Turkey firm on Armenia talks, says FM Davutoğlu
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Anatolian Agency
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Haziran 30, 2009 00:00
CORFU - FM Ahmet Davutoğlu meets with his Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandian on the Greek island of Corfu and expresses Turkey’s firm stance in the ongoing negotiation process. After meeting with the Greek FM, he says Greece agrees that two nations must work on common interests.
The Turkish foreign minister expressed Turkey's firm stance in the ongoing negotiation process with Armenia, saying Turkey is maintaining its determination to normalize relations with its neighbor.
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu had a brief meeting late Sunday with his Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandian on the Greek island of Corfu on the sidelines of the informal meeting of the Organization for the Security and Co-operation in Europe, or OSCE, foreign ministers in Corfu.
"This approach is in line with our vision to have zero problems with our neighbors," Davutoğlu told reporters. He said Turkey had a sustainable welfare, security and peace perspective on the Caucasus, and positive results could be gained soon if all parties worked toward that target.
Meeting with Greek minister
Davutoğlu defined the OSCE and NATO meetings in Corfu as fruitful, and said he had the opportunity to meet Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyianni on the sidelines of the meetings. Davutoğlu said Bakoyianni agreed that the two countries should work on common interests with a high-level of dialogue instead of discussing issues that might cause a crisis.
Foreign Minister Davutoğlu said it was natural to have differences of opinion between parties, but also said parties should be aware of each other's positions and respect them.
"Minorities should act like a bridge between the two countries, and this role should be strengthened," said Davutoğlu. He also said both countries were supporting the ongoing Cyprus negotiation process.
Speaking about a European Union document that blames Turkey for illegal human trafficking, Davutoğlu said the illegal migration was not a Turkish-Greek issue, and defined both Turkey and Greece as transit countries not target countries. "This issue is a crime of humanity and a global matter, and should be handled this way. We will naturally offer every type of cooperation," he said.
He said he was expecting to see Bakoyianni in Turkey soon, and thus they would have the opportunity to have a more detailed meeting.
The Turkish minister also had talks with European foreign policy chief Javier Solana, British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs David Miliband, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey, and Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Azim Azimov.
He said the EU and Turkey decided to cooperate on foreign policy, and quoted Solana as saying that "the EU was appreciating Turkey's good relations with all actors." Before returning to Turkey, Davutoglu visited the Turkish Memorial Cemetery in Corfu, becoming the first Turkish foreign minister to visit the site. People who died in Greece during the war between the Ottoman Empire and Greece in 1897, the Balkan Wars, World War I and the War of Independence were buried at the site.
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu had a brief meeting late Sunday with his Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandian on the Greek island of Corfu on the sidelines of the informal meeting of the Organization for the Security and Co-operation in Europe, or OSCE, foreign ministers in Corfu.
"This approach is in line with our vision to have zero problems with our neighbors," Davutoğlu told reporters. He said Turkey had a sustainable welfare, security and peace perspective on the Caucasus, and positive results could be gained soon if all parties worked toward that target.
Meeting with Greek minister
Davutoğlu defined the OSCE and NATO meetings in Corfu as fruitful, and said he had the opportunity to meet Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyianni on the sidelines of the meetings. Davutoğlu said Bakoyianni agreed that the two countries should work on common interests with a high-level of dialogue instead of discussing issues that might cause a crisis.
Foreign Minister Davutoğlu said it was natural to have differences of opinion between parties, but also said parties should be aware of each other's positions and respect them.
"Minorities should act like a bridge between the two countries, and this role should be strengthened," said Davutoğlu. He also said both countries were supporting the ongoing Cyprus negotiation process.
Speaking about a European Union document that blames Turkey for illegal human trafficking, Davutoğlu said the illegal migration was not a Turkish-Greek issue, and defined both Turkey and Greece as transit countries not target countries. "This issue is a crime of humanity and a global matter, and should be handled this way. We will naturally offer every type of cooperation," he said.
He said he was expecting to see Bakoyianni in Turkey soon, and thus they would have the opportunity to have a more detailed meeting.
The Turkish minister also had talks with European foreign policy chief Javier Solana, British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs David Miliband, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey, and Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Azim Azimov.
He said the EU and Turkey decided to cooperate on foreign policy, and quoted Solana as saying that "the EU was appreciating Turkey's good relations with all actors." Before returning to Turkey, Davutoglu visited the Turkish Memorial Cemetery in Corfu, becoming the first Turkish foreign minister to visit the site. People who died in Greece during the war between the Ottoman Empire and Greece in 1897, the Balkan Wars, World War I and the War of Independence were buried at the site.