Turkish FM: Occupation of Azerbaijani lands impedes cooperation in Caucasus

The occupation of the Azerbaijani lands by Armenia, which caused the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, complicated the further cooperation in the Caucasus in the regional and global scale, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said.

In his article published in Russia-based Global Politics journal, Davutoglu noted that unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory by Armenia impedes use of important potentials such as growing economy, human capital and natural resources by Azerbaijan and the South Caucasus as a whole.

The progress that has recently been achieved in talks between the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia, Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan, is very important to resolve the conflict, as the mechanism developed by the OSCE Minsk Group has not brought tangible and concrete results, he said.  

In his article, Turkish FM said that the OSCE Minsk Group, which includes Turkey, is the only international instrument that can induce parties to take concrete steps to overcome differences and reach a peaceful settlement.

Regarding the Turkey- Azerbaijan relations, Davutoglu pointed out that the frequency of mutual visits, regular dialogue and solidarity in matters of mutual interest are evidence of important political relations between Ankara and Baku.

"Our economic cooperation is developing steadily. The trade turnover reached $2.5 billion. In addition, Turkey is leading country in the Azerbaijani economy in terms of foreign investment," the minister added.

Simultaneously, Turkey will not lose the hope that it will re-establish relations with Armenia, which still remains a missing link in the whole picture, which Ankara wants to see in the South Caucasus.

Davutoglu named the signing of the Ankara-Yerevan protocols as "an unprecedented step forward towards the elimination of legal and psychological barriers that still separate the two neighboring people."

However, he said, during the whole dialogue with Yerevan, Turkey has always aware that only the Turkish-Armenian reconciliation is not enough to make long-awaited peace and stability came to the South Caucasus.

Therefore, the minister believes that Ankara was convinced that progress in the normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia should be complemented and developed with concrete steps aimed at resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

"Only with a comprehensive solution, we can maintain the atmosphere of reconciliation and remove the remaining barriers to dialogue, cooperation and peace in the region. This, of course, will require political will and courage," he added.


/Trend News/