Trend, Azerbaijan
April 30 2010

Armenian-Turkish normalization will face difficulties until
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict is solved – Erdogan

01.05.2010 03:17
The process of normalizing Turkish-Armenian relations certainly will
face difficulties until the problem between Azerbaijan and Armenia is
solved, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in televised
address to the nation on Friday.

According to Erdogan, during his meeting with Armenian president Serzh
Sargsyan in Washington, he talked in detail about the expectations of
Turkey in the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the
steps his country intends to take to resolve the conflict, CNN Turk
reported.

"It was very important for us", said the Turkish PM.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the United
States – are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the
occupied territories.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress