Turkey-Armenia Ties Connected to Karabakh

WASHINGTON (Combined Sources)—Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters after his meeting with President Obama that the normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations was contingent on the resolution of the Karabakh conflict.

According to Erdogan, the US and Turkish leaders discussed relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

“This is important in the context of relations between Turkey and Armenia,” he said, adding that the two also discussed the Karabakh conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group.

On the issue of Turkish-Armenian reconciliation, Obama said Erdogan had been “courageous” in his efforts to normalize the decades-old resentment and bitterness.

Obama and Erdogan were also reported to have discussed Iran. According to Reuters, Obama said on Monday that Turkey could be an “important player” in efforts to resolve the long-running dispute over Iran’s nuclear program.

The US President made the statement during a White House meeting with Erdogan, who said his country stands ready to do whatever it can to achieve a diplomatic solution to the issue.

Obama said he had stressed the importance of resolving the dispute “in a way that allows Iran to pursue peaceful nuclear energy, but provides assurances that it will abide by international rules and norms.”

“I believe that Turkey can be an important player in trying to move Iran in that direction,” the president was quoted as saying by AFP.

Obama also praised Turkey for its role in Afghanistan, where it has some 1,700 troops.