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Turkish President: The occupation of Azerbaijani territories may lead to unexpected problems

Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict Materials 26 November 2010 02:16 (UTC +04:00)
The occupation of Azerbaijani territories may lead to unexpected problems, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said at a joint press conference with Doris Leuthard, President of Swiss Confederation, in Bern on Thursday, Anadolu agency reported.
Turkish President: The occupation of Azerbaijani territories may lead to unexpected problems

The occupation of Azerbaijani territories may lead to unexpected problems, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said at a joint press conference with Doris Leuthard, President of Swiss Confederation, in Bern on Thursday, Anadolu agency reported.

"There are some problems between Azerbaijan and Armenia as well as between Turkey and Armenia. A part of territories of Azerbaijan is under occupation. Many people have become refugees. If this matter is not resolved, some unexpected problems may appear. Everyone should work for solution of the problem", Gul said, replying to a question on Turkish-Armenian relations.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the United States - are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding regions.

According to Gul, Turkey attaches great importance to friendly relations with all countries in the region and intends to continue to move toward normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia. 

"We will continue to take necessary steps to achieve lasting peace in the Caucasus. The current situation in Caucasus is not to the interests of Eurasia, Europe and Asia. Because these problems are like a wall between Europe and Asia. If these problems are removed, there will be more cooperation in several areas", Gul said.

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