BAKU–Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan will fly to Baku on a two day official visit for talks with top officials on the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict. He is scheduled to arrive in the Azeri capital on November 30, the Turkish embassy in Azerbaijan said. News of the Turkish Foreign Minister’s trip to Azerbaijan comes a day after…
Obama’s Election Forces Turkey to Rethink its Deman’s from Armenia
Turkey has blockaded Armenia for the last 15 years with the vain hope that this would force Armenian leaders to make concessions to Ankara on several fronts: Abandon the pursuit of genocide recognition, acknowledge Turkey’s territorial integrity, and accept Azerbaijan’s jurisdiction over Artsakh (Karabagh). In return, Turkey offered to lift the blockade and establish diplomatic…
Gul Claims Regional Energy Cooperation to Boost Peace
ANKARA (Today’s Zaman)–Turkish President Abdullah Gul Friday claimed that regional cooperation in energy would contribute to regional peace, stability and welfare. "Energy safety requires development of cooperation among energy producing, consuming and transit countries, and we should turn our mutual independence in energy projects, like Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, into a lucrative cooperation that brings together regional…
Turkey, Azerbaijan Discuss Karabakh
ANKARA (Today’s Zaman)–Standing alongside his Azerbaijani counterpart during a joint press conference in Ankara Wednesday, Turkish President Abdullah Gul proclaimed that a new era for the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has begun. Gul’s remarks came at a joint press conference with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who arrived in the Turkish capital Tuesday only days…
Iran to Propose its own Initiative for Karabakh Resolution
TEHRAN–Iran will soon present to Russia and the three South Caucasus countries its own proposal for resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Shekholislam said on Thursday, IRNA news reported. The draft proposal is ready and will be forwarded to the ambassadors of the four countries once Tehran has considered suggestion from Armenia,…
Russa, Turkey Competing for Influence in Caucasus, Says Safrastyan
YEREVAN–Turkey and Russia are competing for strategic influence over the South Caucasus, waging their struggle for regional dominance in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Director of the Oriental Institute at the National Academy of Sciences in Armenia’said on Wednesday. “Today Russia and Turkey are struggling for the South Caucasus, and the Karabakh conflict is one of the most…
Turkey Signals Second Round of Karabakh Talks with Armenia, Azerbaijan
BAKU (Armenpress)–Turkey’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan on Tuesday signaled the possibility of a second round of trilateral talks between the foreign ministers of Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan, a move aimed at linking Turkish-Armenian relations to the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Following Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s visit to Armenia on September 6, Turkey hosted trilateral talks…
No Future in Turkish Initiative to Mediate Karabakh Conflict, Says Safrastyan
YEREVAN (Combined Sources)–Turkey’s recent efforts to mediate a resolution in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbain outside the Minsk Group format have no future, Armenia’s top Turkologist, Ruben Safrastyan, told reporters on Wednesday. The OSCE Minsk Group continues to be the best format for resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, according to Safrastyan, who is the…
Armenian, Turkish, Azeri Foreign Ministers Meet
UNITED NATIONS (Combined Sources)–The foreign ministers of Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan met in New York on Friday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly without issuing a much talked about joint announcement. News broke last week of renewed behind the scenes talks in Switzerland between Armenian and Turkish diplomats seeking to finalize a…