Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 13
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
In the case of release of at least one occupied Azerbaijani region, Turkey could open its border with Armenia, according to Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
Davutoglu made this remark at a meeting with the representatives of the national minorities in Turkey, the Haberturk newspaper reported Feb. 13.
He said the Armenians living in Turkey are part of the country and should not suffer because of the relations between Ankara and Yerevan.
"Turkey aims to solve the problems with the Armenians," Davutoglu added.
Touching upon the celebrations of the centenary of the Battle of Canakkale, the PM underscored that the celebrations have no political overtones.
Earlier, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan invited the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan to take part on April 24 in the festivities in honor of the 100th anniversary of the victory in the Battle of Canakkale.
He also said this could lead to the start of a dialogue between the two countries, but, the Armenian authorities refused to take part in the festivities.
Armenia and the Armenian lobby claim that Turkey's predecessor, the Ottoman Empire allegedly carried out "genocide" against the Armenians living in Anatolia in 1915. Turkey in turn has always denied "the genocide" took place.
While strengthening the efforts to promote the "genocide" in the world, Armenians have achieved its recognition by the parliaments of some countries.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said earlier that the emphasis on the 1915 events hinders the normalization of relations between Ankara and Yerevan.
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