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ANKARA: Turkish, Azeri, Armenian Ministers To Meet In Helsinki Next

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  • ANKARA: Turkish, Azeri, Armenian Ministers To Meet In Helsinki Next

    TURKISH, AZERI, ARMENIAN MINISTERS TO MEET IN HELSINKI NEXT WEEK

    Hurriyet
    Nov 26 2008
    Turkey

    Turkish, Azeri and Armenian ministers would come together during a
    meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
    (OSCE) in Helsinki between Dec. 4-5 to discuss the settlement
    of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, Hurriyet daily reported on
    Wednesday. (UPDATED)

    Turkey's Foreign Minister Ali Babacan and his Armenian counterpart
    Eduard Nalbandian decided to continue the trilateral process which
    began in New York in September, with another trilateral meeting in
    the Finnish capital of Helsinki, Hurriyet wrote.

    Babacan, Nalbandian and Azerbaijan' Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov
    held a trilateral meeting in New York in September, and discussed
    the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

    Babacan confirmed late on Tuesday the decision made during his meeting
    with Nalbandian, saying Turkish, Azeri and Armenian ministers might
    come together during a meeting of the OSCE next week in Helsinki.

    There is "busy diplomacy traffic" with Turkey's eastern neighbor
    Armenia, he told reporters before departing from the Turkish capital
    for a tour of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

    "We have been moving ahead and making progress with Armenia each time
    we talk to each other, and I hope talks between both Azerbaijan and
    Armenia, and Turkey and Armenia could produce certain results in a
    reasonable time," he was quoted by Anatolian Agency as saying.

    "Our goal is to fully normalize relations between the countries of
    the region and our efforts for a stability platform in the Caucasus
    are continuing," he said.

    Turkey proposed the establishment of a Caucasian Cooperation and
    Stability Platform after August's Russia-Georgia conflict in the
    region.

    TURKISH FM TO VISIT AZERBAIJAN Babacan will leave for Azerbaijan
    on Nov. 30 upon an invitation by Mammadyarov, the Turkish Foreign
    Ministry said on Wednesday.

    The Turkish foreign minister is expected to discuss a possible
    trilateral meeting in Helsinki with his Azerbaijan counterpart during
    his two-day visit.

    Babacan and Mammadyarov would also exchange views about putting
    the Caucasus Stability and Cooperation Platform into practice, the
    ministry also said.

    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.

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