No stability in Caucasus unless Karabakh conflict is settled - Gul

Establishing stability in the Caucasus will not be possible unless the Karabakh conflict is settled, Turkish president Abdullah Gul has said.

Speaking at the Economic Cooperation Summit in Istanbul, the Turkish leader said his country attaches a major importance to the normalization of ties with Armenia, the Turkish news agency Cihan reported.

"We attach much importance to the normalization of ties with Armenia. To that end, we have undertaken certain steps. We are hopeful such complicated issues will be resolved, and we will finally be able to consider the possibility of establishing peace in the Caucasus. And to achieve that, it is necessary to cease the occupation of the Azerbaijani areas. There are one million refugees. This is a fact that has to be considered," Gul said.