Milliyet: Turkish diplomacy strives to facilitate rapprochement with Armenia

PanARMENIAN.Net - A foreign affairs analyst for Turkish newspaper Milliyet commented on the prospects of the development of Yerevan-Ankara ties in the context of the Azeri President Ilham Aliyev's visit to Turkey, Tert.am said.

"Ankara's provides all-round assistance on Karabakh issue to Azerbaijan; the latter, however, does not return the courtesy where Cyprus is concerned," Sami Cohen said.

According to the columnist, following the signing of rapprochement protocols in Zurich 4 yeas ago, Turkey laid a Karabakh-related precondition, though the document actually contained no mention of Karabakh. However, the article said, Azerbaijan became highly concerned over Turkey's plans to establish diplomatic ties with Armenia and open the border.

"Azeri stance prompted Erdogan to promise Baku no rapprochement with Armenia will be launched unless Karabakh conflict is solved," Cohen said. "Thus, Baku concerns were abated, yet a chance for a rapprochement with Armenia was lost."

Should Karabah conflict be solved, there'll be no impediment to Yerevan-Ankara rapprochement. Yet no progress has been achieved for 20 years, the article said.

"OSCE Minsk Group is looking for a solution, yet fails to find it. Under the circumstances, no normalization of ties with Armenia is possible. Yet Turkish diplomacy is taking every effort to contribute to the Karabakh conflict settlement through meetings with the OSCE MG leadership," the article said.