Azernews.Az

ANKARA – Turkish and Armenian Presidents Abdullah Gul and Serzh Sargsyan held a meeting on the sidelines of the OSCE summit in Astana on Thursday. During the meeting, the two leaders enquired about each other’s health, Turkey’s Anadolu news agency reported.

Touching upon the process of normalizing Turkish-Armenian relations that have been strained for decades, President Gul said Ankara continued making an effort in this area.

"Turkey has a firm stance on this issue. Complicated problems cannot be resolved by taking a single step. It is necessary to press ahead [with their solution]," Gul said.

Turkey and Armenia have been at odds for decades and their shared border has been shut since 1993 due to Armenia’s occupation of Azerbaijani territory and Armenian claims on World War I-era "genocide". In October 2009, the two governments signed agreements to establish diplomatic relations and reopen their borders. However, the accords require approval by both countries’ parliaments. Turkish officials said that the protocols will not be ratified until progress is made in resolving the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. In response, Yerevan suspended ratification of the deals this April.