BAKU: Turkish FM calls on US, West to say they want reconciliation

Today, Azerbaijan
March 5 2010

Turkish FM calls on U.S., West to say whether they really want
Armenia-Azerbaijan reconciliation- UPDATE

05 March 2010 [16:21] – Today.Az

In his televised speech on March 5, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu urged the United States and West to resolve the
Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Stability in the South Caucasus can become real only after Armenia
withdraws from Azerbaijan’s occupied lands and Armenia-Turkey and
Armenia-Azerbaijan reconciliation are ensured, CNN-Turk quoted
Davutoglu as saying.

Unilateral reconciliation is impossible, Davutoglu said.

It is difficult to reach a full peace through reconciliation only
between individual countries in the South Caucasus region, the Foreign
Minister explained. In his view, a full peace is possible if only all
existing conflicts are solved.

Davutoglu stressed that not only the Armenian-Turkish reconciliation,
but also the Armenian-Azerbaijani reconciliation must be focus of
attention adding that the United States and West are interested only
in normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations.

"If we want peace, then why we talk only about the Armenian-Turkish
reconciliation? Why do not we put forward the Armenian-Azerbaijani
reconciliation? Why can not we believe that this can be realized? Why
Turkey is mistaken when it talks about the Armenian-Azerbaijani
reconciliation? Our American and Western friends need to think about
it.’

`The question is clear and open. And our response is clear and open,
too. Does someone want the Armenian-Turkish reconciliation? Yes,
Turkey wants. And now we ask the question: "Do you want the
Armenian-Azerbaijani reconciliation or not?" Let them come out and
say: "We do not want.’ And we’ll know about it. But if they want, let
them do all that it is required,’ the Turkish FM underscored.

Peace depends on a political will. The path is difficult, but this is
not an impossible goal, Davutoglu added.

———–
13:15

Turkey calls on Armenia to open all archives and not to exert pressure
through the U.S. Congress, and negotiate face to face, Turkish Foreign
Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said.

"The adoption of the resolution on" Armenian genocide" is comical, as
the difference of one vote seems very strange," he added.

U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs on Thursday adopted 23 votes
to 22 a resolution recognizing the so-called "Armenian genocide".

Armenia claims that the Ottoman Empire committed genocide against
Armenians living in Anatolia in 1915. Making greater efforts to
promote the issue internationally, Armenians have achieved its
recognition by parliaments of some countries.

Signing the protocols with Armenia, Turkey sought to bequeath to
future generations of peace and stability among nations, but the
adoption of this resolution by the U.S Congress’s Committee shows that
Yerevan does not act openly in this matter, he added.

The minister considers erroneous the view that the adoption of the
resolution could put pressure on Ankara to ratify the Armenian-Turkish
protocols.

"The fact is that Turkey has taken decision on in this issue for ten
days while Armenia has done for four months," he said.

The intervention of a third party, in this case the U.S., in relations
between Armenia and Turkey, complicates the process of reconciliation
between the countries, he said.

The adoption of a resolution recognizing the "Armenian genocide"
indicates that the U.S Congress is very weak in developing a future
political strategy, the Turkish minister said.

/Trend News, Day.Az/

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