27 September 2008, 14:08
Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey decide to go on negotiating
The heads of Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey find it necessary to speed up negotiations and speak in favour of the idea of the so-called "Safety and stability platform in the Caucasus".
"At their meeting, the MFA heads of the three countries supported the Turkey's initiative to create the 'South Caucasian platform'," said Khazar Ibragim, head of the press service of the Azerbaijani MFA.
The co-chairs of the Minsk Group have also welcomed the Turkey's contribution to the settlement of the Armenian-Azeri conflict.
Besides, as Ali Babadzan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, told journalists, the Ministers had expressed their intention to continue trilateral meetings. In his interview to the TRT TV Channel, Mr Babadzan said that the participants had discussed mainly the situation in the region, Turkish-Armenian relations and ways towards peaceful settlement of the Armenian-Azeri conflict on Nagorno-Karabakh.
According to the Turkish Minister, any progress in the talks between Turkey and Armenia or Azerbaijan and Armenia will positively tell on the course of the whole negotiating process. He has noted that a favourable international situation is now in place for settling the conflicts.
E. Nalbandyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, said to the journalists' question whether the problems could be solved this year, "We'd better speak about today, not about years."
Author: Rafael Gasanov, CK correspondent
