Davutoglu: Turkey To Do Everything to End "Armenian Occupation"

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said his country is ready to do everything possible to “end the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territories,” according to Trend.az. Davutoglu was speaking on August 15, 2013, at a meeting of foreign ministers of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States in Gabala, Azerbaijan.

Davutoglu said he believes the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the main obstacle to regional stability in the South Caucasus. After twenty years of negotiations, “no results have yet been achieved. This is a very sad fact,” he said.

The Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States was established in 2009 and comprises Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey. The main topic at the Gabala meeting is transportation and customs facilitation.

Nevertheless both Turkish and Azerbaijani diplomats used the opportunity to talk about the Karabakh settlement process. One month ago, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said “Turkey is also a member of the Minsk Group, and it is ready to support the peace process.” This represents a new bid by Turkey to take on a more active role in the negotiations.

Responding to Mammadyarov’s comments, Armenian parliament deputy speaker Eduard Sharmazanov said, “If Turkey is really interested in a quick resolution of the Karabakh-Azerbaijan conflict, it should take one simple step: not meddle in the settlement process.”