Azernews.Az

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has sent a message to Armenia which insists that Ankara approve in parliament the October agreement on mending strained bilateral relations by next March, Turkish Hurriyet newspaper reported.
Davutoglu said it was wrong to impose a deadline, noting that result, not deadlines, is important in such processes. "There should be no pressure over timing. We will not leave the fate of our countries and the region at the mercy of lobbies."
The Turkish minister said "everyone should contemplate positive scenarios" in dealing with the normalization of bilateral ties.
"Negative scenarios would not benefit anyone. Returning to the situation we had prior to the signing of the protocols is not in line with anyone’s interests."
According to Davutoglu, the positive scenario envisions enforcing the Ankara-Yerevan protocols and normalizing relations in the entire Caucasus region, referring to the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict, which has remained unresolved for 17 years.
"Turkey-Armenia normalization cannot be healthy without a solution of the Upper Garabagh problem," Davutoglu said, affirming Ankara’s stance.
He recalled that the Turkish-Armenian border has been shut for two decades.
"We are trying to solve this issue. If goodwill is put forth on Garabagh settlement, a certain stage [progress] can be reached in this process as well."
Davutoglu said significant progress has been achieved as part of the Minsk process, implying the peace talks mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group. He added that the December 1 meeting between the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers held in Athens was beneficial.*