Turkish FM: Talks between Ankara and Yerevan, Baku and Yerevan should be held in parallel

Talks between Ankara and Yerevan should be held in parallel with the negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said at a press conference after meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during his visit to the United States, the Turkish CNN Turk television channel reported.

"The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan will have a negative impact on these talks regardless of the successful normalization of the relations between Turkey and Armenia," Davutoglu said.

According to Davutoglu, the protocols signed between Ankara and Yerevan will come into force in the case of the establishment of peace in the region. Turkey has never had a bias against the Armenians, who took ministerial posts in the Ottoman Empire.

Voicing his attitude toward the 1915 events, the foreign minister said justice is of great importance when investigating this issue.

"In 1915, not only Armenians, but also Turks were killed," he said. "It is wrong to consider these events as the Armenian people's problem only."

Davutoglu and Armenian foreign minister Edward Nalbandian signed the Ankara-Yerevan protocols in Zurich on Oct. 10 to normalize bilateral relations. However, the protocols have not been submitted to the two countries' parliaments for ratification yet.

Diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey were severed due to Armenia's claims of an alleged genocide and its occupation of Azerbaijani lands.


/Trend/