Turkish FM calls NATO, EU for an opening policy towards Balkans

"The Balkans where different religious faiths and cultures co-existed, need common values and ideals to bring people together. NATO and the EU could achieve it together," Babacan said at a panel discussion on "Caucasus and Balkans" held on the sidelines of the 45th Munich Security Conference in Germany.

Babacan underlined the importance of dialogue to find productive solutions to problems and said, "The EU should pursue an opening policy towards the Balkans. We support Serbia's membership to the EU. On the other hand, we think that Macedonia should become a member of NATO as soon as possible."

Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan also met with Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani during his visit.

RELATIONS WITH ARMENIA

Babacan said Turkey's efforts to normalize relations with Armenia ongoing, Anatolian Agency reported.

"Our efforts have been continuing to normalize the relations between the two countries after President Serzh Sargsyan invited President Abdullah Gul to watch the soccer match between Turkish and Armenian national teams in Yerevan. After the relations between Turkey and Armenia and Armenia and Azerbaijan are fully normalized, the situation in the region will change considerably," he was quoted as saying.

Babacan met with his Armenian counterpart Eduard Nalbandian and later paid a visit of courtesy to Sargsyan, in the sidelines of the conference. Turkish Foreign Ministry officials said on Saturday that the talks were quite productive.

Sargsyan said that important developments could happen in Turkey-Armenia relations in the second half of the year, the agency reported. Armenia aimed at developing its cooperation ties with all regional countries to make southern Caucasus an alternate route of transportation, he added.

Babacan last week met Nalbandian on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, and said there has been an ongoing process between Turkey and Armenia, who have no diplomatic relations. He added that when a tangible outcome is achieved it would be announced.

The two countries have no diplomatic relations and their border has been closed for more than a decade, as Armenia presses the international community with the backing of the diaspora to admit the so-called "genocide" claims instead of accepting Turkey's call to investigate the allegations, and over Armenia's invasion of 20 percent territory of Azerbaijan.

Babacan will proceed to the Azerbaijani capital of Baku from Germany on Sunday, and he would meet Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and President Ilham Aliyev there on Monday.