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TURKEY'S NEW FOREIGN MINISTER EASES AZERI CONCERNS OVER KARABAKH
www.asbarez.com/index.html?showarticle=4 2041_5/4/2009_1
Monday, May 4, 2009
ANKARA (Reuters)--Turkey's new Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu sought
on Monday to ease Azerbaijan's concerns over efforts by Turkey and
Armenia to establish diplomatic relations.
Azerbaijan, Turkey's ally and a key supplier of gas, has reacted
angrily to those talks because it fears losing leverage over Armenia
in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace talks mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group.
Davutoglu, appointed to the post in a wide cabinet reshuffle on Friday,
met Azeri Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov in Ankara on Monday to
discuss Azeri concerns over the roadmap, a Turkish Foreign Ministry
spokesman said.
"It is not coincidental that the minister is holding his first meeting
with the Azeri deputy minister", the spokesman told Reuters.
"We have not had any disruption in relations with Azerbaijan but you
can expect reciprocal high level contacts to intensify in the coming
period," the spokesman said.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet Azeri President
Ilham Aliyev in the Azeri capital Baku on May 13, the state-run
Anatolian news agency said. Erdogan will also meet Russian Prime
Minister Vladimir Putin on May 16, Anatolian said.
Turkey closed its frontier with Armenia in solidarity with Azerbaijan
in its war with Armenian-backed separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh. Baku
has said Turkey should make peace with Armenia only after the conflict
is resolved.
Davutoglu, the architect of Turkey's expanded foreign policy beyond
its traditional Western-oriented focus, said over the weekend that
Turkey now had a stronger foreign policy vision with regards to the
Middle East and Caucasus.
"We should be trying to turn the zero-problem policy with neighbors
into a policy of maximum interest," he said after taking office on
Saturday from Ali Babacan.
www.asbarez.com/index.html?showarticle=4 2041_5/4/2009_1
Monday, May 4, 2009
ANKARA (Reuters)--Turkey's new Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu sought
on Monday to ease Azerbaijan's concerns over efforts by Turkey and
Armenia to establish diplomatic relations.
Azerbaijan, Turkey's ally and a key supplier of gas, has reacted
angrily to those talks because it fears losing leverage over Armenia
in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace talks mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group.
Davutoglu, appointed to the post in a wide cabinet reshuffle on Friday,
met Azeri Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov in Ankara on Monday to
discuss Azeri concerns over the roadmap, a Turkish Foreign Ministry
spokesman said.
"It is not coincidental that the minister is holding his first meeting
with the Azeri deputy minister", the spokesman told Reuters.
"We have not had any disruption in relations with Azerbaijan but you
can expect reciprocal high level contacts to intensify in the coming
period," the spokesman said.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet Azeri President
Ilham Aliyev in the Azeri capital Baku on May 13, the state-run
Anatolian news agency said. Erdogan will also meet Russian Prime
Minister Vladimir Putin on May 16, Anatolian said.
Turkey closed its frontier with Armenia in solidarity with Azerbaijan
in its war with Armenian-backed separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh. Baku
has said Turkey should make peace with Armenia only after the conflict
is resolved.
Davutoglu, the architect of Turkey's expanded foreign policy beyond
its traditional Western-oriented focus, said over the weekend that
Turkey now had a stronger foreign policy vision with regards to the
Middle East and Caucasus.
"We should be trying to turn the zero-problem policy with neighbors
into a policy of maximum interest," he said after taking office on
Saturday from Ali Babacan.