TURKISH FM: OCCUPATION OF AZERBAIJANI LANDS IMPEDES COOPERATION IN CAUCASUS
Today
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March 1 2010
Azerbaijan
The occupation of the Azerbaijani lands by Armenia, which caused the
conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, complicated the further cooperation
in the Caucasus in the regional and global scale, Turkish Foreign
Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said.
In his article published in Russia-based Global Politics journal,
Davutoglu noted that unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and
occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory by Armenia impedes
use of important potentials such as growing economy, human capital
and natural resources by Azerbaijan and the South Caucasus as a whole.
The progress that has recently been achieved in talks between the
presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia, Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan,
is very important to resolve the conflict, as the mechanism developed
by the OSCE Minsk Group has not brought tangible and concrete results,
he said.
In his article, Turkish FM said that the OSCE Minsk Group, which
includes Turkey, is the only international instrument that can induce
parties to take concrete steps to overcome differences and reach a
peaceful settlement.
Regarding the Turkey- Azerbaijan relations, Davutoglu pointed out
that the frequency of mutual visits, regular dialogue and solidarity
in matters of mutual interest are evidence of important political
relations between Ankara and Baku.
"Our economic cooperation is developing steadily. The trade turnover
reached $2.5 billion. In addition, Turkey is leading country in the
Azerbaijani economy in terms of foreign investment," the minister
added.
Simultaneously, Turkey will not lose the hope that it will re-establish
relations with Armenia, which still remains a missing link in the
whole picture, which Ankara wants to see in the South Caucasus.
Davutoglu named the signing of the Ankara-Yerevan protocols as
"an unprecedented step forward towards the elimination of legal and
psychological barriers that still separate the two neighboring people."
However, he said, during the whole dialogue with Yerevan, Turkey
has always aware that only the Turkish-Armenian reconciliation is
not enough to make long-awaited peace and stability came to the
South Caucasus.
Therefore, the minister believes that Ankara was convinced that
progress in the normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia
should be complemented and developed with concrete steps aimed at
resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
"Only with a comprehensive solution, we can maintain the atmosphere
of reconciliation and remove the remaining barriers to dialogue,
cooperation and peace in the region. This, of course, will require
political will and courage," he added.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
