USA calls on Armenia and Turkey to overcome existing differences

The meeting between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in St. Petersburg didn't produce any results. Is continued dialogue being proposed, or will that be postponed until after the presidential elections in the two countries?

The two sides have made considerable progress over the past three years, and the leadership of Armenia and Azerbaijan should be lauded for their courage in narrowing the differences between them on basic principles for a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We regret that the St. Petersburg meeting did not produce greater progress. As a Co-Chair of the OSCE's Minsk Group, the U.S. remains committed to supporting negotiations to achieve a peaceful resolution of the conflict. We urge both sides to show the political will to move the negotiations forward.

Is the U.S. planning to take any steps to normalize relations between Turkey and Armenia?

Armenia and Turkey have a long and rich history. The future of relations between the two countries is obviously something that Armenia and Turkey will decide but as a strong partner of both countries the U.S. encourages both countries to work towards a settlement of their differences and the resumption of normalized relations.

Will the U.S. participate in any manner in the construction of the Kars (Turkey) - Baku railroad line?

The U.S. Government has no plans to participate in the construction of the Kars-Baku railroad line.

To what extent is a Turkish invasion of Northern Iraq justified and would that not destabilize the larger (broader) Middle East?

The U.S. Government is opposed to any unilateral cross-border operations by Turkish forces into Iraq. That said, the U.S. recognizes the PKK terrorist threat to Turkey and Turkey's right to defend itself. We believe that cooperation amongst Turkey, Iraq, and the U.S. is necessary to eliminate the PKK terrorist threat and have appointed General Joseph Ralston as our special envoy to lead that effort from our side.