Karabakh Will Be One of Essential Issues in Ankara-Moscow Talks in May: Davutoglu

One of the essential issues on the agenda during the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s visit to Ankara, planned in May, will be the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was reported by Anadolu news agency as saying at a parliamentary session today.

“A visit by Dmitry Medvedev [to Turkey] is expected in the near future. The problem with the Azerbaijani territories will be one of the essential issues [to be discussed during this visit]. We consider that topic as ours and continue to always keeping it on the agenda. From now on Turkey and Azerbaijan will coordinate their steps. No development can affect the relationship between Turkey and Azerbaijan. Everybody should bear this in mind,” said Davutoglu.

“The relations between Armenia and Turkey will normalize. We do want it,” said Turkish FM in reference to Armenia-Turkey rapprochement. He expressed hope that the conflict between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh will also be resolved.

Davutoglu also said that the “Turks and Armenians have co-existed for centuries. Wherever in the world they will meet, they should learn to share not only each others pain, but also history.”

“They have lived together and will do so in the future,” said he, adding Turkey did not want this current status quo be preserved in the Caucasus.

“We are interested in whatever happens in Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan. Any approach by Russia and Iran towards the Caucasus is directly related to us. For that reason we do not want this status quo in the Caucasus. The status quo in the Caucasus is beneficial neither for Turkey, nor for Armenia, nor for any other country,” said Davutoglu.