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Turkish President Abdullah Gul is preparing to host a summit with the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in a move to at last bring peace to the two countries, Turkey`s Today`s Zaman English-language newspaper reported.
Gul, who introduced his proposal for the trilateral meeting during his talks last Wednesday with Azerbaijan`s visiting President Ilham Aliyev, received a positive response from the Azerbaijani leader, the publication quoted diplomatic sources as saying.
Gul`s initiative follows another meeting between Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian hosted in Moscow on November 2 by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. There, Aliyev and Sarkisian agreed to develop confidence-building measures as they seek a solution to the long-standing Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict involving the two South Caucasus republics.
Gul has already voiced support for the Moscow talks and expressed hope that it would be followed by other steps, while the Turkish Foreign Ministry, separately, said a network of relations based upon cooperation and mutual trust within the framework of Turkey`s proposal for a regional platform could build confidence between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Ankara will soon send its proposal for a trilateral summit to Yerevan, according to officials. The date and venue of the meeting will be decided later, though Istanbul has been mentioned as the probable meeting site.
"The summit may take place in a few months," a Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Today`s Zaman.
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov told the newspaper that the decision concerning the meeting`s venue and date was up to Turkey, adding that the agenda of the trilateral summit might span beyond the Garabagh conflict. The minister also reiterated support for Turkey`s proposal to establish the Caucasus Stability and Cooperation Platform.
Turkey`s proposal came following a brief war between Georgia and Russia in August, and it aims to bring Turkey, Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan and Georgia together around the same table.
Turkish Ambassador in Baku Hulusi Kilic said Tuesday the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey are due to meet by the year-end.
The ambassador noted that his country welcomed Moscow`s initiative that brought together the Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian presidents for the signing of the declaration on Garabagh.
"Regardless of who is acting as a mediator, we support a speedy resolution of this conflict. We applaud Russia`s efforts aimed at finding a solution to the problem. Both Russia and Turkey are countries bordering on Azerbaijan and Armenia, therefore, both are interested in a settlement to this conflict," Kilic said.