US, Turkey discuss Karabakh issue
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Ümit Enginsoy
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Temmuz 07, 2009 00:00
Washington - The normalization talks between Turkey and Armenia and efforts to solve the Karabakh conflict are the focus of a telephone conversation between the presidents of Turkey and the US. Ankara and Washington will continue to work together on common problems, the White House says.
U.S. President Barack Obama and President Abdullah Gül discussed Turkey-Armenia relations and efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh problem between Armenia and Azerbaijan during a telephone conversation late Sunday, hours before Obama left here for Moscow for his first summit with Russian leaders.
"The two presidents ... discussed the situation in the Caucasus," said a White House statement released after the conversation. "President Gül updated President Obama on the status of Turkish-Armenian relations. They also discussed the Minsk Group’s ongoing efforts to address the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," it said. The Minsk Group is a group of international diplomats, led by the United States, Russia and France, that aims to resolve the 16-year-old Karabakh problem.
In a joint declaration in April, Turkey and Armenia said they intend to normalize their relations. The process would include opening the two neighbors’ land border. Turkey recognized Armenia's independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 but never established diplomatic ties. It closed the land border in 1993 in protest of the Armenian invasion and occupation of the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. More importantly, Armenians claim that the killings of their kinsmen in the Ottoman Empire at the end of the World War I amount to a genocide. Turkey denies the label and says that people from both sides were killed during the ethnic strife. But despite those major differences the two countries said in April that they needed to reconcile. Technically the Turkish-Armenian normalization process and the Karabakh issue are separate matters. But concerned over a backlash by Azerbaijanis, Turkey's close allies, PMRecep Tayyip Erdoğan has pledged not open the border with Armenia without progress toward the Karabakh problem's solution. Washington strongly backs both the normalization and Karabakh processes, but says one should not be a precondition for the other.
Obama's Moscow agenda is expected to include the Karabakh problem. Moscow still has major influence on both Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The White House said the U.S. and Turkey would continue to work together to face common problems. "Both presidents emphasized that U.S.-Turkish ties are strong and that our two nations will continue to partner together to address common challenges to our security and prosperity," it said. "President Gül thanked President Obama for his Cairo speech on America’s relationship with Muslim world" it added. In his speech last month, Obama called for a major improvement of ties between the United States and the Muslim world.
"The two presidents ... discussed the situation in the Caucasus," said a White House statement released after the conversation. "President Gül updated President Obama on the status of Turkish-Armenian relations. They also discussed the Minsk Group’s ongoing efforts to address the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," it said. The Minsk Group is a group of international diplomats, led by the United States, Russia and France, that aims to resolve the 16-year-old Karabakh problem.
In a joint declaration in April, Turkey and Armenia said they intend to normalize their relations. The process would include opening the two neighbors’ land border. Turkey recognized Armenia's independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 but never established diplomatic ties. It closed the land border in 1993 in protest of the Armenian invasion and occupation of the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. More importantly, Armenians claim that the killings of their kinsmen in the Ottoman Empire at the end of the World War I amount to a genocide. Turkey denies the label and says that people from both sides were killed during the ethnic strife. But despite those major differences the two countries said in April that they needed to reconcile. Technically the Turkish-Armenian normalization process and the Karabakh issue are separate matters. But concerned over a backlash by Azerbaijanis, Turkey's close allies, PMRecep Tayyip Erdoğan has pledged not open the border with Armenia without progress toward the Karabakh problem's solution. Washington strongly backs both the normalization and Karabakh processes, but says one should not be a precondition for the other.
Obama's Moscow agenda is expected to include the Karabakh problem. Moscow still has major influence on both Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The White House said the U.S. and Turkey would continue to work together to face common problems. "Both presidents emphasized that U.S.-Turkish ties are strong and that our two nations will continue to partner together to address common challenges to our security and prosperity," it said. "President Gül thanked President Obama for his Cairo speech on America’s relationship with Muslim world" it added. In his speech last month, Obama called for a major improvement of ties between the United States and the Muslim world.