Negotiations on the possible settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are expected to resume in New York later this month on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly. The meetings are expected to take place on 24 and 25 September. The Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Edward Nalbandian and Elmar Mammadyarov will first meet separately with the co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Process, and afterwards they are expected to have a joint meeting.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Minister spoke about the meeting in a press briefing together with his Turkish counterpart, Feridun Sinirlioglu. Sinirlioglu said the main topic of his discussions in Baku was the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Turkish Foreign Minister said that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the biggest problem hindering regional security and development. He said that the conflict should be settled within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.
"Turkey intends to step up its efforts for this. It is clear that such a solution will normalize the situation in the region and will benefit all the countries. What we expect is that other countries and the international community comprehend this, and step up their efforts without delay. We are following the activities of the Minsk Group, and when necessary we criticize and urge them forward. Any steps that may deepen the problem must be avoided. The recent illegal elections held in Nagorno-Karabakh is a wrong and provocative step, and we condemn it. It's more than clear that this step is not going to yield a positive result," he said. The Turkish Foreign Minister later also held a meeting with the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev.
The visit of the Turkish Foreign Minister to Baku comes two weeks after the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, also visited Azerbaijan to discuss the Karabakh issue. Referring to that visit, the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister said that Russia has stepped up its diplomacy on the Karabakh issue. Mammadyarov however emphasised that Azerbaijan wanted a results based approach but it was not yet possible to say if the Russian efforts will yield results.
source: commonspace.eu with agencies.
photo: Turkish Foreign Minister Feirdun Sinirlioglu and his delegation met Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev in Baku on 16 September 2015. (picture copurtesy of the press servicve of the Preesident of Azerbaijan.)
