TURKEY ALMOST AN OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIR: SUAT KINIKLIOGLU

Tert.am
15:51 30.03.10

Turkey, without being named, has practically become an OSCE Minsk
Group co-chair country, said Deputy Chair for External Affairs of
the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Suat Kiniklioglu,
according to Turkish daily Star.

"Today’s situation is quite different [from the previous one]. Though
slow-moving, nevertheless, there is a process of normalizing relations,
and it continues. We want that process to reach its purpose, but
at the same time we want to see that steps are being taken for the
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict…

Normalizing relations is a territorial issue. If Armenian-Turkish
relations are normalized, the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict will be put on the rails and, the South Caucasus will
become a corrdor of Turkish influence. Armenia says that there was no
precondition [in the Protocols], but even if there is no mention of
Karabakh conflict in the Protocols, there is mention of the peaceful
resolution of territorial conflicts," mentioned Kiniklioglu, adding
that the NKR conflict has a great impact on the region.

He also mentioned that Armenia-Turkey rapprochement indirectly
signifies the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

"There is active diplomatic traffic [meaning diplomats involved
actively hold meetings over the conflict]. Turkey, without being named,
has practically become an OSCE Minsk Group co-chair country.

There is no success yet. I cannot say when the conflict will be
resolved or what type of outcome there will be, but I hope that
relations between Turkey and Armenia will normalize… Should the
Protocols fail to be ratified we will not return to the point where
we started from, but to a worse place. As soon as wee see the "road
map" of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, then we will have generally
reached the normalization," he said, highlighting the importance of
a proposal by Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to initiate
contacts with the Armenian Diaspora, and adding that he plans to meet
with certain representatives of the Diaspora in April.