Davutoglu Offers Turkey to Mediate Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict Settlement Process

Turkey can co-habit with Armenia, said Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmet Davutoğlu to reporters, while on a plane to Bulgaria, reports Turkish news source Sabah.

“Our conflict with the Serbs has a thousand-year history, while our issues with the Armenians, one century. And if we were able to change the nature of Turkish-Serbian relationships in one year, to co-habit with them, why won’t we do the same in Armenia’s case?” said Davutoğlu.

“Over a period of six months, I met with my Serbian counterpart 11 times. The Armenians don’t discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh issue with us, saying ‘You side with Azerbaijan.’ However, we say, ‘If by talking to Serbia we settled the issue, we will resolve it with you, as well.’ Thanks to us, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina were able to live side-by-side, as a result of which Bosnia and Herzegovina sent an ambassador to Bosnia. The pain and suffering were greater in the conflict between the Serbs and Bosnians than in the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict.

“After speaking with the president of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the airport for two hours in the middle of the night, the issue with the Serbs was resolved. Now it’s the Serbs turn to apologize for Srebrenica. And if we can talk with the Serbs, with whom we’ve struggled against for a thousand years, why won’t we talk with the Armenians? It’s been six months since we’ve been holding trilateral meetings with Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Why wouldn’t we do the same for Armenia and Azerbaijan?” said Davutoğlu.

According to Hürriyet Daily News and Economic Review, in recent months, Davutoğlu has engaged in intense diplomatic talks between Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other countries in the region in an effort to end potential strife between the neighboring nations.

Earlier, Turkey-mediated talks had prompted Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to appoint ambassadors to each others’ capitals.