Turkey not to open Armenia border until Azerbaijan's integrity restored

"We are open to developing relations with Armenia, to open borders, and to develop trade," Tuzmen was quoted by Interfax as telling an Azeri-Turkish business forum in Baku on Thursday.  Â

 

Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic ties and their border has been closed for more than a decade over Armenia's aggression over Azerbaijan.

 

"We do not oppose developing trade relations, which will have a positive influence on the development of the whole region; however, prior to this historians should solve some issues and Azerbaijan's territorial integrity should be restored," Tuzmen added.

 

The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia began in 1988 on Armenian territorial claims over Azerbaijan. Since 1992 Armenian Armed Forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and its seven surrounding districts.

Some 10 percent of the Azeri population was displaced due to a series of bloody clashes both between and within the two neighboring countries.

In 1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which time the active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group are currently holding peaceful negotiations.

TURKISH FM MEETS ARMENIAN, AZERI FMS
Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan met separately with Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov to discuss the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in Helsinki where the Organization for the Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) ministerial meeting is being held.

 

Foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan met on Wednesday with Russian, French and U.S. executives, the co-chairmen of OSCE Minsk group.

 

Babacan's talks with the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers assessed the results of this meeting, Anatolian Agency reported.

 

The Turkish foreign minister was also scheduled to meet with the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group dealing with the issue in Helsinki on Thursday.