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I will visit Iran and Azerbaijan next week, Turkish FM

17 April 2010 04:50 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Thursday he would visit Iran and Azerbaijan next week, APA reports quoting turkishny.com web-page. In a press conference held at the Turkish Embassy in Washington, D.C., Davutoglu said that "during my visit to Iran, I will share my talks that I held with the U.S. officials and the impression I received in Washington, D.C." Both Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and I had the chance to conduct meetings with various leaders in Washington, D.C. during the Nuclear Security Summit, Davutoglu said.
Prime Minister Erdogan conveyed Turkey’s viewpoints during the Summit and talked with U.S. President Barack Obama. Erdogan and Obama discussed issues pertaining to Turkey and the U.S., developments in the Caucasus, normalization process with Armenia, Iran and other regional issues, Davutoglu said.
During his meeting with Russian President Dmitriy Anatolyevich Medvedev, Erdogan talked about the Caucasus, developments in the Middle East and the developments in Kyrgyzstan, Davutoglu said.
TURKEY AND U.S. LOOK AT DEVELOPMENTS IN CAUCASUS WITH A JOINT PERSPECTIVE, TURKISH FM
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that he discussed the issue of Turkey’s normalization of relations with Armenia and the Caucasus in a meeting he held with his U.S. counterpart Hillary Clinton on Thursday.
In a press conference held at the Turkish Embassy in Washington, D.C., Davutoglu said that Turkey and the U.S. looked at the developments in the Caucasus with a joint perspective.
We are determined to continue the normalization process with Armenia. We have conveyed our will on the issue to U.S. President Barack Obama, Armenian President Serzh Sargsian, Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Davutoglu said.
We think it is highly important for us to implement the protocols signed by Turkey and Armenia, protocols reached after extensive efforts by both sides, Davutoglu said.
We pay high attention to solving the dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia. We hope, at the end of all these processes, that stability and peace would prevail in the Caucasus, Davutoglu said.
In regard to Iran, Davutoglu said that Turkey shared its notions on Iran with U.S. officials.
Secretary Clinton and I talked about Iran. We believe that there is still a chance for a diplomatic solution regarding Iran. We will continue to do whatever is necessary on this issue, Davutoglu also said.
TOP TURKISH DIPLOMAT SAYS TURKEY DOES NOT WANT SANCTIONS IN ITS REGION
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Thursday reiterated his country’s opposition to possible sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program.
"As a principle, we do not want to see any sanctions in our region. And I do not think that diplomatic channels had been exhausted all the way through. Diplomacy could still work if we try harder," Davutoglu told reporters in a press meeting at the Turkish Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Davutoglu was in the U.S. capital to participate in a nuclear security summit where U.S. President Barack Obama sought world leaders’ help in sanctioning Iran as western countries fear Tehran’s nuclear ambitions include developing atomic bombs. Iran has denied such allegations.
"We want problems to be solved through dialogue and we will do anything to find such a solution," Davutoglu said.
Turkey holds a non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council, which would need the approval of all of its permanent and non-permanent members to move ahead with a resolution on sanctioning Iran.
Davutoglu refused to say how Turkey would vote in a possible Security Council session on Iran sanctions.
"You will see when its time comes. We have well-defined policies and we have never hesitated to firmly make our case," Davutoglu said.
The Turkish minister said Iranian officials had trust in Turkey, adding that his country would continue talking with them over steps to be taken.
Responding to a question, Davutoglu rejected allegations that the U.S. administration had made pledges to ease Ankara’s concerns that Iran could cut off natural gas shipments to Turkey if it backed possible sanctions.