Turkey welcomes Caucasus progress
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hürriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mayıs 09, 2009 00:00
ANKARA -Ankara says that it is pleased with the progress made during talks between the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia at the residence of the US ambassador in the Czech capital Prague and considers it a serious beginning that should be encouraged by all parties concerned
Turkey yesterday expressed pleasure about the progress the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan made during discussions aimed at resolving their long-standing dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
"We are pleased that progress was made during (Thursday’s) meeting. This is a serious beginning that should be encouraged by all the parties concerned," Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu told a joint press conference with his Finnish counterpart, Alexander Stubb, in Ankara.
"This region is ours and the fate of this region is in our hands. We are pleased with the negotiations of Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders," said Davutoğlu.
For his part, Stubb, who strongly supports Turkey’s membership in the EU, praised the role Ankara has been playing for the resolution of frozen conflicts in the region including the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute, saying that it demonstrated once again the strategic importance of Turkey for the EU.
Presidents Serge Sarkisian of Armenia and Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan met on Thursday at the residence of the U.S. ambassador in Prague with Washington and other governments pushing for a solution to the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.
The presidents "were able in principle to reduce their differences on the basics and ... agree on the basic ideas that they came here to discuss," said Matthew Bryza, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs and co-chairman of the so-called Minsk Group set up to resolve the problem.
"They do agree on a basic approach," Bryza was quoted as saying by wire dispatches. "It's now up to us to work actively with the foreign ministers as requested by both presidents to work through the details and finalize these concepts that were discussed today. That's a positive sign. Today showed us that we are making serious progress."
He, however, declined to give details about the talks, which also were attended by the foreign ministers of the two countries.
Significant progress
"There is progress, important progress today, significant progress in that these difficult points that have been debated and argued over by the presidents over the last few years are now conceptually agreed on," he said.
Turkey’s President Abdullah Gül, who was in Prague yesterday to attend an energy summit hosted by the Czech presidency of the European Union, held separate meeting with the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents Thursday. Davutoğlu, who accompanied the president in Prague, declined to provide details about the president’s talks.
He warned that frozen conflicts were risky and could lead to regional or global crisis, adding that a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute should be encouraged as it could become a good role model to prove that peace can be attained through a solution to frozen conflicts.
"As Turkey, we are in favor of a solution to the Karabakh problem within the framework of international law and Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. Such a resolution will bring a solution to the Caucasus and also make contributions to the overcoming of frozen conflicts by serving as a good model," said Davutoğlu.
According to reports, French and Russian mediators at the Thursday’s talks also expressed optimism, saying the Azeri and Armenian leaders had tentatively agreed to meet again early next month in St. Petersburg, Russia.
"On the basis of what we heard from both presidents, we expect to be in a position to confirm some progress during the next weeks and months," Bernard Fassier of France was quoted as saying. Meanwhile, Davutoğlu will participate in a Middle East session of the U.N. Security Council in New York. Turkey is non-permanent member of the Council.
"We are pleased that progress was made during (Thursday’s) meeting. This is a serious beginning that should be encouraged by all the parties concerned," Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu told a joint press conference with his Finnish counterpart, Alexander Stubb, in Ankara.
"This region is ours and the fate of this region is in our hands. We are pleased with the negotiations of Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders," said Davutoğlu.
For his part, Stubb, who strongly supports Turkey’s membership in the EU, praised the role Ankara has been playing for the resolution of frozen conflicts in the region including the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute, saying that it demonstrated once again the strategic importance of Turkey for the EU.
Presidents Serge Sarkisian of Armenia and Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan met on Thursday at the residence of the U.S. ambassador in Prague with Washington and other governments pushing for a solution to the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.
The presidents "were able in principle to reduce their differences on the basics and ... agree on the basic ideas that they came here to discuss," said Matthew Bryza, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs and co-chairman of the so-called Minsk Group set up to resolve the problem.
"They do agree on a basic approach," Bryza was quoted as saying by wire dispatches. "It's now up to us to work actively with the foreign ministers as requested by both presidents to work through the details and finalize these concepts that were discussed today. That's a positive sign. Today showed us that we are making serious progress."
He, however, declined to give details about the talks, which also were attended by the foreign ministers of the two countries.
Significant progress
"There is progress, important progress today, significant progress in that these difficult points that have been debated and argued over by the presidents over the last few years are now conceptually agreed on," he said.
Turkey’s President Abdullah Gül, who was in Prague yesterday to attend an energy summit hosted by the Czech presidency of the European Union, held separate meeting with the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents Thursday. Davutoğlu, who accompanied the president in Prague, declined to provide details about the president’s talks.
He warned that frozen conflicts were risky and could lead to regional or global crisis, adding that a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute should be encouraged as it could become a good role model to prove that peace can be attained through a solution to frozen conflicts.
"As Turkey, we are in favor of a solution to the Karabakh problem within the framework of international law and Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. Such a resolution will bring a solution to the Caucasus and also make contributions to the overcoming of frozen conflicts by serving as a good model," said Davutoğlu.
According to reports, French and Russian mediators at the Thursday’s talks also expressed optimism, saying the Azeri and Armenian leaders had tentatively agreed to meet again early next month in St. Petersburg, Russia.
"On the basis of what we heard from both presidents, we expect to be in a position to confirm some progress during the next weeks and months," Bernard Fassier of France was quoted as saying. Meanwhile, Davutoğlu will participate in a Middle East session of the U.N. Security Council in New York. Turkey is non-permanent member of the Council.