sargsyan said that this attitude jeopardised both the
Nagorno-Karabakh issue and the normalization of relations with Turkey.

Commenting on the recent row between Iran and the international
community, Davutoglu said he wanted to visit Iran next Tuesday,
signalling a Turkish initiative for mediation.

"We are ready to do everything within our reach to overcome the
current tension through peaceful means," Davutoglu said.

Davutoglu, who also commented on the Cyprus issue, reiterated Turkey’s
stance in support of a lasting solution and said they did not want
settlement talks to be interrupted.