ANKARA - Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Sunday urged Armenia to withdraw troops as soon as possible from Upper Karabakh region, over which Armenia and Azerbaijan have territorial disputes, as Turkey and Armenia move to normalize ties, state media reported.
Turkey was rightful to make normalization of ties with Armenia a parallel process to ending the "illegitimate occupation" of Upper Karabakh by Armenia, Davutoglu told the state-run TRT TV channel.
"It will be a gain for Armenia to improve relations with Azerbaijan and the earlier the occupation ends, the more gain will be achieved by all," he was quoted as saying.
Davutoglu and his Armenian counterpart Eduard Nalbandian signed protocols to establish diplomatic ties and develop bilateral relations in the Swiss city of Zurich on Saturday. The protocols were yet to be ratified by the two countries' parliaments before entering into force.
Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic or economic ties since Armenia declared its independence in 1991. Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 to support Azerbaijan during its conflict with Armenia over the Upper Karabakh region, an enclave of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenian troops.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday hailed the signing of Turkey-Armenia protocols as a significant step but reiterated that "Turkey cannot assume a positive attitude unless Armenia withdraws from Azerbaijani territories," the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.
Turkey-Armenia rifts went back to the World War I period. Armenia claims more than 1.5 million Armenians were killed in a systematic genocide in the hands of the Ottomans during the time, but Turkey insists that the Armenians were victims of widespread chaos and governmental breakdown as the 600-year-old Ottoman Empire collapsed.
Speaking of the killings, Davutoglu said it would be a great mistake to take individual reactions as a state policy, underscoring the importance of establishing a joint historical commission and establishing a "just memory."
To settle the dispute, the two countries agreed on Saturday to conduct "an impartial scientific examination of the historical records and archives to define existing problems and formulate recommendations."
"Problems can emerge from time to time," Turkish President Abdullah Gul was quoted by Anatolia as saying Sunday, referring to the process of normalizing Turkey-Armenia ties. "But if intention and wills are clear, we can come to a conclusion."
Turkey aims to get closer with its neighbors economically and culturally, which will add momentum to Turkey's bid to join the European Union (EU), said Davutoglu.
"A Turkey that is not effective in its region could not become a respectable member of the EU," he was quoted by TRT TV as saying.
Uncertainties remain over whether the protocols will be ratified by the parliaments. Nationalists in both Turkey and Armenia have opposed making concessions to each other in the process of normalization.
Source: Xinhua
October 11, 09
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