Closer ties between Ankara and Moscow have led to progress in resolving the decades-old conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said in an interview with Reuters.
With Russia, Turkey is playing a leading role in trying to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Gul said he discussed the matter with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at the summit.
The summit is held in Astana on Dec. 1-2 and will bring together presidents and prime ministers from 56 OSCE member countries and 12 OSCE partner countries, as well as the heads of 68 international organizations.
The summit has been held six times since the organization's inception in 1975. The last was held in Istanbul in 1999.
"Even though there is no breakthrough point at the moment, there are some positive steps taking place," Gul said. "There is a silent, but very determined diplomacy."
"I sincerely believe that the de facto situation in the Caucasus is not in the interest of anyone of us," Gul said.
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 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.